Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Well, Hello, this is Siciny from iHeartRadio in Los Angeles
here in California with our pre election segment called Meet
the Candidates. Now today I'm here with Gil Cis Snarrows. Hello,
how are.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
You good morning?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
How are you good morning? And so the Democratic candidate
running for US House of Representatives in California's thirty first
congressional district. I wanted to get that right. Did I
do it?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
That was right? That was correct?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
All right? So you are representing Almonte, Covina, West Covina. Welcome.
How does it feel to be here? How does it
feel to be in this position right now?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I feel, first of all, thank you for giving me
some time to come in and speak with you. And
I feel really good about our chances going into November.
We're very excited people. I think Democrats throughout not only
the San Gabriel Valley, Alli County, California, are very excited.
So we feel pretty good about our chances going into November.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Okay, I love that, and I want to get to
know you a little bit more, Gil, and I want
everyone else to kind of get to know you. So
you have a pretty incredible story of how you got
into politics. Can you share that with us. I mean,
do we start from the lottery, do we start from
even before that?
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well, I think we could kind of, well, we gonna
start a little bit before that.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
I mean, I've always been interested in politics, so it's
actually a political science major in college. But I never
really thought politics would be like a career or what
I would go into join the Navy out of high school.
It was lucky enough to get an ROTC scholarship and
then went right back into the Navy after college, and
I just kind of thought that would kind of be
my career for a while, and then got an MBA,
(01:34):
so again, never really thought politics would kind of come back.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah, your education is stacked like college, MBA masters.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, but I think you know, the lottery happened. We
were very fortunate for that to happen in twenty ten,
and that is why we got involved, not really kind
of doing anything, but just supporting candidates that were aligned
with our values and our views and really trying to
push education initiatives how we needed to continue to educate them,
(02:03):
not only Latino community, but people of color, underserved communities.
I think we were really kind of My wife and
I were devastated from the presidential results in twenty sixteen.
We never thought someone like Trump could win. And then
after that I was like, you know, I think I
can do more. And the next thing, you know, I'm
talking to a few politicians that I know, a couple
(02:24):
of members of the House of Representatives. And the next
thing you know, they're telling me, okay, you're in, You're
you're going to do this, right, And I'm like, I
haven't even talked to my wife yet, and then kind
of like running by her real quick.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, so yeah, that's like pretty important.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
So that's how kind of it happened.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
I mean, it was like so quick, and you know,
one thing, you kind of think about what else can
I do? How can I make a bigger difference? And
the next thing you know, you're running for office.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
That is incredible. And now you and your wife? Are
you guys both from LA Were you born here?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I grew up in Torrance, California. Pretty much lived in
California until I was eighteen. Went to boot camp in
a Navy book camp in San Diego.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
When they started Camp Pendleton, No, it was they used
to have. It's not there anymore.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
It's is I'm kind of dating myself, right, But they
used to have the Recruit Training Command San Diego for
the Navy. He used to right next to Camp Pendleton,
but that closed. I met my wife and then we
settled in the San Gevol Valley there, and.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I guess the rest is history.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And you have some kids.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
We have two kids. We have twin boys ten years old.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
I have twins. I do. They're not ten, they're six. Okay,
boy girl, twins, spontaneous. We didn't know it was coming,
and wow, here we are. And I also have another
younger daughter three years old.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
You know, people ask us, well you probably know, but
people ask us all the time, what's it like raising twins?
And we're like, we don't know any different.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
That's all. That's all we have.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, so you're in the same boat. You got hit
with them right away, and yeah, we just kind of
dove right in right, all right.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
We like to play Manda man on the You got one,
I Got one.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Ten year old boys. That's a lot of work too.
Now let's get into some of those I guess top
issues when it comes to this district. What is your
plan to address some of those issues?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Well, and there's so many issues that we want to
know are important.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Right.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Grace and Polaitano who served there for years who were replacing,
has been a champion for the environment, you know when
it comes to water and air issues there in the community.
And we want to continue that. But I've been a
champion for our veterans, which also Grace has been too.
But you want to continue that, right. I think that
mental health serving the community, right. Education has been one
of our big initiatives, right, and how do we make
(04:26):
it accessible and equal throughout right, so that you're that
type of education that you get sho not depend on
the zip code where you're living, and ensure that people
have you know, if they want they want to go
to college, they have access to that, right.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
But if they want to go out and they want.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
To learn a skill or a trade, that they can
do that as well. And these are the things that
we're championing. These are the things that I want to
work for. Public transportation is one of the areas where
I think I.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Think LA can become a full public transport.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
We have to, we have to do it. You know.
It's like people in my district are me. It's like
how much bigger can we make the freeways.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
What are we going to do double stuffs freeways at
this point?
Speaker 3 (05:05):
And that never alleviates the traffic, right, It's just get
more cars, more cars on it.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
And so we have to.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
And I've been fortunate to live in like cities, you know,
like Washington, D C. And visiting New York and living
in the Bay Area, and then you know, even living
in Europe or not living in Europe. Well I did
live in Europe for a little while, but like visiting
like Paris, are all these international.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Cities, everyone's you know.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Public transportation systems. Why don't we have one here? So
it is something we need to invest in, and it's
something I want to hopefully champion and that we can
make it better and get people used, to convince people
that this is the way you need to travel, This
will get you where you need to go.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Exactly. One last message you'd like to tell everyone listening
right now.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
I like to tell you know, if I can speak
to people right now, especially those in the thirty first
I'm honored that they chose me in the primary, that
we were able to win that I hope they'll choose
me again as we approached the general election. Here on
November fifth, you know, and for me, I mean, hopefully
they'll look at my record that it's really been about, sir.
I joined the Navy at eighteen because I wanted to
serve my country, just like my father, my uncles, my
(06:05):
grandfather's fill and then so that service has continued. I
think even when my wife and I you know, had
our good fortune. We started our family foundation with the
idea of wanting to give back and really make a
difference in kids' lives and using education to be that
that ladder to something else, something better, right like it
was for me. And so hopefully they'll see that, hopefully
(06:26):
that's what will help, you know, help me in the heart,
I am right, and to me, like you know, serving
in Congress isn't a job. It's about serving.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Okay. So before we wrap, I know that your life
is probably you know, schedules and meetings and you got
to go here, and you got to go here, and
what do you do for fun? What do you do
to relax? What do you do when you don't have
to do this?
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Well, you know, I'm a big sports fan, so I'm
going to the Dodger game.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Let's go Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yes, Well, you know we want them to win. I
am the pitcheon's been kind of shaky lately, so that hasn't.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Been very relaxing. But it's always to.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Go to the game, and it's always fun to do
that with family and friends, and so that's what I
like to do when I get a little spare time,
you know, go to go to sports, which is.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
What everyone likes to do. I feel here in La
So I love it. I love it, gils Is Narrows.
Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your
story with us. My name is Susini again and this
has been another segment of Meet the Candidates on iHeartRadio.