Mike A. Gipson was first elected into the Carson City Council on March 8, 2005 and was selected to serve as the Mayor Pro Tem in March 2008. On March 3, 2009, he was reelected to another 4-year term as a Councilmember and again in 2013 breaking his previous vote count record. With a stronger mandate following his reelection, Mike is committed to continue to demonstrate outstanding leadership and represent the people’s voice in his second term in office.

Mike comes with a solid background in the areas of politics and public safety, owing to his profession as a Union Representative, his training as lead staff person for various elected offices, and a successful career as a former police officer. Mike currently serves as Chief of Staff to Chairman Jerome E. Horton, the first African-American elected to the California State Board of Equalization, and whose district currently serves 8.5 million residents. He formerly served as an Area organizer for the 48,000-strong United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), where he ensures the enforcement of the contractual right of teachers. Prior to working for UTLA, he was the Legislative and Political Director for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 399, the Political Director Statewide for Justice for Janitors 1877 SEIU and a Business Representative for SEIU Local 99.

Mike worked as a Staff Aide to Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally, State Senator Bill Greene and Los Angeles Councilman Robert Farrell, and as Field Representative for then L.A. Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas. He was also an appointee of Supervisor Yvonne Burke to the County of Los Angeles Community Action Board, where he was the youngest ever to chair the powerful funding agency that distributes $10 million annually in Community Service Block Grant funds. As a Carson resident, he served on the Public Safety and the Human Relations Commissions and as a board member of Carson’s Workforce Investment Network.

Additionally, Mike formerly served as Vice President of the Advisory Board for the State Public Utilities Commission. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Director for Positive Imagery Foundation, Inc., a Los Angeles-based agency that deals with HIV/AIDS and other STDs, in the African-American and Legislative Committee and a past chair of its Resolutions Committee. In addition, Mike was recently appointed as a Board of Director and a member of the Legislative Committee for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles.

Mike previously served under various subcommittees, among them housing, labor negotiations, fireworks and teen center. Mike currently chairs the Fireworks, Public Safety, Government Efficiency, Teen Center, and Education Council Committees. During his tenure, Mike was responsible for establishing the Midnight Basketball program, which was a highly successful effort to remove at-risk kids off the streets during the summer. He is also at the helm of two productive endeavors targeting at-risk youth, namely the S.O.S. (Saving our Sons) and the R.O.S.E. (Reaching Out to our Sisters Everywhere).

Making a difference in people’s lives is a strong passion for this young politician who is also a former youth pastor at the One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism Christian Church under the leadership of Bishop William Todd Ervin Sr. Mike believes that he is born to serve, and attributes all his accomplishments to his strong spiritual foundation, the dedication to give back to his community, and to the values instilled in him by his labor activist parents, neighbors and friends in Carson. As a councilmember, Mike authored several ordinances and resolutions.

Among Mike’s inspiration in public service comes from Dr. Martin Luther King’s statement which says “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Mike earned his Bachelor of Science in Business/Management from the University of Phoenix and his Associate of Arts degree from the Los Angeles Southwest College. He also attended One, One, One School of Theology. Mike attended the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy Executive Education Program. He received his Police Officers Training at the SouthBay Police Training Academy where he graduated with honors, propelling him into a career as a police officer for the Maywood Police Department.
 

 ~ Last Updated: May 30, 2013 ~