-Editorial
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors officially appointed the members of the newly formed Imperial Valley Southern Border Committee at their Aug. 11 meeting.
This action marked an important step in the creation of a committee that will be composed of a diverse group of people that represent the City of Calexico, Imperial Irrigation District, Heffernan Memorial Board, and Calexico Unified School District. The committee will also have local residents that applied to be part of this group.
Imperial County Supervisor District 1 Jesus Eduardo Escobar proposed the formation last year of a group that would bring together all local government agencies in an effort to unite Calexico and create a united voice. Escobar said this will be the first-of-its-kind group in Calexico as it will be a regional committee that will help the city move forward in a positive direction.
“The goal here is to think about our community and to ways that we can do to help Calexico that will include issues such as downtown Calexico to economic development,” Escobar said.
The Imperial Valley Southern Border Committee members will be IID Director Erik Ortega, Calexico City Manager Miguel Figueroa, Calexico School Board member Enrique Alvarado, Calexico Councilman Lewis Pacheco, Heffernan Memorial Board Member Gloria Grijalva, and Supervisor Jesus Escobar.
The Calexico residents that will part of the committee will be businessman Guillermo Hermosillo, Campesinos Unidos Executive Director Jose Lopez, Real Estate Agent Belinda Alvarado, Calexico Wellness Center Board President Javier Moreno, and Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia’s District Director, Stella Jimenez.
“This is not about fighting or gossiping, we are going to be here to work for our community and get things done,” Escobar said.
While the appointments were made at Tuesday’s meeting, the committee was officially formed earlier this year. However, the COVID-19 situation delayed the start of the committee. Escobar said that he wants to have the first meeting this month possibly at Calexico City Council Chambers in order to maintain social distancing measures.