Mexican immigrant is new mayor of Half Moon Bay, making history
A pioneer in Half Moon Bay politics has just made history again. As the city's first Mexican immigrant mayor, Joaquin Jimenez is representing a city that is home to many farmworkers and immigrants.
Take a walk with Joaquin Jimenez Urena through downtown Half Moon Bay, and chances are, you'll have to stop a few times along the way.
"Congratulations!" one neighbor said to Jimenez, as he passed by.
"It's an honor, definitely, to represent Half Moon Bay," he said.
Jimenez immigrated from Mexico to Half Moon Bay when he was 13 years old with his parents, who were farmworkers. He and his family lived in a home near the corner of Johnston and Miramontes, in downtown Half Moon Bay. He was elected to the Half Moon Bay City Council in 2020.
"I love Half Moon Bay. I love the community. I love what it is," he said.
The unique coastal city is home to around 12,000 people. About a third of the population is Latino. Aside from the picturesque views of the coast, Half Moon Bay is home to many farms. The city was originally an agricultural outpost for Mission San Francisco de Asis.
"We are a farming community. That is our heritage," he said.
Keeping that intact, says the mayor, is a must. But like many California cities, affordability is a challenge in Half Moon Bay, especially for many of the farmworkers here.
"If we don't give them a decent place to live, they're going to move out," Jimenez said. "If we lose our farming, what's going to be of Half Moon Bay?"
Improving farmworker housing has been a priority for Jimenez for a while. But it became a major priority for the city, county, and state, after tragedy struck last year, when a gunman went on a shooting spree and murdered 7 people at two farms in Half Moon Bay. The world saw the dire conditions that many farmworkers were living in - a reality Jimenez hopes to change.
As mayor and the son of farmworkers, he says he wants to break ground on better farmworker housing this year.
"I want to see our first farm workers moving into decent farm worker housing - something that any of us would actually move into," he said. "It is very realistic. Very realistic."
Another priority? Continue to be an approachable leader, which is why you'll find him taking daily walks through town, or often, riding on horseback downtown.
Although he is proud to give Latinos representation, he says he's honored to represent everyone of Half Moon Bay.
"I will stop and have a conversation with anybody in our community," he said.
Jimenez says he hopes to inspire a future generation of leaders as well.
"I'm very interested in having our young adults becoming more involved in our city," he said. "Help us make decisions. Help us see what we don't see."