Name: Matt Gonzalez: Bridging the Gap Between Integrity and Popularity
Uploaded: 2026-07-24T06:41:53.000Z
Description: Our Bay Area Innovator today is Matt Gonzalez, who served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the early 2000s, including a term as president of the board. In 2003, he made a notable run for San Francisco mayor as a Green Party candidate, narrowly losing in a runoff election to Gavin Newsom.

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“Bay Area Innovators” tackles the compelling, life-changing, fearless, and compassionate stories from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, providing a platform for discussion and discovery. We bring to our program the legends, the innovators, and the hardworking people who are shaping the future of the Bay Area in a positive way by finding solutions and improving people’s lives.

Steve Ispas is an investigative journalist with The Epoch Times and the host of Epoch TV’s “Bay Area Innovators” program. Steve grew up in Eastern Europe, and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 35 years. He worked in the tech industry for 15 years at LSI Logic and Rambus, and has been with The Epoch Times in various positions since 2003. His recent coverage includes an in-depth exclusive investigation of the secret Chinese biolab discovered in Reedley, Calif., in 2022.

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“When Newsom and I ran for San Francisco mayor, there were many points of disagreement, whether it was about business taxes, planning issues, or even public safety. Today, I’ve listened to some of the mayoral forums, and the candidates sound so similar that it’s very hard to evaluate who’s different,” said Matt Gonzalez.

Our Bay Area Innovator today is Matt Gonzalez, who served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the early 2000s, including a term as president of the board. In 2003, he made a notable run for San Francisco mayor as a Green Party candidate, narrowly losing in a runoff election to Gavin Newsom.

“I think a lot of the candidates right now are fearful of being the outlier on an issue and being disregarded by voters because they’re not in step,” said Gonzalez. “But it seems to me that what’s the purpose of being in politics if you’re not going to carve out positions, try to educate the electorate, and at least share your ideas.”

Gonzalez continued his political journey by joining Ralph Nader as his vice-presidential running mate in the 2008 race for the presidency of the United States.

“There is a reason why people are frustrated with government. Sometimes it’s because these long-standing practices are not fair, and nobody is questioning or challenging them,” said Gonzalez. “I don’t see the two sides communicating very well with one another right now. There’s so much distrust, but it would be helpful if both sides didn’t just take an issue and assume it belongs to the other.”

He joins us today as the chief attorney for the San Francisco Public Defender’s office. Gonzalez talks about the role of art in politics and governance, the importance of challenging unjust practices and holding governments accountable, as well as the need for ethical politics and due diligence in decision-making.

<em>Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.</em>

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