Meet your candidate: Enrique Alvarado runs for Imperial County Board of Supervisors District 1

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) - With Election Day just days away, the race for the Imperial County Board of Supervisors is heating up. In District 1, voters face a competitive three-way battle among familiar faces.

District 1 encompasses the majority of Calexico, an area candidate Enrique Alvarado knows intimately.

"I've been living in Calexico for the last 26 years," Alvarado said. "I've been part of this community ever since. This community is something that’s near and dear to my heart and it's a community I believe in."

Alvarado believes his deep local roots provide him with firsthand knowledge of the major issues facing the Imperial Valley. If elected, he plans to focus immediately on infrastructure, homelessness, and healthcare access.

Alvarado noted that the region's infrastructure requires urgent attention, particularly local roads.

"Our infrastructure here in the valley is bad," Alvarado said. "Our roads, if you travel back roads, they're in pretty bad condition."

Beyond transit, Alvarado is calling for renewed action to support the local unhoused population. He emphasizes the need to bring in partners to reopen a local shelter to provide immediate housing options.

Addressing local medical shortages is another major pillar of Alvarado's platform. He argues that the county must play an active role in attracting and retaining medical talent.

"We need to recruit more doctors into the valley and set up some type of system in which we have doctors coming in for that care," he stated.

Data center developments have sparked intense debate across the Imperial Valley, leading cities like Brawley, Calipatria, and Imperial to implement moratoriums. Alvarado agrees with taking a step back.

"Let's go ahead and go back to the drawing board and look and see what can be done," Alvarado said.

While proponents highlight the initial economic boost of data centers, Alvarado remains skeptical of their long-term value.

"While it's being built, yes, it’s gonna bring jobs, but what’s gonna happen after that?" Alvarado questioned. "We need permanent jobs here; we need to build our tax base."

District 1 holds jurisdiction over a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. Alvarado believes county officials need to utilize their existing authority to monitor the site closely.

"Our public health [department] does have the right to go into those facilities and inspect them just to make sure they're up to par," Alvarado noted.

Alvarado is challenging incumbent Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar and fellow candidate Joong Kim for the District 1 seat.

Under local election rules, if no candidate secures a clear majority of the vote Tuesday, the top two finishers will face off in a runoff during the November general election.

Voting centers will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Check back with our website on election night as the results trickle in.