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After his election win, de León was appointed to the District 14 seat to fill the vacancy left by [[Jose Huizar]].<ref>[https://www.dailynews.com/2020/10/13/councilman-elect-kevin-de-leon-appointed-to-vacant-la-city-seat/ ''Los Angeles Daily News'', "Councilman-elect Kevin de León appointed to vacant LA city seat," October 13, 2020]</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==

Revision as of 00:04, 4 November 2020

Kevin de León
Image of Kevin de León
Prior offices
California State Assembly District 45

California State Senate District 22

California State Senate District 24

Los Angeles City Council District 14
Successor: Ysabel J. Jurado

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Santa Barbara

Personal
Birthplace
Los Angeles, Calif.
Contact

Kevin de León was a member of the Los Angeles City Council in California, representing District 14. He assumed office on October 15, 2020. He left office on December 9, 2024.

De León ran for re-election to the Los Angeles City Council to represent District 14 in California. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

After his election win, de León was appointed to the District 14 seat to fill the vacancy left by Jose Huizar.[1]

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

De León's professional experience includes working as a senior associate with the National Education Association and working for the One Stop Immigration & Educational Center.

He is a member of the Alliance for a Better California and the California Teachers Association.[2]

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in Los Angeles, California (2020)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles City Council District 14

Kevin de León won election outright against Cyndi Otteson, Raquel Zamora, Mónica García, and John Jimenez in the primary for Los Angeles City Council District 14 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kevin de León
Kevin de León (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
52.6
 
25,083
Cyndi Otteson (Nonpartisan)
 
19.5
 
9,294
Raquel Zamora (Nonpartisan)
 
13.6
 
6,483
Mónica García (Nonpartisan)
 
11.0
 
5,222
John Jimenez (Nonpartisan)
 
3.3
 
1,595

Total votes: 47,677
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Endorsements

A complete list of de León's endorsements can be found on his campaign website here.

2018

See also: United States Senate election in California, 2018
See also: United States Senate election in California (June 5, 2018 top-two primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate California

Incumbent Dianne Feinstein defeated Kevin de León in the general election for U.S. Senate California on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein (D) Candidate Connection
 
54.2
 
6,019,422
Image of Kevin de León
Kevin de León (D)
 
45.8
 
5,093,942

Total votes: 11,113,364
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate California

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. Senate California on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein (D) Candidate Connection
 
44.2
 
2,947,035
Image of Kevin de León
Kevin de León (D)
 
12.1
 
805,446
Image of James P. Bradley
James P. Bradley (R)
 
8.3
 
556,252
Image of Arun Bhumitra
Arun Bhumitra (R)
 
5.3
 
350,815
Image of Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (R)
 
4.9
 
323,533
Image of Erin Cruz
Erin Cruz (R)
 
4.0
 
267,494
Image of Tom Palzer
Tom Palzer (R) Candidate Connection
 
3.1
 
205,183
Image of Alison Hartson
Alison Hartson (D)
 
2.2
 
147,061
Image of Roque De La Fuente
Roque De La Fuente (R)
 
2.0
 
135,278
Image of Pat Harris
Pat Harris (D)
 
1.9
 
126,947
John Crew (R)
 
1.4
 
93,806
Image of Patrick Little
Patrick Little (R)
 
1.3
 
89,867
Image of Kevin Mottus
Kevin Mottus (R)
 
1.3
 
87,646
Jerry Laws (R)
 
1.0
 
67,140
Image of Derrick Michael Reid
Derrick Michael Reid (L)
 
0.9
 
59,999
Image of Adrienne Nicole Edwards
Adrienne Nicole Edwards (D)
 
0.8
 
56,172
Image of Douglas Howard Pierce
Douglas Howard Pierce (D)
 
0.6
 
42,671
Image of Mario Nabliba
Mario Nabliba (R)
 
0.6
 
39,209
Image of David Hildebrand
David Hildebrand (D)
 
0.5
 
30,305
Donnie Turner (D)
 
0.5
 
30,101
Herbert Peters (D)
 
0.4
 
27,468
Image of David Moore
David Moore (Independent)
 
0.4
 
24,614
Image of Ling Shi
Ling Shi (Independent)
 
0.4
 
23,506
Image of John Parker
John Parker (Peace and Freedom Party)
 
0.3
 
22,825
Lee Olson (Independent)
 
0.3
 
20,393
Image of Gerald Plummer
Gerald Plummer (D)
 
0.3
 
18,234
Image of Jason Hanania
Jason Hanania (Independent)
 
0.3
 
18,171
Image of Don Grundmann
Don Grundmann (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
15,125
Colleen Shea Fernald (Independent)
 
0.2
 
13,536
Image of Rash Bihari Ghosh
Rash Bihari Ghosh (Independent)
 
0.2
 
12,557
Tim Gildersleeve (Independent)
 
0.1
 
8,482
Michael Fahmy Girgis (Independent)
 
0.0
 
2,986

Total votes: 6,669,857
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2014

See also: California State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the California State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Incumbent Kevin De Leon (D) and Peter Choi (D) defeated William "Rodriguez" Morrison (D) in the blanket primary. De Leon defeated Choi in the general election.[3][4][5]

California State Senate, District 24, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngKevin De Leon Incumbent 65.8% 57,412
     Democratic Peter Choi 34.2% 29,848
Total Votes 87,260

2010

See also: California State Senate elections, 2010

De León was eligible but did not seek re-election in 2010. He instead sought election to the district 22 seat of the California State Senate. De León defeated Alejandro Menchaca and Edward Paul Reyes in the June 8 primary. He then won unopposed in the November 2 general election.[6][7]

California State Senate, District 22 Democratic Primary (2010)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Kevin de León (D) 18,743
Edward Paul Reyes (D) 3,757
Alejandro Menchaca (D) 3,727
David Rosas (D) 5,775

2008

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2008

In 2008, de León was re-elected to the California State Assembly District 45. De León (D) finished with 70,869 votes while his opponent Philip Alexander (R) finished with 15,506 votes.[8]

California State Assembly District 45
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Kevin de León (D) 70,869
Philip Alexander (R) 15,506

Campaign themes

2020

Candidate Connection

Kevin de León completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by de León's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I love Los Angeles and CD 14 and I've represented the majority of the district for the last 12 years. I am running to take on the biggest challenges facing Los Angeles: addressing the city's housing crisis and tackling its regional transportation issues. The construction of affordable and workforce housing is crucial to the economic development and prosperity of the city. The lack of public transportation options has become a serious quality of life issue for many residents. We are not without options or solutions-we have to reject the politics of apathy and cynicism that have kept us stuck in the status quo. I want to make our city more progressive, more inclusive, more welcoming, and more supportive for every Angeleno. That's why I'm running for City Council.
  • This race is a question of leadership, not values.
  • I think we can do better, think bigger and bolder and come up with more creative solutions - together.
  • We are going to re-imagine our district in a way that benefits us and the rest of Los Angeles.
Environmental justice, clean & renewable energy, justice for our immigrant community, homelessness & housing, social safety net programs, improving access to quality education and making our world a more sustainable, more equitable, and more compassionate place.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2018

Campaign website

DeLeón's campaign website stated the following:

Leader on the Environment and Clean Energy

With his leadership and landmark legislation, Senator de León has established California’s reputation as a recognized global leader in the battle against climate change and a pioneer in creating a clean energy economy.

He played a central role in crafting a bipartisan deal this year to extend California’s cap-and-trade program with $1 billion of the generated revenue to tackle diesel pollution and bolster electrification of our transportation and vehicles.

Continuing steady progress in energy efficiency, Kevin has put California on a path to 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 – the largest state in the nation to do so – with an eye toward becoming 100 percent renewable by 2045.

California is by far the nation’s clean-energy leader and it is paying workforce dividends with the creation of well over 500,000 clean energy jobs in the Golden State – 10 times more than there are coal jobs in the entire nation.

With SB 1275 (2014), he created a rebate initiative to make electric cars more accessible to working families with the goal of placing one million low-emission vehicles on the road.

Recognizing the disproportionate suffering from pollution and climate change in disadvantaged communities, Senator de León successfully passed SB 535 (2012) which requires California to spend at least 25 percent of cap-and-trade revenue to benefit low-income communities. This law is resulting in new transit, energy efficiency, renewable energy and affordable housing projects across the state.

Also in 2012, Senator de León co-chaired the successful Proposition 39 campaign closing a corporate-tax loophole and creating a $2.5 billion revenue fund for energy-efficiency upgrades in schools.

Exemplifying his longtime commitment to increasing access to the environment, Kevin’s first legislative measure when he arrived in Sacramento allocated park funds for communities lacking parks and green space, resulting in 126 park projects across the state - the largest initiative of its kind in the nation.

Tackling pollution in his district, Senator de León was instrumental in bringing attention and accountability to the hazardous pollution caused by the Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon, which for years had operated illegally while contaminating nearby communities with lead, arsenic, and other toxins. Senator de León has since secured millions of dollars for cleanup, while implementing oversight and reform measures at the Department of Toxic Substance Control to prevent similar future occurrences.

Kevin’s record on the environment and energy has been studied by international leaders as they lay out their own steps to confront climate change and build clean-energy economies. He led the California delegation to the U.N. Climate Talks in Peru and Morocco and accompanied Governor Brown to Paris in 2015 to showcase California’s landmark accomplishments.

Transportation, Housing and Infrastructure

The road to California’s future infrastructure has long been in disrepair. This year, Senator de León led the Legislature in creating solutions that will benefit future generations of Californians.

He was instrumental in shepherding SB 1 (Beall) into law this year, making an additional $5.4 billion a year investment in road, freeway, bridge and transit projects over the next decade. The result will be lower commute times, safer roads and job creation.

Senator de León also this year successfully passed SB 5, giving Californians the opportunity to make long-overdue investments in our parks and flood-control infrastructure with a $4 billion general obligation bond measure on the June 2018 ballot.

At a time when homeownership in California is at its lowest point since the 1940’s, Senator de León led the Senate in moving legislation to fund new development, streamline approval processes, strengthen existing laws, and create more local accountability to build new housing and increase homeownership across the Golden State.

Focusing on the most vulnerable, like returning veterans and the homeless, the Senate passed landmark measures to help those with the fewest options when it comes to housing.

In 2016, Senator de León championed the “No Place Like Home” initiative, an innovative and ambitious proposal to address homelessness in California by securing $2 billion in bond financing for construction and rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless Californians suffering from mental illness.

Immigrant Protection

With a firm understanding in the contributions of the undocumented community to California’s culture and economy, Kevin has led the fight against local law enforcement being commandeered to enforce federal immigration laws. This year, he passed SB 54, the California Values Act, which prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies, including school police and security departments, from using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest people for immigration enforcement purposes.

The bill also directs the state Attorney General to develop model policies to be implemented by public schools, libraries, hospitals, courthouses and other public facilities that would limit “to the fullest extent possible” assistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

With President Trump's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, Senator de León was instrumental in negotiating $30 million to assist the nearly 250,000 Dreamers in California with legal services as well as “safety net” funding to help DACA students stay in school should they become unable to work to support their education.

In 2015, Senator de León led a bicameral coalition to sponsor legislation that addresses lapses in our justice and labor systems creating serious challenges for the California’s immigrant community, including stronger wage theft laws, securing u-visas from law enforcement, and providing healthcare for undocumented children. In 2013, he brokered a compromise with Governor Jerry Brown to ensure signage of a law which allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, gain access to insurance, and step out of the shadow economy.

Before joining the Legislature, Senator de León taught citizenship courses to immigrants and led opposition to 1994’s Proposition 187, a voter-approved statewide initiative that denied government services to undocumented immigrants.

Voice for the Working Class

Senator de León was a lead negotiator with Governor Jerry Brown and the state’s unions to secure a $15 minimum wage in California, and then shepherded the legislation through both houses to the Governor’s desk.

He overcame powerful opposition from Wall Street to pass SB 1234, which created Secure Choice retirement-savings program for California’s private-sector low-income workers. Secure Choice was the first automatic IRA program of its kind in the nation and will help millions of Californians achieve retirement security when fully implemented.

Senator de León has also authored workers’ compensation reform that lowered insurance costs for businesses, while increasing workers’ benefits. He also authored legislation that strengthens the Labor Commissioner’s authority in tackling the scourge of wage theft in cities across California - especially Los Angeles which has been dubbed the “Wage Theft Capital of the U.S.”

Senator de León also negotiated the expansion of California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, replacing the program’s lottery system with a process that quantifies job creation and economic benefits to the state’s economy.

Women's Advocate

When Planned Parenthood advocated this year for an increase in higher Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for reproductive health care, Senator de León carried their fight into budget negotiations and secured $50 million from Proposition 56 tobacco tax revenue.

Guided by a strong belief in a woman’s right to control her own health care, Senator de León has been stalwart defender for preserving federal funding for family planning as a Republican-led Congress continues to target Planned Parenthood for defunding.

Senator de León’s strong and unwavering advocacy for access and choice has been recognized by Planned Parenthood with a consistent 100 percent voting record and numerous awards, with special recognition in 2014 for legislative leadership.

Alarmed by the serious problem posed nationwide by sexual violence on college campuses, Senator de León set out to find solutions for California.

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. He followed up with legislation in 2015 that requires public high schools teaching health education classes to include sexual assault prevention in their curricula.

Also in 2015, he empowered women in the workforce with state budget funding for thousands of more slots for subsidized child cares.

Public Safety and Negotiating the Budget

Throughout his decade in the legislature, Senator de León has fought for sensible gun control. In 2016, he led the charge to enact the most stringent gun control policies in a generation, including his groundbreaking SB 1235 requiring background checks for anyone who buys or sells ammunition.

In three years serving as the Senate’s lead in negotiating the budget, Senator de León has secured critical investments that strengthen the bookends of a student’s educational career, pushing for new investments in childcare and higher education. Under his leadership, California has added over 20,000 additional slots for California students in the University of California and the California State University. Both budgets during his tenure as Senate leader have been delivered on time, provided protective reserves, paid down debt, provided relief funding for the drought, and wisely invested in children and working families.[9]

—Kevin de León for U.S. Senate[10]

Campaign ads

The following is an example of an ad from DeLeon's 2018 election campaign.

"Leading" - Change California Now ad, released May 18, 2018

Committee assignments

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

California committee assignments, 2017
Rules, Chair
Rules

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, de León served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, de León served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, De León serves on these committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, De León served on these committees while a member of the California State Assembly:

Issues

Legislative scorecard

Capitol Weekly, California's major weekly periodical covering the state legislature, publishes an annual legislative scorecard to pin down the political or ideological leanings of every member of the legislature based on how they voted on an assortment of bills in the most recent legislative session. The 2009 scores were based on votes on 19 bills, but did not include how legislators voted on the Proposition 1A (2009). On the scorecard, "100" is a perfect liberal score and "0" is a perfect conservative score.[11][12]

On the 2009 Capitol Weekly legislative scorecard, De León ranked as a 94.[13]

Ballot measure committee

De León sponsors a campaign committee called "Believing in a Better California." In 2011-2012, the committee raised $188,150 and spent $168,385. Of the $168,385 that was spent, $35,400 (about 21%) went to help pass or defeat ballot measures.[14]

De León took four trips to Las Vegas with funds from "Believing in a Better California." According to an investigative report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, while in Las Vegas he attended "marquee prizefights and host glitzy fundraisers, in one case handing out boxing gloves with his autograph to Sacramento lobbyists in attendance."[14]

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Campaign donors


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Kevin de León campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2018U.S. Senate CaliforniaLost general$1,813,507 $1,775,218
2014California State Senate, District 24Won $2,756,665 N/A**
2010California State Senate, District 22Won $846,803 N/A**
2008California State Assembly, District 45Won $1,182,646 N/A**
2006California State Assembly, District 45Won $1,174,156 N/A**
Grand total$7,773,777 $1,775,218
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

2018


2014

De León won re-election to the California State Senate in 2014. During that election cycle, De León raised a total of $863,862.

2010

In 2010, de León raised $846,803 in contributions.[15]

His four largest contributors were:

Donor Amount
AT&T $15,800
California State Pipe Trades Council $15,600
California Association Of Realtors $15,600
California Teachers Association $15,600

2008

De León's top five campaign contributors in the 2008 election were:[16]

Contributor 2008 total
California Teachers Association $14,400
SEIU California State Council $14,400
Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters $14,400
Electrical Workers Local 11 $12,200
Southern CA Pipe Trades District Council 16 $12,000

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in California

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of California scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.








2018

In 2018, the California State Legislature was in session from January 3, 2018 through August 31, 2018.

Legislators are scored on their votes on labor issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the chamber.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on "policy that will support a healthy, just and resilient agriculture and food system."
Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to labor.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
Legislators are scored on "how they voted in accord with CMTA."
Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to the interests of consumers.
Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's position legislation.
Legislators are scored on their votes on issues pertaining to children.
Legislators are scored on their votes on issues pertaining to children.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the interests of seniors.
Legislators are scored on their votes on behavioral health issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on LGBT issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to the interests of health care consumers.
Legislators are scored on how they voted on taxpayer related issues.
Legislators are scored on how they voted on bills related to the interests of California cities.
Legislators are scored on their votes on the organization's priority legislation.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the interests of home care providers.


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012

See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
Edward Hernandez (D)
California State Senate District 24
2014-2018
Succeeded by
Maria Elena Durazo (D)
Preceded by
Gilbert Cedillo
California State Senate District 22
2010–2014
Succeeded by
Edward Hernandez (D)
Preceded by
-
California State Assembly District 45
2006–2010
Succeeded by
Gilbert Cedillo


Current members of the California State Senate
Leadership
Minority Leader:Brian Jones
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