Season 1, Episode 18

 

Buen Hombre: Gil Cedillo

Union Organizer, Los Angeles Councilman, Undocumented Immigrants Rights Advocate

Gil Cedillo started his activism career as a union organizer from Los Angele’s Boyle Heights neighborhood and has become a reckoning force within the democratic party and is most well known for authoring the California DREAM act. He has also worked on increasing and expanding access to health care, developing regional solutions to combat homelessness, and encouraging economic development in his Downtown Los Angeles district. Gil Cedillo is a member of the Council of La Raza.

Councilmember Gil Cedillo brings 15 years of legislative experience to the City Council.  Having served as a member of the State Assembly and Senate, he authored over a hundred bills that were signed into law by four different Governors that include Pete Wilson, Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jerry Brown. Most were groundbreaking and innovative pieces of legislation that included cleaning up California’s brownfields, state oversight and fair share zoning for transitional and emergency homeless shelters (SB 2), workers’ right to organize (AB 1889), Downtown Rebound (AB 2870), and the California Dream Act (AB 130 and 131). His long running legislation to grant drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants (AB60) was finally signed into law by Governor Brown on October 3, 2013, nine months after he was termed out of state office.

Councilmember Cedillo’s advocacy on behalf of underserved communities is legendary. His causes have ranged from becoming a formidable counterweight to the inhumane crusade against undocumented families, to his unwavering support for Filipino American World War II veterans, the uninsured, low-income and working families, the homeless, and AB 540 “dream” students. He has worked diligently to mainstream all of their agendas, one community at a time.

 As Chair of the Housing Committee, Councilmember Cedillo continues to advocate for equity while expanding tenant rights. He was the first to declare a ‘Housing Crisis’ in Los Angles, citing decades of neglecting to build the housing necessary to meet demand. He is committed to building 100,000 units of housing over the next ten years, promoting smart growth to help revitalize our neighborhoods and create jobs, while stabilizing neighborhoods with the creation and protection of affordable housing.

 Councilmember Cedillo’s commitment to tenant protections is evident by updates he’s made to the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), making it one of the strongest ordinances in the nation in defense of tent rights. To protect from increasing rents and displacement, Councilmember Cedillo has clarified tenant buy out agreements (Cash for Keys), implemented a Rent Registry to track rents and prevent illegal increases, made 14 amendments to protect tenants and clarify the role of landlords, and made Ellis Act amendments to avoid abuse of the law and stop illegal evictions.

Hosts & Guests

Enrique Morones

Gil Cedillo

Production/Editing/Direction

Sarah Bella Mondragon

Resources

http://www.gilcedillo.com/

Location/Sponsor

https://borderxbrewing.com/

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About This Episide

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