City of Porterville

July 2015 Employee of the Month

Erika Benevidez

Police Department

Erika Benevidez was nominated and selected by the Directors as the City of Porterville’s employee of the month for July because of her dedication to her job and exemplary work ethic.

Erika was born and raised in Porterville all of her life.  Erika has three sisters and is the oldest daughter of Manuel and Francis Benevidez.  Erika attended local schools, graduating from Porterville High School in 2001.  In 2010 Erika put herself through an eight-month training program offered by Proteus.  Upon completing her training, she was hired by the City of Porterville on October 1, 2010, and opted to work at the Porterville Animal Shelter because of the love and passion she has for animals.  Erika was ultimately hired as a Community Service Officer by the Porterville Police Department where she remains assigned to the Animal Shelter.  Erika has proven herself to be an extremely valuable member of the Animal Control Unit and has been instrumental in the adoption and implementation of new computer software programs which significantly aid in the management of the facility.  While Erika’s duties include working in the field, she is considered by all to be the go-to person whenever it comes to matters of running the office.  In addition to being extremely knowledgeable as to the workings of the Animal Control Unit, she has also shown herself to be very friendly, adaptable, and is always willing to help others, whether it is her co-workers or members of the community.    When talking with Erika she will readily tell you that she absolutely loves coming to work at the shelter and working with the animals.

Erika’s immediate family includes her “better half” (her words) Davin Jiron, and her 11 year old daughter, Mercedes.