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).

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.

29 boxes (28.4 Linear Feet)

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.

The collection is open for research.