The Gilroy City Council on Jan. 6 conducted its annual round of interviews for boards, commissions and ad‑hoc bodies. City staff said the city received 40 applications for open positions and councilmembers will make final appointments at the Jan. 27 meeting.

"We are here to conduct our annual board and commission interviews. We had 40 applications for the open positions, and council will be appointing commissioners at the next council meeting on January 27," a staff member told the council during the introductory presentation.

Why it matters: boards and commissions advise the council on planning, parks, libraries, open government, personnel, arts and culture and youth matters. Several applicants emphasized public engagement and continuity with prior projects, and planning commission candidates were reminded that the position can require heavy packet review and occasional special meetings while the city updates its zoning ordinance.

Highlights from interviews and applicant statements:

- Arts & Culture: Steve Taylor (Navy veteran and MassMutual financial planner) and Wendy Zamora (former professional dancer) described desires to expand arts access and youth programming.

- Library: Cassandra Lowry described finding a library "safe space" for a teenager in her family; Victoria Coverson Baxter, a recent former Library Commission chair, said she would work to increase public awareness of library resources.

- Parks & Recreation: Applicants emphasized park maintenance, safety and access. Javier Martinez, who said he works in juvenile crime prevention at the county level, and Jesse Jimenez, a lifelong Gilroy resident who organizes youth events, described park programming and volunteer priorities.

- Open Government and Personnel: Applicants including Sharpie Sandhu (SVP at Okta) and Anne Marie McCauley (local resident who watched commission meetings) discussed transparency and staffing expertise.

- Planning Commission: Candidates with construction, legal and long‑time community backgrounds — including Blanca McMurray, Kay Spencer and Patricia Clute Denson (former city employee) — applied. Councilmembers warned prospective planning commissioners that packets can exceed several hundred pages and special meetings are likely during the zoning update process.

- Youth Commission: High school sophomore Sean Ethan said he wants to build understanding and events for AAPI youth and other community groups.

No appointments were finalized at the Jan. 6 meeting. Staff and council emphasized that the interviews were introductory and that the appointments will be ratified on Jan. 27. Councilmembers also encouraged applicants to stay engaged even if they must leave the meeting early because of the length of the agenda.

Ending: The interviews showcased a broad field of applicants and highlighted topics councilmembers expect commissioners to work on this year — notably a zoning/ordinance update for planning commissioners and program expansion for parks, libraries and youth services. Final appointments and any associated commission charters will be posted in the Jan. 27 agenda packet.