Yuma City Council Candidate Henry Valenzuela Challenges $18 Million Hotel del Sol Plan

The outsider running on affordability

Henry Valenzuela, a Yuma native and retired police lieutenant, is campaigning for Yuma City Council on a platform that prioritizes working families over large-scale development projects. Valenzuela says the city’s current direction overlooks long-time residents struggling with rising housing costs.

“It’s just past midday in downtown Yuma, and that sound comes from the railroad next to the old 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 told KAWC in a June 22 interview.

The $18 million redevelopment debate

Valenzuela said the city is spending about $18 million to rebuild the Hotel del Sol. He predicted the project would include transit access and condos.

He said such projects benefit developers and visitors more than local residents.

“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.”

Saving Kennedy Pool

A central plank of Valenzuela’s campaign is preserving neighborhood amenities. He specifically highlighted Kennedy Pool, which he said has been supported by local property taxes for decades.

“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. He wants to make housing and services more attainable for working families.

Questioned work history

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 against those claims. He said 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.

He added that his schedule included varied duties and patrol responsibilities equivalent to lengthy workweeks for which he was salaried.

Outreach and voter engagement

Valenzuela described an active outreach strategy. He uses social media videos and direct engagement to involve younger and busier residents. He said many of these residents may not follow council agendas or budget documents.

“Everybody needs to get out and vote,” Valenzuela said. “Contact them, speak to them, try to do your best to figure out what people actually represent.”

As ballots approach, Yuma voters will choose between visions focused on development and investment, and candidates emphasizing local, day to day fixes.

Extreme heat watch for Yuma

Yuma County is under an extreme heat watch from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The watch was issued on June 22 and remains in effect as temperatures climb across the region.