Gilbert Cedillo has proven himself as a public servant who brings people together to make strong public policy. In May 2013, Gil Cedillo was elected to the Los Angeles Council, representing the First Council District. He was re-elected in 2017 with an overwhelming margin to continue serving the people of CD1.
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 one hundred bills that were signed into law by four different Governors including Pete Wilson, Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jerry Brown. Most were groundbreaking and innovative 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 Angeles, 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.
Cedillo exceeded the City Council’s pledge to build 222 units of permanent supportive housing and has built 902 units—680 over the goal, in addition to the 810 existing permanent supportive housing units, being second highest among 13 other districts in this effort.
Councilmember Cedillo’s commitment to tenant protections is evident by updates he has made to the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), making it one of the strongest ordinances in the nation in defense of tenant 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.
Councilmember Cedillo’s legendary defense of immigrant rights earned him the top position on the newly created Committee on Immigrant Affairs, Civil Rights and Equity. As Chair of this committee, Councilmember Cedillo has led the charge to create the LA Justice Fund—providing resources to defend Angelenos in immigration proceedings, advocated for a just street vending ordinance that moves away from criminalization, worked with LAPD to strengthen Special Order 40—which limits the City’s relationship with ICE enforcement, and helped create a Civil and Human Rights Ordinance, which will create a new commission to deliberate violations.
Councilmember Cedillo is also a member of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Police Reform, where he is doing what is right as we are considering the changes we need to make, as we redefine and reimagine the police in our City. He was also selected as a member of the Ad-Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment because of the tremendous resources he provided his constituents during the first three months of the pandemic including delivering 500,000 pounds of produce, 150,000 hot meals, 10,000 face coverings, 7,000 diapers, 2,770 pounds of salmon, 1,000 food truck meals, 2,460 gallons of hand sanitizer, 1,000 baby product packages, 40 gallons of surface disinfectant, and 25 newly activated food distribution programs.
Councilmember Cedillo grew up in the Boyle Heights community of Los Angeles and attended Roosevelt High School. He graduated from the University of California Los Angeles with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology in 1977 and received a Juris Doctor degree from the Peoples College of Law in 1983. Prior to his public service, he worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 660, Los Angeles County's largest union, where he served as general manager from 1990 to 1996. He has a son and two lovely granddaughters.