Client News
Gonzales appoints longtime local leader Carmen Gil as interim city manager.
Gonzales City Council appointed its director of community engagement and strategic partnership as interim city manager. Carmel Gil has been acting as interim city manager since June 20 after the departure of long-time city manager Rene Mendez, who became Watsonville's city manager on July 1.
Gil has been Gonzales' director of community engagement and strategic partnership for two-and-a-half years and has decades of experience working at different organizations in the private and public sectors in Monterey County. She is a board member of the the Big Sur Land Trust and Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation, and formerly served as an elected board member on the SVMH board of trustees. She was the manager for Building Healthy Communities in Salinas and an instructor at Hartnell College.
During the pandemic, Gil led the implementation of Gonzales' community health worker program. Community health workers from Gonzales partnered with the countywide VIDA program, helping make Gonzales one of the first cities in the county to reach a 90-percent vaccination rate (for at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine).
"Our council is confident she will provide the executive leadership needed on all matters related to governing the city and will continue to strengthen the city's strategic partnerships to continue to improve the quality of life for our residents," Mayor Jose Rios said in a statement.
The firm Bob and Murray & Associates continues its search for a permanent city manager. Mendez spent 17 years as the city's top staffer.
About City of Gonzales
The city of Gonzales, California is located in Monterey County. The quaint and culturally diverse community of approximately 9,000 people is in the heart of the Salinas Valley’s agricultural and wine region. Gonzales is an established regional leader in agricultural-technology and innovation, environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Gonzales is home to companies such as HealthySoil, which manufactures products to improve agricultural crop production; Converted Organics, a natural fertilizer company; Taylor Farms, a fresh vegetable production facility, Mann Packing/Del Monte Fresh, a leading supplier of fresh cut vegetables; Ramsay Highlander, an innovator, designer and manufacturer of technologically-advanced harvesting equipment; Papé Equipment Handling, Braga Fresh, Green Valley Farm Supply, Tessemae’s, American Bioscience, Caraccioli Cellars, and Constellation Brands, an international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits.