Blocker wants to bring more businesses, jobs to town

The first few years James Blocker lived in the Victor Valley, he did what many Hesperians do: commuted up and down the Cajon Pass each day.

“Every time I had to go down the hill, I thought ‘how come we don’t have companies up here?’” he said Wednesday. “How come we don’t have higher-paying jobs up here?”

Now a stay at home dad, Blocker is running for one of the three available seats on the Hesperia City Council and wants to use the position to bring more businesses and jobs to the city.

“I see Apple Valley getting all these businesses,” he said. “Victorville’s getting Dr. Pepper. ... We’re getting left out of the loop.”

It’s a two-pronged problem, as he sees it. First, there’s removing the obstacles to bringing a business to the city.

“There’s plenty of businesses down the hill that would move up here if we streamlined the process.”

Secondly, he’d find ways to attract businesses to the community.

“Sacramento offered [a previous employer] a dollar a month rent for a year,” Blocker said. “We basically brought 5,000 jobs to the city.”

Blocker, a former warehouse manager, is new to politics, having previously served only as the president of the Parent Teacher Organization for New Life Academy and running their annual fundraiser.

He opposes new taxes -- including the half-cent sales tax the council decided against putting on November’s ballot -- and believes in trimming back the city’s budget and ending some program, including the city’s first-time home buyers’ program, as needed to balance the budget.

He’d also roll back the city’s restrictions on off-roading and would like to see a licensing system that would allow riders to roam undeveloped properties and generate a little money for Hesperia at the same time.

Blocker also would “crack down hard” on graffiti and impose bigger fines on the families of taggers.

“My goal is to make Hesperia the beacon of the High Desert,” Blocker said. “Like, this is the place to go, this is the place to stop.”

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 760-956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Hesperia.Star.