Ylenia Aguilar is a Democrat seeking a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Aguilar has a background in advocacy and green technology, including projects in Yuma to conserve and produce water.
A former undocumented immigrant, Aguilar took her first step into politics in 2016 when she voted for the first time. Since then, Aguilar has run and won election to her kid's local school board and continued her work on water issues impacting the state.
"One of the biggest barriers and challenges is access to information, and just people even knowing that this body exists." Ylenia Aguilar
Aguilar was the first Latina elected to the Central Arizona Project Board and is two years into her 6-year term.
Aguilar says people may not have a great understanding of the overall work of the ACC, but as she travels the state, she says she has heard a lot of complaints from residents about their utility rates.
Aguilar says she is particularly concerned for older people on a fixed income, young people just trying to establish themselves financially, and for rural Arizonans who often face less reliable utility providers. Aguilar says the current Commission never mentions people like these, instead focusing on the needs of the corporations that come before them.
"If we had some decent Republicans who were doing what's right for Arizona, I wouldn't be running for this position." Ylenia Aguilar
Aguilar wonders why Republicans running for the ACC aren't more concerned about the impact annual rate increases have on state rate payers. She says she would not be running for the Commission if the Republican-dominated entity did a better job protecting ratepayers, as well as be more transparent about their processes and work.
