Los Angeles, CA – Working families in Los Angeles continue to line up behind Kevin de León in his bid to represent the LA City Council’s 14th District. SEIU United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW) has announced their endorsement of de León’s candidacy, highlighting his track record and long-standing commitment to supporting their members and improving their quality of life.
“We believe very strongly that Kevin de León has the experience, relationships, and the policy expertise that make him the best choice to represent us in the City Council” said David Huerta, President of SEIU-USWW. “For as long as we can remember, Kevin has been with us on the front lines – fighting to secure a $15 minimum wage in California, defend immigrant communities from the Trump Administration’s attacks, and make sure all of us have clean air to breathe. These are very difficult times in our city, where we find ourselves faced with great challenges. Kevin doesn’t compromise on his values, and that’s the kind of leadership we need right now.”
The Service Employees International Union, United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW) counts more than 45,000 hardworking men and women in its ranks, ranging from janitors to security officers to airport service workers. The SEIU-USWW mission is to lead the way to a more humane and just society by building community and political power by organizing unorganized workers and winning strong contracts.
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In the course of a remarkable career, Kevin de León has been an educator, planned one of the largest civil rights marches in California history, and became the first Latino leader of the California State Senate in 130 years. For the last decade, de León represented Senate District 24, which overlaps a significant portion of City Council District 14.
Currently, he is a professor, senior analyst, and distinguished policymaker-in-residence at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; as well as a Distinguished Fellow for Climate, Environmental Justice and Health with the USC Schwarzenegger Instituted at the University of Southern California.
As Senate Leader, he 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. De León 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.
He attended U.C. Santa Barbara and graduated from Pitzer College at the Claremont Colleges with honors.