Don Gage is a lifelong Gilroy resident. Born April 18, 1945, Don grew up on a small farm outside of Gilroy. He attended local schools and earned his degree in Law Enforcement. Professionally, he worked as a Program Manager at IBM for 30 years.

He began his public service in 1981 when he was elected to the Gilroy City Council, where he was well known for his support of law enforcement and youth programs. He served on the Council until 1991 when he was elected Gilroy's Mayor.

In 1993, Don was honored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for his exceptional community service and also was the recipient of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year Award. In recognition of his leadership role in creating the Gilroy Youth Center, Don accepted the Helen Putnam Award from former Governor Pete Wilson at a ceremony in Sacramento.

Don Gage was elected to the Board of Supervisors on March 18, 1997 to represent District One, which includes Almaden Valley, Santa Teresa, Blossom Valley, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, San Martin, as well as the Mt. Hamilton Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

While serving on the Board of Supervisors, Gage served as Chairperson of the Board's Housing, Land Use, Environment, and Transportation Committee (HLUET), where he reviewed all land use issues as well as large road projects such as the Measure B Transportation Project. He also served on the Valley Transportation Authority, Pajaro River Watershed Flood Prevention Authority, Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, Habitat Conservation Plan, and the Santa Clara County Valley Water Commission. Gage served as the Vice Chair of the Public Safety and Justice Committee and has also served on the Caltrain Joint Powers Board, and the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

In 2010, Gage was elected to serve on the Santa Clara Valley Water District where he championed transparency and restoring the public's trust in the agency. In 2012, he was reelected Mayor of Gilroy. He retired from public service in 2015.