An open-interview with Mayor of Azusa, Joseph R. Rocha was held from 4-5 p.m. on Dec. 4 in the East-wing of the Campus Center.
The interview was about his humble beginnings leading up to his profession as mayor and his ongoing involvement in the City of Azusa, hosted by the Political Science Student Association hosted the event adjacently with the Associated Students of Citrus College.
“People tell me ‘You don’t look like a mayor’,” Rocha said, to the interviewer and president of the PSSA, Humberto Ruiz. “The only thing that’s true is that I’m a boring man.”
As the audience attentively listened to his spontaneous storytelling, as Rocha referenced a disturbing altercation due to “the father not having presents for his children.”
“So from that day forward I promised that no kid would go without a Christmas present,” Rocha said. From then on, Rocha said he’s spent the $400 salary he earns as mayor to provide presents to children in need.
Rocha said he was given children’s names from the school district and the names of four to five families in the school needing the most financial help. “Last year we gave away 2,000 gifts to kids,” Rocha said.
Rocha also said there are alternative benefits to providing families with presents.
“We have young dads who might break into cars that have VC (venture capital) gifts,” Rocha said. “So our petty crimes have dropped because you don’t have to do that–they come to us.”
Rocha said one of the most relevant crime issues he deals with are gangs and gang related crimes.
“We did break-up a major gang in Azusa with the coordination of other cities,” Rocha said. “But they (gangs) are coming in as we speak and I think that’s something that needs to be done.”
Rocha said that he believes a community should be more “family-oriented” and that no matter where we live, “we are all equal.”.
“Be true to yourself, and be proud of your tradition,” Rocha said.
Within questions asked amongst the audience, Student Trustee, Nancy Gonzalez-Villatoro asked about Rocha’s suggestions about raising mental-health awareness, especially for families that may feel “talking about feelings” is taboo.
“We have workshops about every other month [for people] dealing with depression and self-mutilation,” Rocha said.
Rocha said a mother told him of her daughter’s use of “mangas largas” or long sleeves in Spanish. The mother had concerns for her daughter’s mental-health. “She was cutting,” Rocha said as the audience fell quiet.
Rocha said there are workshops for people who are experiencing other mental-health conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. Other workshop information that can be found on the city of Azusa’s website include Sexually Transmitted Disease prevention and teen-pregnancy prevention.
“And it’s (the workshops) objective without being anything subjective–just being objective,” Rocha said. “Hopefully, the next mayor will carry on those workshops.”
Rocha also said he has an obligation to be an involved leader–with a major focus on the homeless population in Azusa
Alongside with the concerns in mental health, Rocha proposed a possible solution in response to a question from the audience regarding homeless college students at Citrus who are “couch-surfiing”, or students who live temporarily in a consecutive number of homes.
“In Azusa, there are people in their cars; we let them be in there,” Rocha said. “But, for here (the college), you should have a space designated for students to spend the night here, not around the building or around the buildings.”
“If we’re going to solve this problem, we’re going to have to do it together,” Rocha said.
Commissioner-at-large of the Associated Students of Citrus College, Mathew Lopez Bentley asked Rocha about homelessness and mental health disorders and what was being done about it.
“We take them (the homeless) to Charter Oak for mental evaluations and get them help,” Rocha said. “There are also winter shelter programs for them as well.”
Rocha said one morning he was walking outside with a Walmart bag and to his surprise a homeless lady started “cussing at the Walmart bag.”
“Sometimes, they (the homeless) don’t want the help, and if they do, then we provide the services,” Rocha said. “But a majority of them like the lifestyle, and that’s that.”
Rocha said he first started his college education at Citrus Community College where he also met his wife–who are currently “very happy together.”
Rocha said he believed he wasn’t “very smart” but always said he always “stayed true to the course.” “Up here, I don’t have a lot; down here I have a lot,” Rocha said with his right fist clenched above his heart.
Political Science major Amjad Ghamem said what he found interesting was the fact that Rocha said he attended Citrus without having too many friends.
“Instead of looking at the school with remorse, he actually tries his best to make the school better so that nobody has to go through the same situation that he did,” Ghamem said.
As a mayor who has given back to his community, Rocha said that the city of Azusa offers scholarships that are “open to everyone” and are made available on the city of Azusa website.
Rocha said that for the whole 74 years of his life, he has a devotion to God and has a moral duty to serve as the mayor of Azusa.
“I am son a loving God,” Rocha said. “We start every meeting with a prayer and ask God to watch over the men and women who serve.”
Rocha said he’d ask himself, “Is being mayor something that would honor Him?”
Regardless, Rocha said he’s more proud of who he is rather than his title as mayor.
“In four months I’m not going to be mayor, but I am going to still be me,” Rocha said.
