Kevin de León
Kevin Alexander Leon (born December 10, 1966), known professionally as Kevin de León and colloquially as KDL, is an American politician serving as the Los Angeles City Council member for District 14 since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he was defeated in the 2018 United States Senate election in California against incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein and came in third place in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election.
Kevin de León | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 14th district | |
| Assumed office October 15, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | José Huizar |
| 50th President pro tempore of the California State Senate | |
| In office October 15, 2014 – March 21, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Darrell Steinberg |
| Succeeded by | Toni Atkins |
| Member of the California State Senate | |
| In office December 6, 2010 – November 30, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Gil Cedillo |
| Succeeded by | Maria Elena Durazo |
| Constituency | 22nd district (2010–2014) 24th district (2014–2018) |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 45th district | |
| In office December 4, 2006 – November 30, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Jackie Goldberg |
| Succeeded by | Gil Cedillo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kevin Alexander Leon December 10, 1966 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara Pitzer College (BA) |
| Website | Campaign website |
From 2006 to 2010, de León represented the 45th district in the California State Assembly. He represented the 22nd state senate district from 2010 to 2014, and the 24th state senate district from 2014 to 2018. He was President pro tempore of the California State Senate from October 15, 2014 to March 21, 2018. He was elected to the city council in 2020.
Since October 2022, there have been widespread calls for his resignation after an audio recording of him and other council members making racist, homophobic, and derogatory remarks was leaked. He was formally censured by the Los Angeles City Council in a unanimous 12–0 vote on October 26, 2022. In December 2022, De León gained further notoriety when he was videotaped in a physical conflict with an activist, in which de León "grabs [the activist] and throws him into a table."