Candidate for
Council Member; City of San Jose; Council District 3

Don Gagliardi: 20 Years of Making a Difference for San José

Don has committed nearly two decades of his life to neighborhood activism in his downtown San José neighborhood through his leadership and involvement as President of the Northside Neighborhood Association, and on the board of 13th St. NAC (part of the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative).

Don is a longtime board member of the San José Downtown Association, which works to promote a vital and thriving downtown through civic advocacy and events such as the annual Downtown Ice. He serves on the Downtown Development, International Service and Disaster Relief Committees of the Rotary Club of San José.

As an example of his neighborhood advocacy, Don rallied his local community to keep the local public library in its current location, and then led the effort to re-name the library to honor a longtime neighborhood activist - the late Joyce Ellington.

Designed a New Model for Community Service

Don also led the successful effort to keep the San José Earthquakes in San José. This was a special victory for San José's young soccer fans, but for Don it also sparked an idea for a new community service model.

Don has always believed the team spirit of soccer can teach a great deal about working together. To further that spirit, Don founded Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a first of its kind all-volunteer fan-based nonprofit, wholly devoted to charitable work. Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation brings underprivileged youth to every Earthquakes game, works on alternatives to gang involvement for at-risk youth, and galvanizes the volunteer spirit of players and fans. Major League Soccer gave Don a community service award in recognition of the impact the organization has made on San José youth and community service.

An Advocate for Culture and the Arts

Don is the Vice Chair of History San José, San José's history museum, and a member of the Preservation Action Council of San José. He is a board member of the San José Downtown Foundation, which sponsors the "Downtown Doors" program displaying outstanding student artwork on vacant doors, and he was one of the earliest sponsors of the successful Art Box Project San José.

An Advocate for Recreation, Parks and San José's youth soccer fans

Don is a strong advocate for parks. He has long been involved with the Friends of Backesto Park and Friends of Watson Park in his own neighborhood. He worked on creating the new master plan for Watson Park and is currently spearheading the effort to privately build a soccer field house in the park. Don was also part of the city-wide sports facilities task force and his advocacy helped galvanize community support for a recreational soccer complex near the airport.

A Recognized Leader for San José

Don's civic service to San José's downtown communities has earned him awards and commendations from the San José City Council, San José Parks Foundation and History San José.

Don received his law degree in 1988 from Stanford Law School. He is a partner in the downtown San José law firm of Robinson & Wood, Inc. representing Silicon Valley clients.