Matthew Edward Gonzalez (born June 4, 1965) is an American politician, lawyer, and activist. He served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2001 and 2005 and was president of the Board. In 2003, Gonzalez, running as a member of the Green Party, lost a race for mayor of San Francisco to Democrat

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fro ...

. In the 2008 presidential election, Gonzalez ran for vice president as the running mate of candidate Ralph Nader. , he works as the Chief Attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender's Office.

Early life and education

Matthew Edward Gonzalez was born in McAllen, Texas. His father, a division chief for the international tobacco company Brown & Williamson,Guthrie, Julian. ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' Sunday, December 7, 2003 moved the family to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

, before resettling in McAllen when Gonzalez was eleven years old. After graduating from McAllen Memorial High School, he attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

, from which he graduated in 1987. In 1990, he earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from Stanford Law School.

Career

Gonzalez began working as a trial lawyer at the Office of the Public Defender in San Francisco in 1991. Gonzalez served one term on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2001 to 2005. He was elected president of the board in 2003. After losing the

mayoral election Mayoral may refer to: * Mayoral is an adjectival form of mayor * Mayoral, a Spanish Children's Fashion Company * Borja Mayoral (born 1997), Spanish footballer * César Mayoral (born 1947), Argentine diplomat * David Mayoral (born 1997), Spanish f ...

in 2003, he chose not to seek re-election.

Run for District Attorney

Gonzalez entered politics when he ran for San Francisco District Attorney in 1999. He campaigned to halt political corruption and marijuana prosecutions. Gonzalez lost to incumbent Terence Hallinan. In a field of five candidates, he finished third with 20,153 votes (11 percent of the total).

Board of Supervisors

Election

A system of electing supervisors by district rather than citywide took effect in 2000. At the urging of Supervisor Tom Ammiano, Gonzalez moved from his home in the Mission District to run for supervisor in newly made District 5. In early November, shortly before the run-off election, Gonzalez switched party affiliations from the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

to the nascent Green Party. His opponent, Juanita Owens, tried to capitalize on many Democrats' ill feelings toward the Green Party in the wake of Ralph Nader's involvement in the acrimonious 2000 presidential election, but Gonzalez won the run-off election. He was part of a slate of candidates who wanted to change the direction of city policy, in opposition to the " Brown machine," a Democratic Party political machine that had dominated local politics for over 30 years behind Mayor Willie Brown, the Pelosi family, and other Democrats.Shaw, Randy. ''Beyondchron'' (January 3, 2005), His supporters saw his election as a turning point in local politics.Reed, Christopher. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', December 7, 2003. Wildermuth, John. ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' December 16, 2003, Matt Gonzales, SF member of Board of Supervisors, 2003 (1)

On the board

Gonzalez's critics considered him a stubborn and willful ideologue, though supporters noted his commitment to stand firm on principles over politicking. When the Board put forth a resolution commending

San Franciscan San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for being elected House Minority Whip and being the first woman to hold that position, Gonzalez was the only board member who voted against it. Gonzalez said that supervisors should not issue commendations for winning partisan political positions and that he had written a personal note to Pelosi congratulating her, as she had done him for being elected board president.Wildermuth, John; Gordon, Rachel; Chronicle Political Writers; November 12, 200
"Mayoral hopefuls come out swinging in debate—Gonzalez questions Newsom's spending"
'San Francisco Chronicle''Mayoral Runoff Debate (November 11, 2003
"Mayoral Debate"
'Commonwealth Club Archives'' Gonzalez refused to meet with Brown during his first two years on the Board of Supervisors, saying he did so to avoid being subject to Brown's influence rather than as a matter of disrespect. Two sources reported that Gonzalez defied Brown by walking out of the mayor's State of the City address in 2002. However, Gonzalez later told '' SF Weekly'' that he was never in attendance.

As board president

In January 2003, Gonzalez was elected president of the Board of Supervisors after seven rounds of voting, most of which had Gonzalez vying for a majority vote with supervisors

Aaron Peskin Aaron Dan Peskin (born June 17, 1964) is an American elected official in San Francisco, California. He serves as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 3, and is currently Dean of the Board. He was elected in 20 ...

and

Sophie Maxwell Sophie Maxwell (April 9, 1950) is a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing District 10. Early life Maxwell has lived in the Bayview district in San Francisco, California for the last twenty years. Prior to her el ...

. When Peskin dropped out Gonzalez emerged the winner, counting among his supporters conservative Board member Tony Hall, who said when asked why he voted for Gonzalez, "Gonzalez is a man of integrity and intelligence who will carry out his responsibilities fairly and impartially." Gonzalez hosted monthly art exhibits in his City Hall office. At the last reception,

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

artist Barry McGee spray-painted "Smash the State" on the walls of the office as part of his exhibit."Lelchuk, I. ''San Francisco Chronicle'' on the web, December 10, 2004. Gonzalez told the press that he knew his office would be repainted for the next occupant.

Campaign for mayor

In August 2003, Gonzalez ran for mayor of San Francisco in a bid to replace outgoing two-term mayor Willie Brown. On a ballot with nine candidates, Gonzalez finished second in the primary election on November 4 behind

, a Democrat and fellow member of the Board of Supervisors who had been endorsed by Brown. Gonzalez received 19.6 percent of the total vote to Newsom's 41.9 percent. Because none of the candidates received a majority, a run-off election was held on December 9. Gonzalez faced a difficult run-off election; only 3 percent of voters in San Francisco were registered to the Green Party, the party to which he belonged. Although Gonzalez was endorsed by several key local Democrats, including five members of the Board of Supervisors, national Democratic figures, concerned about Ralph Nader's role in the 2000 presidential election, campaigned on Newsom's behalf.McCarthy, Kevin. '' The Nation'', December 5, 2003.

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson,

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...

, and Nancy Pelosi all campaigned for Newsom. Gonzalez said about his candidacy, "They're scared, not of a Green being elected mayor, but of an honest person being elected mayor." Newsom won the runoff race by a margin of 11,000 votes, capturing 53 percent of the vote to Gonzalez's 47 percent.

Return to private life

Following the mayoral contest, Gonzalez announced he would not seek re-election to the Board of Supervisors. He left office when his term ended in January 2005. He was succeeded by Ross Mirkarimi, a Green Party member and community activist who had also worked on Gonzalez's campaign. Gonzalez then opened law offices with fellow Stanford University alum Whitney Leigh. In May 2005 Gonzalez sought unsuccessfully to overturn the contract of San Francisco school Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. His law firm brought suit against a San Francisco hotel for not paying its workers the minimum wage; two wrongful death suits against Sacramento police for using

taser A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon (company), Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed d ...

s; against the city of San Jose and Ringling Brothers Circus for interfering with free speech rights of protestors; and against Clear Channel in a naming rights dispute over the locally owned San Francisco Warfield Theatre. It has also been involved in examining the New Year's Eve attack on the Yale a cappella group ''The Baker's Dozen'' in Pacific Heights.

2008 presidential election

In January 2008, Gonzalez, along with several other prominent Green Party members, launched Ralph Nader's 2008 Presidential Exploratory Committee to support a possible Nader candidacy. On February 28, 2008, four days after announcing his presidential bid, Nader named Gonzalez as his running mate for the 2008 presidential election. Nader announced that he and Gonzalez would not seek the Green Party nomination but would run as independents. On March 4, 2008, Gonzalez announced that he had left the Green Party and had changed his voter registration to independent. The change, he said, was to accommodate states, including

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacen ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

, that did not allow members of political parties to run as independents. On October 18, 2008 Gonzalez and Nader held a large protest on

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for ...

following the passage of the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Their opposition to the bailout was a key issue of the Nader/Gonzalez campaign, in contrast to the Democratic and Republican Party candidates who supported the bill. Gonzalez participated in the third party vice-presidential debates, along with Constitution Party vice-presidential candidate Darrell Castle and Libertarian Wayne Allyn Root, held in Las Vegas, on November 2, 2008. The event was hosted by Free and Equal.org and Free & Equal Elections (FREE), an organization of political parties, independent citizens and civic organizations formed to promote free and equal elections in the United States.

Public Defender's Office

Jeff Adachi Jeffrey Gordon Adachi (August 29, 1959 – February 22, 2019) was an American attorney, pension reform advocate, and politician who served as the Public Defender of San Francisco from 2003 to 2019. Early life and education Adachi was the ...

appointed Gonzalez as Chief Attorney in the Public Defender's Office in February 2011. In 2012, Gonzalez took a month-long unpaid leave of absence to act as co-counsel for a corporation in its $16 million lawsuit against San Francisco. This was a civil suit, and as such was not a violation of the San Francisco Public Defender's office rules of ethics, which states in part, "No employee may provide legal advice or legal representation...to any person or entity other than in the employee's official capacity." The case involved Cobra Solutions, a minority-owned business, that had been wrongfully suspended from being able to bid on city information technology contracts. The article “How Business Was Done,” by Luke Thomas, published in 48 Hills, February 14, 2012, explained the key features of the litigation. Gonzalez defended José Inez García Zárate in the Kate Steinle homicide trial. The trial received national media attention because the defendant was an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported five times. Zarate, 45, was found not guilty of assault with a firearm but was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Zárate was sentenced to time already served. After the death of Jeff Adachi on 22 February 2019, Gonzalez served briefly as head of the public defender's office until an interim head, Manohar ‘Mano’ Raju, was named. Mano was appointed Public Defender on March 11.Eskenazi, Joe (March 22, 2019
"Manohar ‘Mano’ Raju to succeed Jeff Adachi as Public Defender."
Mission Local. (Retrieved December 8, 2020.)

References

External links

The Matt Gonzalez Reader
Gonzalez's blog
Gonzalez's Nader/Camejo 2004 Campaign Kick-Off Rally Speech
a speech delivered on July 16, 2004
Matt Gonzalez and Rosa Clemente respond to Biden-Palin Debate
Response to only televised 2008 U.S. Vice-Presidential Debate, Democracy Now! October 3, 2008.
Speech at the 2004 Green Party national convention
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. June 26, 2004
Matt Gonzalez - Natl Latino Congreso Matt Gonzalez interview at the 2008 National Latino Congresso in Los Angeles, CA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Matt 1965 births Living people 2008 United States vice-presidential candidates 21st-century American politicians Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area Activists from Texas American anti-war activists American democracy activists American political activists American politicians of Mexican descent American social democrats California Greens California Independents Columbia University alumni Green Party of the United States politicians Lawyers from San Francisco Peace and Freedom Party politicians Peace and Freedom Party vice presidential nominees People from McAllen, Texas Politicians from San Francisco Public defenders San Francisco Board of Supervisors members Stanford Law School alumni