Ron Gonzales
Encyclopedia
Ronald R. Gonzales is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party
, who served as the 63rd Mayor of San Jose, California
. Gonzales was the first Hispanic
Mayor of San Jose since California became a U.S. state
in 1850.
, and graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz
. He also graduated from the Mayor's Leadership Program at Harvard University
's Kennedy School of Government and is an American Leadership Forum fellow. Gonzales served as a two-time mayor and member of the Sunnyvale City Council from 1979 to 1987. He then served for eight years (1989–1996) on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. After leaving the board due to term limit
s, Gonzales was an executive at Hewlett-Packard
. Gonzales worked as Program Manager for ten years at Hewlett-Packard where he led a national initiative to create partnerships with local school districts and universities.
In 1998, Gonzales was elected Mayor of San Jose, being sworn in during 1999. Early in his first term, Gonzales began new programs designed to attract young teachers to the city's schools, including home purchase assistance programs. Gonzales has also pushed for BART to extend to Downtown San Jose
, and has advocated using San Jose Redevelopment Agency funds in areas outside Downtown, including the King and Story
neighborhood. Gonzales had an affair with an intern, Guiselle Nunez, whom he later married. Ron Gonzales was elected the first Latino Mayor of San Jose since California's Statehood. Gonzales became one of the first Hispanic mayors of a major U.S. city in 1999, and was listed among the nation's "Most influential Hispanics". He addressed the 2000 Democratic National Convention
in Los Angeles. Mayor Gonzales launched into a speech extolling the virtues of California's famed "Silicon Valley" in general and San Jose in particular.
Gonzales was reelected as mayor in the March 2002 primary election
. His second, and final, term as San Jose mayor ended in 2006. On January 28, 2004, while delivering the State of the City address, Gonzales suffered a stroke. He returned to his duties on February 16 of that year. Gonzales stayed out of the race to succeed him and did not endorse or campaign for either candidate running in the November 2006 run-off election. The winner was Chuck Reed
– who won a clear majority of the votes over the vice-Mayor of San Jose, Cindy Chavez
.
Gonzales received the Community Impact Award in June 1999 from the Asian Law Alliance, as well as the Point of Light Award, a national honor given to individuals who have made significant contributions to their community. Gonzales founded of The Role Model Program, an effort that recruits adult role models to visit local middle schoolshttp://pblmm.k12.ca.us/projects/discrimination/NativeAmerican/MexicanAmerican/rong.html. He also chairs the National League of Cities Youth, Education, and Families Council overseeing the League's policies related to the betterment of youth and families across the countryhttp://pblmm.k12.ca.us/projects/discrimination/NativeAmerican/MexicanAmerican/rong.html, and was a founding board member of Downtown College Prep, Santa Clara County’s first charter high school
, which focuses on the academic success of high school students from the San Jose central city area.
, which approved the plan. However, he did not inform the Council of a quid pro quo
arrangement by which the company would use the money to increase wages of its unionized Teamsters
workers, who were part of Gonazles' political power base.
In June, 2005, the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury
issued a report on the incident. An independent investigator released a subsequent reportfinding Gonzeles to have mislead the public and violated the city charter's ethics provisions.
Council member Dave Cortese demanded Gonzales's resignation, and member Chuck Reed
began proceedings to remove Gonzales from his office as mayor. The Council voted to censure Gonzales for his dealings in the garbage scandal, but took no further actions. On January 11, 2006, the mayor resigned from several committees that he chaired.
A Grand Jury indicted Gonzales for bribery and other charges and he was prosecuted over the incident. However, a judge later threw out all charges, on the basis that the prosecution's claims were novel as a matter of law, and even if true, did not amount to illegal activity. In the Court opinion, the judge wrote "This is not bribery, this is politics."
after an auditor sent a memo to the mayor's office.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, who served as the 63rd Mayor of San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. Gonzales was the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
Mayor of San Jose since California became a U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
in 1850.
Career
Gonzales grew up in the Santa Clara ValleySanta Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
, and graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
. He also graduated from the Mayor's Leadership Program at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Kennedy School of Government and is an American Leadership Forum fellow. Gonzales served as a two-time mayor and member of the Sunnyvale City Council from 1979 to 1987. He then served for eight years (1989–1996) on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. After leaving the board due to term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s, Gonzales was an executive at Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
. Gonzales worked as Program Manager for ten years at Hewlett-Packard where he led a national initiative to create partnerships with local school districts and universities.
In 1998, Gonzales was elected Mayor of San Jose, being sworn in during 1999. Early in his first term, Gonzales began new programs designed to attract young teachers to the city's schools, including home purchase assistance programs. Gonzales has also pushed for BART to extend to Downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose is the central business district of San Jose, California, United States. The area is generally located north of Interstate 280 and east of Guadalupe Parkway, which roughly parallels the Guadalupe River. The region is bound to the north by U.S...
, and has advocated using San Jose Redevelopment Agency funds in areas outside Downtown, including the King and Story
King and Story
The intersection of King and Story serves as an important marker for the center of a neighborhood in East San Jose, California. More generally, the region is called East San Jose or the "East Side"....
neighborhood. Gonzales had an affair with an intern, Guiselle Nunez, whom he later married. Ron Gonzales was elected the first Latino Mayor of San Jose since California's Statehood. Gonzales became one of the first Hispanic mayors of a major U.S. city in 1999, and was listed among the nation's "Most influential Hispanics". He addressed the 2000 Democratic National Convention
2000 Democratic National Convention
The 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated Vice President Al Gore as its candidate for President and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman as its candidate for Vice President. The convention was held at...
in Los Angeles. Mayor Gonzales launched into a speech extolling the virtues of California's famed "Silicon Valley" in general and San Jose in particular.
Gonzales was reelected as mayor in the March 2002 primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. His second, and final, term as San Jose mayor ended in 2006. On January 28, 2004, while delivering the State of the City address, Gonzales suffered a stroke. He returned to his duties on February 16 of that year. Gonzales stayed out of the race to succeed him and did not endorse or campaign for either candidate running in the November 2006 run-off election. The winner was Chuck Reed
Chuck Reed
Charles Rufus "Chuck" Reed is the current Mayor of San Jose, California.-Biography:Reed was born in Garden City, Kansas. Reed's high school basketball team became Kansas State Champions despite being from a very small, rural school. He joined the United States Air Force in 1970 after attending the...
– who won a clear majority of the votes over the vice-Mayor of San Jose, Cindy Chavez
Cindy Chávez
Cindy Chavez served as Vice Mayor of the City of San Jose, California. While a member of the San Jose City Council, she represented Council District Three . Chavez was first elected to the Council in 1998 and re-elected in 2002...
.
Gonzales received the Community Impact Award in June 1999 from the Asian Law Alliance, as well as the Point of Light Award, a national honor given to individuals who have made significant contributions to their community. Gonzales founded of The Role Model Program, an effort that recruits adult role models to visit local middle schoolshttp://pblmm.k12.ca.us/projects/discrimination/NativeAmerican/MexicanAmerican/rong.html. He also chairs the National League of Cities Youth, Education, and Families Council overseeing the League's policies related to the betterment of youth and families across the countryhttp://pblmm.k12.ca.us/projects/discrimination/NativeAmerican/MexicanAmerican/rong.html, and was a founding board member of Downtown College Prep, Santa Clara County’s first charter high school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
, which focuses on the academic success of high school students from the San Jose central city area.
Norcal incident
In 2003 Gonzales and his top aid, Joe Guerra, negotiated an agreement for a nine-percent, $11 million, increase in garbage rates for garbage hauler Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., then advocated the rate increase before the San Jose City CouncilSan Jose City Council
San Jose City Council is the municipal government of the city of San Jose, California.- 2006 Elections :Primary Election, June 6, 2006Mayor Chuck Reed*Cindy ChavezCouncil District 1Jay JamesPete Constant*Ross Signorino...
, which approved the plan. However, he did not inform the Council of a quid pro quo
Quid pro quo
Quid pro quo most often means a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. English speakers often use the term to mean "a favour for a favour" and the phrases with almost identical meaning include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "this for that", and "you scratch my back,...
arrangement by which the company would use the money to increase wages of its unionized Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
workers, who were part of Gonazles' political power base.
In June, 2005, the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
issued a report on the incident. An independent investigator released a subsequent reportfinding Gonzeles to have mislead the public and violated the city charter's ethics provisions.
Council member Dave Cortese demanded Gonzales's resignation, and member Chuck Reed
Chuck Reed
Charles Rufus "Chuck" Reed is the current Mayor of San Jose, California.-Biography:Reed was born in Garden City, Kansas. Reed's high school basketball team became Kansas State Champions despite being from a very small, rural school. He joined the United States Air Force in 1970 after attending the...
began proceedings to remove Gonzales from his office as mayor. The Council voted to censure Gonzales for his dealings in the garbage scandal, but took no further actions. On January 11, 2006, the mayor resigned from several committees that he chaired.
A Grand Jury indicted Gonzales for bribery and other charges and he was prosecuted over the incident. However, a judge later threw out all charges, on the basis that the prosecution's claims were novel as a matter of law, and even if true, did not amount to illegal activity. In the Court opinion, the judge wrote "This is not bribery, this is politics."
Affair
Ron Gonzales had an affair with then-25-year-old staffer Guisselle Nuñez who resigned over the incident. Gozales then disavowed the relationship, claiming it was over. After Nuñez had resigned, she and the mayor married. In 2002, Mayor Ron Gonzales created the Silicon Valley Leadership PAC and started collecting donations for this fund. In March 2004 Gonzales announced he would stop collecting donations because of controversy about the fund. Gonzales was criticized for a contract with Cisco SystemsCisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
after an auditor sent a memo to the mayor's office.