Ron Gonzales
| Ronald R. Gonzales | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 63rd Mayor of San Jose | |
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In office January 1, 1999 – January 9, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Susan Hammer |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Reed |
| Santa Clara County Supervisor | |
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In office 1989–1996 |
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| Preceded by | Tom Legan |
| Succeeded by | Peter McHugh |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Guiselle Nunez |
| Alma mater | UC Santa Cruz, B.A. |
| Profession | Politician |
Ronald R. Gonzales (born 1951) 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.
Gonzales grew up in the Santa Clara Valley, and graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He also completed 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 limits, 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.
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