UPDATED 2/6/25 6:46PM: To include a statement from The Latino Agenda.

Cesar Ruiz: he came; he saw; he (re)conquered? (via Hispanic Executive)

Cesar Ruiz, the former Springfield School Committee member and current home care magnate, is back. Six months after he dissolved his last SuperPAC in a settlement with the state, Ruiz is forming a new entity to intercede in elections in Massachusetts. This time, however, he is starting out with allies in the Boston area.

On Wednesday, The Latino Agenda organized as an Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee—or SuperPAC—with the state. It lists Ruiz as its chair, the same position he held with Hispanic Latino Leaders Now (HLLN), which formed in early 2023. The latter went on to spend in several elections statewide before winding down last August. The Latino Agenda has similar but clearer goals.

Ruiz declined to comment when reached via email Wednesday evening. However, on Thursday, after this article originally posted, The Latino Agenda released a statement about their intentions.

“The Latino voice is growing in Massachusetts, and we hope to play a part in amplifying it statewide. This moment in our state’s political history presents a critical opportunity to build on past efforts and continue the progress toward equitable representation,” the group said.

The statement came by way of Boston entrepreneur Tomas Gonzalez, whose consulting firm is working with the SuperPAC.

When Ruiz formed HLLN, he relied primarily on allies in Western Mass. For The Latino Agenda, he enlisted a Boston area professional with a background in financial services and systems, Ingrid Harik, to serve as treasurer. The SuperPAC’s organizing documents list Harik with an Acierto Consulting, LLC email domain. Harik does not appear to have any explicit political history.

The consulting firm formed last year and identifies Gonzalez as its agent. The Latino Agenda shares a Hyde Park address with Acierto.

“For over 45 years, we have been actively engaged in electoral politics. Our steadfast commitment to increasing Latino representation and voter engagement has been the driving force behind our political involvement,” The Latino Agenda’s statement continued. “The formation of the Latino Agenda Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee is a continuation of our lifelong dedication to ensuring that the voices of Latinos are heard and represented at all levels of government.”

Like The Latino Agenda, HLLN had been a SuperPAC. Over the course of its life, HLLN received $190,000 directly from Ruiz, who runs Golden Years Home Care Services. It spent money on local elections throughout the state in 2023.

Among the most prominent campaigns it supported were State Rep Orlando Ramos’ mayoral bid and the reelections of politically-troubled Boston City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara. All three lost. However, HLLN backed plenty of successful candidates. Such candidates were Springfield City Councilors Jose Delgado and Victor Davila, Holyoke City Councilor Israel Rivera and Latino candidates in smaller Massachusetts cities.

However, SuperPACs cannot coordinate with candidates. Nor can they directly give money to them. They can receive unlimited donations, provided they follow these rules.

What undid HLLN was a direct contribution to candidates. That effectively converted it into a different entity that cannot receive unlimited contributions. Ruiz agreed to donate an amount to charity nearly equal to what he had given HLLN. The SuperPAC itself closed. Ruiz acknowledged the errors, but he likened them to building the plane while flying it. Yet, he made clear to WMP&I in August he would be back.

Although HLLN didn’t back the mayoral winner in 2023, several winning councilors that year got the SuperPAC’s backing. via Facebook/Fenton campaign)

“As we go forward in assuring that Latino voices are heard in the political process, we will be establishing a New PAC to assist in this critically important endeavor,” Ruiz emailed then.

Now that appears to be manifesting in The Latino Agenda. Aside from different partners, this SuperPAC states it will cast a wider net when endorsing candidates. HLLN had supported a number of non-Latino candidates in Holyoke and Springfield. Spokespersons for the SuperPAC had said it was also supporting candidates who back issues of importance to Latinos.

In its organizing document, The Latino Agenda more explicitly states it seeks “to ensure Latino candidates and Allies are elected locally and statewide.” To do that, the SuperPAC aims to increase voter turnout, “revolutionize voter engagement” through “innovative” strategies and empower Latino communities.

The group’s statement hit on these themes as well. While acknowledging similar objectives as HLLN, The Latino Agenda described the issue as much about political participation as electing candidates.

“By focusing on innovative outreach, fundraising, and strategic engagement, we aim to ensure that our community has a decisive voice in shaping the future of Massachusetts politics,” the group said.

Although HLLN employed a national political consulting firm in 2023, its tactics, endorsements, and sudden intervention perplexed candidates and observers alike. The Latino Agenda’s statement does not define Gonzalez’s role, but he is clearly a player who might could assist Ruiz’s efforts outside the 413.

Tomas Gonzalez’s new consultancy appears to be working with Ruiz’s new SuperPAC. (via jpndc.org)

Acierto Consulting only formed last year. However, Gonzalez is listed as the chief operating officer of Core Empowerment in Cannabis Control Commission documents. It does business as Seed, a dispensary in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood.

Gonzalez himself is no stranger to politics, or at least Boston City Hall. He served as a deputy director of neighborhood services under then-Mayor Marty Walsh. According to The Boston Globe, he also worked in community relations and minimum wage advocacy outside government.

While running for City Council in 2009, the Dorchester Reporter described Gonzalez as a Latino liaison and chief of staff of the Elderly Commission under Mayor Thomas Menino. In an interview posted to the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation’s website, he mentioned work with and for several Boston area politicians including Tito Jackson and Jeff Sanchez.

In an email, Gonzalez referred questions about his role and experiences to The Latino Agenda’s statement.