Valenzuela pitches affordability, neighborhood preservation in Yuma council race

Henry Valenzuela is making affordability, neighborhood preservation and direct voter engagement the center of his Yuma City Council bid as the July 21 primary approaches. The Yuma native, retired police lieutenant and Army veteran is pitching himself as a voice for working families and as a candidate who will challenge development decisions that could change neighborhoods without enough public scrutiny.

That message matters because a council seat would give Valenzuela a direct vote on the city budget, housing policy and major redevelopment choices. Yuma City Council is already moving on an Affordable Housing Action Plan adopted in September 2025, a roadmap the city says is meant to address rising housing costs, preserve existing affordable homes and create new housing opportunities. The same council is also being asked to weigh a contract authorization for the Hotel del Sol Multi-modal Transportation Center, putting affordability and land use squarely in the hands of the officials voters choose this year.

The backdrop is a city that has grown fast and remains demographically distinct. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Yuma’s population at 105,227 as of July 1, 2025, up from 95,548 in the 2020 census, and says 60.8% of residents are Hispanic or Latino. That growth helps explain why housing prices, neighborhood stability and city services have become central campaign issues, especially for candidates who want to speak to families feeling the pressure of a changing market.

Hotel del Sol is the clearest test of how Valenzuela’s platform could collide with city priorities. The city frames the project as Yuma Region’s first multi-modal transportation center, intended to improve connectivity for residents, visitors and the regional workforce while preserving the historic character of the Hotel del Sol site. The project has been backed by a $10.6 million federal RAISE grant and a roughly $3.58 million match from the Arizona State Transportation Board, with one project estimate placing the total cost at about $19.8 million. Valenzuela’s criticism of the redevelopment puts him on one side of a debate over whether downtown investment should move ahead as planned or face tighter scrutiny.

The race is unfolding in a year when Yuma voters will choose a mayor, three city councilmembers and a presiding municipal judge, with Propositions 436 and 437 also on the ballot for the general and special election on Nov. 3, 2026. For voters comparing candidates, Valenzuela’s record in law enforcement and the military points to a council member likely to focus on public safety, spending and the pace of change in Yuma’s neighborhoods.