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John Valdiva (born ________) is an American politician serving as the 29th and current mayor of San Bernardino. John Valdivia defeated the incumbent R. Carey Davis in the general election on November 6, 2018. A former member of the San Bernardino City Council, Valdivia served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2016 to 2017. He is the city’s first elected mayor from the third ward.

Early Life and Education
John Valdivia was born on ________ 1975 to _______ and ______ Valdivia. Valdivia grew up in San Bernardino, attending city schools from K-12. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Evangel University. He also received a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Master of Business Administration from Azusa Pacific University.

Career
Prior to his election as the Mayor of San Bernardino, Valdivia was a representative for various pharmaceutical companies.

Valdvia became involved in city politics in 2012, from 2012 to 2018 he served as the Councilman for the Third Ward in San Bernardino, he was elected with nearly 70% of the total vote. During this time Valdivia focused on reducing blight, promoting civic pride, and keeping a careful eye on the city’s finances. One of his main goals was to revitalize the Hospitality Lane business corridor by encouraging new businesses. Through Valdvia’s efforts, he was able to assist in the opening of many businesses and five major hotel chains (Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Doubletree, and Hampton Inn and Suites). This initiative helped raise the Transient Occupancy Tax from $2.2 million in 2012 to almost $5 million in 2018 by the end of Valdivia’s term as Councilman.

Elections
On July 6, 2017, Valdivia announced his intention to run in the 2018 election for Mayor of San Bernardino against the current incumbent R. Carey Davis. In the June 5, 2018 primary election Valdivia finished first place with 36 percent (35.8%) of the vote; Davis was the runner up with 28 percent (27.8%). As no candidate received a majority of the primary votes to be elected outright Valdivia and Davis advanced to the November 6 runoff election. In the runoff election held on November 6, 2018, Valdivia received 19,155 votes (52.5 percent) to Davis’s 17,327 (47.5).

Mayoral Matters
John Valdvia’s four main objectives as mayor are “pro-growth, pro-development, pro-safety, and pro-business”.

Since becoming mayor Valdivia has pushed for the revitalization of Downtown San Bernardino. In July 2019, the City of San Bernardino, with the advocacy of Valdivia, released a request for qualifications for interested parties to develop the former Carousel Mall. Valdivia has also pushed to reduce the red tape to encourage and expedite the process of establishing new businesses.

Valdivia follows the Broken Windows Theory, he has pushed for the reduction of blight and vandalism within the city to help further reduce the crime rate. Valdivia has pushed for accountability in city services, ensuring that potholes are filled, graffiti is removed,  litter is picked up and various other issues within the city are resolved in a timely matter.

Valdivia has championed the success of community-focused policing, in March 2019 the City Council voted to reorganize the police department into a five-district policing structure, paving the way toward reopening police substations in the future. The City of San Bernardino had previously implemented a Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) program in the 1990s, this program led to a sharp decline in homicides by the end of the century. Due to a myriad of factors, this original program was eliminated in 2012.

Boards
John Valdivia is currently the President of the San Bernardino International Airport Authority (SBIAA). Valdivia’s focus as the president of SBIAA is to increase economic development in the area surrounding the airport and bring more jobs and revenue to the city, Valdivia’s other goals are to bring a commercial passenger airline to the airport, and encourage more cargo business. Valdivia is a member of various other boards these include; Inland Valley Development Agency, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, Omnitrans Board of Directors. In November 2019 Valdivia was appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Prescription Drugs and Safety Committee for the US Conference of Mayors due to his many years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

Personal Life
Valdivia resides in San Bernardino he is the proud husband to his wife, Bethany, and father to their two children.