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Gilroy City Council, District 5

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City of Gilroy

Gilroy City Council, District 5

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.

Three candidates are running for Gilroy's District 5 City Council seat. Incumbent Tom Cline faces challengers Joseph Garcia and Christina Tovar.

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.

Cline is running on a record already made as a sitting councilmember since 2022. Neither Garcia nor Tovar has held elected office, so the practical choice is between continuity with Cline's tenure and one of two challengers whose views are set out only in their own statements and sites, not in any independent reporting found in this pass.

Tom Cline

Tom Cline is the incumbent, first elected to the council in 2022. He is now seeking a second term. He has lived in Gilroy more than 30 years. He owns Cline Glass Contractors, a local small business. He says that on the council he voted to create Gilroy's first district elections. He also voted to hire an Economic Development Director. And he voted to plan a fourth fire station for citywide emergency coverage. He also says he voted to continue investment in street maintenance. His 2026 priorities include public safety and resolving the Sports Park's development. They also include economic development, fiscal responsibility, and homelessness solutions. He is a past president of the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association. He also has ties to Visit Gilroy and the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. He was named the Chamber's 2021 "Man of the Year." He lists endorsements from the Gilroy Police Officers Association and Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner.

Christina Tovar

Christina Tovar is a Certified Public Accountant. They have raised four sons in Gilroy and are now a grandmother. Tovar and their husband run two small businesses downtown. They say they personally renovated their building. Their father was a Vietnam veteran. They say that shaped their respect for those who serve. Their stated priorities are fiscal responsibility and reducing regulatory barriers. They frame their approach as finding "the smartest path to yes" in budgeting. They also want to modernize zoning for small businesses. They also list fully funding police and fire. They list greater transparency between City Hall and residents. And they list stronger nonprofit partnerships. Their campaign site lists more than 30 local community organizations they say they have supported. They include the Gilroy Police Foundation and the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. They also include the Mt. Madonna YMCA and Operation Freedom Paws. This is their own list of affiliations, not confirmed endorsements from those groups.

Joseph Garcia

Joseph Garcia is a father of five. They are also a locomotive engineer with more than 23 years of experience. They have worked at BNSF and Caltrain, and in track safety for Union Pacific. They describe their children as reflecting the community's strength. They include three Gilroy High School graduates. Among them are a West Point graduate and an SJSU civil engineer. Two are Division 1 college wrestlers, at Oklahoma State and West Virginia University. Their stated priorities are supporting local families and strengthening neighborhood safety. They also include maintaining infrastructure and running an efficient, transparent city government. No campaign website or independent news coverage of them was found beyond their filed statement.

Your pick

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

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