Gabriel Cervantes

Gabriel Cervantes was born in Thornton, Colorado. He graduated from Thornton High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2024. His career experience includes working as an operations manager and in the food service industry from being a tipped worker to a general manager.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born, raised, living, and working in South Thornton, Gabriel is a proud product of his community. Growing up in Thornton during the Great Recession, Gabriel has lived the struggles and triumphs of his community throughout his life. A strong advocate for self-determination and a graduate of the Adams-12 Public schooling system as well as CU Boulder, Gabriel values the importance of hard-work- More importantly, valuing that hard-work should truly be met with reward as it used to be.

He has worked with numerous Latino and Indigenous rights organizations in the Thornton and larger Denver-Metro area and is the co-founder of the Six-Siblings Foundation, an educational empowerment non-profit that aims to serve underrepresented students in South Thornton. He has also served on the RTD Citizen Advisory Committee (RTD CAC) representing Thornton, the Thornton Arts, Humanities and Sciences Council (TASHCO), and the Thornton High School Accountability Committee (SAC).

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Growing up in Thornton, I was taught to value hard work. I also know what it’s like to work insanely hard and still not feel like it’s enough. You go above and beyond and constantly come up short. I’m fighting for families like mine who know what it’s like to do everything “right” and still be unable to afford a stable future, a home, or to save for retirement. For far too long we have focused on taking care of the corporations we work for and not the people who work for them. What about us? Don't we deserve dignity and the ability to live? I believe that when we take care of our workers, our businesses and communities thrive too. I believe that being pro-worker is being pro-business. I'm running to prove that.I know what it’s like to truly live here—I’ve lived the challenges, the hopes, and the everyday reality of this community. I won’t just represent the people; I am the people. I don't just understand their struggles; I live their struggles. I’ll be a direct link between our community's voice and the Capitol. I understand how easy it is to incite anger and divisiveness; I believe that there is far more strength in coming together and working together than letting our differences get the best of us.I'm fighting for the future of our community. With our schools being increasingly underfunded, our teachers more underpaid than ever, and our water and air becoming too dangerous to drink and breathe; I want to help ensure that we are creating a community that future members can be proud of. To know that their community members fought back to clean up their water, clean up their air, and provide living wages and a quality education for themselves and their families.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

-Labor

-Environmentalism (clean water, clean air)

-Education

- Transit & Housing

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, the ability to coalesce folks who disagree with each other into action, and the ability to self-reflection and admit fault or mistake- As well as the ability to grow from that.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I lead with empathy and experience, the ability to self-reflect and take responsibility in order to grow, and to coalesce people into larger action. My ideas have never been divisive, they've always been about what we can do together, because we will always be able to do more together in a positive way, than being divided trying to achieve action in a negative way.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent EVERYONE in the district that they represent, as well as fight for laws or budgetary items that will protect and be mindful of EVERYONE in the district, regardless they voted against you, or even voted at all.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was with my father working at a fine wood architectural design shop. I was extremely excited because all of my brothers worked with my father before and it was finally my turn. It felt like a rite of passage. I hated every minute of it and got a job at Taco Bell 2 months later, which was the beginning of my decade long career in food service.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

One without leverage.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Contrary to a lot of belief, Colorado is one of the most fiscally responsible states in the United States. TABOR is a suffocating measure that inhibits the state's ability to do anything worthwhile.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that's heavily reliant on who the person is and what the situation is. I think sometimes we need an experienced leader who knows how systems work and can sift through a lot of bureaucracy to get things done. I also think that experience leads to complacency, where less experienced, more dynamic legislators can come in and incite change with higher impact. This can come at a cost because they can get overwhelmed figuring out how things work, rather than accomplishing anything.

Ultimately, being an official at a lower level can often teach you administrative and structural knowledge, it doesn't make you a better leader than someone who can build relationships, work with other people, and can rally public support for their policies.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

You can't get anything done if you don't build relationships with others. We see that issue with legislators all over the state. If you can't find common ground with folks, you'll never get anything done. Conversely, it doesn't do you justice to throw your values and constituents away solely because you want a certain bill passed. Relationships are very important, values are too. There is certainly a good balance between the two.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Talking to an old friend from college, he was telling me about how he had worked his way up to become a manager doing candidate development at a credit processing company. He was able to buy a house with his wife and start a family. One day, he came in on a Monday, worked a full shift, and once it was over security came to his desk and told him to log out of all of his systems, give the company their items back, and leave. He was laid off with no notice because management wanted to "trim the fat". He was given two weeks' severance and no options or direction to go. Thinking about that story breaks my heart and it makes my blood boil knowing that companies can simply get away with destroying families because they want bigger bonuses.

Tell us your favorite joke.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

A bill concerning the notice structure of termination for employees being laid off. Creating a mandatory 30-day severance notice for employees if being laid off.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales

Colorado State Representative Javier Mabrey

Colorado State Representative Lorena Garcia

Colorado State Representative Jenny Wilford

Former State Representative Joe Salazar

Former State Representative Julia Marvin

Thornton City Councilor Roberta Ayala

Former Adams County Commissioner Eva Henry

Adams County Commissioner Emma Pinter

Commerce City Councilor Renee Chacon

Adams 14 Board of Education Luz E. Molina

Lafayette Mayor JD Mangat

Chair of CDP AAPI Howard Chou

What committees interest you?

American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee

Joint Budget Committee

Business Affairs & Labor

Energy & Environment

Education

Appropriations

Colorado Youth Advisory Council Committee

Transportation, Housing & Local Government

Finance

Energy & Environment

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I work at Charles Schwab, and we have to report our earnings and what we do with our money to the public and the people with the wherewithal to scrutinize it 4 times a year. The government should be held to an even higher standard. You can choose to pay Charles Schwab, you can't choose to pay the government.