HEART OF LA DEMOCRATIC CLUB ENDORSES KEVIN DE LEON FOR LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 14
Kevin de León
Los Angeles County, CA – The Heart of LA Democratic Club (HLADems), a Los Angeles County Democratic club which promotes equality and the full representation of women in local, state and national politics, endorses Kevin de León for Los Angeles City Council District 14. The club voted to endorse de León at the January 8, 2020 membership meeting. District 14 consists of all or part of the neighborhoods of Downtown Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights, and Monterey Hills. District 14 has been represented since 2005 by Councilmember José Huizar, who is not seeking reelection. The election is March 3rd. If no candidate secures a majority, the top two finishers will move on to a runoff on November 3, 2020.
"Kevin de León proves that he is deeply familiar with the issues facing District 14,” said Heart of LA president Lindsay Carlson. “We believe he has demonstrated a serious commitment to issues of importance of women from a policy perspective, and that he will contribute positively to a much needed culture change at City Hall. Having extensive experience working with colleagues at the state level, he is ready to ‘hit the ground running.’”
In his written responses and in his interview, de León addressed issues of particular concern to HLA Dems, such as the homelessness and housing affordability crisis that disproportionately affects families, women, and people of color; our air quality and climate crisis; and breaking down barriers to equality for women in California and specifically Los Angeles. De León supports closing the gender and racial pay gaps, which includes providing affordable high-quality childcare and early education.
“It is an absolute honor to have the support of the Heart of LA Democratic Club; true champions in the fight for equality,” said Kevin de León. “We still have a lot of work to do to make sure women are represented fairly both in our public policy and in the halls of power. I look forward to working with the HLADems to advance initiatives that achieve their primary goal: full and equal representation of women in local, state and national politics.”
In addition, de León is the author of California’s “Yes Means Yes” law, and a key bill regarding breastfeeding education. He is a staunch supporter of Planned Parenthood, which gave him a 100% approval on his voting record as well as numerous awards over the years. In his City Council campaign, he has made the issues of Homelessness, Housing, Green Space and Parks, Transportation, Immigrant Rights and Safe Streets his key priorities.The club believes he is the right person to represent LA District 14 at this time.
About the Endorsement Process:
HLA Dems Board and Endorsement committee considered candidates Kevin de León (former California State Senator, and Senate’s President pro Tempore), community activist Cyndi Otteson, and Los Angeles Unified School Board representative for the Second District Monica Garcia. All three candidates filled out a detailed questionnaire and participated in a follow-up in-person interview with the Board and endorsement committee. The Board found that each candidate has unique strengths and demonstrated a commitment to serving their community but voted to recommend de León for club endorsement. The HLA Dems membership then voted to endorse Kevin de León at the January 8 meeting. The vote exceeded the club’s 60% required threshold.
About Kevin de León
In the course of his career, Kevin de León has been an educator, activist, community organizer, and the first Latino leader of the California State Senate in 130 years. For the last decade, he represented Senate District 24, which overlaps a significant portion of Los Angeles City Council District 14.
Currently, Kevin de León is a professor, senior analyst, and distinguished policymaker-in-residence at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He also serves as a Distinguished Fellow for Climate, Environmental Justice and Health with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California.
Kevin de León was elected to the California State Senate in 2010. In 2014, he was elected by his colleagues to lead the Senate, making him the first Latino to serve as President pro Tempore in over a century. Before his election to the Senate, he served four years in the State Assembly.
During his time as President pro Tempore of the California State Senate, de León led the 40-member body to historic accomplishments to improve the lives of Californians, the state's environment, and economy for decades to come. Kevin secured more than $68 million to revitalize the Los Angeles River, $176 million to clean up toxic waste around the former Exide Technologies facility, funding for more than a dozen new parks, and $26 million to complete the Los Angeles State Historic Park. He appropriated tens of millions of dollars to make Los Angeles schools more energy-efficient through Prop 39, bringing relief to city taxpayers. He also authored Proposition 68, to keep drinking water clean and open new parks throughout the state. As author of Proposition 2, he secured the largest financial investment to build permanent supportive housing for Californians experiencing homelessness, especially in Los Angeles.
Prior to being elected to public office, he worked as a community organizer and also as a teacher, teaching English as a Second Language and U.S. Citizenship. Working for the National Education Association and the California Teachers Association, he advocated to improve funding for schools in low-income neighborhoods, modernize school facilities, and expand health insurance for children. He fought schemes to take funds from public schools through taxpayer-funded vouchers and academic censorship in public schools.
Kevin de León is the son of a single, immigrant mother, who supported her family working as a house-keeper, among other jobs. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college. He attended U.C. Santa Barbara and graduated from Pitzer College with honors.
For more information about Kevin de León, visit: https://www.kevindeleon.com/
About the Heart of LA Democratic Club Founded in March 2017 on the heels of the Presidential election, the Heart of L.A. Democratic Club was created in recognition of the growing awareness within the Democratic Party that women should be fully and equally represented in local, state, and national politics. The Heart of L.A. Democratic Club is open to all Democrats who subscribe to the club’s goals and purposes regardless of their gender identity. The mission of the Heart of L.A. Democratic Club is to help make the Democratic Party and its elected officials responsive to, and responsible for, the needs of all people, particularly, though not exclusively, women in our community. In addition to endorsing candidates and organizing for those candidates, the Heart of L.A. Democratic Club actively participates in issues advocacy, community outreach, and voter education. The Club’s monthly meetings feature guest speakers such as Democratic elected officials and candidates, and experts in policy areas of interest to women - including reproductive justice, homelessness, voter registration, immigration, criminal justice reform and more.
For more information about The Heart of LA Democratic Club, visit them online:
Website: HeartLADems.org.
Facebook: Facebook.com/HeartLADems
Twitter: @HeartLADems
Instagram: @HeartLADems
For more information about The Heart of LA Democratic Club, visit them online:
Website: HeartLADems.org.
Facebook: Facebook.com/HeartLADems
Twitter: @HeartLADems
Instagram: @HeartLADems
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