2024 March InMaricopa Magazine - 20th Anniversary.

BUSINESS

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agents arrested Bueno Tapia in Pinal County back in 2010 and accused her of making fake driver’s licenses for a Mexican drug cartel. Court dispositions for that case were not available. Her husband, Miguel T. Tapia, also faced charges of fraud and aggravated identity theft and pleaded guilty to contracting without a license in 2022. He faced more criminal charges for contracting without a license in 2018, 2019 and 2020 through his company M & C Landscaping. In a twist, the husband-wife duo started a new company, Maricopa Septic Install LLC, and today are both licensed contractors, according to AZROC. Another extreme case with a sourer ending involves 62-year-old Maricopa resident Gerardo Alonzo Avila, who epitomizes the phrase, “Once a fraud, always a fraud.” He was busted by AZROC for contracting without a license in 2013 and again in 2015. Just a few months later, he pleaded guilty to insurance fraud, serving one year in state prison and coughing up north of $10,000 in penalties after falsely claiming Native American artifacts were stolen from his Maricopa home. Avila tried to scam Liberty Mutual out of $220,000, but his shoddy home burglary story didn’t pass the attorney general’s smell test. “It turns out those artifacts were never his, they were never stolen, and were, in fact, on display at the local heritage center,” then-AG Mark Brnovich said in a news release. That would be the Huhugam Heritage Center on State Route 347, just north of the city. “Imagine an improperly built bridge, or a high-rise built on an unstable foundation. Even the construction of a home or the renovation of a kitchen, if not performed properly, can result in a significant costs and risks to health and safety.” COLBY KANOUSE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY

BUYER BEWARE

Maricopa with contracting without a license. He now has a valid license. • In 2016, Billy Joe Godwin of Just About Anything Floor Covering & Handyman Service in Maricopa was found violating Arizona’s contractor laws in Maricopa for the fifth time. He is still unlicensed. • In 2015, AZROC charged Hector Machado of Machado’s Custom Landscape with contracting without a license. He now has a valid license. • In 2014, Zachary Govreau was charged with contracting without a license, and he pleaded guilty in Maricopa Municipal Court. His company, Distinct Desert Creations , went under shortly thereafter. He never got a license. People guilty of contracting without a license face six months in jail and a $4,575 fine. The minimum penalty for a first offense is a $1,830 fine. But contracting without a license often leads to more serious charges, like fraud or theft, both felonies. “Unlicensed contractors can endanger the health, safety and welfare of the public,” according to a statement from AZROC. While there is a “Handyman Exemption” that allows for small jobs from people who identify themselves as unlicensed, language in the state law plainly and blanketly prohibits doing any work or even bidding on a project without a license. The law goes out of its way to discourage practicing without a license. Unlicensed contractors may not be bonded or insured. They may lack experience, use tawdry materials or introduce hazardous chemicals into the home, according to Colby Kanouse, criminal defense attorney in Scottsdale. “If a construction project goes bad, it can have a huge and detrimental effect on public and personal safety,” says Kanouse. “Imagine an improperly built bridge, or a high-rise built on an unstable foundation. Even the construction of a home or the renovation of a kitchen, if not performed properly, can result in a significant costs and risks to health and safety.”

Now, let’s meet Maricopa’s other AZROC violators of the last decade, based on 3,000 case records from AZROC returned to InMaricopa through a Freedom of Information Act request. • In 2023, AZROC charged Fermin Valenzuela and Luis E. Vijarro with contracting without a license in Maricopa via their businesses, Friends to Family Handyman Services and L&F Building and Remodeling . These businesses are based in Maricopa Meadows and are still operational, despite remaining unlicensed. • In 2022, AZROC charged Xavier Gonzalez with contracting without a license in Maricopa through his business, Arizona Building and Remodeling . Gonzalez later got his contractor’s license, which remains in good standing and is valid through June. • In 2022, AZROC charged Andy Alvarado of Arizona Luxury Pools with contracting without a license in Maricopa. Alvarado is still unlicensed. The ACC revoked a business license for Arizona Luxury Pools because it had no valid statutory agent. • In 2020, AZROC charged Jesus Levya of Turfcrete Landscape Construction and DN Concrete & Hardscapes with advertising without a license. He remains unlicensed. • In 2020, AZROC charged Mario A. Castillas of M&M Landscaping and Masonry with contracting without a license in Maricopa. He was charged with the same offense three more times in other Arizona cities since then. He remains unlicensed. • In 2019, AZROC charged Manuel Fuentes of COPA Landscaping with contracting and advertising without a license in Maricopa. He remains unlicensed. • In 2019, AZROC charged Manuel Chavez of Prestige Landscaping in

Global Water played big role in city’s growth

G LOBAL WATER RESOURCES JUST turned 20 years old! The city of Maricopa’s rapid growth over the past 20 years is paralleled by, and in some respects propelled by, the partnership with Global Water. As Global Water turns 20 years old, we wanted to share a little bit about our history and why the company was created. In 2003, three water utility professionals had the idea to create not only a utility, but a water resource management company. Their goal was to create a company focused on promoting water conservation principles in the desert Southwest — and out of that, Global Water was formed. Global Water’s first utilities, Santa Cruz Water Company and Palo Verde Utilities Company, were acquired from El Dorado Holdings when there were just a few thousand homes in Maricopa. Global Water’s founders implemented their vision to build utilities that reduce demand on scarce non-renewable water sources by using technology, water recycling and incenting

of Maricopa has safe and reliable water. Our commitment is to continue to invest in Maricopa to allow the city and its residents to continue to grow and prosper. The city of Maricopa and Global Water have accomplished a lot over the past 20 years. As Mayor Smith talked about in her recent State of the City address, rather than thinking about the great things we’ll do “one day,” we look at today as “day one” of the great accomplishments we will achieve with the help of the community over the next 20 years.

behaviors to use less water. This novel approach to water resource management came to be known as Total Water Management. Many years ago, Global Water had the foresight to apply for and obtain a robust water rights portfolio for its Maricopa service area. These water rights, known as a designation of assured water supply, have allowed the city of Maricopa to continue to prudently grow without the hinderance of water constraints experienced in many other communities in Arizona. Global Water has also constructed and operated a large, recycled water system in Maricopa to preserve the groundwater within the city. These efforts have saved more than 10 billion gallons of water in the city over the past 20 years. To put this into context, this is enough water to provide the entire city of Maricopa with water for nearly three years. As we look to the next 20 years, Global Water is focused on continuing to be at the forefront of water resource management to ensure the city

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