GONZALES — Gonzales Measure K advisory committee has selected members of the new Measure X subcommittee, which will oversee the planning process for the upcoming community center, funded by the recently passed Measure X.
The first four members of the five-member subcommittee are Anna May Gaza, Candace McFarland Camacho, Emily Rios and Jennifer Yniguez. Members of the Measure K committee will eventually nominate a member of their own committee to be the fifth member on the Measure X subcommittee.
The four were chosen from a group of five individuals, all interested in serving on the subcommittee, which will support the oversight of the Measure X funds that the city receives through the new tax measure.
May Gaza is currently a member of the Measure K committee, but with her term ending, she was allowed to shift over to the Measure X subcommittee.
“I know Emily Rios has done a lot for the community and has a really big interest in the community center,” May Gaza said in the deliberation.
The tiebreaker on the applications came down to the selection of Yniguez over Grace Ayon, which committee members said was due to Yniguez being a lifelong Gonzales resident. Chairperson Lorraine Worthy said Ayon was just as qualified as Yniguez.
“We hope that she will apply for Measure K as another candidate,” Worthy said about Ayon, citing the multiple seats on the Measure K committee that will soon be open.
Those Measure K positions were appointed at the Gonzales City Council meeting on April 19.
Measure X was passed by a 52.9% vote in the November 2020 election, which proposed a sales tax increase from 0.5% to 1% for 20 years, generating an estimated $600,000 per year.
