Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below.
Name: Cynthia Gonzalez
Age: 47
Current job title: Director
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: Cudahy City Council
City where you reside: Cudahy
Campaign website or social media: drgonzalezforcudahy.com
How should the city balance rising costs, paying off debts, such as pension liabilities, and building reserves, all while meeting residents’ needs? Should a solution involve finding new revenue, economic development, trimming the budget, or something else entirely? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
Fiscal responsibility and meeting residents’ needs should not be competing priorities. A city must address long-term obligations, including pension liabilities, maintain healthy reserves, and ensure that essential services remain strong. However, balancing the budget cannot simply mean cutting programs and services that working families depend on.
I believe the long-term solution must include growing our revenue base through thoughtful economic development. In Cudahy, we have an opportunity to attract businesses, activate underutilized properties, strengthen our commercial corridors, and pursue development that generates sustainable revenue while creating local jobs and community benefits. We must also aggressively pursue county, state, federal, and philanthropic resources so local taxpayers are not carrying the burden alone.
At the same time, every expenditure should be evaluated for effectiveness. We should eliminate unnecessary costs, improve efficiencies, and prioritize investments that produce measurable benefits for residents.
The public expects transparency from public leaders in spending and governance. How can this be achieved? How can the city do better in this area? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
Elected officials should be willing to explain their votes, disclose potential conflicts, ask difficult questions publicly, and ensure contracts and public resources are subject to appropriate oversight.
In Cudahy, we can continue improving how we communicate with residents beyond City Hall by using digital platforms, community meetings, partnerships with schools and community organizations, and other accessible forums.
Public trust is earned when residents can see not only what government is doing, but why decisions were made, what they cost, and what outcomes the community should expect.
In your opinion, what is the biggest need your city faces, and how would you address it? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
Cudahy’s greatest need is sustained, equitable investment. For too long, communities like ours in Southeast Los Angeles have carried the impacts of industry, environmental contamination, aging infrastructure, and regional inequities without receiving the level of public and private investment necessary to create thriving neighborhoods.
This affects nearly everything we want to accomplish. Contaminated and underutilized properties limit development opportunities and our tax base. Limited revenue then constrains our ability to invest in infrastructure, public spaces, youth programs, public safety, and other services residents deserve.
My priority is to break that cycle. We must aggressively pursue state and federal resources to remediate contaminated land and improve infrastructure, while developing an economic development strategy that attracts responsible investment, supports local businesses, creates quality jobs, and expands our revenue base.
At the same time, development must benefit the people already here. That means protecting renters, expanding affordable housing, creating opportunities for local workers, and involving residents in decisions about Cudahy’s future.
Our community does not lack potential. It has lacked investment. My goal is to ensure Cudahy receives the resources and opportunities our families have long deserved.
Why would you make a good leader, and how would you represent the diverse communities of your city? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
I am a good leader because I know how to bring people together around difficult problems and turn community voice into action. My leadership has been shaped by my experience as an educator, school principal, systems leader, and Cudahy City Councilmember. Across each role, I have learned that lasting change is not something we do to communities; it is something we build with them.
I understand Cudahy as both an elected leader and someone whose life and career have been rooted in Southeast Los Angeles and working-class communities like ours. I understand the experiences of immigrant families, renters, working parents, young people, seniors, and residents who too often feel that government decisions are made without them.
My approach is to create spaces where residents, schools, nonprofits, labor, businesses, and government can work together. I have applied that approach in Cudahy by building partnerships that connect residents to resources and strengthen our collective ability to solve problems.
Representing a diverse community also means being willing to speak up when residents are being overlooked. I will continue leading with courage, accessibility, collaboration, and a commitment to ensuring every resident has a voice in Cudahy’s future.