Pete Aguilar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pete Aguilar
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Official portrait, 2021
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| Chair of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 |
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| Leader | Hakeem Jeffries |
| Preceded by | Hakeem Jeffries |
| Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | Katherine Clark |
| Succeeded by | Ted Lieu |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Miller |
| Constituency | 31st district (2015–2023) 33rd district (2023–present) |
| Mayor of Redlands | |
| In office December 7, 2010 – December 2, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Pat Gilbreath |
| Succeeded by | Paul Foster |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Rey Aguilar
June 19, 1979 Fontana, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Alisha Aguilar |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Redlands (BS) |
Peter Rey Aguilar (born June 19, 1979) is an American politician. He has been the leader of the House Democratic Caucus since 2023. He also serves as a U.S. Representative for California's 33rd congressional district since 2015. Before joining Congress, he was the mayor of Redlands, California, from 2010 to 2014. Aguilar is currently the highest-ranking Latino member in the U.S. Congress.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Aguilar was born in Fontana, California. He grew up in San Bernardino, California, in a working-class family. His family has Mexican roots. He went to the University of Redlands. There, he studied government and business.
Public Service Career
Aguilar started his public service career in 2001. He worked for the Governor of California, Gray Davis. In 2006, he became the youngest person ever on the Redlands City Council. He was chosen by other council members from 11 candidates. A year later, he was elected by the people.
His fellow council members made him mayor in 2010 and again in 2012. As mayor, Aguilar was known for his leadership. He helped the city manage its money well. He also improved roads and made government more open. He served as mayor until December 2014.
U.S. House of Representatives
Becoming a Representative
California's 31st congressional district became more favorable for the Democratic Party after 2010. In 2012, Aguilar decided to run for this seat. He ran again in 2013. In the 2014 election, he won with 51.4% of the votes. He defeated Republican Paul Chabot.
Aguilar won re-election in 2016, again defeating Paul Chabot. In 2018, he won against Sean Flynn. He also won his 2020 election against Agnes Gibboney. After the 2020 election, he became the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
After new district maps in 2020, Aguilar's district became the 33rd CA House District. He won re-election in 2022. He was then chosen as the Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. This made him the highest-ranking Latino-American in Congress ever. He was re-elected in 2024 for his sixth term.
Key Laws and Focus Areas
In Congress, Aguilar has focused on many important issues. These include immigration, creating jobs, and trade. He also works on gun safety, national security, and LGBT rights. Other areas are veteran support, student loan debt, and protecting the environment.
- Immigration: Aguilar has supported programs like DACA. This program helps undocumented children. He also introduced a bill to help undocumented students in college. He voted to stop refugees from Syria and Iraq temporarily. But he later criticized a ban by President Trump as "xenophobic." He worked on a bill to help DACA recipients become citizens.
- Job Creation: Aguilar has a plan to create jobs in his district. This includes cutting taxes for small businesses. He also wants to invest in roads and bridges. He supports job training programs and increasing the minimum wage. He hosts job fairs to connect people with employers. He also started a "Job For a Day" tour. He works different jobs to learn about local businesses.
- Trade Policy: Aguilar introduced a bill to help businesses affected by trade. He has also pushed for fair competition in the steel industry. He wants to protect local steel manufacturers.
- Gun Safety: Aguilar supports changes to reduce gun violence. He wants to close loopholes that allow dangerous people to get guns. He also supports banning certain types of weapons. He joined a sit-in in 2016 to support gun control laws.
Investigation into the January 6 Attack
Aguilar was at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack. In July 2021, he was appointed to a special committee. This committee investigated the attack. Aguilar said the committee would do a fair and thorough investigation. Their goal was to make sure such an event never happens again.
In June 2022, Aguilar led a public hearing for the committee. This hearing focused on efforts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence. The goal was to stop the 2020 presidential election results. Witnesses explained that the Vice President did not have the power to do this.
Committee and Group Memberships
For the 118th Congress, Aguilar is on the Committee on Appropriations. This committee decides how government money is spent. He is also part of subcommittees on defense and transportation.
He is the Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. He is also a member of many other groups, called caucuses. These include the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Equality Caucus, and the Steel Caucus.
Personal Life
Pete Aguilar has lived in Redlands, California, since 1997. He is married to Alisha Aguilar. They have two sons together.
See also
