Lifelong Watsonville resident and community advocate Elias Gonzalez announced Monday that he is running for 4th District supervisor. He is up against incumbent Felipe Hernandez, who has served on the board of supervisors since 2022.
Gonzalez has a long career history in community organizing, working with the City of Watsonville, Community Action Board and most recently, MILPA collective, a non-profit that focuses on building leadership, social infrastructure and indigenous fellowship.
“I’m trying to make sure that we show up for people,” said Gonzalez. “I’m trying to make sure that we follow through on our palabra. I’m trying to make sure that we are connecting with people and building our community… that’s why I’m running.”
Gonzales says he wants to focus on what he finds to be the fourth district’s most basic needs: affordability, community and safety.
“I’m never here to blame or shame,” said Gonzales. “I’m here to build. We’ve done the blame and shame. That’s gotten us nowhere. So how do we actually build?”
Gonzales recognizes that he is running for office in a time where federal policy has stark local effects. After Watsonville saw numerous arrests conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the past year, residents have voiced critical concern. Gonzales voiced that he shares these concerns with the community.
“We are all being traumatized by what we’ve seen on TV, by what we’re hearing and by what we’re experiencing,” he said. “For me, I have a healing informed lens. I’m always thinking about the healing of a community, about the healing of the individual.”
Community leaders such as Former Watsonville Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter have already endorsed Gonzalez and express admiration for how he approaches community work.
“Elias listens with integrity and leads with care,” said Quiroz-Carter in a press release. “He understands and works hard to do what’s best for this community.”
Gonzales contends that he is suited for the role because he deeply understands the affordability and community issues facing the fourth district. In the past years, he’s dealt with them himself, losing both jobs and housing. If elected, Gonzales expressed that he wouldn’t approach the job alone.
“For me, it’s about coming together and building the ‘we’… bringing all experts to the table because that’s what I’ve done,” said Gonzales. “I’m very good in some areas. But through my relationship building, we can bring the folks that need to be at the table that historically may not have been at the table to have the dialogues we need to have.”
