Eight candidates compete for Gilroy City Council seats

Gilroy’s City Council elections have shifted from at-large to district-based races this year, with eight candidates emerging for three districts up for grabs this November.

Gilroy has mapped out six districts with three on the city’s Nov. 3 ballot  — District 4 in the southeast part of the city, centralized District 5 which includes downtown and District 6 in the northeast area. The mayoral seat will remain at-large, but isn’t up for election until Mayor Greg Bozzo’s term ends in 2028.

Two candidates are vying for the District 4 seat, while three each are running in Districts 5 and 6. Some names will be familiar to voters, while others are jumping into the political arena for the first time. Only Councilmember Tom Cline in District 5 is looking to stay on the council, with his seat up for grabs. Councilmembers Carol Marques and Dion Bracco chose not to run again. But a Bracco is still on the ballot: Elizabeth Bracco, Dion’s daughter, is running in District 6.

Former Councilmembers Fred Tovar and Rebeca Armendariz are looking to return to the council in Districts 4 and 6, respectively, after being voted out two years ago.

District 4

District 4 is a race between paralegal Diana Sanchez Bentz and former Councilmember Fred Tovar, a higher education professional and college admissions consultant with stints at Stanford, Santa Clara and San Jose State universities who served on the city council for eight years from 2016 through 2024.

Bentz, 67, is a Gilroy native, a 40-year paralegal professional who works at global law firm Paul Hastings LLP and chair of the city’s Open Government Commission. She has lived in District 4 for more than 30 years.

Bentz highlights corporate and economic development, infrastructure and public safety among her policy focal points for the district. From her experience attending council meetings for 20 years, she said six councilmembers and a mayor need to do a better job of listening to each other and being prepared to achieve successful outcomes prior to making decisions.

She said infrastructure and poor lighting are at the top of her list. At low-income apartments like Alexander Station there are numerous problems such as elevators regularly out of service, causing inadequate emergency services, poor management with frequent turnover, and an insufficient amount of trash receptacles. She said homeless and drug use are also major problems. These issues would be on her agenda if elected.

“If we are able to increase public safety personnel and get mental health, drug abuse services, we can hopefully reduce the number of people who come to Gilroy for drugs and end up on the streets,” Bentz told San José Spotlight.

Tovar, 57, is a decadeslong Gilroy resident who moved from District 2 into District 4 earlier this year, specifically with the mindset of helping an “underrepresented” area as an experienced public official, he said.

Tovar said he brings strong solution-based, bipartisan leadership that will help the residents and businesses in his district. Having worked and served in the community, he said he’s built strong relationships with first responders, city employees, schools, nonprofits and community organizations that will help the district in City Hall. His policy centers around accountability and more leadership engagement, targeting public safety, economic development and responsible growth.

“Residents should not have to feel like they have to fight to be heard. We need greater transparency around major projects, better communication, meaningful public input and responsible use of taxpayer dollars,” Tovar told San José Spotlight. “District 4 deserves more, and I want residents to know they have someone who will show up, listen, and follow through.”

District 5

There are no incumbents in the switch to district-based elections, but Councilmember Tom Cline is seeking another term through District 5. Joseph Garcia, a Santa Cruz Beach Train locomotive engineer, and Christina Tovar, the owner of property maintenance company R.A.C. Services and wife of Fred Tovar’s cousin Raul Tovar, are also running for the seat.

Cline, 65, is president of Cline Glass Contractors in Fremont and has been a Gilroy resident for nearly four decades. Elected in 2022, he said he has taken pride in working as a councilmember to deliver on policies. He helped establish district-based elections, create an economic development department with a director, get a fourth fire station approved and generate funding for street maintenance.

Among his priorities include generating tax dollars to add more police patrols and staff the new Santa Teresa Fire Station, pointing to the forthcoming Amazon Web Services data center as a big boost financially to the city’s general fund. He also said he intends to pursue the development of Gilroy Sports Park by closing the deal with the San Jose Sharks on a Sharks Ice facility in the city.

“Economic development is critical to our future, how we attract businesses to relocate here, how we foster business growth and sustainability,” Cline told San José Spotlight. “Changing perceptions of Gilroy that will nurture this is vitally important to our success.”

Garcia, 50, is a relative newcomer to the city compared to his counterparts, having moved into Gilroy six years ago. Garcia, admittedly not part of a traditional political establishment, said his policy focuses on protecting older adults, zoning reform, neighborhood infrastructure investment and supporting working families and small businesses.

“I am a working father living in District 5 who understands what everyday families and seniors face when balancing household budgets,” Garcia told San José Spotlight. “My professional background in industrial operations has taught me safety, operational discipline and strict accountability.”

Tovar, 47, is a 30-year resident of Gilroy with degrees in finance and accounting from San Jose State University and the University of Maryland Global Campus. She said her education and experience as a CPA will help the city make smart, sustainable financial decisions.

She said fiscal responsibility, transparency and supporting small businesses, first responders and nonprofit and community groups is her priority if chosen to represent the district. Tovar has partnered with nonprofits and community organizations, which showed her how working together leads to better results than working alone.

She wants to work on matters that are important to the residents. She points out how the city needs to make zoning easier for businesses to open and support partnerships with the organizations already doing good work in this community.

“My biggest concern is that we’re standing still while other cities are moving forward,” Tovar told San José Spotlight. “We need to get ahead of the issues our residents actually care about instead of reacting late. I hear from a lot of neighbors who’d love to see more happening downtown, more reasons for families to spend an afternoon there, and more support for the small businesses that stuck it out. I want to help bring that to life.”

District 6

Working Partnerships USA Movement Building Director Rebeca Armendariz, Bracco’s Towing and Transportation Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Bracco and Brad Starks, a product marketing director, are the candidates running in District 6.

Armendariz, 51, served on the council from 2020 to 2024 before losing her reelection bid. She’s a fourth-generation Gilroy native running her campaign with a dual focus on supporting youth, renters and homeless residents, as well as protecting the area from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“We need actual policies that are tangible, enforceable and help kids feel safer walking to school, parents feel more confident going to work and families open to shopping in our community,” Armendariz told San José Spotlight.

Armendariz has been an integral part of the ICE OUT movement, championing rallies around the Bay Area in hopes of preventing the ICE facility from being built just beyond Gilroy’s boarders on Holsclaw Road. The protests have gotten the attention of lawmakers throughout the Bay Area as cities have joined in a legal battle to block the facility. Last month, federal authorities announced construction at the site is on hold until after the legal proceedings in early September.

Bracco, 31, like Armendariz is also a fourth-generation Gilroy native, with the family and business being in the district for about a decade. With an education from Jessup University in public policy that focused on criminal justice and a former Gilroy police intern, Bracco wants to improve communication between the city council and law enforcement, improve fiscal responsibility and make calculated economic development decisions to create opportunities, jobs, resources and protection throughout the district.

Bracco said public service is in her blood. Some things she wants to see happen in the district include adding a public park near a housing development at Las Animas Avenue and reviewing current economic development plans and work toward projects that bring generational benefits. She also wants to create activities for younger residents inspired by what they enjoy in other Bay Area cities, such as plazas that provide outdoor dining and pet-friendly spaces with storefronts to attract businesses to Gilroy.

She said she has strong relationships with current councilmembers and will work with them to deliver a community center in a fiscally responsible manner, utilizing existing structures.

“I am not my father — the decision to run for District 6 and my campaign is mine alone,” Bracco told San José Spotlight. “I will serve with the conviction of representing my community and ensuring this community is the best it can be. Though inspired by my father’s service and dedication, I will bring new ideas and a younger vision to the council.”

Starks, 43, has lived in Gilroy for just more than a decade. He’s running with the vision of making his city a place where families can live, work and build a future through practical solutions that improve, in part, the local economy, working wages, housing and the overall safety of the community.

He’s concerned with the cost of living, housing affordability, infrastructure, water, public safety and the city’s economic standing. Starks said his approach is to work collaboratively, listen to residents and understand the city’s finances. He wants to focus on solutions that are realistic and sustainable and said he believes there are no quick fixes — but councilmembers can make steady progress when they work together and keep Gilroy’s long-term future in mind.

“I want to focus on progress that people can actually see in their everyday lives,” Starks told San José Spotlight, adding that a stronger line of communication with city officials is vital to his agenda. “People should feel that their voices are heard and that their local government is working with them, not just making decisions for them.”

Contact Giovanni Albanese Jr. at [email protected].