The nomination period for candidates for local elected offices on the Nov. 5 general election ballot opened July 15 and will close at 5pm Aug. 9. The closing date can be extended to Aug. 14 for offices in which an eligible incumbent has not filed to run for reelection, according to elections officials.
In Gilroy, the mayor’s seat as well as three posts on the city council will appear on the ballot for the Nov. 5 general election. The council seats currently occupied by Rebeca Armendariz, Zach Hilton and Fred Tovar are up for election. Their terms end December of this year, and the next four-year terms will end December 2028.
Voters in Gilroy will also decide on a local measure asking to approve a quarter-cent sales tax for the city’s public safety on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Also on the Nov. 5 ballot are three seats on the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education. Three seats on the Gavilan College Board of Trustees are also up for grabs in the general election, as are four seats on the Santa Clara County Board of Education.
“The nominations process is the first major step in preparing for an election and one of the most foundational stages of the democratic process,” said Matt Moreles, Acting Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. “Our team takes pride in making the process to get on the ballot inclusive and accessible, promoting greater ballot access for a diverse range of candidates.”
Mayor Marie Blankley, who was elected to her first four-year term, is running for reelection on Nov. 5. Also planning to run for mayor is longtime Gilroy resident Greg Bozzo.
Blankley said she is running for another four-year term because she feels like the public safety shutdowns early in the Covid-19 pandemic—which was at its peak when she was first elected in November 2020—prevented her from completing many of her mayoral goals. These include the completion of the San Jose Sharks ice rink project, more streets improvements and upgrades, and public safety enhancements.
“I feel like I am just getting started,” Blankley said.
Bozzo, who has been a Gilroy resident for 50-plus years, said he is running for the city’s mayor’s seat for a number of reasons. These include a desire to improve local economic development efforts, bring back better customer service and business services to City Hall and to facilitate an annual “reimagined” Garlic Festival.
“I’m running because I want Gilroy to live up to its full potential, and I don’t think we are,” Bozzo said.
Hilton announced last year that he is planning to run for reelection. Tovar formally announced his reelection campaign on July 16. Armendariz said this week that she has pulled papers for a possible reelection bid, but has not decided whether she will seek another term.
Anyone who is interested in running for mayor, city council or city treasurer is encouraged to make an appointment with the city clerk’s office to pull nomination papers and then continue with the eligibility qualification process. Gilroy City Interim City Clerk Beth Minor’s office is located at 7351 Rosanna Street, and can be reached by phone at 408.846.0204.
Those interested in running for GUSD Trustee Areas 2, 5 or 6; Gavilan trustee areas 2, 4 or 6; or county board of education trustee areas 1, 3, 4 or 5 should visit the Registrar of Voters’ office to pull papers and for other assistance. The Registrar of Voters’ Candidate Services Division is located at 1555 Berger Drive, Bldg. 2 in San Jose.
Seats up for election on the GUSD board are currently occupied by Mark W. Good (Trustee Area 2), James E. Pace (Trustee Area 5) and Melissa Aguirre (Trustee Area 6).
The registrar’s office offers in-person and online support for issuing and filing nomination documents during the nominations period, says a press release from the registrar’s office.
“We encourage candidates to make an appointment and begin the nomination filing process as early as possible,” Moreles said. “Our Candidate Services team can assist to ensure paperwork is completed accurately and on time.”
Gavilan Joint Trustee Area seats on the Nov. 5 ballot are currently occupied by Alicia M. Cortez (Trustee Area 2), Patricia Mondragón (Trustee Area 4) and Rachel Perez (Trustee Area 6).
Although four seats on the county board of education are up for grabs on Nov. 5, the election does not include Trustee Area 7 which encompasses Gilroy and South County.
