Rebeca Armendariz makes bid for Council seat

Community activist and long-time Gilroy resident recently announced that it’s “time to take the plunge,” to run for City Council, adding a fifth Council hopeful vying for one of three available seats. 

Rebeca Armendariz, mother of three young children, filed her intent to run on Aug. 3. 

“I’ve not been to satisfied with the direction that the Council is going,” Armendariz said. “For years I’ve gone down to their meetings to complain, and now I’ve got to be proactive, now I have to be on the other side.”

What put Armendariz over the edge was Council’s decision to not support the Gilroy Unified School District’s sales tax measure proposal, which they denounced during a meeting on June 25. 

“The community deserves more and families of children in our schools deserve more,” she said. “I think the school district is doing the best they can with the money they have right now.”

As a councilwoman, Armendariz would stand for “democratic values,” would take “another look at how the city approaches development contracts.” She also supports preserving Gilroy’s open space, and investing in Gilroy Gardens, what she referred to as the “gem in our crown.”

Armendariz supports Councilman Peter Arellano for mayor, who she said has been courageous in his decision-making on the Council, even when he has been minority voice time and time again. 

“Peter really cares about the economic health and morale in our community,” she said. “I think it’s because he is deeply rooted here.”

Armendariz plans to reach out to the working-class families who know her, to rally their support in the coming months. Next month, she plans to kick off her campaign with a fundraising event, at a time and place to be determined.