El Toro framed by red and gold fall trees along a Morgan Hill walking path at sunset

Office of the Mayor · Morgan Hill, California

Moving Morgan Hill forward, together.

Re-elected November 3, 2026 to Morgan Hill's first four-year mayoral term. Here's what I'm working on, what's been done, and how to reach me.

Read The Mayor's Monthly

Mark TurnerMayor · Term 2026–2030

A note of thanks

Thank you, Morgan Hill.

Thank you for trusting me to serve as your Mayor for four more years. Whether you voted for me or not, I work for every resident of this city, and my door is open to all of you.

Leadership begins with listening. Over the next four years I'll keep showing up at kitchen tables, coffee shops, school events and neighborhood meetings, to have conversations, hear ideas and concerns, and continue working together to move Morgan Hill forward.

Mark Turner

Mayor, City of Morgan Hill

Meet the Mayor

In Morgan Hill since: 1992
Mayor since: Dec. 2022
Current term: 2026–2030

Mark and his wife, Sue, raised their three daughters here, all graduates of Morgan Hill Unified schools. Before being elected as Mayor in 2022, Mark served as an Associate Pastor at South Valley Community Church in Gilroy and then became the CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. Mark was also the Chair of the Silicon Valley Chamber Coalition, which included 15 chambers of commerce within Santa Clara County.

Since 2014 he has led South County's Wreaths Across America effort, honoring veterans buried in Morgan Hill and Gilroy each December.

Regional roles

Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Board Member, South County Representative
VTA Finance, Audit & Administration Committee, Chair
VTA Mobility Partnership, Committee Member
Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), Board Member
Cities Association of Santa Clara County, Board Member
Cities Association Legislative Action Committee, Member
City-School Liaison Committee, Co-Chair
South County Youth Task Force, Committee Member
Santa Clara County Library District, Chair
Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Authority, Alternate Board Member
Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Board Member

The next four years

Priorities for 2026–2030

Five priorities that will guide my work over the next four years.

City budget

Protect our AAA credit rating and healthy reserves while closing the gap between rising costs and revenue.

Safe community

Ensure our police and fire departments have the staffing, equipment, and training they need, while adding additional police officers and support personnel.

Economic prosperity

Business attraction, expansion, and job creation.

A thriving downtown

Keep downtown a destination year-round with events like Merry Morgan Hill, the Guac Walk, agritourism, and other opportunities.

Youth sports and recreation

Make Morgan Hill a premier destination for youth sports and recreation. Work with community partners to invest in sports infrastructure, an indoor sports facility, upgrade the Recreation Center fields, and pursue every opportunity to bring premier youth sports and recreational organizations and opportunities to our community.

Community

Building community, together.

Some of the best work in Morgan Hill happens outside City Hall. These are the community efforts I've started, lead or help support, together with neighbors, volunteers and local partners.

01Literacy

READ 20 Early-Literacy Initiative

Too many Morgan Hill students read below the state standard. READ 20 asks every child to read at least 20 minutes a day and gives them the support to get there. It launched at the Boys & Girls Club, where volunteers read with students every week, led by former Mayor Steve Tate. Next step: more sites across the city.

Students who read well by 3rd grade are 4× more likely to graduate on time
02Wellness

Healthy Morgan Hill Initiative

A citywide effort built on four pillars: natural movement and exercise, nutrition, social connections and self-care. Volunteers, including Chamber of Commerce CEO Nick Gaich, health experts and a retired physician, are working to build wellness into city policy, parks, trails and planning.

Now a City Council priority
03Honoring veterans

Wreaths Across America

Every December, volunteers and I place more than 1,200 memorial wreaths on veterans' graves at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Morgan Hill and at Gavilan Hills and St. Mary cemeteries in Gilroy. I had the honor of bringing the program to South County in 2014. My father, a former U.S. Marine, taught me three important lessons: 1) to love this country, 2) to respect the flag, and 3) to honor military veterans and active personnel. This is one way I attempt to do just that.
Click here to sponsor a wreath →
04Giving back

Fundraising for Local Non-Profit Organizations

Morgan Hill is home to more than 400 non-profits that help families, youth sports, animals and neighbors in need. I support a number of non-profit organizations. Since becoming mayor, I have raised more than $1 million as their fundraising auctioneer. I have had the good fortune of working with Operation Freedom Paws, the Morgan Hill Community Foundation, Air for Paws, the Mt. Madonna YMCA, Rotary, Kiwanis, the Susan and Charles Berghoff Foundation, the St. Louise Regional Hospital Foundation, and many more.

$1 million+ raised and 300+ volunteer hours
05Agritourism

South County Farm Tours

In early 2025, I had conversations with local farmers about an idea to create tours of their farms, which would allow locals and visitors alike an opportunity to see how farms operate. Not to mention, allowing farmers to sell their products. I invited the owners of the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley as well as a group of farmers to a meeting to discuss details, and it was a match in agriculture heaven. Today, the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley offers seasonal farm tours, enhancing local agritourism.

Launched September 2025
Visit Morgan Hill →
06Jobs & youth

Workforce Development Initiative

This effort helps students, especially high schoolers, find real career paths in fields like advanced manufacturing, construction trades and health care. It connects local employers with schools so students build skills and confidence, and businesses find the talent they need close to home.

Volunteers, schools and employers working together
07Environment

West Little Llagas Creek Tree Project

New trees are turning the trail along West Little Llagas Creek, from Watsonville Road to Middle Avenue, into a shaded green corridor. I secured a $25,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill, with help from Valley Water and Gilroy Mayor Greg Bozzo. Rotary also funded the water line the young trees need.

30 trees were planted on a beautiful Saturday morning, January 31, 2026.
08Local business

Guac Walk

In 2024 I launched the Guac Walk to spotlight our local Mexican restaurants. Fifteen restaurants take part. Each September, around National Guacamole Day, residents and visitors taste their way across town and vote for the best guacamole in Morgan Hill.

15 restaurants on the trail
See the Guac Walk map →

The newsletter

The Mayor's Monthly

Straight talk on what's happening at City Hall, and around town.

Each month: budget and city updates in plain language, what's new on roads and housing, news from Sacramento, upcoming events, and the community photo contest.

Read the December issue

Follow along for each new issue

New issues are posted here and shared on my social media pages.