Henry Valenzuela, a Yuma native, retired police lieutenant and Army veteran, is campaigning for Yuma City Council on a platform of affordability, neighborhood preservation and direct voter engagement, saying he speaks for working families he calls overlooked by the local establishment.
“It’s just past midday in downtown Yuma, and that sound comes from the railroad next to the old Hotel del Sol,” Valenzuela said in a KAWC interview, criticizing a planned redevelopment of the Hotel del Sol. “Those aren’t the types of things that are going to make things better for the everyday, average working family here in Yuma. So that’s where I distinguish myself from the other candidates.”
Valenzuela said the city is spending about $18 million to rebuild the Del Sol and predicted it would include transit access and condos. He said such projects benefit developers and visitors more than long-time residents struggling with rising housing costs.
He cast himself as an outsider willing to confront entrenched interests and said that stance has drawn both support and criticism. “When you’re an outsider coming in and trying to make real change … you become a threat,” Valenzuela said. “Unfortunately, the establishment sees me as a threat.”
A central plank of his campaign is preserving neighborhood amenities, including Kennedy Pool, which he said has been supported by local property taxes for decades and deserves protection. “I’m the only candidate that has said that we need to save Kennedy Pool,” he said.
Valenzuela said he prioritizes low taxes and fees and wants to make housing and services more attainable for working families. He described an active outreach strategy that includes social media videos and direct engagement to involve younger and busier residents who may not follow council agendas or budget documents.
The campaign has faced scrutiny over Valenzuela’s work history as a watch commander with the Yuma Police Department. Local reports questioned whether he was present at his desk for a traditional 40-hour workweek. Valenzuela pushed back, saying critics used anonymous social media accounts and misunderstood how shift-based watch commander duties are performed.
“As a watch commander, I was not expected to sit at my desk for forty hours a week,” he said, adding that his schedule included varied duties and patrol responsibilities equivalent to lengthy workweeks for which he was salaried.
Valenzuela urged voters to participate in the election and to evaluate candidates beyond slogans. “Everybody needs to get out and vote,” he said. “Contact them, speak to them, try to do your best to figure out what people actually represent.”
As ballots approach, Yuma voters will have to choose between visions focused on development and investment, and candidates emphasizing local, day to day fixes Valenzuela says working families need.
