(Interim APCO promoted)...Belen Leon-Lopez was appointed interim Air Pollution Control Officer when Matt Desert retired recently.

The County Board of Supervisors took little time in making the appointment permanent. Leon Lopez has become the first woman and the first Latina to serve as Air Pollution Control Officer in Imperial County History. The appointment on August 16 took effect immediately. She is a life-long Imperial Valley resident and Central Union High School graduate. She obtained her Master of Science Degree in Environmental Policy at Kaplan University, and her Bachelor of Business Administration through Devry University. Leon Lopez lives in Heber with her Husband and their two children.