Mourning the Loss of John Enriquez

Floor Speech

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Mr. FONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of my friend and a community hero, John Enriquez. John's life and decades of service stand as a proud example of the immense influence an individual can have on an entire community.

Born the eldest of seven, John grew up in Bakersfield and attended East Bakersfield High School, where he found joy playing baseball for the Blades. Though one could easily tell from the cap he so often wore, John loved baseball and was a lifelong Tampa Bay Devil Rays fan. For years growing up, John worked at two family businesses--his grandmother's Mexican restaurant, Jiminez Cafe, and Enriquez Construction. Eventually John found his primary occupation with the City of Santa Clarita as a public works supervisor. For 21 years, he would commute over 100 miles each day for this job, but he would never leave Bakersfield.

In the early 2000s, John conceived ambitious plans to preserve the charm of Bakersfield, then striving to maintain its natural and manmade beauty. In 2001, John was a founding member of Keep Bakersfield Beautiful (KBB), a local affiliate of the Keep America Beautiful program.. During his leadership of KBB, he was known for his strong steady leadership, always conducting himself with kindness and respect toward others.

John will certainly be remembered for finding common ground between differing opinions in a friendly manner. In the days surrounding his death, John's colleagues remembered how he patiently developed collaboration between Keep Bakersfield Beautiful, Caltrans, and the City of Bakersfield to clean Bakersfield's highways in 2010. Initially a tense standoff over a lack of funding, John's gracious persistence led the group to a solution, which saw homeless workers from local shelters carry out the beautification work. It was this patient faith in the goodness of others that inspired his colleagues and community to unite to the common cause of preserving the beauty of their home.

A humble man, John's servant leadership was hard to miss, and recognized by his peers through several awards. In 2004, John received the President's Call to Service Award and the Keep America Beautiful Iron Eyes Cody Award for his success in raising community awareness and community involvement for KBB's beautification projects.

In October 2024, John received the key to the City of Bakersfield from Mayor Goh for his enduring legacy of service to our community. Given his service, many important buildings and vicinities like the Fox Theater or the Mechanics Bank Arena owe their restorations and current charm to John's leadership. It is difficult to imagine what Bakersfield's community service efforts would look like in the future without John Enriquez.

John is survived by his wife, Carola, and daughter, Lauren Enriquez, who both spoke of the unconditional love and support he always gave them.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in offering our heartfelt condolences to John's family and the community that loved him. Whether friend or family, John was a true gift to our community.

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