[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 146 (Thursday, November 15, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1762-E1763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING GILDA GONZALES UPON HER RETIREMENT

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2012

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
extraordinary career of Ms. Gilda Gonzales and the tremendous 
accomplishments of the Spanish Speaking Unity Council under her 
leadership. For nearly five decades, the Unity Council has continued to 
enrich families' quality of life by helping them build wealth and 
assets through comprehensive programs of sustainable economic, social 
and neighborhood development. We honor the Unity Council along with its 
fearless leader, Mrs. Gilda Gonzales, who is stepping down from her 
duties as Chief Executive Officer.
  This evening, supporters and friends gather in the Fruitvale District 
of Oakland to bid farewell to Ms. Gonzales and to congratulate the 
Unity Council for all of its many accomplishments. In 1964, what 
started as a political action group soon evolved into a social services 
assistance program to aid Latinos in the Fruitvale district. By 1967, 
the organization had become incorporated as a nonprofit organization 
and service agency. And, in the years that followed, the Unity Council 
became a powerful catalyst for pervasive social change.
  In addition to securing resources for the Fruitvale district, the 
Unity Council gained respectability and credibility within the Latino 
community, as well as among local, state and federal officials and 
private funding sources. As a result of the Unity Council's 
trailblazing role in the Fruitvale area, public and private social 
services agencies began to locate offices there for the first time. 
Furthermore, Unity Council representatives moved onto a variety of 
advisory groups in the East Bay, influencing policy, funding and 
resource allocation decisions while providing an empowering voice for 
Oakland's Latino community.
  Ms. Gonzales' prolific career includes three decades of inspired 
leadership and advocacy. Raised in a small town in California's Central 
Valley, Gilda Gonzales is the youngest of five children. From an early 
age, Ms. Gonzales knew she wanted to go to college and enter public 
service. Her first government job was an internship in the office of 
Congressman Ron Dellums. Then, when 500 people applied for one-year 
fellowships at the California State Assembly, she was one of 12 
selected. After working for several state assembly members, she left 
Sacramento in 1991 to assume the position of policy analyst with former 
Oakland Mayor Harris' office.
  During her 14-year tenure in City Hall, Ms. Gonzales served in 
several capacities, including budget analyst, Assistant to the Finance 
Agency Director, and dual Chief of Staff for then-City Manager Robert 
Bobb and Mayor Jerry Brown. In 2001, she was named the City of 
Oakland's Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. In this capacity, she 
was the City of Oakland's state legislative lobbyist and managed the 
City's contracted federal lobbyists. Throughout Ms. Gonzales' 
successful government career, where she was one of the highest-level 
Latinos working in City Hall, she

[[Page E1763]]

maintained strong personal connections with community-based 
organizations in Fruitvale.
  In December of 2004, when Ms. Gonzales became the Chief Executive 
Officer of the Unity Council, she brought to the position invaluable 
experience, an incredible vision, a penchant for creativity and an 
expertise in managing finances. As a result of her leadership, the 
Unity Council was able to overcome and stabilize a dire financial 
situation. Ms. Gonzales' quick thinking and strategic planning helped 
to create the solid foundation that the Unity Council enjoys today.
  Therefore, on behalf of the residents of California's 9th 
Congressional District, Ms. Gilda Gonzales, I salute you. I am proud to 
call you a colleague, a constituent, and, most importantly, my friend. 
Thank you for your countless contributions and your never-ending 
commitment to our communities. I congratulate you on your many 
achievements, and I wish you and your loved ones all the best in this 
next chapter of life.

                          ____________________