(Please welcome Senator Gil Cedillo, candidate for Congress in CA-32, to Calitics. – promoted by Dante Atkins (hekebolos))

President Barack Obama’s selection of Hilda Solis as Labor Secretary demonstrated his commitment to both labor rights and the progressive community.  As an early endorser of Barack Obama and one of the founders of Latinos for Obama, it is wonderful to see our President assemble such a diverse and talented cabinet.  Secretary Solis, who has dedicated her career to fighting for working class families, will be a vital asset to this historic Presidency.  

The selection of Hilda Solis as Labor Secretary has also created a vacancy in the 32nd Congressional District, and I would be honored to represent East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley in Congress during this unique and historic time.  I am equally honored by the endorsements I have received from over 100 current and former elected officials, including Supervisor Gloria Molina, Senator Gloria Romero, Sheriff Lee Baca, and Former Assemblymember Ed Chavez.  

I have deep roots in the San Gabriel Valley and I have spent my entire career fighting for our community at a grass roots level.  As General Manager for SEIU Local 660 in the early 1990s, I fought to save thousands of jobs in the area by working to keep libraries and youth programs from closing and playing a central role in securing federal assistance to keep General Hospital open.  

Like President Obama, I understand firsthand that real change comes from working together and focusing on what unites us rather than on what divides us.  Upon being elected to the California State Legislature in 1998, I continued my fight to protect the interests of the most vulnerable members of our society and those that have no political voice. Throughout my career as both a member of the State Assembly and the State Senate, I have been one of California’s most forceful progressive advocates on issues regarding immigration reform, expansion of healthcare and improving public education.

While I am proud of my advocacy for immigrants, in particular my fight to allow the undocumented to obtain driver’s licenses, my work extends far beyond that.  As a product of the labor movement, I have worked tirelessly to elevate the stature of the labor movement and understand firsthand the importance of the right to organize.  As a member of the Legislature, I successfully passed a bill to require local governments to recognize unions based on card-check.  I also successfully passed legislation to stop contractors from using state taxpayer money to bust unions, and I proudly signed a pledge to support the Employee Free Choice Act.  In fact three bills that I successfully passed in the California Legislature were executive orders by President Obama in the early days of his Presidency.

I was an early supporter of President Obama because of his ability to energize people and inspire hope in the political process through the power of community organizing.  I am proud to have a tremendous groundswell of grass roots support for my campaign.  It will be an honor to take up this fight for the people of California’s 32th Congressional District and join President Obama in bringing about real change in Washington, D.C.  

I would be proud to have your support.  As a former community organizer, I understand first hand that campaigns are won on the ground, with support from thousands of committed volunteers.  If you have the time over the next 30 days, please click here to visit www.gilcedillo.com to volunteer or make a contribution to my campaign.  

The Special Primary Election is on May 19th and I would greatly appreciate your support.