Jose Garcia, maintenance worker at the San Benito County Jail, has been keeping the facility gleaming and in top condition for the last two and a half years.
"He works incredibly hard all day long," says Jail Commander Lt. Edward Escamilla, "and he is the type of guy that always has a paintbrush in one hand and a screwdriver in the other."
Asked what drives him to work so hard for the county, and Garcia says he "wants to be an example for anyone who sees anything I do."
"People want the world to change, but they don't want to change themselves," he says. "We all need to do our best."
The County of San Benito Civil Grand Jury report took note of Garcia's efforts, one of the higher-praise sections of the document, which officials released July 31.
"The jail's maintenance worker is to be commended for his hard work in, and dedication to, keeping the facilities to a superior standard," the report states.
That shows in the comments from coworkers about his varied skill set and ability to learn new things.
"He is always the first one here, and he gets everything done the second you ask," says Mari Landaros, a correctional officer there.
She went on to say that he has never seen anyone so passionate about their job.
Garcia, meanwhile, says it's easy to work hard in a supportive environment.
"This is a wonderful place to work," saya Garcia, "The sheriff, and commander and undersheriff are very supportive."
Garcia has lived in California for the last 22 years. Before that he lived in Mexicali with what he describes as a family that was very big and very poor. His father, he says, was a great example.
"He taught me to always be honest, to treat all people well, and to have a commitment with the Lord," Garcia says. "My father always said that you must do your job for your boss like you are doing it for God."
The Grand Jury report also notes the payback Garcia's extraordinary work gives to the county, while asserting his abilities save a considerable amount of money each year.
"His variety of skills is impressive," reads the report. "Along with general handyman tasks, Garcia has the skills to perform work in various crafts such as wiring, plumbing, welding, and carpentry."
Each one of those abilities prevents the jail from having to bring in contractors to complete many of those tasks.
Those skills just seem to add up for Garcia, as Escamilla points out how he's adept at acquiring new crafts.
"I was a locksmith before I came to work here," Escamilla notes. "So I taught Garcia some locksmithing, and he picked it right up. We just got a letter of commendation because we saved the county about $4,000 because we only had to pay for parts on some major repairs Jose did himself."
A stack of completed job requests submitted by inmates and employees of the jail sitting on Escamilla's desk testify to Garcias workload. The thick pile contained every kind of maintenance and repair request imaginable, all completed within a short time of submission.
Escamilla went on to note that the first two maintenance workers did not work out because they lacked Garcia's work ethic.
"The sheriff and I take a lot of pride in this facility, and that is why we are so happy to have someone that is also proud of the place."
Garcia might do a lot of highly-skilled side jobs, but what catches your eye when you first set foot inside are the gleaming walls and floors, the spotless windows, the smell of soap and disinfectant and an overall sense that the place is as clean as an operating room.
"The laundry room, kitchen intake room, nurse's room, inmates living quarters, sobering cells, control center and hallways were all exceedingly neat and clean," reads the Grand Jury report.
Garcia this week had been installing an exhaust fan in the jail's tiny computer server closet when the Free Lance caught up with him.
"This is a typical situation," points out Escamilla. "Instead of having to call in a company, Jose is taking care of this complicated job."
Garcia cleans up his tools and says a few friendly words in Spanish to the trustee in an orange jumpsuit with whom he was working.
Sitting at his desk in his neat and orderly tool room, Garcia speaks about what had brought him to the San Benito County Jail.
Garcia worked at a nursery in Corralitos for 17 years before it closed. He walked away with an enthusiastic recommendation from his former employer and landed the job at the San Benito County Jail.
Garcia speaks glowingly of the United States and the success he and his family have enjoyed here.
"We came here to work hard and have opportunity, and it has worked," he says. "In Mexicali, if you want to buy a car, even if you have a good job, you need to save for 10 or 15 years, maybe more."
He's proud, for example, that he could buy a car next week if he wanted to.
"I was talking with a friend of mine at church last week," he says, continuing. "I was telling him about when I crossed the border. I never thought I would be working with law enforcement. Now I am proud to be a citizen, and my dream is complete."
The Grand Jury Report also recommended that Garcia's job classification be upgraded to reflect his performance. Escamilla says the county is looking at hiring another maintenance worker, which would upgrade Garcia's position to a supervisor role with more money.
"We'll have to wait and see how the budget looks," says Escamilla, "but we would certainly love to upgrade his position."
Jeff Gatlin Jeff Gatlin is a staff writer at The Hollister Free Lance. You can call him at (831) 637-5566 or send him an email.
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