San Luis, Arizona - Government

Government

Mayors
Office Name Period
Mayor Josefina C. Rodriguez (1979–1982)
Mayor Elias Bermudez (1982–1984)
Mayor Marco Antonio "Tony" Reyes (1984–1994)
Mayor Mike Lopez (1994–1996)
Mayor Pedro Julian (1996–1997)
Mayor A. Joe Harper (1997–2003)
Mayor Guillermina Fuentes (2003–2004)
Mayor Nieves G. Riedel (2004–2006)
Mayor Guillermina Fuentes (2006)
Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla (2006–present)
City Council
Office Name Period
Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla (2006–2010)
Vice-Mayor Gerardo Sanchez (2008–2012)
Council Member Marco A. Pinzon (2010–2014)
Council Member Gloria Torres (interim)
Council Member Jose Suarez (2008–2012)
Council Member Mario Buchanan Jr. (2008–2012)
Council Member Africa Luna-Carrasco (2010–2014)
City Manager Ralph Velez
City Clerk Sonia Cuello
City Attorney Glenn Gimbut
City Magistrate Rosendo Morales Jr.
City Engineer Ralph Malph
Chief of Police Eddie Munoz
Fire Chief Hank Green

The city of San Luis uses a Council-Manager form of government, where the seven-member council appoints a city manager, city attorney, city engineer, city magistrate, chief of police and fire chief.

Since 1996, the city has been plagued by a wave of recalls. It has had six different mayors in a 10-year period and has gone through almost two dozen council members during that time.

In January 2012, the city made national news when Alejandrina Cabrera, a city council candidate, was banned from running for office because it was claimed that she was not proficient enough in English. Yuma County Superior Judge John Nelson issued an order on January 25 stating that Cabrera's name be stricken from the ballot. Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla had filed a lawsuit requesting that the court determine Cabrera's qualification to run for office based on her English skills. Cabrera had previously launched two unsuccessful recall campaigns against Escamilla, after the council raised utility rates. She claimed that the lawsuit was politically motivated. The issue was of national importance because it was reminiscent of Jim Crow Laws enacted in the southern United States between 1876 and 1965.

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