Gloria Partida sees the ‘connection between issues,’ works on solutions in Davis

A role in politics was the last thing Gloria Partida pictured herself having.

But after years of community activism, it became her calling.

Partida moved to Davis in the early 1990s as a lab manager for the University of California, Davis, serving as a neurobiologist for 30 years. While her job was “not in politics,” she connected to public service.

As a resident and community leader, Partida passionately advocated for marginalized communities in Davis. She said she urged city policy changes and later learned she could be the one implementing that change.

“I realized that I spent a lot of time in front of the dais asking for policy changes,” Partida said. “It occurred to me that, if I were behind the dais, I would be the one making those decisions.”

Partida was first elected to the Davis City Council in 2018, becoming the first Latina on that board where she serves District 4.

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During her mayoral term in 2020 and 2022, she was the first Latina mayor in the city’s century-long history. As mayor, she made several equity changes in the city, including creating a department of social services to address homelessness.

Partida also runs the Davis Phoenix Coalition, which launched in 2013. The nonprofit focuses on hate crime prevention. Partida said she started the group after her son was the victim of a homophobic hate crime. She said Davis needed to acknowledge diversity, equity and inclusion across the board.

The coalition organizes Davis’ Gay Pride festival, hosts workshops for immigrant communities and leads anti-bullying initiatives at local schools, she said.

“We wanted to focus on all marginalized groups, because we really felt that there was a connection between all these issues,” Partida said.

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