Election – GUSD school board candidate disqualified after falsifying address

Hurtado could face up to a year in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor charge

By Staff Report

Jonathan Hurtado

Gilroy Unified School District Board of Trustees candidate Jonathan Hurtado has been charged with falsifying his address when he filed with the county’s Registrar of Voters, according to a news release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

Hurtado, an 18-year-old high school graduate who lives with his mother in Morgan Hill, used a friend’s Gilroy address on his Voter Registration and Candidate Information Request Form, prosecutors said.

Hurtado’s arraignment date has not yet been set. He could face up to a year in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor charge.

“The voters of Gilroy should know that Mr. Hurtado knowingly falsified his election documents,” prosecutor Jason Malinsky said. “He is not a viable candidate in Trustee Area 3 because he is not a resident there.”

The DA investigation determined that Hurtado never lived at the address listed on his candidate forms. A child of the homeowners told investigators that she had given Hurtado — a former classmate — permission to use their address to get mail.

Hurtado posted an apology on his campaign’s Facebook page.

“Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me through my journey but it has come to an end and I’m sorry,” he wrote. “This race has been such a learning experience and I will continue to learn and grow as a person. I’m sorry to the people of Gilroy for misleading you because I never meant any harm. This run for office may be dying but I hope the voice of the youth does not die with it.”