San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Cook faces 3 challengers

Paul Cook has represented the High Desert in elected office for 16 years. First came the Assembly from 2006 through 2012. Then he served in the House of Representatives from 2012 through 2020. And since 2020, Cook has represented the First District on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

In March, three hopefuls — a school board member, a former sheriff’s deputy and a pastor — seek to dethrone

Cook.

The First District includes the Victor Valley communities of Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville, along with the High Desert north of Barstow.

Candidates are listed in the order in which they will appear on the March 5 ballot, as determined by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters. We asked all candidates the same questions. Below are their responses.

Paul Cook

Occupation: San Bernardino

County supervisor

Website: Joinpaulcook. com

Campaign finances: As of Jan. 20, the Paul Cook for Supervisor 2024 committee had received $300 since Jan. 1, spent $13,191 in campaign expenditures and had $103,480 cash on hand.

If elected, what would you do to attract new businesses to the district?

“If reelected, I will continue to fight to bring new businesses to the district. I am one of the earliest supporters of the Brightline high-speed rail project, and

I plan to attract new businesses to the region that can complement the Victor Valley Brightline Station. I am also a strong advocate for the mining industry, which offers good paying jobs and local sources of critical raw materials, and will continue to work to entice more contractors and suppliers to relocate to our county.”

If elected, what would you do to create more affordable housing for residents in the district?

“One of my priorities in my first term has been affordable housing, especially

for our seniors and veterans. One of my first victories as supervisor was securing $5.5 million to partner

with a developer on a senior housing project in Hesperia. There’s plenty more work to

COURTESY OF PAUL COOK, MARCUS HERNANDEZ, CLIFTON HARRIS AND RAFAEL A. PORRAS Paul Cook, left, Marcus Hernandez, Clifton Harris and Rafael A. Porras are candidates for First District Supervisor on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.