Council appoints youth intern

ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

With her already-impressive resume and lengthy history of participating in local government, Chelsey Gonzales made it easy on the Santa Barbara City Council yesterday, its members voting unanimously to support her appointment as a youth intern.
Gonzales, a San Marcos High School senior, will serve as a voice for the youth on the Council Committee on Youth and Children.

“I’m in the Youth Council already and when our advisor said they were opening the commission to a youth intern, that doesn’t happen very often,” Gonzales said. “I wanted to be a part of that … I wanted to be the first to step up and help.”
As Susan Young, city recreation supervisor, ran down a list of Gonzales’ accomplishments — 4.23 grade point average; varsity soccer, track and volleyball player; leadership member; and student body commissioner — the Council looked over a strong letter of support from San Marcos Principal Craig Morgan.
“Her leadership and strong positive character both in the classroom and in the athletic arena make Chelsey one of our top leaders on our campus,” Morgan wrote. “She can always be seen with a smile on her face, even in the most challenging situations.”
Councilmember Das Williams echoed those sentiments, calling her one of the most “consistently hard-working members of the Youth Council.”
Councilmember Roger Horton, chairman of the Council Committee on Youth and Children, said he looks forward to meeting with Gonzales and working with her in the coming months.
“I met with the mayor [yesterday] and just because of time constraints I couldn’t meet with [Councilmember Horton] at the same time,” Gonzales said, adding that she has plans to talk with him next week.
“I’m excited,” she said, “and I’m hopeful that the Youth Council, we can get our voice heard.”