Senate candidate Kevin de Leon speaks at the Benicia Public Library. (Photo by Pat Toth-Smith)

By Pat Toth-Smith
Special to the Herald

“My core values are inclusivity, diversity, respecting human and civil rights, and I have a track record of growing the economy and putting people to work,” U.S. Senate candidate Kevin de Leon said when asked what strengths he would bring to the job. He passionately continued, “I’m also a product of the ‘California Dream’ by being the youngest child of an immigrant mother who had a third-grade education.  Nowhere else is it possible, to end up leading the California State Senate, and now I’m a Democratic candidate for the Senate from the great State of California.”
Candidate de Leon spoke at the Progressive Democrats of Benicia meeting on April 10 in a packed Dona Benicia Room at the Benicia Public Library.
De Leon has served in the California state legislature_for the past 11 years, including four years as the state Senate’s President prop tempore.  Of the many bills that de Leon has sponsored in Sacramento, he is most proud of Senate Bill (SB) 350 the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act, which would increase California’s renewable energy mix to 50 percent by 2030.
He added, “I’m also proud of SB 1234 the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program, the Fair Wage Act of 2016 which established a $15 an hour minimum wage and SB 967 which established that ‘yes means yes’ versus ‘no means no’ defining sexual consent in the California college system.”
When asked how he would deal with the Trump administration, he replied, “When Trump wasn’t elected by the popular vote, I decided to help lead the resistance. I co-sponsored Senate Bill 49 which takes four major federal national laws, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act and enshrines them into California state law. Then once they become law that set in place a legal showdown with EPA chief (Scott Pruitt) or anyone who tries to eviscerate these measures that were passed by both the Democratic and Republican Congresses.”
During his appearance, de Leon frequently criticized his opponent, incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein, mentioning her support of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and trying minors as adults.  In contrast, he said he was opposed to these measures and many other votes Feinstein has taken in her many years representing California.  This annoyed some members of the audience, who spoke out during the question and answer portion of the meeting.
When asked about the deportations occurring under the Trump administration, de Leon said, “Local law enforcement should not be called to abandon their job of protecting our communities in order to support a federal deportation program that hurts our state.”
De Leon is credited with authoring  SB 54, the California Values Act, also known as the “Sanctuary Cities” act which ensures that no state or local resources are diverted to fuel any attempt by the federal government to carry out mass deportations; and that California schools, hospitals, and courthouses are safe spaces for everyone in our community.

Pat-Toth Smith is a Benicia resident.

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