Salvador Mora had a dream that one day he was going to be a coach for an elite college football program in the country.
However, his career path took a life changing course when he took on the responsibility of taking care of his niece, who he now considers his daughter.
“I don’t regret it at all,” he said. “It’s more about making sure that my family was taken care of as opposed to my own personal needs.”
Mora, 44, is ready to take on another big responsibility as he aims to win the race to become the new mayor of Hollister in the Nov. 3 General Election.
“I truly believe that our community wants new leadership to bring in fresh ideas,” he said. “I think it’s time for a change and we need a new mayor that’s going to bring back stability to city hall.”
Mora, who is currently a part-time mortgage loan officer at Direct Mortgage Funding, said he believes in working well with the city council along with city staff and community based organizations.
Mora is married to Tracee and they have four children. Three of the kids live at home—two in high school and one in elementary school—and the oldest one goes to San Jose City College.
If elected, Mora said the biggest issue he wants to address is restoring stability on the city council. He said one goal is to adopt what he calls a “City of Hollister Rules of Decorum,” which local officials will have to abide by in order to be more efficient during meetings.
Mora also mentioned adopting a “Residence Bill of Rights” because he believes that the constituents aren’t able to speak freely without being harassed.
“I want to change that,” he said. “I want to unify our city and I want to work and collaborate with everyone because one individual isn’t going to solve all our issues.”
Mora said one issue he’d like to work on is the city’s infrastructure, including repaving city roads and ensuring that Highway 25 is built as quickly and safely as possible.
He wants to focus on the economy to make sure the city is recruiting tech jobs, including industrial jobs that pay well.
“That way we can help keep people working locally so they’ll spend their money locally, as well,” he said. “Which will also reduce the number of vehicles on highways 156 and 25—that’s very important.”
Mora said another focus is to address growth as far as housing developments in the county. He said the state passed a law that mandates cities throughout California have to build a certain number of affordable and senior housing units.
Mora mentioned that there are financial penalties the city has to pay if they don’t comply with SB 330.
“I don’t want to use our taxpayer funds to have to pay fines just because we don’t like it,” he said. “I don’t want out of control growth, I want responsible growth.”
