Pete Aguilar

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Pete Aguilar
Pete Aguilar Official Portrait, 115th Congress.jpg
Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byKatherine Clark
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 31st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded byGary Miller
Mayor of Redlands
In office
December 7, 2010 – December 2, 2014
Preceded byPat Gilbreath
Succeeded byPaul Foster
Member of the Redlands City Council
In office
April 19, 2006 – December 15, 2014
Preceded bySusan Peppler
Succeeded byJohn James
Personal details
Born
Peter Rey Aguilar

(1979-06-19) June 19, 1979 (age 42)
Fontana, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Alisha Aguilar
Children2
ResidenceRedlands, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Redlands (B.S.)
WebsiteHouse website

Peter Rey Aguilar /ˈæɡjəˌlɑːr/ (born June 19, 1979) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative from California's 31st congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as mayor of Redlands, California from 2010 to 2014 and as the president of the Inland Empire Division of the League of California Cities.[1][2][3] Aguilar served on the Redlands City Council from 2006 until his election to Congress.[4][5]

Aguilar is the vice chair in the House Democratic Caucus and is the highest ranking Latino in Congress.[6]

Early life and education[]

Aguilar was born in Fontana, California and grew up in a working-class family in San Bernardino, California.[7] He graduated from the University of Redlands, where he studied government and business administration.[8]

Career[]

Aguilar began his career in public service in 2001 when then-California Governor Gray Davis appointed him Deputy Director of the Inland Empire Regional Office of the governor, eventually becoming the Interim Director. In 2006, Aguilar became the youngest member of the Redlands City Council in the city's 126-year history when five council members, Democrat and Republican, picked him out of 11 candidates to fill an open seat. He was elected a year later. His fellow council members appointed him mayor in 2010 and again in 2012.[9][10] As mayor, Aguilar was regarded for his professionalism, leadership during difficult financial times, balancing the city budget while building financial reserves, road improvements, government transparency, and fair treatment of municipal employees.[4][11] Aguilar served as mayor and councilman until December 2014.[12]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Elections[]

California's 31st congressional district became more favorable for the Democratic Party as a result of redistricting following the 2010 Census.[13] The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district D+5. In January 2012, Aguilar announced he would run for the seat held by incumbent Republican Gary Miller.[14] Although the top Democratic vote-getter, with 22.6% of the vote, he finished behind Miller and Robert Dutton, the California State Senate Republican Leader. Because of California's open primary, both Republicans advanced to the November general election.[15] In March 2013, Aguilar announced he would run again for election from California's 31st congressional district.[16] In the June 2014 primary, Aguilar finished second, qualifying for the November general election[17] where he defeated Republican Paul Chabot with 51.4% of the vote.[18] Aguilar defeated Chabot again in the 2016 general election with 56.1% of the vote.[19]

In the 2018 primaries, Aguilar ran against Democratic challenger Kaiser Ahmed [20] and Sean Flynn, a Republican economist and aikido artist.[21] Aguilar narrowly defeated Flynn with 45.96% to 45.45% percentages. Ahmed received 8.59% of votes.[22] In the general election, Aguilar garnered 58.7% of the vote, with Flynn trailing behind at 41.3% [23]

Legislation[]

California's 31st congressional district, which Aguilar has represented since 2015.

Aguilar's time in Congress has focused on immigration, job creation, trade practices, gun control, national security, LGBT issues, veteran affairs, drug prevention, student loan debt, and environmental protection. Aguilar has supported legislation to attract individuals in the cybersecurity field to join the military;[24] prevent discrimination against LGBT people by government contractors;[25] provide funding for homeless veterans;[26] and provide funding for research into opioid addiction.[27] He has introduced the Grace Period Alleviation (GPA) Act, which would give college graduates an optional grace period before beginning to repay certain types of loans.[28] With Senator Dianne Feinstein and Republican Congressman Paul Cook, Aguilar introduced legislation to protect the habitat along the Santa Ana River.[29] Aguilar has vowed to fight the repeal of the Affordable Care Act,[30] and to protect women's reproductive rights.[31] In addition, he has worked closely with law enforcement and local, state and federal officials and agencies to help communities recover costs incurred from the emergency response to the 2015 San Bernardino attack,[32] which took place in Aguilar's district,[33] and helped secure additional funding for survivors of the attack.[34]

Immigration

During the Obama Administration, Aguilar supported expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for undocumented children and creating the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program.[35] Aguilar introduced the Academic Success Centers and Education Networks for Dreamers (ASCEND) Act, which would establish grants for college and university programs and services to benefit undocumented students.[36] While Aguilar voted in favor of legislation that would effectively halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the United States, citing national security concerns,[37] he subsequently criticized President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order as "xenophobic" and said it sent a message of "hate and bigotry to the rest of the world."[38] Aguilar criticized President Trump and his staff for citing the 2015 San Bernardino attack in defending the President's executive order.[39] In 2018, with Republican Congressman Will Hurd, Aguilar authored legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and addresses border protection concerns.[40]

Job creation

Aguilar released a job-creation initiative for his district that includes cutting taxes on small businesses, investing in infrastructure, expanding job-training programs, expanding Pell Grants, increasing the minimum wage, and equal pay for women.[41] He has introduced a number of bills into Congress focusing on small businesses, including legislation to provide tax credits to small businesses for on-the-job training expenses,[42] tax credits for small business for full-time newly hired employees,[43] legislation to make it easier for small businesses to repay loans,[44] and legislation making it easier for small businesses to advertise job openings.[45] Aguilar annually hosts a jobs fair that connects job-seekers with employers in his district.[46] Additionally, in April 2017, Pete started a quarterly "Job For a Day" tour where he works throughout the Inland Empire doing jobs such as train conducting for Metrolink, sorting Goodwill donations, and bagging groceries at local markets.[47][48][49] The goal of the tour is to interact with community members directly and learn about the daily operations of local businesses.

In 2017, he introduced a bill that would provide active-duty service members and reservists access to training for commercial drivers’ licenses granted by the FAST Act.[50] Aguilar authored the Active Duty Voluntary Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment (ADVANCE) Act, which President Trump signed into law in 2018.[51] Aguilar authored the OPPORTUNITY (Offering Promising Persons Occupations Relevant To Upholding National Interests For Years) Act, which Trump signed into law in 2018. The bill connects students of color with the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship program.[52]

Trade policy

Aguilar introduced the Displaced Jobs Relief Act, which increases authorization of funds for the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms program (TAA-F) to help businesses that have been negatively impacted by trade. He has urged the United States International Trade Commission to find that imported steel subsidized by Korea, Mexico and Turkey creates unfair competition and hurts steel manufacturers in his congressional district.[53]

Gun control

Aguilar has advocated for reforms to curb gun violence[54][55] by closing loopholes that terrorists have used to obtain guns[56] and banning assault weapons.[57] Following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Aguilar participated in the 2016 United States House of Representatives sit-in to show support for gun control legislation.[58]

Committee assignments[]

Caucus membership[]

Aguilar announced his candidacy for Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus in September 2018, but was defeated by Rep. Katherine Clark (MA-05) by a vote of 144–90.[64] Following a vote of 148-82, he defeated Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) for the no. 6 spot in the House Democratic Caucus.[65] The position became vacant following Rep. Clark's decision to successfully run for Assistant Speaker in the House Democratic Caucus.

Campaign finance[]

Congressman Aguilar's top contributors throughout his career have been JStreet PAC, League of Conservation Voters, Credit Union National Association, Matich Corporation, and New World Medical. Since 2011, he has not contributed personally to his own campaign, and relies mostly on individual contributions from community members. He has obtained nearly $5.3 million in contributions from individuals (63.86% of total donations). Top donations are generally from Democrats, but also include lawyers and law firms, Leadership PACs, and labor unions. His total career campaign donations amount to $8.2 million.[66]

Personal life[]

Aguilar has lived in Redlands, California since 1997. He and his wife, Alisha, have two sons.[67]

Electoral history[]

2020 • 2018 • 2016 • 2014

2020[]

California's 31st congressional district election, 2020[68][69]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Pete Aguilar (incumbent) 81,994 62.1
Republican Agnes Gibboney 49,889 37.8
No party preference Eugene Weems (write-in) 51 0.0
Total votes 131,934 100.0
General election
Democratic Pete Aguilar (incumbent) 175,315 61.3
Republican Agnes Gibboney 110,735 38.7
Total votes 286,050 100.0
Democratic hold

2018[]

California's 31st congressional district election, 2018[70][71]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Pete Aguilar (incumbent) 41,337 45.9
Republican Sean Flynn 40,622 45.1
Democratic Kaisar Ahmed 8,108 9.0
Total votes 90,067 100.0
General election
Democratic Pete Aguilar (incumbent) 110,143 58.7
Republican Sean Flynn 77,352 41.3
Total votes 187,495 100.0
Democratic hold

2016[]

California's 31st congressional district election, 2016[72][73]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Pete Aguilar (incumbent) 48,518 43.1
Republican Paul Chabot 25,534 22.7
Republican Joe Baca 14,020 12.4
Democratic Kaisar Ahmed 12,418 11.0
Republican Sean Flynn 12,130 10.8
Total votes 112,620 100.0
General election
Democratic Pete Aguilar (incumbent) 121,070 56.1
Republican Paul Chabot 94,866 43.9
Total votes 215,936 100.0
Democratic hold

2014[]

California's 31st congressional district election, 2014[74][75]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Paul Chabot 14,163 26.6
Democratic Pete Aguilar 9,242 17.4
Republican Lesli Gooch 9,033 17.0
Democratic Eloise Reyes 8,461 15.9
Democratic Joe Baca 5,954 11.2
Democratic Danny Tillman 4,659 8.7
Republican Ryan Downing 1,737 3.3
Total votes 53,249 100.0
General election
Democratic Pete Aguilar 51,622 51.7
Republican Paul Chabot 48,162 48.3
Total votes 99,784 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Unknown. "About the Inland Empire Division of the League of California Cities". League of California Cities. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  2. ^ Glenn, Stacia (2006-04-19). "Council Selects Aguilar". Redlands Daily Facts. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  3. ^ Santschi, Darrell R. (2010-11-03). "Mayors Defeated in Colton and Redlands". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pete Aguilar resigns from Redlands City Council". December 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Emerson, Sandra. "Redlands City Council Selects John James to Fill Vacancy".
  6. ^ "Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, elected to leadership role in Congress". San Bernardino Sun. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  7. ^ "About Pete - Pete Aguilar for U.S. Congress". www.peteaguilar.com. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  8. ^ "City Elected Officials Information Page". City of Redlands. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  9. ^ Gamboa, Suzanne. "Young Latino Mayor Pete Aguilar Could Turn a Red House Seat Blue".
  10. ^ Sears, Jan. "Redlands: Council elects new mayor". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  11. ^ Tenorino, Gina. "Redlands Mayor Aguilar Announces Second Congressional Run".
  12. ^ Emerson, Sandra. "Pete Aguilar resigns from Redlands City Council".
  13. ^ "California's 31st Congressional District elections, 2012 - Ballotpedia". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  14. ^ Goad, Ben. "Elections: Redlands mayor announces congressional bid". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  15. ^ Nathan L. Gonzales (March 18, 2013). "On the Trail: After 2012 disappointment, Aguilar readies re-run". NBCLatino.com. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  16. ^ Cappis, Greg (April 1, 2013). "Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar announces another bid for Congress". The Redlands Daily Facts. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  17. ^ Hagen, Ryan (June 5, 2014). "Democrat Pete Aguilar advances to general election in 31st Congressional District". The Redlands Daily Facts. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014.
  18. ^ "California Election Results 2014: House Map by District, Live Midterm Voting Updates".
  19. ^ "Live updates after the 2016 election: Protests, concessions and rebounding stocks". Retrieved 21 June 2017 – via LA Times.
  20. ^ "Kaisar Ahmed For Congress".
  21. ^ "About Sean".
  22. ^ "U.S. Congressional Races: June 2018 California Primary Election Results". KCRA. June 6, 2018.
  23. ^ "Election 2020 :: California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov.
  24. ^ "Aguilar Passes Critical Cybersecurity Amendment through House of Representatives". Highland Community News.
  25. ^ "Aguilar Passes National Security Amendments through House of Representatives". Highland Community News.
  26. ^ "Aguilar Announced Federal Funds to Combat Veteran Homelessness in San Bernardino County - California RealEstateRama".
  27. ^ "Aguilar Supports Bipartisan Measures to Combat Opioid Epidemic". Highland Community News.
  28. ^ "Rep. Pete Aguilar introduces bill to make student loans easier to repay". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  29. ^ "Feinstein Introduces Bill to Protect Habitat Along Santa Ana River". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  30. ^ "Aguilar Joins Congressional Hispanic Caucus to Warn House Republicans of Consequences of Repealing the Affordable Care Act". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  31. ^ "Aguilar Pledges to Remain Fierce Advocate for Women's Reproductive Rights". 23 January 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  32. ^ "Aguilar Reflects on San Bernardino Community Six Months After Terrorist Attack". Highland Community News.
  33. ^ Wire, Sarah. "A shooting back home: Congress reacts to another tragedy".
  34. ^ "$4 million in funding announced for San Bernardino terror attack survivors, family of victims". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  35. ^ Aguilar, Pete. "Immigration policy, rhetoric need improvement".
  36. ^ "What would 31st Congressional District candidates Aguilar, Chabot do about immigration?". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  37. ^ Times, Los Angeles. "Inside the Syrian refugee vote: California representatives explain what shaped their votes".
  38. ^ "Aguilar Condemns Trump's Unconstitutional Actions". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  39. ^ "Essential Politics: State Senate committee moves to assist immigrants, what California's members of Congress are saying about Trump's executive order". Retrieved 21 June 2017 – via LA Times.
  40. ^ Molina, Alejandra. "Uncertainty over DACA program? Rep. Pete Aguilar says he has bipartisan solution". The San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  41. ^ "Aguilar Highlights Job-Creating Initiatives One Year After Jobs Plan".
  42. ^ "On-the-Job Training Tax Credit Act of 2015 (2015 - H.R. 2431)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  43. ^ "Small Business Jobs Act of 2015 (2015 - H.R. 3198)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  44. ^ "Small Business Lending Assistance Act of 2016 (2016 - H.R. 5029)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  45. ^ "JOBS Act (2016 - H.R. 5508)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  46. ^ "Inland Empire Jobs Fair will be held Friday, July 22". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  47. ^ "Rep. Aguilar rides the rails on latest "Job for a Day" tour stop". Congressman Pete Aguilar. October 24, 2018.
  48. ^ McIntyre, Doug (June 2, 2017). "Next stop on Aguilar's 'Job For A Day' tour at Goodwill store in Rancho Cucamonga". SB Sun.
  49. ^ "Rep. Pete Aguilar bags groceries for a day as part of Inland Empire tour". Congressman Pete Aguilar. July 7, 2017.
  50. ^ "Aguilar Bill to Connect Active-Duty Service Members and Reservists with Inland Empire Jobs Moves Forward". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  51. ^ "Aguilar's ADVANCE Act signed into law". Highland Community News. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  52. ^ "Aguilar's Bill to Expand Access to DoD Cyber Scholarship Program Signed into Law". Congressman Pete Aguilar. August 15, 2018.
  53. ^ "Aguilar Testifies Before U.S. Trade Commission In Support of Rancho Cucamonga Manufacturer Impacted By Unfair Trade Practices". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  54. ^ "Aguilar Calls for Commonsense Reforms to Curb Gun Violence".
  55. ^ Wire, Sarah. "California Democrats push Congress, again, for gun control votes".
  56. ^ Horseman, Jeff. "Pete Aguilar joins call for closing 'terrorist loophole'".
  57. ^ "In Case You Missed It: Reducing gun violence is not a partisan issue". 23 February 2016.
  58. ^ "CONGRESS: Social media 'huge' for sit-in, Aguilar says – Press Enterprise". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  59. ^ "Committees and Caucuses". 13 December 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  60. ^ "Aguilar Named Assistant Whip of House Democratic Caucus". 4 January 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  61. ^ "Members". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  62. ^ "Members". Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  63. ^ "90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members". Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  64. ^ March, Mary Tyler (November 28, 2018). "Clark wins spot as Dem Caucus vice chair". TheHill.
  65. ^ "California Rep. Pete Aguilar wins vice chair position in House Democratic leadership". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
  66. ^ "Rep. Pete Aguilar - California District 31". OpenSecrets.org.
  67. ^ "Pete Aguilar (D-CA-31)". Tea Party Cheer. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  68. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-primary/sov/126-us-rep-congress.pdf
  69. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-general/sov/24-us-reps.pdf
  70. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2018-primary/sov/82-congress.pdf
  71. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2018-general/sov/48-congress.pdf
  72. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2016-primary/90-us-reps-formatted.pdf
  73. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2016-general/sov/26-us-reps-formatted.pdf
  74. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2014-primary/pdf/63-congress.pdf
  75. ^ https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2014-general/pdf/43-congress.pdf

External links[]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Gary Miller 		Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 31st congressional district
2015–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Katherine Clark 		Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
2021–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Ed Case 		United States representatives by seniority
206th 		Succeeded by
Rick W. Allen
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California's delegation(s) to the 114th–present United States Congress (ordered by seniority)
114th
Senate:
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  • R. Ruiz
  • E. Swalwell
  • M. Takano
  • D. Valadao
  • J. Vargas
  • P. Aguilar
  • M. DeSaulnier
  • S. Knight
  • T. Lieu
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115th
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  • ▌D. Feinstein (D)
  • ▌K. Harris (D)
House:
116th
Senate:
  • ▌D. Feinstein (D)
  • ▌K. Harris (D)
House:
117th
Senate:
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  • ▌A. Padilla (D)
House:
  • ▌N. Pelosi (D)
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