City of Salinas City Council Councilmember Carla Viviana González

Carla Viviana González is an educator and MEChA coordinator at Alisal High School educator and co-founder of Salinas Valley Ethnic Studies Collaborative and the Monterey County Black & Brown Solidarity Coalition. She took on incumbent Scott Davis in 2020 and won in a razor-tight race. She continues to teach at the high school. González told Monterey County Weekly that it isn’t easy to teach social sciences during the current political climate. “It’s our responsibility to demonstrate what being a civically engaged resident and community member is,” González said, adding, “This is how we invest in our communities, by investing in our use of critical thinking and preparation for the real world.”

First elected: 2020

Alma maters: UC Santa Cruz (master’s degree, education); San Francisco State University (bachelor’s degree, history/women & gender studies)

Notable quote: “The residents of this district deserve to be represented by a community member who understands the strengths and concerns of the community. Because I am of the community, not only do I share similar cultural and linguistic backgrounds of our residents, I also share in experiences that inspired me to run for the District 1 city council seat.” (Source: CouncilwomanCVG.com)

Board and committee assignments 
City/County Animal Shelter Committee
Community Human Services Board Member
Salinas Police Activities League Advisory Member
Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Board Member (Alternate)