Censures key for accountability

I will request the City Council of the city of San Jacinto take formal action Tuesday night to censure one of our members for conduct inconsistent with the morals and values of our beloved community. As was reported in this paper, law enforcement authorities indicted Councilmember Joel Lopez earlier this summer on charges of operating an illegal marijuana dispensary in the city. He was arrested, again, on suspicion of domestic violence earlier this month.

I am asking the City Council to take this action because council members are not above accountability. Our community needs to understand his conduct is not reflective of our values or service to this community.

With the support of our residents and dedicated work of our city staff, we have made incredible strides to improve the wellbeing of our residents, especially those most vulnerable.

San Jacinto voters overwhelmingly approved a sales tax increase last year to invest more resources in law enforcement, public safety, homeless outreach programs, and desperately needed community amenities. The City Council heard the needs of its voters loud and clear and increased the city’s annual budget to pay for five new deputies, a full municipal fire crew for Station 25, and a new community outreach partner to address homeless needs. The city also hired two additional dedicated deputies for the POP — Problem-Oriented Policing — Team, which focuses on qualityof-life efforts.

The city launched “Ignite San Jacinto”, a public outreach program focused on encouraging active living and healthy eating, promoting mental wellness and creating a safer community. Within this program is the city’s new homeless and at-risk population outreach, or “HARP.” Through the HARP program, the city has made incredible in-roads to serve homeless and other vulnerable populations and help citizens get off the streets and obtain help with issues like addiction, mental illness, and abusive relationships.

The Ignite San Jacinto Healthy Community Initiative is comprised of 3 basic components:

Be Healthy. Be Healthy encourages active living and healthy eating. Encouraging the use of Ccty parks to create opportunities for physical opportunities, and creating resources to encourage increased mobility.

Be Well. Be Well focuses on the encouragement of overall wellness at home, and at work. Ignite San Jacinto will bring the community together to promote social, emotional, and mental wellness.

Be San Jacinto. Be San Jacinto

is more than living your best life, it is about the overall living environment and quality of lifestyle. This component includes creating a safer community by bringing together groups and networks of neighbors, beautifying neighborhoods through art, bringing amenities that contribute to being healthy and well (fitness courts, applying for grants to update and upgrade parks, trails and biking opportunities).

Residents and city staff can take part in the Ignite San Jacinto vision by participating in upcoming programs, sharing your positive choices with us to post for others, and igniting that healthy spark.

These programs are in addition to other improvements you may have seen in town, such as the opening of new businesses, the support to our existing businesses during the pandemic and numerous infrastructure improvements, all while maintaining a balanced budget.

It is disappointing that one of our own members appears to have no respect for the rule of law or the values of our community. However, my hope is the City Council will condemn his conduct in the strongest possible terms and reaffirm our commitment to reduce crime and improve the well-being of our city.