We are continuing to introduce our readers to politicians who are natives of Los Angeles and conduct their activities there. Today, we will talk about our fellow countryman, American politician and member of the Los Angeles City Council – Kevin de León. Read more about the politician’s life on the pages of layes.info.
Childhood and Youth
Although Kevin’s parents were natives of Guatemala, the future politician was born in Los Angeles. His mother, who already had two children, moved to LA to work as a housekeeper. There, she met Kevin’s father, who had Mexican roots.
De León considered himself a part of Mexican culture from his early years. After graduating from school, he studied at the University of California for a while. However, he dropped out later. By the way, our fellow countryman did receive a bachelor’s degree, but from another educational institution.
Kevin de Leon started working for a company that helped illegal immigrants. He later became an organizer of the California Teachers Association and headed a company in California.
As for his personal life, the politician has never been married.
Political career
Our compatriot began his political career in 2006. Then, he ran for a seat in the California State Assembly. Three years later, Kevin attempted to become Speaker of the California State Assembly but was defeated.
In 2010, the politician was elected to the California Senate and even became its pro tempore president in 2014.
The politician’s main policies:
- Supported the construction of a rapid transit railway. However, he insisted that it should be first built in the region’s major cities rather than the Central Valley.
- He was a proponent of gun control and pushed the bills that banned the open carry of firearms.
- Supported the introduction of a single-payer health care system.
- In 2012, De Leon presented an environmental bill, which was subsequently signed. The law required the California Board to spend at least 25% of the revenue from the sale of emission allowances on low-income communities throughout the state. All the communities were heavily impacted by pollution. The politician also launched discounts on the purchase of electric cars for working families. His goal was to have at least one million electric vehicles on California’s roads by 2023.
Electoral participation
Kevin de Leon lost the U.S. Senate election in 2018. His opponent, Feinstein, defeated De Leon by getting 10% more votes.
However, our compatriot won the special election to the Los Angeles City Council. He replaced former member Jose Huizar, who was accused of corruption. In October 2020, Kevin began his term as a council member.
It should be mentioned that Kevin is a representative of the Democratic Party. This is a center-left politics that is one of the main parties in the United States. The founders of the Democratic Party are considered to be the first presidents of the USA, Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson. It is worth adding that presidents Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Clinton and Biden belong to this political party.
Los Angeles is a huge city with its own problems, successes and positive and negative moments. It is a diverse city that has its own leaders, MPs and officials. Today, we introduced you to Kevin de Leon, an American politician and member of the City Council. We hope this information was useful for you and you learned more about the famous compatriot.
What are your impressions of De Leon’s parliamentary activities? We are curious to know your thoughts, so please write them in the comments.