First Mayors of San Jose

Arturo Villarreal is a San Jose native with roots in Del Rio, Texas. He was born into a farm working family and attended segregated all Mexican schools in Del Rio until his sophomore year in high school.

He received his AA from SJCC and a BA in Behavioral Science with a double major in Cultural Anthropology and an MA in Social Science from SJSU. He is the co-author of the book Mexicans in San Jose.

Currently he is teaching ethnic studies at Evergreen Valley College. He also serves as a commissioner on the County of Santa Clara Historical Heritage Commission.

Jose Manuel Gonzales: Apache Alcalde/ Mayor of San Jose

The talk will revolve around history of Jose Manuel Gonzales. The talk will revolve around how Jose Manuel volunteered along with his wife and children in the De Anza expedition and served as an interpreter, was a founder of San Jose, served as the second mayor and built the oldest adobe home still around in Santa Clara county.