By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
What makes a leader relatable? For newly-elected Rep. Ryan Gonzalez, R-Greeley, representing the 50th District in Weld County, it’s growing up in a household where sacrifices weren’t optional, but survival.
Gonzalez knows the struggles of everyday Coloradans. As the son of a single mother and a domestic violence survivor, he has lived through them.
“When I was 15, my sister ran away. She was gone for three weeks. And I was out putting up missing signs everywhere,” Gonzalez said. “My mom couldn’t eat or sleep. A mother’s worry is, is my daughter safe? Will I find her in a ditch somewhere? The whole time, my dad knew where she was and was covering it up.”
For Gonzalez, these moments reflected his mother’s enduring strength, even in the face of relentless challenges.
“My mom suffered a lot and worked like hell to get us where we’re at now,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes she doubted herself, but she never gave up.”
Despite their hardships, Gonzalez said his mother’s determination ensured the family always had what they needed.
“We always had a roof over our heads, and we never starved,” he said. “We went through domestic violence programs, a safe house, TANF, food stamps and Medicaid. We relied on that help for a time, but didn’t create a dependency on it.”
His mother’s courage and drive had a huge impact on Gonzalez: “She was determined to work for what she wanted, not rely on handouts or someone else to take care of her,” he said. “That work ethic shaped me, too, especially with everything I grew up in.”
Carrying life lessons into leadership
Gonzalez channels those lessons into his work at the state house, fighting for practical solutions that resonate with working families.
One of those solutions is his “Tamale Act.” It is a bill to amend Colorado’s Cottage Food Act. It would empower Coloradans to sell homemade food, like tamales, without excessive regulations.
“This act is about empowering people in our communities,” Gonzalez said. “The tamale lady outside the store or the person selling burritos out of the back of their truck shouldn’t be criminalized for trying to earn a living.”
Currently, you can sell homemade foods like baked goods, jams and tortillas without a license under the Cottage Food Act, as long as they don’t require refrigeration.
He acknowledges concerns about food safety, but pushes back against critics.
“You can get food poisoning from restaurants and grocery stores that are inspected and licensed,” Gonzalez said. “These vendors know how to handle food safely. Their business depends on it.”
For Gonzalez, the bill is about more than food: “These are people who can’t afford a food truck or a storefront, but they want to work hard and provide for their families,” he said. “This bill gives them that chance.”
Gonzalez believes the bill can win bipartisan support. He calls it a return to the community commerce that existed before government interference.
“We did it before government,” Gonzalez said. “Back in medieval times, they didn’t have laws regulating it. People just did it freely.”
“We’ve survived before, and we can survive now. I think that’s something we can generate a lot of support for.”
The Tamale Act is only one part of the feast on Gonzalez’s legislative agenda. He strongly supports protecting TABOR, removing unnecessary fees, and looking into nuclear energy as a renewable resource.
“TABOR is one of the most important taxpayer protections we have,” Gonzalez said. “Most people don’t even know what it is, but when they learn, they’re excited. TABOR is under attack, and we have to fight to defend it.”
He is co-sponsoring bills to repeal fees that hurt low-income and middle-class Coloradans. One is HB25-1051, which would end the 10-cent fee for recycled paper bags.
Gonzalez co-sponsored HB25-1074 to repeal Colorado’s cage-free egg law, in effect since Jan. 1. On Jan. 27, in a Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources committee hearing, advocates on both sides of the cage-free egg issue testified.
Before the committee voted on whether to postpone the bill, Gonzalez proposed a compromise amendment.
“This amendment,” Gonzalez explained, “would suspend the law during a public health emergency or avian flu epidemic if the governor declares it. It ensures there’s no shortage of eggs, which is especially important for low-income people who rely on affordable protein sources. I think it’s a reasonable Plan B option.”
Gonzalez pointed to challenges faced by low-income families, stressing the need for practical solutions: “This is something I hear time and time again,” he said. “We should think about the people who are hurting when it comes to accessing meals.”
Committee members discussed the proposed amendment and Republican Rep. Ty Winter urged his colleagues to consider its merits.
“Food security is national security,” Winter said. “This amendment strikes a middle ground while still upholding what egg producers have done for the state. It gives us a tool to respond in emergencies — like during COVID — when the governor could declare a state of emergency to help ensure food remains on Coloradans’ tables, especially for those struggling the most.”
The committee voted 9-4 to table the bill indefinitely, mostly along party lines. Republican Rep. Matt Soper joined Democrats to postpone the bill. Democrat Rep. Meghan Lukens sided with Republicans against shelving it.
The power of stories in leadership
For Gonzalez, effective leadership means connecting with people on a human level. But Gonzalez believes stories can do more than connect people — they can also be the key to convincing Democrats that state overreach is driving up costs and making life unaffordable for Coloradans.
“We’re good on facts and data and logic, but people resonate more with stories about how you make them feel,” he said. “Real stories of real people — those are the things people don’t forget.”
Gonzalez spoke about the struggles many of his constituents face, drawing on his own experiences.
“I grew up with people who are struggling, people who rely on food stamps, who don’t have a car, who are sharing rooms with others because they can’t afford rent,” Gonzalez said.
He pointed to the financial hardships hitting senior citizens especially hard: “We need to convey the messages of our senior citizens being priced out of their homes,” Gonzalez said. “Their prescriptions are becoming unaffordable, and their insurance won’t cover it.”
Gonzalez stressed the difficult choices families are up against.
“There’s the single mom struggling to put food on the table or the family choosing between filling up their tank or putting food on the table,” he said.
Gonzalez acknowledges data’s role in policymaking. But he says stories are key to making issues relatable.
“Yes, facts and data are important, but it’s also the stories that help us convey our message.”
Gonzalez encourages Coloradans to share their stories, not just with him, but with lawmakers across the state.
“We need to know,” Gonzalez said. “When we’re implementing policies or thinking about laws, understanding how they impact people’s lives is critical. Hearing their stories gives us that perspective.”
He knows it isn’t easy to share personal struggles, but believes it’s essential for real change.
“Telling your story matters. It’s how we hold each other accountable and make real change,” Gonzalez said.
For a leader who rose from hardship, Gonzalez knows better than most how powerful those stories can be.