Kevin de León

Kevin Alexander Leon (born December 10, 1966), known professionally as Kevin de León and colloquially as KDL,[1] is an American politician serving as the Los Angeles City Council member for District 14 since 2020.[2] A member of the Democratic Party, he was defeated in the 2018 United States Senate election in California against incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein and came in third place in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election.

Kevin de León
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 14th district
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
In office
December 6, 2010 – November 30, 2018
Preceded byGil Cedillo
Succeeded byMaria Elena Durazo
Constituency22nd district (2010–2014)
24th district (2014–2018)
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
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Pitzer College (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

From 2006 to 2010, de León represented the 45th district in the California 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. Since October 2022, there have been widespread calls for his resignation after an audio recording of him and other council members making racist, homophobic, and derogatory remarks was leaked. He was formally censured by the Los Angeles City Council in a unanimous 12–0 vote on October 26, 2022.[3] De León gained further notoriety when a video was released of the councilman involved in a physical conflict with an activist, in which de León "grabs [the activist] and throws him into a table."[4]

Early life and education

Kevin Leon was born in Los Angeles, to Carmen Osorio and Andrés Leon. Both his parents were born in Guatemala with his father being of full or partial Chinese descent. 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 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. He also spent part of his youth in Tijuana where his stepfather's family was located.[2] 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.[5] While attending UC Santa Barbara, he began going by Kevin de León though he has never legally changed his name.[2]

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, de León 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, which addressed the personal fabrication of firearms.[20] 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 California Department of Justice before building or assembling a gun.[21][22]

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.[23] He supported SB 562, a proposed bill to create a single payer health care system in California, which stalled in 2017.[24]

Gender equity

De León authored SB 548, legislation 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.[25][26]

In 2014, de León co-authored Yes Means Yes, the first law in the nation regarding affirmative consent and sought both to improve how universities handle rape and sexual assault cases and to clarify the standards, requiring an "affirmative consent" and stating that consent can't be given if someone is asleep or incapacitated by drugs or alcohol. "Lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent," the law states, "nor does silence mean consent."[27] In 2015, de León co-authored follow-up 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.[28][29]

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.[30] The following day a super PAC created by California political strategists Dave Jacobson and Maclen Zilber was formed to support his candidacy.[31] On June 5, de León came in second place in the nonpartisan blanket 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.[32][33]

De León's 12% was the lowest ever recorded for a candidate who advanced to the general election since California instituted its nonpartisan blanket primary rules in 2016. In July, De León won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party at their executive board meeting in Oakland.[34] Despite the endorsement, however, De León's campaign faced fundraising struggles and low name recognition.[35][36]

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.[37]

Los Angeles City Council (2020–present)

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.[38]

After winning election, de León was paid $110,000 by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) for consultancy work, as well as over $100,000 from an electrical workers' union for work as a strategic advisor.[39] His salary as council member was $220,000.[39] Once in the City Council, de León and AHF promoted each other's interests. De León also pressured his staff not to investigate various health and code violations at properties owned by AHF in De León's district.[39] Internal communications revealed by the L.A. Times showed that De León told a staff member that angry messages are "coming from the top" about a staff member's visit to one of AHF's properties.[39] Ethics experts expressed concerns about conflicts of interests in the relationship between the two and the failure to disclose the payment.[39]

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.[40] That same year, de León sought to stall the construction of a rapid transit bus line through Eagle Rock,[41] which prompted a critical editorial by the Los Angeles Times which characterized de León as a "spoiler."[42]

In 2022, de León championed the "Clean Streets Now" plan, his plan to reduce illegal dumping throughout the city. [43] Additionally, in the first ten months into his term, the City Council unanimously adopted De León's "25×25" plan– 25,000 units by the year 2025 – in order to help house those who are experiencing homelessness.

2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal
Main article: 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal

In October 2022, de León apologized after an audio recording of a private 2021 meeting attended by himself, fellow Council member Gil Cedillo, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and Council president Nury Martinez came to light in which Nury Martinez made racist remarks about the adopted black son of their white City Council colleague Mike Bonin, comparing Bonin's treatment of his son to the way one handles a handbag. They also used slurs against indigenous Oaxacan people who live in Koreatown, and discussed redistricting in order to break up black voting districts, turning them into Latino ones through the process of gerrymandering. He compared black voices to the man behind the curtain in The Wizard of Oz, arguing that they are in fact weaker than they sound. The recording was leaked onto the internet and subsequently reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Calls for resignation and recall attempts

In the aftermath of the City Hall controversy, dozens of prominent politicians and leaders called for de León's resignation, including President Joe Biden, Mike Bonin,[44] and Southern California News Group opinion editor Sal Rodriguez.[45] On October 19, in an interview with CBS Los Angeles, de León stated his adamant refusal to resign, claiming that his constituents need to be represented by him. He did not take responsibility so much for his own words as he did for his failure in having not put a stop to the conversation, and attempted to spin his joke comparing Bonin's son to a handbag as having been more of a joke about Martinez's penchant for luxury accessories than it was a racist one at the child's expense.[46] Bonin has stated that he was, "really disappointed, and sort of disgusted" by the answers de León gave in the interview. He went on to say that de León had simply left him a voicemail, which did not amount to an apology. Other than that, de León has not spoken to Bonin since the recording was leaked.[47] On October 26, the City Council unanimously voted 12–0 to formally censure de Léon along with Cedillo and Martinez for their actions.[3]

Recall paperwork was filed by five of de León's constituents on October 27, 2022, with leadership problems and the racist audio leak cited as major reasons for recalling de León.[48] Nury Martinez had faced a brief recall effort led by Alex Gruenenfelder prior to her resignation,[49] and Gil Cedillo was too late in his tenure to be recalled. Prior to the scandal, there had been three unsuccessful attempts to recall de León, on the grounds of his failure to tackle homelessness and adequately support law enforcement. All four of these efforts were coordinated by Eagle Rock resident Pauline Adkins.[50]

In December 2022, de León was involved in a fight with protestors at a community event.[51] Video of the incident was subsequently released which showed that the physical altercation started when a community activist blocked de León while de León attempted to exit the building, and ending with de Leon's hands near the activist's neck as he pulled the activist down onto a table.[52]

Personal life

De León lives in Los Angeles and has an adult daughter, Lluvia Carrasco. Carrasco's mother is San Jose councilmember Magdalena Carrasco.[53] De León has never been married.[54]

Electoral history

2018 U.S. Senate election
Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in California
Nonpartisan blanket primary results, California 2018[55]
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
2020 Los Angeles City Council District 14 election[56]
Primary election
Candidate Votes  %
Kevin de León 25,083 52.61
Cyndi Otteson 9,294 19.49
Raquel Zamora 6,483 13.60
Mónica García 5,222 10.95
John Jimenez 1,595 3.35
Total votes 47,677 100.00
2022 Los Angeles mayoral primary election[57]
Primary election
Candidate Votes  %
Karen Bass 278,511 43.11
Rick Caruso 232,490 35.99
Kevin de León 50,372 7.79
Gina Viola 44,341 6.86
Mike Feuer (withdrawn) 12,087 1.87
Andrew Kim 9,405 1.46
Alex Gruenenfelder Smith 6,153 0.95
Joe Buscaino (withdrawn) 4,485 0.69
Craig Greiwe 2,439 0.38
Mel Wilson 2,336 0.36
Ramit Varma (withdrawn) 1,916 0.30
John "Jsamuel" Jackson 1,511 0.23
Write-in 12 0.01
Total votes 646,058 100.00

References
  1. Rosenhall, Laurel (October 4, 2018). "How Kevin de León became the Democrat trying to topple Dianne Feinstein". Calmatters.
  2. Cadelago, Christopher (February 21, 2017). "The untold story of how Kevin Leon became Kevin de León". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  3. "LA City Council censures Kevin de León, Gil Cedillo over role in racism scandal". ABC7 Los Angeles. October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  4. Yee, Gregory; Mejia, Brittny; Dillon, Liam (December 9, 2022). "Violence between L.A. Councilman Kevin de León, activist caught on video, sparks debate". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  5. Aron, Hillel (May 3, 2017). "Kevin de Leon Went From College Dropout to California's Senate President". L.A. Weekly. 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. McGreevy, Patrick McGreevy, By Patrick (June 18, 2014). "Setback put Kevin León on the path to Senate leadership". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. McGreevy, Patrick McGreevy, By Patrick (June 18, 2014). "Setback put Kevin de León on the path to Senate leadership". Los Angeles Times. 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 (October 16, 2014). "Kevin de León becomes state Senate leader in $50,000 event". Los Angeles Times. 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 (June 23, 2014). "Next Senate leader Kevin de León wants Brown to rethink bullet train". Los Angeles Times. 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". December 21, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  20. "Bill Text – SB-808 Firearms: identifying information". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  21. Cadelago, Chris (June 20, 2016). "California lawmakers send sweeping gun package to Jerry Brown". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  22. "Senate Passes Sweeping Set of Bills to Prevent Gun Violence". Senate District 24.
  23. Hagen, Lisa (March 4, 2018). "Left faces off with Dem establishment in primary fights". The Hill. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  24. Mason, Melanie (June 30, 2017). "California won't be passing a single-payer healthcare system any time soon — the plan is dead for this year". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  25. "Senate leader says Brown needs better understanding of poor". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  26. "Fourteen arrests at California protest in support of child care reforms". Childcarecanada.org. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  27. Chappell, Bill (September 29, 2014). "California Enacts 'Yes Means Yes' Law, Defining Sexual Consent". Npr.org. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  28. "Lawmakers Want High Schools To Teach 'Yes Means Yes' For Sex". Cbsnews.com. March 3, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  29. "Education committee approves bill on sexual assault policies". Beverlypress.com. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  30. CNN. "Kevin León announces he'll run against Feinstein for California Senate". Retrieved June 6, 2018. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  31. Wire, Sarah D. (November 2017). "Super PAC forms to back Kevin De León over Sen. Dianne Feinstein in Senate race". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  32. Wire, Sarah D. (June 6, 2018). "Sen. Dianne Feinstein will face Kevin de León in November election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  33. "United States Senate election in California (June 5, 2018 top-two primary) – Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  34. "California Democratic Party abandons incumbent Feinstein, endorses opponent". NBC News. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  35. "De León struggles against Feinstein in Senate fundraising race". mcclatchydc. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  36. Finnegan, Michael (August 17, 2018). "De León captures California's anti-Trump furor, but struggles to gain traction in run to oust Feinstein". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  37. "United States Senate election in California, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  38. "Councilman-elect Kevin de León appointed to vacant LA city seat". Daily News. October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  39. "Inside the financial ties between a controversial housing nonprofit and Kevin de León". Los Angeles Times. March 10, 2023.
  40. "'Gimme Shelter': California is on the verge of ending single-family home only zoning". Los Angeles Times. August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  41. "Kevin de León Asks Metro to Delay Eagle Rock Bus Project, Wants More Meetings". Streetsblog Los Angeles. May 15, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  42. "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.
  43. "Council passes last of Kevin de León's measures fighting illegal dumping". Los Angeles Daily News. March 9, 2022.
  44. "Nury Martinez resigns as president of LA City Council following leaked audio of racist remarks". October 10, 2022.
  45. "Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo should resign". Daily News. October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  46. Kevin de León refuses to resign in interview with CBS2 – via YouTube.
  47. Councilmembers Bonin, Buscaino react to Kevin de León's refusal to resign – via YouTube.
  48. Wick, Julia; Smith, Dakota (October 27, 2022). "Organizers launch bid to recall embattled L.A. City Councilmember Kevin de León". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  49. Gruenenfelder, Alex [@MayorAlexLA] (October 11, 2022). (Tweet) https://twitter.com/MayorAlexLA/status/1579884546224377856. Retrieved November 2, 2022 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  50. Nguyen, Jeff (October 27, 2022). "Recall effort against LA City Councilmember Kevin de León accepted by City Clerk's office". CBS News. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
  51. "LA Councilmember Kevin de León involved in fight during holiday event, video shows". ABC7 Los Angeles. December 10, 2022.
  52. "New video shows moments before fight between LA Councilman Kevin de León and activist". ABC7 Los Angeles. December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  53. "The Former College Dropout Who Would Be Dianne Feinstein". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  54. Panzar, Javier (July 30, 2016). "State Senate leader's daughter lands job with his campaign consulting firm". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  55. "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Elections.cdn.sos.ca. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  56. Primary results
  57. "Los Angeles Mayor Special Election Results". New York Times. June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
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