State Rep. Jessica González, left, and State Rep. Mary González
Jessica Gonzalez, Venton Jones run for LGBTQ caucus chair, vice chair
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
State Rep. Jessica González, D-Dallas, this week announced she will seek the position of LGBTQ Caucus chair in the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature. She currently serves as vice chair.
State Rep. Venton Jones, D-Dallas, announced he will run for vice chair.
Founding and current chair, Rep. Mary González, D-El Paso, is stepping down because she has accepted a federal appointment that will occupy much of her time.
Both Mary González and Jessica González were founding members of the caucus, along with state Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Dallas, and state Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Hays County. Johnson is running for a Congressional seat and will not return to Austin in January. Zwiener is expected to win re-election.
Mary González will continue to represent her El Paso-area district in addition to handling her new federal duties. In August, President Joe Biden appointed her to serve on the board of directors for the North American Development Bank.
NADBank finances water, environmental and energy infrastructure projects in the U.S. and Mexico to improve living conditions along both sides of the border including several projects in her native El Paso County.
“Providing safe, livable conditions including clean water to those along the border has been the foundation of my legislative service,” González said in a press release. Since she arrived in the Legislature, she has worked on bringing running water to homes in parts of her district that had never had it.
“Clean water is vital to life,” she said. “It lifts people up and improves the health and well-being of our community.”
In the three legislative sessions the caucus has existed, the group has worked together to defeat more than 260 bills targeting the rights of the LGBTQ community.
After her appointment in August, Mary González wrote to caucus members, saying, “In the interest of transparency and to best prepare the caucus for the 89th session, I want to let you know now that I will not be seeking another term as chair of our organization.”
The election for new officers will take place in November after the general election, according to the organization’s bylaws. As of press time, Jessica González’s chief of staff said he wasn’t aware of anyone else filing to chair the caucus.
Jessica Gonzále and Venton Jones are both running unopposed for their House seats. She will begin her fourth term and he will begin his second term in the Texas House in January.
Jessica González is a practicing attorney and is a partner in the firm Gandara & González, PLLC in Oak Cliff. Her district includes parts of Oak Cliff and Grand Prairie.
Her political career began in 2012 when she served as the Nevada voter protection director for the Obama campaign. She participated in the White House Internship Program where she helped design the DACA program. While in D.C., she became a legislative assistant for U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, who is now mayor of Los Angeles.
In 2021, Jessica González married Angela Hale, senior advisor at Equality Texas and former Channel 11 reporter.
As chair of the caucus, González said she will work with members and allies to kill anti-LGBTQ bills before they get out of committee. She said the caucus has been on the front lines.
“We’ve been able to defeat a lot of anti-LGBTQ legislation,” she said. “With the new make-up of the Tex house, we expect a bigger fight.”
But Jessica González said she wouldn’t be content with just fighting off anti-LGBTQ bills: “We also have a space to talk about our issues and pass pro-equality legislation,” she said.
And by pro-equality legislation, she said she means that the caucus is committed to fight for veterans, folks with disabilities and women. That adds quite a few allies in the legislature on both sides of the aisle. She specifically mentioned the Equality Act, saying, “I’d love to have a hearing on our comprehensive nondiscrimination bill.”
And about Jones, who is running for LGBTQ Caucus co-chair, Jessica González added, “I’m proud and honored to do this with Venton. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with the Black community and HIV. I know we’re going to be a good team.”
Jones, whose district includes West Dallas and the Design District, said he was looking forward to working closely with Jessica González and the caucus members. Both lawmakers pledged to continue to fight for the community.