Ana Gonzalez goes above and beyond to reunite family across continents | Yolo County Civic Leader of the Month
When Woodland City Clerk Ana Gonzalez received an email from a young man from Switzerland named Yannick Waldeck requesting help to find his grandfather last year, she got to work. Waldeck explained to her that his grandfather, Raymond, served in t…
When Woodland City Clerk Ana Gonzalez received an email from a young man from Switzerland named Yannick Waldeck requesting help to find his grandfather last year, she got to work.
Waldeck explained to her that his grandfather, Raymond, served in the Army in Germany and the last known address his mother had for him from 1974 was in Woodland.
"Immediately after sending the email, something in my gut told me that I needed to help this young man," Gonzalez emphasized. "From that point forward, I made it my mission to locate his grandfather's family. The entire time I was hoping and praying his grandfather was still alive since Yannick mentioned he would be 96 years old."
Gonzalez was able to find an obituary in Arkansas with a photo of a man matching the description of Waldeck's grandfather. However, the obituary stated he was survived by his wife, two daughters and numerous other relatives.
"I can't tell you the number of times I kept going back to the obituary and after re-reading it who knows how many times, I noticed that Raymond was survived by a sister-in-law in California," Gonzalez stressed.
Gonzalez found the sister-in-law, who asked not to be named, was living in Woodland and she went over the information from Waldeck ensuring her that they were not trying to scam her, something Gonzalez said the individual was concerned about.
The sister-in-law spoke to her sister in Arkansas about Waldeck passing on his information so that they could connect.
"It felt good to help this young man and his family," Gonzalez said. "The saddest part of this story is that his mother didn't get to meet her biological father before he passed away."
Raul Ramirez, one of Gonzalez's two brothers, called Gonzalez a civic leader "by title and role" noting that her loyalty to the city "extends beyond her over 36 years of tenure."
Ramirez said he heard about Waldeck from Gonzalez and thought this exemplified her commitment to serving everyone, not just her community.
"This example where Ana selflessly invested her time to help a family she had never met truly personifies my sister's commitment to serving her 'community' in every sense of the word," he argued.
Helping people like Waldeck contact long-lost relatives is one of the many things that Gonzalez is responsible for as a city clerk.
She explained that city clerks administer democratic processes such as elections, access to city records and all legislative actions; act as compliance officers for federal, state and local statutes; manage public inquiries and relationships; and arrange for ceremonial and official functions.
"It's an important position because city clerks keep and make official records and legislation accessible to residents," she stressed.
Although she felt overwhelmed to be recognized as a civic leader due to her dislike of being the center of attention preferring to work behind the scenes, she said she is honored and humbled by the acknowledgement.
"At the end of the day, it's not about me, but the people I serve, whether they are Woodland residents or someone across the world," she remarked. "I want to thank my family and friends who along the way encouraged me, supported me and mentored me. I especially want to thank my daughters. They are my biggest cheerleaders and have been my greatest inspiration. The city has been a great place to work and if anyone is interested in a career in public service, the city of Woodland is a great place to start."
Gonzalez was born in Woodland but didn't move here until 1974. She started working for the city in the late 1980s at the age of 26. Prior to that, she worked for the federal government in downtown Sacramento.
During her time here, the city and its workers and representatives have changed remarkably, the most notable of which being the City Council which has now seen three Latina mayors in a row.
"It doesn't necessarily surprise me," Gonzalez said regarding this. "Latina women have a spirit of service ingrained in them and having been here since 1987, I have seen the gradual increase of Latinas running for council. I do remember the first time I looked up at the dais and saw three Latina women. I thought, 'What a beautiful sight.'"
Lucinda Talkington has known Gonzalez for over 25 years from her time as a staff member of the city. She called Gonzalez "the face of city hall," highlighting her ability to listen to and address the concerns of the public.
"In our community, Ana is very involved with local organizations that help the city of Woodland care and serve our population," she added. "Ana has mentioned to me she loves her job and will retire one day from city hall. Until then, we the public are so fortunate to have a civic leader like Ana."
Furthermore, Gonzalez has two daughters who she believes have learned a lot about being civic leaders through her.
"I have always tried to be a good role model for them," she said. "Not just through my career, but also my volunteer activities and just day to day."
Analy Gonzalez, 32, is one of Gonzalez's two daughters who has seen her mother work her way up to city clerk and leading by example "in everything she does both in and out of her role at the city."
"She is always staying involved and serving the community," Analy said. "A few places she volunteers for are 4th and Hope, Woodland Tree Foundation, Yolo Conflict Resolution Center and in her church community as well as making meals for the pastor every few months."
Daniela Gonzalez, 27, is Gonzalez's youngest daughter. She said her mom is "the most inspiring woman" she knows saying she wears "so many hats as a mother, a friend. A daughter, a sister, a city clerk, an active community member and a devoted woman of God."
"My whole life is full of memories of mom being committed to serving the community," she added. "From a young age she took my sister and I with her to volunteer with things such as feeding the homeless, beach and city clean-ups and even participating within the church community. She continues to stay active with volunteering for the community taking on more than I can keep track of and doing everything out of pure love."
Amanda V. Ramirez, Gonzalez's niece, called her a "one-woman department who takes pride in helping both the leaders and citizens of Woodland."
"My tia recently received her Master Municipal Clerk certification and some of her training that helped her achieve this was elective classes in meditation and restorative justice," Ramirez emphasized. "She chose to take those classes not for the purpose of getting credits for her MMC, but because she recognized the value of the skills she would learn from the classes. [Gonzalez] has always been a very empathetic and service-minded person, so she took the meditation classes to hone her skills and better serve the city."
After years of attending conferences and seminars on top of working as the city's full-time clerk, Ana Gonzalez received her Master Municipal Clerk certificate making her one of less than 1,400 master municipal clerks in the country.
The Master Municipal Clerk Program was created by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and is an advanced continuing education program that prepares participants to perform complex municipal duties, according to its website.
When speaking about her successor after she retires, Gonzalez hopes they love serving the public as much as she does.
"I still love waking up every morning and coming to work," she said. "One thing I quickly found out in this position is that city clerks love helping other city clerks. I'm hoping to spend some time with the person that will eventually take my place. I want the next city clerk to be successful and I want to see them thrive."
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The Yolo County Civic Leader of the Month Series was inspired by longtime Yolo County leader Gary Sandy, who passed away in August 2023 after a year-long battle with liver cancer.
Sandy served in many leadership roles since 1996 including in the Woodland City Council, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and the Yuba Community College Board.
The outpouring of reflections and heartfelt comments from local leaders led The Daily Democrat to honor Sandy's hard work by highlighting others who are making changes with a positive impact on our community.
If you have any recommendations for future Civic Leaders of the Month, email news@dailydemocrat.com with a proposal leaving the person's name, contact information and 3-4 sentences explaining why they deserve the title.
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