GONZALES — Jose Rios was sworn in as Gonzales’ new mayor and Scott Funk renewed his oath of allegiance at the Dec. 7 meeting of Gonzales City Council.
The two joined Liz Silva, Lorraine Worthy and Paul Miller as the five council members going into 2021. The shift saw outgoing Mayor Maria Orozco end her time with the city’s top elected office.
“I’m only there because the people voted for me,” Rios said. “I understand without the vote of the people, I would not be there. I had a lot of people that believed in me.”
Beyond feeling joy and happiness at taking the mayor seat, Rios said he has already gone to work, talking to city staff about how to improve the future of Gonzales, especially when it comes to affordable housing and the future annexation and development of land.
Rios said his background as a first-generation Mexican-American citizen, the son of a Bracero farmworker, led him to take to heart his mother’s feeling that Mexico gave her birth, but the United States gave her life.
“I’m grateful for what I have, and not for what I don’t have,” he said.
Rios thanked Orozco for her many years in office and the work she did, and said he hopes she gets to enjoy retirement.
Rios noted he was himself retired after a career with PG&E, and in addition to coaching middle school basketball, will now take on the duties of mayor. He said the idea of entering into elected office started when he helped change the city’s mind on affordable housing with a lot that would have otherwise been planned as a community center.
In regard to city growth, Rios said one of the largest hurdles facing Gonzales is the city’s landlocked location, with limited land available to annex and grow. He noted the city is in the process of annexing an estimated 1,500 acres of property, but the process of environmental impact reports and other study processes will take years.
Rios called the timing and eventual fees something that’s part of living in paradise, California’s Central Coast.
“We’re going to work on the tangibles, what can we achieve,” he said. “Our end goal is the community.”
Rios also said accessory dwelling units might be a short-term solution to housing, as the city has large lots where extra units could be built. There are a limited number of such lots, however, meaning it isn’t the full solution. He said there is a growing need, as he knows of many locations where two or even three families live in the same house.
Development rates in the city are another obstacle, with Gonzales’ being among the highest in the county, according to Rios.
“Our fees are almost twice what Soledad’s fees are,” he said.
Such an observation meant that if a developer has the ability to work with land in another city, they’re likely to prioritize another location over Gonzales due to the fees. Rios said this is something he has begun to talk to city staff about.
“I really think this is one of the greatest cities in the County of Monterey to live in,” he said. “There were folks saying they moved back to Gonzales to raise their families here.”
Rios said he will now work to make that a possibility in a crowded housing market.
