Sig Sanchez marks 50 years in public service
...and he’s not done yet

posted 12/19/2003

Sig Sanchez has been in the game for a long time. And after 50 years of public service, there’s no indication that he’s ready to cash in his chips.

The 82-year-old chair of the board of directors is in his sixth term with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which expires in January 2004. He said that, subject to approval by the county board of supervisors, he plans to seek re-appointment to a seventh term on the district board.

Sanchez, a long-time farmer in South County, said he stayed in civic service because it was interesting and has kept him invested in the community. For that reason, he hasn’t been able to tear himself away.

He has served on the board of directors of the district for 24 years. Appointed in 1980 as one of the board’s two at-large representatives, Sanchez said his future goals at the district remain the same as they have in the past: to continue to provide high quality water for constituents in the Santa Clara County.

Sanchez also sits on the San Luis and Delta Mendota Water Authority, with fellow board member Larry Wilson, who said the district’s good working relationship with the water authority comprised of mainly agricultural agencies is in large part thanks to Sanchez.

“Sig has been good there too. He had land in the central valley and farmed over there, so he knew a lot of these guys so he could talk to them. Having him there was a big help for us, got things off on the right foot for us,” Wilson said.

But Sanchez’s knowledge of water conservation and management came not only from his involvement in agriculture but from earlier jobs in local government.

He spent five years on the Gilroy City Council and served five more as mayor of Gilroy. He then served 16 years on the County Board of Supervisors. In honor of his many years in government, a section of highway 101, which runs through South County, was named after him.

That’s quite an achievement for someone who got involved in government because of a broken tractor.

“I just sort of fell into it,” he said. “I ran for city council because a friend of mine (who was the owner of the repair shop and sat on the council at the time) said they needed someone, and he suggested I run for it.”

Sanchez went to city hall, picked up his nomination papers and had them signed by the “six or eight” people that it required at the time. With his name on the ballot, he won the seat easily, and a happy, though unlikely political career began.

“I don’t think I ever even knew what ‘political’ meant,” Sanchez said, referring to his inexperience in government when he first ran.

The second of 11 children of Spanish immigrant farmers who grew tomatoes and garlic and had a dairy, Sanchez grew up with the idea that he would become a farmer.

After his tenure on the city council and as mayor, he was urged to run for California State Assembly, but declined because of the time he would spend away from his young family.

“On Monday you go to Sacramento, come home Friday, go to a PTA or farm bureau meeting, take your wife to dinner on Saturday and on Sunday prepare to go back,” he said.

By having a job in local government, allowed for more time with family.

“With the city job, I was not far from home. I lived one and a half blocks from city hall,” he said.

He was also urged to consider running for a seat in the House of Representatives, but declined because he didn’t want to relocate his family to a new city they had never been to. It didn’t make sense to him to move them that far away from home when he wouldn’t see them on weekends because of travel to the congressional district.

He continued to have a stake in the agricultural community until just a few years ago, helping run his own melon-packing operation for 20 years, on his farm south of Los Banos. During that time, he served on the board of the water district. Family members, who were also partners in the business, took care of daily operations, allowing him to be more involved in civic activities.

Sanchez’s involvement in community has spanned half a century, and he has seen, through the eyes of a legislator and farmer, the change in the Santa Clara Valley from a small-town agricultural valley to large, metropolitan community with an emphasis on technology. He said the growth of the valley has changed the needs and ideologies of residents and modifying the focus of the water district too.

But though the politics of the valley have changed significantly, Sanchez still remains true to many of his beliefs.

“I’ll tell you what,” Sanchez said, “When I was on the Board of Supervisors, I was the liberal member compared to the rest of the board. I didn’t change and I became the conservative one,” he said, laughing.

Fellow board members agree that as a fiscally conservative member of the board, Sanchez has been reluctant to spend more money for projects than needed.

“He’s always been the real watchdog of the board, looking out for the taxpayer’s dollar,” Wilson said.

Wilson said that Sanchez’s experience with the county and the city of Gilroy, and knowing how to govern have been helpful for the members who govern on the board now.

Director Rosemary Kamei, who shares South County jurisdiction with Sanchez, said she appreciates the opportunity to work with someone who has been so involved in local government.

“Sig is an icon in the community,” she said. “I felt it was an honor to be able to work with someone who has done so much.

“I respect him tremendously – even in situations where we don’t agree, we remain respectful, we always work together and collaborate,” she said. “I respect that very much.”

Sanchez prides himself on voting only after listening to all sides of an issue.

“Politics is the art of compromise,” he said, adding, “just as long as you don’t compromise your principles.”