There are a lot of candidates running for the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Board of Education – nine candidates in total. One of them is businessman Mike Gonzalez. He has not run for office before, but he has an impressive array of endorsements, including:
- Lou Correa, State Senator
- Miguel Pulido, Mayor, City of Santa Ana
- Sal Tinajero, Councilman, City of Santa Ana
- Vince Sarmiento, Councilman, City of Santa Ana
- John Palacio, Board Member, Santa Ana Unified School District
Why would all these well-known politicians endorse a political rookie?
Here are a few excerpts from Gonzalez’ biography, from his Smart Voter website:
Santa Ana Unified serves a substantial minority community with over 90 percent being Latino. Although I was born in Los Angeles, I attended and completed during my youthful years, schools in Mexico. In my adult life I attended Santa Ana College. I have various state licenses and certifications.
Given my personal experiences in both countries, I bring a very strong understanding of the needs of the Santa Ana community.
As a successful businessman, I have continued to be involved in the community. Working in the community is a personal mission to empower the community through citizenship and community involvement.
I have been elected/appointed to local, national and international positions of leadership i.e.; Fiesta Patrias Committee of Orange County, Institute of Mexicans Abroad of Orange County, and the League of United Latin American Citizens Commission on Immigrant Affairs.
So what does Gonzalez want to do as a School Board Member? His candidate’s statement sheds some light on this:
I will work with teachers, parents, staff, business and community leaders to develop a strategic master plan to address academic performance. Student test scores must improve. The number of schools that are academically under performing must be provided with the resources to succeed. The student drop out rate must be reduced. The number of high school graduates must increase. Learning English must be a priority. Summer school and after school tutoring services must be expanded to assist students. Failure is not acceptable.
Having safe schools and modern facilities with state of the art technology and equipment is a priority. School over-crowding must be eliminated. We need more fundamental schools. We must restore special education services.
We must increase parental involvement by increasing the number of PTA’s.
I spoke to Gonzalez the other night at the NAACP Candidates Forum, where Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and his Council cabal shamefully walked out of the forum after the candidates’ introductions. I noticed that Pulido was on Gonzalez’ flier. Gonzalez saw me looking at Pulido’s photo and he reacted by saying someting along the lines that he had no choice but to use Pulido to promote his campaign. I don’t hold it against him. But this may be the wrong year to try to ride Pulido’s coattails.
I am told that Gonzalez is the guy the Mexican government turns to when they need help with one of their constituents. He is a generous man – people call him because he comes through. Recently a Mexican citizen came to L.A. to try to buy an electric wheelchair. He was killed and the Mexican government turned to Gonzalez to help the man’s family. There are quite a few tales of this sort.
As a politician, Gonzalez is a work in progress. But he has proven himself as a businessman and as a humanitarian. Whether or not that will be enough to get him elected is anybody’s guess. But anyone that can line up endorsements from the likes of Correa, Tinajero and Palacio needs to be taken seriously, if not in this election then almost certainly in elections to come.
You may email Gonzalez at this link.
The Focus on SAUSD School Board Candidates series now includes posts on Irene Ibarra, Gregory Barraza, Roman Reyna and Gloria Alvarado. Up next: Valerie Amezcua.
Did someone put a gun to Gonzales’ head and that’s why Pulido’s face is plastered on two pages of his four page campaign brochure?
This is the kind of political fast talk that’s grade-A bull.
I will NOT be voting for Mike Gonzalez because Pulido makes him do things that he doesn’t want to. Newsflash to Gonzalez .. we don’t need any more milk toast board members. Since Gonzalez cannot stand up to Miguel Pulido, he certainly will not stand up for parents, students and constituents of the community.
DO NOT ELECT MIKE GONZALES 11/4
I am a concerned Santa Ana Resident who doesn’t like candidates who are involved in racketeering and other illegal acts because this would mean corruption on a school board. This particular candidate running for a seat in the SAUSD School Board is Mike Gonzalez. Our current City Mayor Miguel Pulido and an incumbent School Board Member John Palacio are endorsing someone like Mike Gonzalez. This could be a city already in corruption and this city needs a change and not a step back. Mike Gonzalez is the owner of bars, he is illiterate, and continues to run with his dirty business deals. He hires homeless people to do security at his bars. He wants to hire these same people in our schools. Don’t vote for Mike Gonzalez it’s not worth your vote.
Now I know that every candidate for Santa Ana School Board is unworthy of being elected to School Board based on all the nasty, evil comments i have read on The Orange Juice Blog. He who without sin be the first to judge all the candidates.
Mike Gonzales has received many financial blessings from the Lord because he is a man who believes in Jesus and serving his community.
God will reward Mike on Tuesday, November 4.
For “The Truth Hurts” – Ha! He didn’t even come close. Why would you believe that someone who has no background what-so-ever in educations would be elected? Do you really believe that we are that ignorant. He is a night club owner – where the women dress in the shortest skirts you could imagine. He has security gaurds at places like La Langosta off of Harbor Blvd. – Is that who we want to decide our childrens educational needs? BTW – he does not live in S.A. he has an address there, but really resides in Fountain Valley. * Do some research!
Mike runs nightclubs where women are pratically naked. He has security guards at places like La Langosta. He resides is Fountain valley and not is Santa Ana. BEWARE!!!!