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Kevin de León

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Kevin de León
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 15, 2020
Preceded byJosé Huizar
50th President pro tempore of the California State Senate
In office
October 15, 2014 – March 21, 2018
Preceded byDarrell Steinberg
Succeeded byToni Atkins
Member of the California State Senate
from the 24th district
22nd district (2010–2014)
In office
December 6, 2010 – November 30, 2018
Preceded byGil Cedillo
Succeeded byMaria Elena Durazo
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 45th district
In office
December 4, 2006 – November 30, 2010
Preceded byJackie Goldberg
Succeeded byGil Cedillo
Personal details
Born
Kevin Alexander Leon

(1966-12-10) December 10, 1966 (age 58)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationPitzer College (BA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Kevin Alexander Leon (born December 10, 1966), known professionally as Kevin de León, is an American politician serving as the Los Angeles city councilmember for district 14 since 2020.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he was a candidate in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election.

From 2006 to 2010, he represented the 45th district in the Califoria state assembly. He represented the 22nd state senate district from 2010 to 2014, and the 24th state senate district from 2014 to 2018. He was president pro tempore of the California state senate from October 15, 2014 to March 21, 2018. In 2018, he ran for the US Senate against California's senior U.S. senator, Dianne Feinstein.

Early life, education, and career

Kevin Leon was born in Los Angeles, to Carmen Osorio and Andrés Leon.[2] Both his parents were born in Guatemala with his father being of full or partial Chinese descent.[2] His mother moved from Guatemala to Tijuana, Mexico in the 1960s. She moved to Los Angeles to work as a housekeeper. A single mother with two children, she met Leon's father[2] who was largely absent. His mother married a man of Mexican descent, taking the name Carmen Osorio Núñez, and relocated to San Diego.[2] She divorced and raised him in the Logan Heights neighborhood in San Diego.[3] He also spent part of his youth in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico where his stepfather's family was located.[3] He strongly identifies with Mexican culture.[2]

The first in his family to graduate from high school, he briefly attended the University of California, Santa Barbara before dropping out. He later earned a bachelor's degree from Pitzer College in 2003.[4] While attending UC Santa Barbara, he began going by Kevin de León though he has never legally changed his name.[5]

After dropping out of college, De León worked for One Stop Immigration Center, a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles that assists undocumented immigrants.[6] He later became a labor organizer for the California Teachers Association, and campaign manager for Fabian Nuñez's campaign for California State Assembly in 2002.[7] De León and Nuñez have been close political allies for most of their careers.[8]

California State Assembly (2006–2010)

De León first ran for office in 2006 defeating Christine Chavez, the granddaughter of labor leader Cesar E. Chavez, to replace the outgoing Jackie Goldberg as the California state assemblymember for the 45th district, covering Hollywood and much of Northeast Los Angeles.[8]

In 2008, eyewitnesses on the floor of the state assembly observed De León casting a so-called ghost vote for assemblywoman Mary Hayashi on an affordable housing bill, opposite the way she would have voted, when Hayashi was away from the assembly floor. De León said he had no memory of the incident but also said he did not deny it, either.[9] De León was investigated by then-state assembly speaker Karen Bass, but did not face any punishment and the vote was later changed. As a result of the controversy, Bass changed assembly rules to enforce a ban on ghost voting.[10]

In 2009, he was defeated in a bid to become speaker of the California state assembly, after many assembly members found De León's ambitious nature grating, eroding his support, according to reports in the Los Angeles Times.[7]

California State Senate (2010–2018)

De León was elected to the California state senate in 2010 and became state senate president pro tempore in 2014.[11] As a California state senator, De León has been generally regarded as a liberal and describes himself as a "proud progressive."[12]

Energy and the environment

De León in 2014

De León sponsored SB 100, which would have required the state of California to generate 50% renewable electricity by 2026 and 100% renewable electricity by 2045.[13][14] In 2018, the bill passed both houses of the California state legislature and was signed into law by governor Jerry Brown on September 10.[15]

In late 2017, De León was criticized for playing a role in killing a bill that would have blocked the controversial Cadiz Water Project, a proposal to mine and transfer groundwater from protected desert habitat in Eastern San Bernardino county to parts of Orange county.[16] Opponents of the project blamed De León, then president pro tempore of the senate, and pointed out that the company behind the project had donated $5,000 to De León's political campaign. Fabian Nuñez, a close ally and donor to De León, also represented company as its lobbyist.[17]

De León criticized the state's high-speed rail project, arguing that construction should have started in major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, rather than the state's Central Valley.[18]

Gun control

De León is an advocate of gun control.[19] In 2014, he sponsored SB 808[20] which passed both houses of the legislature. He was roundly mocked by gun rights advocates after a press conference on January 3rd, 2014 where he made numerous inaccurate statements[21] [22] [23] while promoting the bill. The bill was subsequently vetoed by governor Jerry Brown.

In 2016, De León led the charge in the passage of a package of 11 bills intended to prevent gun violence. These included De León's SB 1235, which created a new framework for buying and selling ammunition designed to address the ambiguities of his earlier SB 53, and his SB 1407, requiring a serial number from the department of justice before building or assembling a gun.[24][25]

Health care

De León is a supporter of creating a single-payer health care system. He promised to support senator Bernie Sanders's "Medicare for All" legislation if elected to the United States Senate.[26] He supported SB 562, a proposed bill to create a single payer health care system in California, which stalled in 2017.[27]

Gender Equity

In 2014, his bill to prevent sexual assault on college campuses was first law in the nation to require affirmative consent, earning him the recognition from Marie Claire last year as one of the "ten biggest supporters of women's right in U.S. government." Ms. Magazine selected his "yes means yes" measure as the most significant legislative victory on behalf of women for 2014. In 2015, he followed up with legislation that requires public high schools teaching health education classes to include sexual assault prevention and strategies on how to build healthy peer relationships in their curricula.

He also authored legislation this year that would make significant investments in child care with a focus on empowering women in the workforce. The state budget resulted with new funding for thousands of more slots for subsidized child care.

2018 U.S. Senate election

Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in California

On October 15, 2017, De León announced his bid for the United States Senate, challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in the 2018 election.[28] The following day a super PAC created by California political strategists Dave Jacobson and Maclen Zilber was formed to support his candidacy.[29] On June 5, De León came in second place in the jungle primary with 12% of the total vote, enough to advance to the November general election. Feinstein received 44%, while the third place candidate, James Bradley, received 8% of the total vote. Republican candidates collectively received 33% of the vote.[30][31]

De León's 12% was the lowest ever recorded for a candidate who advanced to the general election since California instituted its jungle primary rules in 2016. In July, De León won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at their executive board meeting in Oakland.[32] Despite the endorsement, however, De León's campaign faced fundraising struggles and low name recognition.[33][34]

On November 6, 2018, Feinstein defeated De León 54.2% to 45.8%. The race had an undervote of around 1.3 million votes compared to the gubernatorial election, likely by Republican voters choosing not to cast a vote for either candidate.[35]

Los Angeles City Council (2020—)

In 2020, De León was a candidate for a March special election to the Los Angeles city council. The seat had previously been vacated by José Huizar, who was the subject of an investigation into possible corruption charges. In June 2020, Huizar was arrested and charged with several counts of bribery and corruption. De León was elected in the special election to succeed him, and assumed office on October 15, 2020.[36]

In 2021, De León advocated against SB 9, which would allow for the construction of duplexes in lots that are zoned as single-family home neighborhoods. The bill was intended to alleviate the severe housing shortage in California.[37] That same year, De León sought to stall the construction of a rapid transit bus line through Eagle Rock,[38] which prompted a critical editorial by the Los Angeles Times which characterized De León as a "spoiler."[39]

Personal life

De León lives in Los Angeles and has an adult daughter, Lluvia Carrasco. Carrasco's mother is San Jose councilmember Magdalena Carrasco.[40] De León has never been married.[41]

Electoral history

2018 Senate race

Nonpartisan blanket primary results, California 2018[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) 2,947,035 44.12%
Democratic Kevin de León 805,446 12.07%
Republican James P. Bradley 556,252 8.34%
Republican Arun K. Bhumitra 350,815 5.26%
Republican Paul A. Taylor 323,533 4.85%
Republican Erin Cruz 267,494 4.01%
Republican Tom Palzer 205,183 3.08%
Democratic Alison Hartson 147,061 2.21%
Republican Rocky De La Fuente 135,278 2.03%
Democratic Pat Harris 126,947 1.90%
Republican John "Jack" Crew 93,806 1.41%
Republican Patrick Little 89,867 1.35%
Republican Kevin Mottus 87,646 1.31%
Republican Jerry Joseph Laws 67,140 1.01%
Libertarian Derrick Michael Reid 59,999 0.90%
Democratic Adrienne Nicole Edwards 56,172 0.84%
Democratic Douglas Howard Pierce 42,671 0.64%
Republican Mario Nabliba 39,209 0.59%
Democratic David Hildebrand 30,305 0.45%
Democratic Donnie O. Turner 30,101 0.45%
Democratic Herbert G. Peters 27,468 0.41%
No party preference David Moore 24,614 0.37%
No party preference Ling Ling Shi 23,506 0.35%
Peace and Freedom John Thompson Parker 22,825 0.34%
No party preference Lee Olson 20,393 0.31%
Democratic Gerald Plummer 18,234 0.27%
No party preference Jason M. Hanania 18,171 0.27%
No party preference Don J. Grundmann 15,125 0.23%
No party preference Colleen Shea Fernald 13,536 0.20%
No party preference Rash Bihari Ghosh 12,557 0.19%
No party preference Tim Gildersleeve 8,482 0.13%
No party preference Michael Fahmy Girgis 2,986 0.05%
Write-in 863 0.01%
Total votes 6,670,720 100%
United States Senate election in California, 2018
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Dianne Feinstein (incumbent) 6,019,422 54.16% −8.36%
Democratic Kevin de León 5,093,942 45.84% N/A
Total votes 11,113,364 100% N/A
Democratic hold

References

  1. ^ Cadelago, Christopher (February 21, 2017). "The untold story of how Kevin Leon became Kevin de León". Sacbee. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e California Latino Legislative Caucus – How Kevin Leon became Kevin de Leon
  3. ^ a b Cadelago, Christopher (February 21, 2017). "The untold story of how Kevin Leon became Kevin de León". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  4. ^ Aron, Hillel (May 3, 2017). "Kevin de Leon Went From College Dropout to California's Senate President". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  5. ^ Cadelago, Christopher (February 21, 2017). "The untold story of how Kevin Leon became Kevin de León". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  6. ^ Aron, Hillel (May 3, 2017). "Kevin Leon Went From College Dropout to California's Senate President". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  7. ^ a b McGreevy, Patrick McGreevy, By Patrick. "Setback put Kevin León on the path to Senate leadership". latimes.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b McGreevy, Patrick McGreevy, By Patrick. "Setback put Kevin de León on the path to Senate leadership". latimes.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Ghost voting: A long history". SFGate. June 10, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  10. ^ "Assembly leader puts limits on ghost voting". SFGate. June 11, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  11. ^ McGreevy, Seema Mehta, Patrick. "Kevin de León becomes state Senate leader in $50,000 event". latimes.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "Kevin de León to take California's 'progressive' ideas to D.C. if elected to U.S. Senate – Inland Empire Community News". Inland Empire Community News. January 8, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  13. ^ Megerian, Chris (May 2, 2017). "California Senate leader unveils new proposal to phase out use of fossil fuels to generate electricity". LA Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  14. ^ De Leon, Kevin. "SB-100 Energy policies and programs". California Legislative Information. California State Senate. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  15. ^ Dillon, Liam (September 10, 2018). "California to rely on 100% clean electricity by 2045 under bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown". LA Times. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "Bill targeting Cadiz water transfer dies in Senate committee". San Bernardino Sun. September 2, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  17. ^ Foy, Jennifer. "De Leon carrying water for Cadiz and Trump, unfit to be U.S. Senator". VVdailypress.com. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  18. ^ Skelton, George Skelton, By George. "Next Senate leader Kevin de León wants Brown to rethink bullet train". latimes.com. Retrieved September 20, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "State Sen. Kevin de Leon talks gun control and the NRA". Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  20. ^ "Bill Text – SB-808 Firearms: identifying information". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  21. ^ "Anti Gun Senator's Embarrassing Slip". The Blaze. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  22. ^ "Anti-gun lawmaker is laughing stock after ignorant claim '30-magazine clip' fires in 'half a second'". BizPac Review. Retrieved January 21, 2014.}}
  23. ^ "Anti Gun Senator's Embarrassing Slip". Military.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  24. ^ Cadelago, Chris (June 20, 2016). "California lawmakers send sweeping gun package to Jerry Brown". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  25. ^ "Senate Passes Sweeping Set of Bills to Prevent Gun Violence". Senate District 24.
  26. ^ Hagen, Lisa. "Left faces off with Dem establishment in primary fights". The Hill. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  27. ^ Mason, Melanie. "California won't be passing a single-payer healthcare system any time soon — the plan is dead for this year". latimes.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  28. ^ CNN. "Kevin León announces he'll run against Feinstein for California Senate". Retrieved June 6, 2018. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  29. ^ Wire, Sarah D. "Super PAC forms to back Kevin De León over Sen. Dianne Feinstein in Senate race". latimes.com. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  30. ^ Wire, Sarah D. "Sen. Dianne Feinstein will face Kevin de León in November election". latimes.com. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  31. ^ "United States Senate election in California (June 5, 2018 top-two primary) - Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  32. ^ "California Democratic Party abandons incumbent Feinstein, endorses opponent". NBC News. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  33. ^ "De León struggles against Feinstein in Senate fundraising race". mcclatchydc. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  34. ^ Finnegan, Michael. "De León captures California's anti-Trump furor, but struggles to gain traction in run to oust Feinstein". latimes.com. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  35. ^ "United States Senate election in California, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  36. ^ "Councilman-elect Kevin de León appointed to vacant LA city seat". Daily News. October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  37. ^ "'Gimme Shelter': California is on the verge of ending single-family home only zoning". Los Angeles Times. August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ "Kevin de León Asks Metro to Delay Eagle Rock Bus Project, Wants More Meetings". Streetsblog Los Angeles. May 15, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  39. ^ "Editorial: Why is Kevin de León trying to stall a transit- and climate-friendly project in Eagle Rock?". Los Angeles Times. May 19, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  40. ^ "The Former College Dropout Who Would Be Dianne Feinstein". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  41. ^ Panzar, Javier. "State Senate leader's daughter lands job with his campaign consulting firm". latimes.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  42. ^ "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Retrieved July 15, 2018.
California Assembly
Preceded by Member of the California State Assembly
from the 45th district
2006–2010 		Succeeded by
California Senate
Preceded by Member of the California State Senate
from the 22nd district
2010–2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the California State Senate
from the 24th district
2014–2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President pro tempore of the California State Senate
2014–2018 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 14th district
2020–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Kevin_de_León&oldid=1095281787"