Fred Tovar

Candidate for City Council Member, Gilroy, District 4 · College Admissions Counselor

Fred Tovar has spent more than 20 years in education and public service, including on the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education, the San José/Evergreen Community College Board, and a prior term on the Gilroy City Council. As a councilmember, he championed downtown Gilroy's pop-up park and lighting upgrades, established Farm Workers Day, helped open a school health clinic, and advocated for school resource officers; in 2025 he received the Gilroy Police Officers' Association's Stanley P. Delvin Award. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Saint Mary's College and a master's degree in counseling and education from San Jose State University. He currently serves as Director of Career Services and Alumni Relations at Cogswell Polytechnical College, after more than 18 years at Stanford University School of Medicine as Director of Student Affairs and Assistant Director of Admissions.

Tovar says he prioritized public safety, downtown revitalization, small-business support, and fiscal stewardship during his prior council term, and has earned endorsements from the Gilroy Police Officers' Association and the Gilroy Firefighters Association. He pledges to keep improving public safety and neighborhood safety, reduce red tape for small businesses, and push for greater transparency and accountability from local government.

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