Gil Cedillo Talks Leadership, Dream Act in Echo Park

As the sun set on a warm September evening, community members gathered in the courtyard of the agency to meet with state Assemblymember Gil Cedillo.

Cedillo represents the 45th district, which includes portions of the east side of Los Angeles, including Echo Park and Silver Lake.

Cedillo switched between Spanish and English as he spoke, translating questions and comments for all members of the community.

He cited a “lack of leadership” as the cause of our problems, because this is “a rich state in a rich country.” Leaders are not always willing to do what is “right but not popular.”

Cedillo went on to cite his accomplishments in the recent legislative session, such as the Dream Act. The second party awaits Governor Brown's signature now.

“If you want to work hard and study, I want to support you,” Cedillo said regarding the law. “It’s simple.”

Cedillo also mentoned AB 211, which Cedillo dubbed Jesse’s Law. This awards permanently injured workers the opportunity to retrain and rejoin the work force with a $5,000 education grant and a computer.

And Cedillo pointed to the “peace agreement” between South Pasadena and Alhambra for a tunnel to relieve traffic congestion.

Cedillo also fielded audience questions about senior citizen services, immigration reform and what he summed up as “la licensia”, or driver’s licensing for undocumented immigrants.

Mark Gallucci, owner of , was attending his first meeting hosted by Cedillo. He attended because Fix is “in the process of reaching out to the community.”

Linda Tong, a graduate of LACC, first met Cedillo while protesting his office. “He’s always been an avid supporter of student rights,” she said, and laughed as she recounted how he came out of his office to join the protestors. Tong herself was a student leader for years at LACC.

El Centro del Pueblos’s executive director Sandra Figueroa opened the evening’s program. Nearly 50 people turned out, snacking on pastries and fruit before the event.