City of Hemet

Benigno Sandoval didn’t initially aspire to city leadership. He began in the trenches, working directly with small businesses and learning their operational realities firsthand. After earning a degree in business administration and a public relations minor from California State University, Dominguez Hills, he spent 13 years at the Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board, engaging with 50,000 businesses across every sector. That frontline experience reinforced his determination to advocate for small enterprises navigating indifferent systems.

Empathy as Economic Policy

When I arrived in Hemet, first as economic development manager and later as director, I found a historically overlooked rural city where 98 percent of the businesses are small.  The common assumption that these enterprises generate substantial income is misleading. In reality, the average small business here earns about USD 46,000 a year.

That statistic defines my approach. It instilled in me a deep empathy for owners struggling to stay afloat. I speak their language, move at the speed of business, reduce friction and deliver realistic solutions, while maintaining the checks and balances that protect the wider community. Cities do not create businesses. They create the conditions that convince businesses to invest, grow and stay. My job is to build, strengthen and constantly improve those conditions.

From Passive Positioning to Active Market Creation

For 50 years, California cities could rely on geography and freeway access to attract investment. In Hemet, we shifted from passive positioning to active pursuit. We now operate like headhunters, proactively identifying opportunities, courting businesses and removing obstacles so they can succeed here.

My portfolio spans new and existing development, management of more than 50 city-owned properties, community events and hands-on support for local operators. Whether it is zoning, incentives, grants or day-to-day challenges, we help identify feasible projects and connect businesses to practical solutions at no cost.

We launched the kitchen grant and the commercial façade grant programs. We also created a nationally rare auto tax-sharing agreement that rebates a portion of sales tax revenue to qualifying dealerships for up to five years—potentially USD 5 million—while the city still retains about half throughout. Toyota of Hemet and Hyundai of Hemet both secured council approvals in recent months.

These initiatives are living components of Hemet Rises, our in-house economic strategic plan. Unanimously approved by the city council, it earned an Award of Merit from the California Association of Local Economic Development (CALED) in 2025. The 10-year roadmap includes 32 initiatives focused on sector diversification, community programming, film industry attraction and a botanical garden already underway. Within two years, nearly every initiative is launched, in progress, or completed, placing the city well ahead of schedule.

Data as a Competitive Advantage

Modern economic development requires analytical precision. We have invested in Placer.ai (with an annual subscription exceeding $30,000), CoStar for direct property owner outreach and robust CRM systems that eliminate duplicate contracts. These tools, once reserved for private-sector firms, provide detailed insights into consumer traffic patterns, market dynamics and business opportunities, capabilities that have strengthened our work.

The impact is practical. I can advise a prospective coffee shop owner against entering a saturated micro-market or steer operators toward higher-traffic intersections with better projected returns. Businesses seeking to locate in Hemet receive clarity and speed rather than vague approvals.

We don’t create businesses. We create the environment where businesses of all sizes choose to invest, grow and create jobs in Hemet.

When Vallarta Supermarkets, a major Hispanic grocery chain, chose Hemet for its 80^th store, it encountered delays from grease trap and water connection issues that threatened a six-month setback. Through coordinated intervention across multiple agencies, including Eastern Municipal Water District and other local partners, we resolved the challenges, lowered their degreaser costs by approximately 20 percent, and offered a city-owned building at no cost for interviewing and training thousands of employees.

The store posted the chain’s highest-performing grand opening to date, a success its leadership directly credited to our team’s proactive support.

Competing Among Prominent Neighbors

Hemet competes against 481 California cities, surrounded by strong regional performers such as Murrieta, Menifee, Temecula and Moreno Valley. For decades, it carried the reputation of the overlooked option. Over the past 2 years, we have changed that narrative with a new logo and a brand repositioned around the message “Your horizon is here,” signaling momentum-building initiatives.

Our five-year targets specifically include raising median household income from USD 58,000 to USD 70,000, lowering the average resident age from 39 to 37 and growing tourism. A developer once explained why this matters. Young families bring “chaos” picturing Tuesday night soccer practice that turns into buying new shoes, filling up gas, grabbing snacks and making multiple stops that feed local shops, restaurants and services. That is the kind of daily economic activity a retired community does not create. Major retailers like Costco require a significant trade area income to enter a market, and we are steadily building towards it.

On the sector side, we are moving beyond over-reliance on 3PL logistics and big-box warehouses, which deliver quick developer checks but limited long-term viability for the community. Drawing lessons from places like Phoenix, we are now actively expanding to biosciences, advanced manufacturing and blue and green economy opportunities linked to our proximity to the Pacific. The goal is for more white-collar jobs, a stronger and more resilient economy and a quality of life that matches the ambition of our 94,000 residents.

Relationships That Drive Real Progress

At its core, economic development is about relationships. Partnerships may open doors, but relationships mean ‘Call me anytime, even early in the morning, and I will be there.’ Businesses thrive when they know their success matters to us and that we are accessible and willing to tackle challenges together.

I advise emerging professionals to prepare for hundreds of “no’s” before the pivotal “yes,” especially in competitive or rural markets. Represent your city with consistency and thoughtfulness. Economic development ultimately reflects your accessibility, professionalism and responsiveness to the community you serve.

Hemet’s repositioning is still in motion, but the direction is clear. By moving at the speed of business while keeping community outcomes front and center, we envision an environment where residents and businesses can truly work, live and thrive in Hemet.