Kashmir (Kash) Gill ( pa, ਕਸ਼ਮੀਰ ਗਿੱਲ) is the former mayor of
Yuba City, California
Yuba City (Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a city in Northern California and the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 70,117 at the 2020 census. Yuba City is the principal city of the Yuba City Metropolitan Statistic ...
. Gill served two terms as mayor, from 2009 to 2010 and from 2013 to 2014. Gill also served on the City Council of Yuba City. Gill was the first
Sikh to be elected mayor in the United States.
[Smith, Ken (October 24, 2013).]
Sikhs of the Sacramento Valley
. ''Chico News & Review'' (Chino, California).
Early life
At three years old, Gill emigrated with his family from Lakhsina village in the
Hoshiarpur district
Hoshiarpur district is a district of Punjab state in northern India. Hoshiarpur, one of the oldest districts of Punjab, is located in the North-east part of the Punjab state and shares common boundaries with Gurdaspur district in the north-west, ...
of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, after his uncle Bains sponsored them.
[Chitkara, Vanita (September 6, 2010). "Capitol Cats". ''India Today'' (India).] Gill worked in his family's peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-f ...
orchards and prune
A prune is a dried plum, most commonly from the European plum (''Prunus domestica''). Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. A prune is the firm-fleshed fruit (plum) of '' Prunus domestica'' varieties that have a high so ...
orchards until he was 13 years old.[ As an adult, Gill became the business manager of his family's farm.
Gill graduated from Yuba City High School, Yuba Community College, and ]California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico, or commonly, Chico State, is a public university in Chico, California. Founded in 1887, it is the second oldest campus in the California State University system. As of the fall 2020 semester, the university h ...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in agricultural business in 1987.[ Gill graduated from California Agricultural Leadership Program and the Graduate School of Banking, Boulder, Colorado, in 2006.][
]
Professional career
As of 2000, Gill was vice president and regional manager of Butte Community Bank in Yuba City, California. In 2001, Gill was on the board of directors of the Yuba City Sikh Temple.
As of 2006, Gill was working at Banner Bank as senior vice president, where he leads the Northern California Agribusiness Division. Gill is an active member of the Republican Party.
Political career
Gill ran for a seat on the five-member Yuba City Council in 2004, but Gill did not win a seat in the election.
Gill successfully ran for Yuba City Council in 2006.[City Council Members]
. ''Yuba City Council''. Archived fro
on June 21, 2007. Gill ran for reelection to the Yuba City Council in 2008. Because Gill received the second-most votes in the election, he served as Yuba City's vice mayor in 2008, and Gill was subsequently sworn in as Yuba City's mayor on November 10, 2009.["Sikh becomes first mayor of Yuba City in US". ''Indo-Asian News Service'' (India). November 14, 2009.]
. ''Yuba City Council''. Archived fro
on January 1, 2010.[ Gill was the first Punjabi American and first Sikh to be mayor of Yuba City. Gill was also one of the first ]Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
mayors in America, and the first Sikh to be elected mayor in the United States.[Gebb, Ashley (November 8, 2009).]
Kash Gill: 'We are one community':Councilman set to become Y.C.'s first Punjabi-American mayor
. ''Appeal-Democrat''. Archived fro
on November 14, 2009. Gill served a second term as vice-mayor of Yuba City from 2012 to 2013, and he served a second term as mayor of Yuba City from 2013 to 2014.
As mayor, Gill advocated for federal funds to be used for the city's levee upgrades. He also formed the gang task force and economic task force.
". ''Appeal-Democrat'' (Marysville-Yuba City, California). November 12, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
Personal life
He is the son of Sikh American parents and is of the Sikh faith. Kash is married to Neena Gill, and they have three children named Harveen, Rajan, and Preya.[Kash, Gill, Member, City Council Yuba City]
. ''Nriinternet.com''. November 7, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
See also
*List of Indian Americans
Indian Americans are citizens or residents of the United States of America who trace their family descent to India. This article is a list of notable Indian Americans.
Academics
Nobel Prize recipients
* Har Gobind Khorana (1922-2011), Nobel ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Kashmir
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century American businesspeople
American Sikhs
American mayors of Indian descent
American politicians of Indian descent
California politicians of Indian descent
Businesspeople from California
California city council members
California Republicans
California State University, Chico alumni
Mayors of places in California
People from Hoshiarpur district
People from Yuba City, California
Punjabi people