Ron Gonzales

From dKosopedia

Category: California Democrats

Ron Gonzales
Former Mayor San Jose
Party	Democratic
1998 — 2006
Preceded by	Susan Hammer
Succeeded by	Chuck Reed
Birthdate	1951

Ron Gonzales was first elected Mayor of San Jose in 1998, and, despite the severe economic downturn, easily won re-election in 2002. Prior to serving as the city's chief executive, Gonzales was an executive with Hewlett-Packard, and also served as a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

Gonzales is a Democrat and is affilitated with the DLC. When first elected, he made attracting teachers to the San Jose school district a top priority, establishing a Teacher Homebuyer Program to help educators purchase homes in the expensive Silicon Valley market. He is a major proponent of the proposed BART extension to San Jose, and has openly flirted with the Oakland A's baseball team, trying to attract them to the South Bay. In 2004, Gonzales sponsored a proposal for the City of San Jose to recognize the marriages performed in San Francisco between same-sex couples. Earlier that year, Gonzales gained national attention when he suffered a stroke while giving the State of the City address.

Gonzales decided not to run for reelection in 2006.