- Occupation: Police Chief  (Ret.)
 - Military Veteran (USAF)
 - Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice Administration
 - 15 years as a Chief of Police
 - Earned national law enforcment accreditation for Pismo Beach Police Department (see calea.org)
 - Fully certified in FEMA disaster management
 - Balanced every budget and returned over $1 mil. in unspent funds back to the taxpayers
  
 | 
 | 
| 
Top Priorities if Elected |   
- Restore the public's trust and faith in the sheriff's department.
 - Provide enhanced patrol coverage to keep our families and communities safe.
 - Fight gangs and continue our strong program of tracking/supervising sex registrants living in our county.
  
 | 
 | 
- Pismo Beach Police Officers Association
 - Mayors Mary Ann Reiss and Tony Ferrara
 - Carrol Pruett, a founder of Mid-State Bank
  
 | 
 | 
- Vision Statement of Joe Cortez
 - 
This vision statement outlines the core values of the sheriff's department under the leadership of Joe Cortez; trust,respect, accountability, and collaboration.
 - Platform Statement of Joe Cortez
 - 
  
 |  
 |