HERO Spotlight: Jose Perez

Public Works Inspector | City of Lemoore, CA

On December 24th and 25th, while most families were gathered around Christmas trees and dinner tables, Jose Perez was standing beside a failed lift station in Lemoore, California.

Forty hours straight.

Because when a city’s sewer system goes down, Christmas doesn’t pause it. And when people depend on water, sewer, and safe streets, someone has to stay.

In Lemoore, that someone is often Jose.

 

The Man Who Keeps Lemoore Running

Jose has worked for the City of Lemoore since 2012. He didn’t begin as a public works inspector. He started in custodial services, moved into Parks and Recreation, transitioned into the sewer department, and steadily worked his way into his current role overseeing water, sewer, and streets.

Today, as Public Works Inspector, his job changes by the hour.

One moment he’s inspecting job sites and coordinating contractors. The next, he’s ordering equipment, responding to a water break, troubleshooting sewer issues, or answering frustrated phone calls from residents. If a lift station fails, he’s there. If a contractor needs direction, he’s there. If water must be restored within hours, he’s setting the goal.

“No matter what happens,” Jose says, “we’ve got to be out there. People depend on us.”

That sense of responsibility defines his work.

When three new businesses needed meters installed and a mix-up created a delay, Jose didn’t point fingers. He coordinated with contractors, rearranged installations, worked closely with vendors, and made sure every business opened on time. Problems, for him, are simply something to solve.

And in a growing city like Lemoore, with new housing developments, expanding infrastructure, and increasing demands, that steady leadership matters.

Public works often happens behind the scenes. Residents may not see the planning, the winter preparation, the late-night repairs, or the hours spent ensuring compliance and safety standards. But they experience the results every single day: when they turn on the tap, flush a toilet, drive down a repaired street, or see new businesses open their doors.

Jose and his team make that possible.

 

Service Doesn’t End at 5:00 PM

For Jose, service extends beyond city limits and office hours.

In 2013, after watching firefighters care for his father during a medical emergency, he joined the Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department. For more than a century, Lemoore’s fire department has operated with just 35 volunteers: neighbors protecting neighbors.

As a volunteer firefighter, Jose responds to emergencies during the day while working for the city. He shifts between roles seamlessly – public works inspector and firefighter – sometimes in the same afternoon.

He also helps with a charity golf tournament supporting the regional burn center in Fresno, one of the only facilities serving burn patients across California’s Central Valley. What started as a small effort has grown into a significant annual fundraiser, proving that even a small town can make a statewide impact.

But perhaps what speaks most to his heart is mentorship.

Jose has coached youth soccer for years. Kids he once coached at eight or nine years old now return from college to tell him about their accomplishments. Through partnerships with local colleges, he also helps bring interns into public works, showing young people that municipalities don’t run themselves: they require skilled, dedicated professionals.

“We’re always going to need water. We’re always going to need roads,” he says. “Cities need people.”

 

Leadership Through Positivity

Colleagues describe Lemoore as a place filled with pride and positivity. That culture is something Jose embodies.

Even on the toughest days, responding to infrastructure failures, fielding complaints, managing emergencies, he chooses calm over frustration.

“It’s really hard for me to get irritated,” he says with a smile. “You treat everybody the same. Even if you’re having a bad day.”

He believes being a hero isn’t about recognition. It’s about doing the work well enough that the community feels supported and leaving people with a smile instead of a complaint.

 

A Legacy of Reliability

When asked what legacy he hopes to leave, Jose doesn’t talk about accolades.

He talks about growth.

About starting at the bottom and working his way up. About showing others that there’s a path forward in public service. About one day possibly leading the department he now serves and mentoring the next generation to do the same.

HERO stands for HydroPro’s End-to-End Resource Offerings, but it also recognizes utility leaders who step up to protect and strengthen their communities.

In Lemoore, that HERO helps keep water flowing, streets safe, and systems running, even when no one sees it.

And sometimes, that means spending Christmas beside a lift station.

Because when a city can’t stop, neither can he.