Hello Friend,

I want to see you at Juneteenth. The North San Diego County (NSDC) NAACP Annual Juneteenth Multicultural Celebration in Downtown Oceanside is happening Saturday June 20 and I'll be there. The event is free and open to the public. I'll have a booth there with some of our awesome volunteers but there will also be vendor booths, food, health awareness booths, a Youth Zone (games, face painting, crafts), and live entertainment throughout the day.

Juneteenth, also called Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day, marks the moment on June 19, 1865 when Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced that the Civil War was over and that enslaved people were free. That news came more than two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This year is the 157th anniversary of that day.

The NAACP has hosted the North San Diego County Juneteenth celebration for over 55 years. It's one of the oldest and most meaningful traditions in our community, and it deserves our presence. This holiday asks us to sit with hard truths about our history, to honor the ancestors of Black Americans who lived through enslavement and liberation, and to recommit ourselves to racial healing, equity, and justice. That work is not separate from this campaign. It is this campaign.

Come be with us on June 20. I'll see you there.

Still time to weigh in! We're launching a Summer Series of dialogues with District 2 neighbors about the issues that matter most to our community, and I want to hear from you before we do.

These sessions will bring neighbors together with community experts, online and in person, to connect and generate real ideas we can take to city hall. I have policy plans in mind but I don't think I have all the answers. That's the point.

Sign up to get series announcements and tell us what issues you want us to take up.

What a Saturday. Camille Cook opened up her backyard and the Democratic Club of Carlsbad and Oceanside filled it with exactly the kind of people who make this work feel worth it.

Huge thanks to Larry Warner (volunteer extraordinaire), Michele Cyr (DEMCCO President), and Heather Conklin (candidate for Mira Costa College Board of Trustees) who each said the most kind and generous things, I needed that more than I knew Thank you to each of them, to Camille for the most beautiful hosting, to the DEMCCO for bringing us together, and to Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce for being such a wonderful partner in this work.

We are building something real, and days like June 13 remind me exactly why.

If you weren't able to make it, there will be more chances to get together. More to come!

Last Monday, I was elected unanimously to chair the Planning Commission. I haven't verified it yet, but someone said it was a record for any Planning Commissioner to become chair so rapidly. I have learned a ton on the year and half I've been on the commission and I can't wait to take Oceanside along with me as we bring much needed transparency to all things planning in Oceanside. Stay tuned!

🛎️ Items with the bell 🛎️ are informational. I can't be at all of them, but do my best to attend as many community events as I can. IT'S JUNETEENTH WEEK, OSIDE!!

MONDAY

* Community Meeting

* 🛎️ Fireside Park Dinners for Homeless - 4pm

TUESDAY

* Bike about D2 - 10am

* Volunteer Huddle - IT'S GO TIME!!- 6pm

WEDNESDAY

* 🛎️ Humanity Showers - 7am (208 S Clementine St)

* YOGA PARA TODOS - 9am (Libby Lake Community Center)

* Bike about D2 - 1pm

THURSDAY

* 🛎️ Farmers Market - 9am-1pm

* Community Meeting - 2pm

* 🛎️ Sunset Market - 5pm-9pm

FRIDAY - JUNETEENTH

* Federal Holiday. We honor today and celebrate tomorrow.

SATURDAY - LET'S CELEBRATE!!

* 🛎️ Manufactured Home Tenant Rights Workshop - 10am-11am (Mission Branch Library)

* 🛎️ Oceanside Democratic Club Zoom Meeting - 10am-12pm

* Juneteenth Celebration - NSDC NAACP - 10am-5pm (Downtown Oceanside) I'll be there! Come find me and our volunteers at our booth.

This campaign is powered by neighbors working together to strengthen our community. Whether you have one hour or several, your help makes a difference.

Our volunteer team is planning events, contributing to strategy, building community, and powering this campaign. If you are interested in learning about campaigns, have some special skills to share, or are simply looking for a community of value aligned neighbors with whom to do good work, join us!

👉 Sign up to volunteer:

Running a strong grassroots campaign takes resources, and every contribution helps us reach more neighbors and share our message.

Whether it’s $10, $25, or $50, your support makes a real difference.

👉 Donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/eg4d2oside

Please reach out if you have ideas or feedback about our campaign. I'm standing by to listen. In community,

You are receiving this email because I've added you to a list of folks who've expressed interest in staying in touch regarding this campaign. If I've screwed that up, I am so sorry. I don't mean to spam - I'm just a regular human trying to stay connected to a growing community of awesome people I am meeting.

GONZALES FOR OCEANSIDE COUNCIL D2 2026, FPPC #1485330, Oceanside, CA 92057, United States, (760) 385-8275