With his swearing-in on Wednesday, Oceanside police Chief Taurino Valdovinos instantly made history — he's the city's first Latino police chief.
In a city where Latinos are 37.7% of the population, Escondido Mayor Esther Sanchez said that means a lot.
"It is an awesome, awesome feeling," she said.
For the first time, the top three spots in the city's government are held by Latinos — mayor, city manager and now police chief.
"It’s just amazing that Oceanside has gotten this far to be able to honor and reflect the diversity of our community," Sanchez said.
The moment was not lost on Valdovinos, with his family and mother standing next to him for the swearing-in ceremony.
"I take that seriously," he said. "I feel like I’m a representation of the Hispanic community and they are a representation of me.”
Valdovinos was born in Mexico and immigrated to Oceanside when he was a few months old. Life took a turn for him after his father died when he was two. The family lived in poverty until they were able to qualify for Section 8 housing.
"My brothers and I slept on the floor with cockroaches and rodents crawling on us," he said.
Throughout this time, Valdovinos' mother always emphasized education, and because of his competitive nature, Valdovinos got into sports. That lead to a football scholarship to Saint Mary's College of California in the Bay Area.
"Going away from this area forced me to grow up rather quickly. And it was really impactful on my life because I became an independent, independent person," Valdovinos said. "And once that happened, it's like I had this new vision of my life and what I could accomplish in my life."
He said that experience set his life's trajectory to where he is today. His experience as an immigrant and growing up in poverty also shaped his approach to policing.
"Because you can empathize with people. And when you're dealing with individuals, you sometimes see yourself in their situations," Valdovinos said. "And instead of being a hard-line enforcer, you have empathy, and you treat people with empathy. And sometimes that's all they need."
City Manager Jonathan Borrego said Valdovinos is very passionate about the Oceanside Youth Partnership, a mentoring program for at-risk youth he created. He said it's a testament to Valdovinos' dedication to the community.
"The hours and the sweat that you've made in changing the lives of many ... in the city, thank you for that," Borrego said, introducing Valdovinos at the swearing-in ceremony.
Valdovinos' sister, Maria Salinas, said that’s just who her brother is. He’s always been sociable and involved in the community.
"The community can relate. He can relate to the community," she said. "They can feel more comfortable speaking with him in their language, which would be Spanish."
Valdovinos holds a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. He joined the Oceanside Police Department in 2003, rising through the ranks and becoming a captain and then assistant police chief in 2023.
Valdovinos is the city’s third police chief in four years. He said he wants to restore stability to the department by meeting expectations and winning the hearts and minds of the community.
He has three goals for the department: to be known as a hardworking department, to treat people with respect, whether they’re victims or suspects, and to have a positive impact.
"When we engage people, we're either arresting them or we're responding to a crime that just occurred," Valdovinos said. "But within those moments, there are opportunities for us to be positively impactful and really impact somebody's life positively. And that's the goal of our department.”
