Perez and Sanchez face off in County Supervisors race
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez will attempt to fend off La Quinta Councilman Steve Sanchez in today's primary election.
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I have been focused on solving real problems that matter to every neighborhood, strengthening public safety, support for businesses and improving the quality of life for the people who call this region home,'' Sanchez said on his campaign web portal.
The candidate and incumbent's opposing positions were distinctly apparent at the start of 2025, when then-Chairman Perez submitted a resolution that was ultimately approved declaring the county "a vibrant, compassionate and welcoming place for all law-abiding immigrants and refugees and commits (the county) to safeguarding the civil rights of all our residents to the fullest extent provided by the law.''
The measure was viewed as a direct response to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement deportation sweeps then beginning. Sanchez said the chairman was veering off track and had no business inserting the county into a federal matter. Perez argued he owed it to speak on behalf of non-citizens and their families fearing removal.
Perez received praise from the "ranchero'' community in 2023 after he insisted the Transportation & Land Management Agency reevaluate enforcement of the countywide noise control ordinance in relationship to the operation of rancheros in the eastern Coachella Valley.
The businesses, which must meet established criteria, are now permitted to host wedding receptions and other traditional ceremonies until specified hours of the night without fear of legal repercussions from the
county.
The supervisor has had mixed success with his position on short term rentals, or STRs. The county's STR regulations have been widely viewed as ineffective, with some unincorporated communities in the Coachella Valley drawing large crowds at homes rented out a few days at a time.
Perez recently stated that STRs ``are going to happen'' regardless of complaints, but unlike Supervisor Chuck Washington, the candidate has offered little in the way of firm recommendations for rectifying problems.
Perez was not directly implicated in the recent conviction of his longtime friend and chief of staff, ex-Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez, for perjury and felony conflict of interest by a public official. However, it was unclear why the supervisor didn't immediately dismiss Hernandez when the charges were filed last year.
Sanchez pointed to his service in the Marine Corps as an asset, saying it aided in defining his leadership skills, while his civic contributions -- from serving on the Southern California Association of Governments' Regional Council to membership on the Coachella Valley Association of Governments -- have reinforced his understanding to ``listen first, serve selflessly and put people before politics.''
"Growth is coming. The question is whether we guide it or get run over by it,'' Sanchez said in his campaign statement. ``I will work with cities, builders and community leaders to align infrastructure with smart development, improve roads and transportation corridors, and protect the character of desert communities.''
Perez, who was a three-term state assemblyman before joining the Board of Supervisors in 2017, highlighted his work to keep Lake Cahuilla open, reinvigorate the National Date Festival and reorganize the Department of Animal Services to change the agency's course from being a high kill to a ``no kill" operation affecting impounded pets as significant accomplishments.
"I'm running for re-election because I want to continue the fight to improve the lives of Riverside County residents,'' he said. ``Although the challenges we face are real, I am proud of the work we are doing every day."
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