Gilbert Anthony Cedillo (born March 25, 1954) is an American politician, who served as a member of the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The President of the Los Angeles City Counc ...
for
the 1st district from 2013 to 2022. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, Cedillo was previously a member of both the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
and the
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...
.
When
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis (; born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as par ...
joined the
Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
, Cedillo became a candidate to replace her for
California's 32nd congressional district
California's 32nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. The 32nd district takes in the city of Malibu and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades, Beverly G ...
seat, but lost to
Judy Chu
Judy May Chu (born July 7, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she has held a seat in Congress since 2009, representing until redistricting. Chu is the first Chines ...
in the
2009 special election. Cedillo lost his Los Angeles City Council seat in the
2022 election to left-wing challenger
Eunisses Hernandez
Eunisses Hernandez (born 1990) is an American activist and politician, currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Herna ...
. Since October 2022, there have been widespread calls for his resignation after
an audio recording of him and other council members making racist remarks was released. He was formally censured by the City Council in a unanimous 12-0 vote on October 26.
Early life and education
Cedillo was born in
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the I ...
and grew up in the
Boyle Heights
Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include:
Disambiguation
*Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...
area of Los Angeles.
His father worked as a mechanic at American Can in Vernon and was a member of the
United Steelworkers of America
The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquar ...
. His mother was a garment worker at
Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
and Times-Mirror Press.
Cedillo attended Lorena Street and Euclid Avenue Elementary, Stevenson Junior High and
Roosevelt High.
In 1977, Cedillo earned a Bachelor's degree in
Sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
from
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. In 1983, Cedillo earned a
J.D. degree from the
People's College of Law
The Peoples College of Law (PCL) is an unaccredited, private, non-profit, Juris Doctor-granting law school
located in the downtown Los Angeles community of Westlake-MacArthur Park. PCL offers a part-time, four-year evening law program centered on ...
, in Los Angeles.
Cedillo participated in
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is mo ...
(MEChA).
Organized labor
Cedillo worked for the
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of member ...
(
SEIU Local 660),
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
's largest union, where he served as general manager from 1990 to 1996. In his years as general manager, he protected youth programs and played a critical role in securing $364 million in federal assistance to ensure that the Los Angeles County Health Care system remained afloat. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
stated that his decision to provide funding "was reached after critical consultations with SEIU". Cedillo was fired from the union after losing a power struggle with Local 660's board of directors.
California State Assembly and State Senate
![Forum with Sen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Forum_with_Sen._Gil_Cedillo.jpg)
Cedillo won a special election on January 13, 1998, to the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
's
46th district, and served there until 2002.
In 2002, he was elected to the State Senate. Cedillo attempted to have driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants reinstated, and was the author of the
California DREAM Act
The California DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act is a package of California state laws that allow children who were brought into the US under the age of 16 without proper visas/immigration documentation who have atten ...
. He also worked on increasing and expanding access to health care, developing regional solutions to combat homelessness, and encouraging economic development in his Downtown Los Angeles district. Gil Cedillo is a member of the Council of La Raza.
Cedillo was re-elected in 2006, defeating South Pasadena City Councilman Mike Ten, a Republican. Cedillo received 71,199 votes, Ten received 18,581 votes, and Murray Levy, a
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
candidate, received 3,469 votes. He was Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Immigration and the Economy and was a member of the Senate standing committees on Appropriations, Health, Public Safety, Rules, and Transportation and Housing.
On September 28, 2006, Cedillo was arrested along with approximately 200 others for blocking Century Blvd. in front of
LAX
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
, during a protest supporting the right for employees to unionize at the LAX hotels.
Congressional candidate
On January 8, 2009, Cedillo announced his candidacy for the 32nd Congressional District seat, which was vacated by Congresswoman
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis (; born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as par ...
. Congresswoman Solis accepted an appointment from President-elect
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
as United States Labor Secretary. In the
blanket primary The blanket primary is a system used for selecting political party candidates in a primary election, used in Argentina and historically in the United States. In a blanket primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to par ...
(now superseded by
Proposition 14's "top two" primary system), Cedillo competed against
Judy Chu
Judy May Chu (born July 7, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she has held a seat in Congress since 2009, representing until redistricting. Chu is the first Chines ...
, a former Monterey Park assemblywoman and vice-chairman of the State Board of Equalization; the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, voted to endorse Chu. Cedillo received a majority of other major endorsements, including eight members of California's Congressional Delegation, LA Sheriff Lee Baca, Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton, and more than 100 current and former public officials, including Senator Gloria Romero, Senator Ron Calderon, and Assemblymember Ed Chavez, who all dropped out of the race and endorsed Cedillo. Chu defeated Cedillo with 15,338 votes (31.9%) to Cedillo's 11,244 votes (23.4%).
Following his failed bid for U.S. Congress, Cedillo was elected to the California State Assembly's 45th District seat in 2010. The seat had been vacated by Kevin de León, who won the 22nd State Senate seat. Cedillo served as chairman of California's Latino Congressional Caucus. In 2010, Cedillo authored California's SRC 113, a resolution for a statewide boycott of the State of Arizona, following Arizona's passage of SB 1070, an undocumented immigration enforcement bill.
Driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants
![Gil Cedillo 2014 front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Gil_Cedillo_2014_front.jpg)
Cedillo tried nine times, since 1998, to get bills passed in the
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
that would allow
undocumented immigrants
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
in California to obtain
driver's license
A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
s. In 2001 and 2002
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...
vetoed two of Cedillo's bills that would have permitted this. In the midst of the
2003 recall election, Davis backed and signed SB 60 (2003), Cedillo's driver's license bill. After Davis was recalled and
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
became governor, the state legislature, with Schwarzenegger's support, repealed the new law before it went into effect. Senator Cedillo agreed to repeal the law he wrote under the agreement with the Governor to work on a bipartisan bill. In 2004, Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 2895, an identical bill to Senator Cedillo's SB 1160 that stalled in the legislature, saying that it did not meet his security concerns. The governor wanted a "marked license" that was identifiable. AB 2895 was introduced to the legislature by one of Cedillo's closest allies, Speaker of the Assembly
Fabian Núñez
Fabian Núñez (also transcribed variously as Fabián Núñez, Fabian Nuñez and Fabian Nunez; born December 27, 1966) is an American politician and labor union adviser. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three two-year terms as a memb ...
.
In 2005, Cedillo authored SB 60, another driver's license bill. He made new modifications to the proposal, specifying that undocumented immigrants would not be able to use the driver's license for purposes of identification for boarding airplanes, opening bank accounts, registering to vote, or other rights of U.S. citizens. Again, Schwarzenegger refused to sign the bill, on the grounds that it did not satisfy his security concerns. After Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill, Cedillo threatened to file a lawsuit against the Governor because of his belief that the
Department of Motor Vehicles misinterpreted SB 976 (1993), which first prohibited the issuance of driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants in the process of becoming legal residents, and citizens considered to have authorized presence but not legal permanent residency status, are known as people residing under the color of the law.
In 2006 and 2009 Cedillo again brought the proposal before the California legislature, failing both times. On October 3, 2013, California Governor Brown signed AB 60, allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Cedillo remarked, ″It took a long time, but now it’s here. Today signifies much more than just another bill being signed by our governor. Today is history in the making because it is the day we return justice back to the people.″
California Dream Act
In 2011, Cedillo authored a pair of assembly bills to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain financial aid for universities through both private and public sources. The assembly bills, known as AB 130 and AB 131 for private and public financial aid respectively, became law. The measures have drawn both praise and criticism from various organizations. Proponents state that the bill would finally narrow the large gap in education for a US citizen and an undocumented immigrant, thus providing equality and greater opportunity. Critics claim that the measure is a waste of taxpayer money for an already cash-strapped California with tuition costs increasing and many students unable to continue their education.
AB 353
In August 2011, at nearly the same time AB 131 was passed by the Senate, AB 353 also passed. The bill allows drivers without a license who are stopped at checkpoints to have a licensed driver retrieve the vehicle and thereby avoid having the vehicle impounded for 30 days.
Filed for backpay during recession
In 2010, Cedillo attempted to reverse a pay cut approved by voters in 2009 for all 120 lawmakers (Prop. 25). Cedillo filed a claim in December 2010 with the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board seeking back pay for what he maintains were illegal pay and benefit cuts. His complaint stemmed from the 2009 decision by the California Citizens Compensation Commission to slash legislators' pay and benefits by 18 percent. The cut reduced their remuneration from
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
116,208 to $95,291.
Los Angeles City Council (2013–present)
Elections
2013
Because of
term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...
s, Cedillo could not run for reelection to the
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
in 2012. He ran for a seat on the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The President of the Los Angeles City Counc ...
representing Council District 1 and was elected in 2013.
2017
Gil Cedillo ran for reelection in Council District 1 in Los Angeles.
As a 2016
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
delegate, he was backed by
Our Revolution
Our Revolution (sometimes known by its initials OR) is an American progressive political action organization spun out of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign to continue its work. The organization's mission is to educate vote ...
. His opponents were Jesse Rosas, Giovany Hernandez, and Joe Bray-Ali. In the primary election Cedillo won 49.4 percent, missing the threshold to avoid a runoff election. Challenger Joe Bray-Ali drew 38 percent, more than any other challenger, and was able to face Cedillo in the runoff.
Cedillo defeated Bray-Ali in the runoff with over 70% of the voters in Council District 1 on May 16, 2017.
2022
Cedillo secured an endorsement from Bernie Sanders for his 2022 reelection race. However, he lost to political newcomer,
Eunisses Hernandez
Eunisses Hernandez (born 1990) is an American activist and politician, currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Herna ...
.
Tenure
In December 2013, Cedillo authored a Los Angeles City Council resolution urging President Obama to halt most deportations and to expand the
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, colloquially referred to as DACA, is a United States immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the United States after being brought to the country as children to receive ...
(DACA) program to "all immigrant families who are not engaged in criminal activity."
In May 2017 Cedillo authored a motion requiring companies to disclose whether they were
involved with the construction of the
U.S.-Mexico border wall promised by President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
before being able to work with the City of Los Angeles.
2022 audio recording controversy
In October 2022, Cedillo faced calls to resign after attending a secretly recorded meeting where fellow Council member
Kevin de León
Kevin Alexander Leon (born December 10, 1966), known professionally as Kevin de León and colloquially as KDL, is an American politician serving as the Los Angeles City Council member for district 14 since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, ...
, Council president
Nury Martinez
Nury Martinez (born July 9, 1973) is a Mexican-American politician who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 6th district from 2013 until her resignation in 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Martinez became president o ...
, and
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor was started in 1885. Originally, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor was split into five individual unions of bakers, cigar makers, printers, tailors, and carpenters. Now they represent over 300 unio ...
President
Ron Herrera
Ron Herrera is an American labor leader, who served as the President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (colloquially called the "Fed") until his resignation on October 10, 2022, following racist comments made regarding black & indigen ...
had made racist remarks was released anonymously on
Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
.
References
External links
Cedillo's Personal WebsiteJoin California Gil Cedillo*
, -
, -
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cedillo, Gil
1954 births
21st-century American politicians
Activists from California
American politicians of Mexican descent
American trade union leaders
Democratic Party California state senators
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California
Living people
Los Angeles City Council members
Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly
People's College of Law alumni
University of California, Los Angeles alumni