Pete Aguilar '01, former mayor of Redlands and congressman-elect for the 31st District.
He paused for a moment, then smiled, then laughed while describing the clamor around being oriented to assume a seat in Congress.
“It’s like drinking out of a fire hose,” said Pete Aguilar '01, democratic congressman-elect and Bulldog. “But I am getting good advice along the way and feeling the incredible honor it is to serve.”
Preparing to be the second Bulldog in Congress—the first was Juanita Millender-McDonald ‘60 who served from 1996-2007—has been a sprint for Aguilar since he was elected Nov. 4, 2014 to represent the 31st Congressional District for California in the U. S. House of Representatives. He has been checking off a list that included resigning as mayor of Redlands and working on the agenda for his first 100 days. But his preparation for a life of public service has been less of a sprint, and more of a paced marathon that began long before he eyed a seat in Congress.
Aguilar was raised and attended school in San Bernardino and Yucaipa, where one of his first jobs was working with his legally blind grandfather in the cafeteria at the San Bernardino County Courthouse.
“He learned how to become an owner/operator of vending and cafeteria facilities, then became someone involved in the community—a man with a purpose. That was my introduction to small business and also the professional class of people who were committed to public service.”
Aguilar said for his parents, it wasn’t a question of ‘if’ or ‘when’—just ‘where’ he would attend college.“Six schools accepted me, but Redlands made financial sense, and ended up as the only choice good for me—the small class sizes and professors who really know you. I don’t think I would have reached what I was capable of reaching without the intimate environment the University offers,” he said.
Another key to his collegiate success—the relationships developed “going to class with the same folks for four years.” Among them was alumnus Kevin Dyerly '00, '04, now vice president for enrollment at Redlands.
“I’ve known Pete since we played Little League Baseball together and became close friends when we lived together at U of R,” Dyerly said. “He’s always cared deeply for his community and the quality of life for people within it. I remember several Saturday mornings when he was up at the crack of dawn, hours before most his classmates, to coordinate a student build for Habitat for Humanity."
Dyerly was also the instigator behind Aguilar first asking out his now-wife Alisha '02, director of student financial services at Redlands. Despite attending both high school and college together, they dated only after Dyerly, who then worked with Alisha in admissions at the University, suggested Aguilar make the call.
"Alisha is a great partner and incredible mom who makes sacrifices so I can do this," Aguilar said. The couple has two young sons—Palmer and Evan.
Aguilar earned two bachelor of science degrees—majoring in government and business administration—an achievement he said would have been impossible without the advisors at the University who recognized his potential and helped him clarify his goals.
One of those advisors, University of Redlands Director of Community Service Learning and alumnus Tony Mueller '90, helped Aguilar “find his footing” by placing him in his first work-study job.
“Pete was one of the only freshman men who ever looked me up on the first day of classes to say he wanted to serve children, and he started his work-study assignment at Head Start in Redlands. They really loved him there,” Mueller said. “He eventually went on to become the student director of our Habitat for Humanity campus chapter where he spearheaded fundraising campaigns and helped the San Bernardino Habitat affiliate build a local house here in Redlands.
“He has heart for service because of who he is, and it was great to be able to steer him towards places that really needed his kind of energy and commitment.”
Aguilar said just the few hours a week he spent with the kids at Head Start were rewarding, and that experience shaped his desire to do more. “This is what is so special about the Community Service Learning program at Redlands—getting students out to be part of something bigger.”
As a Tinker Scholar in 2000, Aguilar traveled to Washington DC to work as a research intern for Bulldog alumnae Janet Shikles '64, a healthcare policy consultant.
“I had only been on an airplane once before in my life and it was my first time to travel east of the Colorado River. To see the pace of Washington and the energy that was there and how many young people were thriving—it was all very appealing to me.”
Aguilar continued his trajectory toward public service in 2001 when alumnus and University Trustee Robert Salazar '91 introduced him to the administration for then-California Governor Gray Davis.
"I first met Pete Aguilar when he was a student at Redlands,” Salazar said. “It was clear he had a strong commitment to improving the lives of those who live in the community around him. That dedication to service he demonstrated as a young man has blossomed over the last decade. He is an exceptional leader and he has done the University of Redlands proud."
During his senior year, Aguilar interned for Davis and was then appointed deputy director of the Inland Empire Regional office just days after commencement. “I learned about the political process and about listening to the people."
After the 2003 recall of Davis, Aguilar made a change to the private sector as director of governmental relations for San Bernardino-based Arrowhead Credit Union. “Larry Sharp was CEO—an incredible community leader who saw something in me, gave me the freedom and flexibility to grow and learn how important it was to be part of the community.”
In 2006, former Redlands Mayor Susan Peppler vacated her Redlands City Council seat to take a position with the Bush Administration. It was then that Sharp, and others, encouraged Aguilar to seek the appointment. “I didn’t know if I was ready. But I had a mix of public and private experience, and at the time I took the oath, I felt confident I had something to offer.”
Aguilar was appointed to the Redlands City Council that year—the youngest council member in the city’s history—elected twice since and appointed as mayor by his council colleagues. He cited stabilization of the city budget and the street improvement program as two of the highlights of his council service. “How we chose to finance and implement the street improvement, with a local contractor creating local jobs fixing local streets—that is the best thing that can happen,” he said.
Aguilar made a run for Congress in 2012, but lost in the open primary. His 2014 bid for the seat came out of a “more personal, family decision.” The campaign posed challenges geographically—the 31st District is a lot of ground to cover—and in pace—Aguilar declared early and ran for 19 months.
"In a very public way, I went through an interview for my dream job. This is where I want to be and where I think I can offer the most.”
His resignation from council became effective Dec. 15, 2014 and he will be sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2015.
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