About John

Councilmember John Gurney has a long record of serving our community as a member of the Sonoma City Council, former nonprofit Executive Director, Retired Police Chief, and 30+ year resident of our incredible Sonoma Valley. He and his late wife, Phyllis, made community and the Spirit of Sonoma cornerstones of their day-to-day lives – giving back, getting involved, and always seeking to make a positive difference for residents of all backgrounds and walks of life – a legacy John continues to build upon as a tribute to his wife and the Sonoma Valley community.

John’s journey to Sonoma began in 1993, where, after 16 years working as a peace officer in the small-town peninsula community of Pacifica, he made his way north to Sonoma – a place John has called home ever since. It wasn’t long after they planted roots in Sonoma that Phyllis got a job teaching at Sonoma Valley High School for work and aerobics and jazzercise for fun – a passion for teaching that led John to teach in his own right years later as an indoor cycling instructor at a local health club.

During John’s dozen-year tenure at the helm of the Sonoma Police Department, John led our first responders with mutual respect and admiration for the sworn men and women in uniform. He also led and oversaw transformative progress on a multitude of issues – planning the construction of a new police and City Council complex; conducting the feasibility study that led the Police Department to contract with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office; establishing the Police Department’s first Community Advisory Council; integrating the principles of community policing into the Sonoma Valley; and establishing the Youth and Family Service Program serving at-risk youth.

John’s dedication to his job and to public service over his dozen years as Police Chief didn’t go unnoticed – he was a recipient of the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in Public Safety, and was awarded the Sonoma County Office of Education’s Redwood Award for his work with youth in the Sonoma Valley.

Following John’s 29-year public safety career, he spent the following 12 years working in the private sector, focusing on security and protective services. Through this experience, John sharpened his ability to collaborate with and manage clientele, while recognizing the significance of the concept of “return to the shareholder” to provide added value to the businesses he helped manage.

After decades of philanthropic work, John continued to give back prior to being elected to the City Council as the former Executive Director (ED) of the Sonoma Community Center, a position he held for four years.  After getting elected to the Sonoma City Council in 2022, John served as the Vice Mayor of Sonoma in 2023 and the Mayor of Sonoma in 2024.

While John has always liked to keep busy, since his wife’s passing four years ago, he has continued to put in the time, energy, and dedication to the job of being a Sonoma City Councilmember and making a difference for our community. In addition to his service on the City Council, John has served our community and the region as a member of the:

• City of Sonoma Finance Committee

• Sonoma Valley Library Advisory Board

• Sonoma Tourism Improvement District

• Sonoma County Mayor’s and Councilmembers Association

• Parks and Recreation Ad Hoc Committee

• Hanna Center Board of Trustees

Since his at-large election to the City Council 4 years ago, he is now running in Sonoma’s first district-based election, seeking election to Sonoma’s 3rd City Council District.