Gonzales (Ronald R.) Administrative Papers, 1989-2006 1998-2006, 1998-2006

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Summary

Title:
Mayor Ron Gonzales Administrative Papers
Dates:
1989-2006 1998-2006, 1998-2006
Creators:
Gonzales, Ronald R. (1951-)
Abstract:
The Mayor Ron Gonzales Administrative Papers documents the political career of Ron Gonzales. Gonzales contributed to Santa Clara County politics, first serving two terms as the Mayor of Sunnyvale (1979-1987), and an eight-year term on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (1989-1996). In 1998 he was elected to the office of mayor in San José, where he served another eight years (1998-2006). The bulk of this collection documents San José city politics, which includes interactions between city, state, and the federal government. The collection includes audiovisual materials, correspondence, constituent letters, memos, newspaper and magazine articles, speeches, and press releases. Some of the topics covered include extending BART service to South San José, creation of new jobs for women and minorities, the opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, education, gang prevention, and other civic related issues. The collection is arranged into two series: Series I: Political Records, 1989-2006 (bulk 1998-2006); Series II: VHS Tape Recordings 1992-2006 (bulk 1999-2006).
Extent:
29 boxes (28.4 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Mayor Ron Gonzales Administrative Papers, MSS-2006-07-18, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Mayor Ron Gonzales Administrative Papers documents the political career of Ron Gonzales. Gonzales contributed to Santa Clara County politics, first serving two terms as the Mayor of Sunnyvale (1979-1987), and an eight-year term on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (1989-1996). In 1998 he was elected to the office of mayor in San José, where he served another eight years (1998-2006). The bulk of this collection documents San José city politics, which includes interactions between city, state, and the federal government. The collection includes audiovisual materials, correspondence, constituent letters, memos, newspaper and magazine articles, speeches, and press releases. Some of the topics covered include extending BART service to South San José, creation of new jobs for women and minorities, the opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, education, gang prevention, and other civic related issues.

Biographical / historical:

Ronald R. Gonzales (1951- ) attended De Anza College before moving on to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated with a degree in Community Studies (1973). Gonzales became active in California politics, serving on the Sunnyvale City Council (1979-1987), and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (1989-1996). Ron Gonzales briefly left politics to work as an executive at Hewlett-Packard, a Silicon Valley based company. From 1999-2006 Gonzales served as the first Latino mayor of San José since California became a state in 1850, and was one of the first Latino mayors of a large U.S. city.

While in office, Gonzales initiated several programs to help attract new teachers to San José schools including a home purchasing assistance program. Gonzales also advocated extending Bay Area Regional Transport service to downtown San José and used San José Redevelopment Agency funds to help revitalize downtown San José. While delivering a State of the City address on January 28, 2004, Ron Gonzales suffered a stroke but returned to his duties on February 16th of that year. In June 2006 Mayor Ron Gonzales and one of his top aids, Joe Guerra, were accused of corruption involving a waste contract in 2000 with Norcal Waste Systems. Gonzales denied any wrongdoing and in 2007 a judge dismissed the charges. Gonzales was succeeded by Chuck Reed in 2007.

Processing information:

Collection processed by Robert Donahue. Finding aid EAD encoded by Robert Donahue. Reviewed by Danelle Moon. Boxes 28 and 29 added to the collection in February 2019 by Samira Habibi.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series: Series I: Political Records, 1989-2006 (bulk 1998-2006); Series II: VHS Tape Recordings 1992-2006 (bulk 1999-2006).

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2019-02-22 16:03:31 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright is assigned to the San Jose State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred citation:

Mayor Ron Gonzales Administrative Papers, MSS-2006-07-18, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.

Location of this collection:
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0028, US
Contact:
408-808-2062
special.collections@sjsu.edu
Website