Sandra Gómez (politician)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gómez and the second or maternal family name is López.
Sandra Gómez
Member of the European Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 July 2024
ConstituencySpain
Deputy Mayor of Valencia
In office
5 August 2016 – 17 June 2023
Preceded byJoan Calabuig
Succeeded byMaría Jesús Ferrer
Personal details
Born (1985-07-23) 23 July 1985 (age 39)
Valencia, Spain
Political partySpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)
Alma materUniversity of Valencia
ProfessionLawyer

Sandra Gómez López (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsandɾa ˈɣomeθ]; born 23 July 1985)[1] is a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) politician.

After working as a lawyer on the Gürtel case and Nóos case, she was elected to Valencia City Council in 2015, becoming her party's leader in the council and deputy mayor the following year. She was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2024.

Born in Valencia, Gómez graduated in Law and in Business Administration and Management from the University of Valencia as well as having a master's degree in Business Law from the Garrigues Centre of Studies and Harvard University, and another such degree in Human Rights, Democracy and International Justice from the University of Valencia.[2] As a lawyer, she worked on the Gürtel case and Nóos case relating to corruption.[3] She had the former deputy mayor of Valencia from the People's Party (PP), Alfonso Grau, implicated in the Nóos case in 2015.[4]

Political career

Gómez joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) youth sector, the Socialist Youth of Spain (JSE) at age 18 and was president of its division in the Valencian Community.[4] She was number two on the PSOE list for the 2015 Valencia City Council election behind Joan Calabuig.[5] She was elected and appointed Deputy Mayor in the Area of Citizen Protection, becoming the first woman to lead the city's police and fire departments.[6]

In August 2016, Calabuig resigned his seat to become the council's delegate to the European Union, and was replaced by Gómez as the PSOE spokesperson within the council.[7] In February 2018, she became secretary general of the party in the city with 56.1% of the vote, defeating Maite Girau.[8] Eight months later, she was proclaimed as the party's candidate for mayor in the 2019 Valencia City Council election.[9] Her party rose from five seats to seven, maintaining their place in local government alongside Coalició Compromís of mayor Joan Ribó despite the wipeout of the former ally Unidas Podemos.[10]

Gómez caused controversy in December 2020 by marking Christmas with a tweet showing a painting of the Virgin Mary giving birth, accompanied by the caption "Even God was born from a woman's cunt".[11] The upload was investigated by prosecutors, who did not find that the image promoted hatred against Christians, as it venerated women for giving birth and showed Jesus being born naturally, both of which are Christian teachings.[12]

Gómez ran for mayor again in the 2023 Valencia City Council election, and the PSOE remained the third-biggest party on seven seats. The local government returned to the right after eight years, with María José Catalá of the PP becoming mayor.[13]

In the 2024 European Parliament election in Spain, Gómez was placed 14th on the PSOE list.[14] The party came second, with 20 seats.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Sandra Gómez López" (in Spanish). Valencia City Council. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  2. ^ "La concejal Sandra Gómez se forma para ser una líder en la gestión pública" [Councillor Sandra Gómez is trained to be a leader in public management] (in Spanish). Valencia Plaza. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  3. ^ Toledo, Cristobál (2 January 2021). "Sandra Gómez, la vicealcaldesa de Valencia que se enfrenta hasta con Ábalos" [Sandra Gómez, the deputy mayor of Valencia who confronted even Ábalos]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Aguar, X. (3 March 2015). "Sandra Gómez, la abogada que insistió en la implicación de Alfonso Grau" [Sandra Gómez, the lawyer who insisted on Alfonso Grau's implication] (in Spanish). Valencia Plaza. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  5. ^ de la Torre, Noa (9 May 2015). "Sandra Gómez: 'Esto es un parón en un buen momento de mi carrera'" [Sandra Gómez: 'This is a break in a good moment in my career']. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  6. ^ Serra, Maria Josep; Vázquez, Cristina (24 June 2015). "De acusadora en el 'caso Nóos' a edil de policía y bomberos de Valencia" [From accuser in the 'Nóos case' to councillor in charge of police and firefighting in Valencia]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Sandra Gómez releva a Calabuig "ilusionada" y con el reto de impulsar grandes proyectos que den valor añadido" [Sandra Gómez replaces Calabuig "excited" and with the goal of starting big projects that give added value] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Sandra Gómez gana las primarias a la secretaria general del PSPV de Valencia" [Sandra Gómez wins the primaries to be secretary general of the PSPV in Valencia] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Sandra Gómez, proclamada candidata a la alcaldía para las elecciones municipales de mayo" [Sandra Gómez, proclaimed candidate for mayor in the May municipal elections]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Europa Press. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Ribó retiene la alcaldía de Valencia y podrá volver a gobernar con el PSPV" [Ribó retains mayor's office in Valencia and could govern again with the PSPV]. Última Hora (in Spanish). EFE. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  11. ^ Batista, Joaquín (26 December 2020). "Polémica por la imagen de la Virgen publicada por Sandra Gómez" [Controversy from the image of the Virgin published by Sandra Gómez]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  12. ^ "La polémica por la Virgen publicada por Sandra Gómez llega a Fiscalía, que no ve delito: "No provoca odio a católicos"" [The controversy from the Virgin published by Sandra Gómez reaches prosecutors, who do not see a crime: "It does not provoke hatred towards Catholics"] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  13. ^ "El PP gana en Valencia y arrebata la Alcaldía a Joan Ribó" [PP win in Valencia and snatch the mayor's office from Joan Ribó] (in Spanish). RTVE. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Leire Pajín ocupará el número 8 y Sandra Gómez el número 14 en la lista del PSOE para las Europeas" [Leire Pajín will occupy number 8 and Sandra Gómez number 14 on the PSOE list for the European election] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Estos son los 61 eurodiputados españoles elegidos en las elecciones europeas" [These are the 61 Members of the European Parliaiment elected in the European election] (in Spanish). Onda Cero. Europa Press. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.