Fullerton, Calif. – TODAY, the California School Employees Association (CSEA) endorsed Fmr. Lieutenant Commander Gil Cisneros, who is running for Congress in California’s 39th Congressional District. CSEA President Bob Valdepena highlighted Cisneros’ commitment to high-quality education.
“The California School Employees Association, representing over 240,000 classified school employees across California, is proud to endorse Gil Cisneros,” said Valdepena. “The son of a public-school cafeteria worker, Gil understands the importance of the hardworking support staff who perform essential work in our schools. Gil is committed to providing a high-quality education to all students, and he will be a champion for our dedicated school employees.”
Established in 1927, CSEA is California’s leading member-run union for classified school employees. CSEA members perform a wide range of essential work in our public schools and community colleges, including security, food services, office and clerical work, school maintenance and operations, transportation, academic assistance and paraeducator services, library and media assistance, computer services, and more.
CSEA’s endorsement adds to a truly impressive coalition of support including SEIU California, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), UniteHere! Local 11, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, United Steel Workers, the Orange County Labor Fed, the LA County Labor Fed, the California Labor Fed, IBEW Local 11, LiUNA Local 562, fifteen Democratic members of Congress, more in-district local elected officials than any other Democratic candidate running, women’s rights champion Dolores Huerta, the Giffords Campaign to End Gun Violence, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s BOLD PAC, End Citizens United, and the national Veterans advocacy organization VoteVets.
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Gil Cisneros is a former U.S. Naval Officer and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal (2), the National Defense Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for his exemplary service to his country. Gil is Advocate and co-founder of The Gilbert & Jacki Cisneros Foundation, an organization committed to improving the level of Hispanic education in the country. Gilbert’s dedication toward philanthropy began when he purchased a winning California Mega Millions lottery ticket in 2010. Gil and Jacki partnered with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the city of Pico Rivera, California to create Generation First Degree Pico Rivera, with the goal of putting a college degree in every Hispanic household in the city. Gil’s commitment to education, led him to be appointed to former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative’s advisory board, on which he still serves, and President Obama’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
California’s 39th Congressional District, split between Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties, will be one of the most competitive districts in California. Hillary Clinton won the district by a whopping nine points, the DCCC labeled it a first-round target on its battlefield map and recently, the Cook Political Report changed the district’s status from Lean R to Lean D.