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Gilroy City Council, District 4

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City of Gilroy

Gilroy City Council, District 4

This person would hold your district's seat on Gilroy's City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Gilroy is a Santa Clara County city of about 59,500 people. The Mayor, Greg Bozzo, is elected separately and is not on this ballot. Five other members are elected by district. The term is four years. This is Gilroy's first district-based council election. Districts 1, 2, 3 and the Mayor's seat are up in 2028.

Two candidates are running for Gilroy's District 4 City Council seat. They are Diana Sanchez Bentz and Fred Tovar. Neither is the district's sitting officeholder. This is a new, single member district on the ballot for the first time.

The winner serves a four-year term on Gilroy's seven-member City Council (six district members plus a separately, at-large elected Mayor). They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use in this Santa Clara County city of about 59,500. This is Gilroy's first-ever district council election -- the city adopted its six-district map (Map F) in May 2025 after a California Voting Rights Act legal notice, moving off a fully at-large council. Districts 1, 2, 3, and the Mayor's seat aren't up until 2028.

District 4 has no incumbent on the ballot: neither candidate currently holds the seat, since it's being filled by direct election for the first time. Fred Tovar is a comeback candidate with a documented record from three separate past local offices; Diana Sanchez Bentz has never held elected office but has a long civic-commission record. The choice is between Tovar's return to elected office and Sanchez Bentz's first bid for one.

Fred Tovar

Fred Tovar says they have more than 20 years of Gilroy public service. They held earlier terms on the Gilroy City Council. They also served on the Gilroy Unified School District Board. And they served on the San Jose/Evergreen Community College Board. Tovar holds none of them now. On the council, Tovar says they prioritized public safety and downtown revitalization. They also prioritized small business support and fiscal stewardship. They credit themselves with championing Gilroy's downtown pop up park and lighting upgrades. They also say they started Farm Workers Day and helped open a school health clinic. And they say they pushed for School Resource Officers in local schools. In 2025 Tovar received the Gilroy Police Officers' Association's Stanley P. Delvin Award. They say they earned that group's endorsement during their earlier council service. They also say they earned the IAFF Local 2805 Gilroy Firefighters Association's endorsement then. Their 2026 campaign site adds a fresh endorsement from the Gilroy Police Officers' Association. That 2026 endorsement was unanimous. Their stated 2026 priorities are public and traffic safety near schools. They also include small business support and downtown revitalization. They include infrastructure repair and responsible growth too. They also include youth investment through city, schools, and college partnerships.

Diana Sanchez Bentz

Diana Sanchez Bentz is a 32 year resident of District 4. They are a first time candidate for elected office. They have worked as a paralegal for nearly 40 years. They currently work in the Office of General Counsel at a global law firm. They have not held elected office, but have a long civic record. They served seven years on Gilroy's Open Government Commission, as both chair and vice chair. They also served a 2021 term on the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury. They hold a seat on the Mt. Madonna YMCA board. They have also served on the executive board of the After Hours Rotary Club. Their stated priorities are open government and transparency, and public safety. They also include conditions at Alexander Station and practical solutions for the unhoused population. They also include infrastructure upgrades such as flooding, crosswalks, and erosion. They include small business support, fiscal responsibility, and parks maintenance too. No endorsement was found for them.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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