NRI KASH (Kashmir) GILL, becomes the first Sikh-Elected Mayor in the United States
- Dec 31, 2013: Councilmember Kash Gill was elected to the City Council of Yuba City, California in November 2006 and in 2012.
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- Kashmir (Kash) Gill is the current mayor of Yuba City, California. This is Gill's second term as Mayor (previously 2009-2010). Gill also served on the City Council . Gill is the first Sikh-Elected Mayor in the United States
Mayor Gill was elected to the City Council November 2006. Programs that are important to Mayor Gill all lead to Public Safety: flood protection, easing traffic congestion, and reduction in crime.
He graduated from the Graduate Schools of Banking (Boulder, Colorado), California State University at Chico (Agricultural Business), Yuba Community College, Yuba City High School and Barry School.
Mayor Gill is Senior Vice President/Regional Branch Administrator at Butte Community Bank and farms peaches, prunes and walnuts in Sutter County. He has been married for 22 years to Neena Gill. They have three children: Harveen, Rajan, and Preya.
 
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KASH GILL,
Member, City Council YUBA CITY
elected Nov. 07, 2006
Member, City Council YUBA CITY
37/37 100.00%
Vote Count Percent
NP - LESLIE GALE MCBRIDE 6,676 22.68%
NP - KASH GILL 6,542 22.23%
NP - TEJ MAAN 6,216 21.12%
NP - CRAIG ALAN STARKEY 5,512 18.73%
NP - JEFFREY SPENCER 4,417 15.01%
WRITE-IN 67 0.23%
Total 29,430 100.00%
- Kash Gill has been a resident of our community for more
than 40 years
- . Kash works for Butte Community Bank as Administrative
Vice-President/Regional Manager and has over18 years of
banking experience.
- Kash is a graduate of Graduate School of Banking, Colorado,
where he recently completed his graduate degree in banking.
- Kash is very active in our Community and continues to
serve in many leadership roles. He has been a two time chairman
of the board of the Yuba Sutter Chamber of Commerce, and
the founding member of the Economic Development Corporation.
- Kash and Neena Gill have been married for 19 years and
have three children, Harveen, Rajan and Preya.
- Kash and Neena also farm peaches, prunes, & walnuts
in Sutter County.
- Kash has been a life long Republican and has worked with
Governor Schwarzenegger northern finance committee.
- Kash is being endorsed by the Yuba City Firefighters,
Yuba Sutter Farm Bureau, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association,
and 5 former Mayors: Karen Cartoscelli, David Doolittle,
Sandra Hilliard, Bob Barkhouse and Bill Meagher, Assemblyman
Doug LaMalfa & Ric Keene.
My
definition of the American dream may be different than others
Defining and living the American dream
By Leticia Gutierrez/Appeal-Democrat
Visits to a local bank impressed Kash Gill as a youngster.
Now, as administrative vice president for Butte Community
Bank in Yuba City, he has realized part of his American dream.
"My definition of the American dream may be different
than others," he said recently. "Is it a big house,
fancy cars? If so, I don't have it yet. If it's a wonderful
family and a good job, then, yes, I have it."
Gill, 38, was nominated for the Appeal-Democrat's Spirit
of Freedom Awards' "The American Dream."
The longtime Yuba City resident was born in India and came
to the Yuba-Sutter area with his parents and siblings when
he was 2 years old. Now, more than 35 years later, his entire
family - including his parents, brothers and sisters and their
families, plus his wife's family - remains in Yuba City.
He doesn't think of leaving the area, except "maybe
retiring to Lake Tahoe."
"When my parents arrived they had a lot of obstacles,"
he said. "Their priorities were getting a job, putting
the kids in school and getting a house."
The Gill family, including the children, worked in farm labor
when they arrived in Yuba City in the 1960s. Gill's father
had been a mechanic in India.
"I couldn't try out for football" in high school,
Gill said, not because he couldn't play but "because
we had to work."
Other students would come back to school talking about their
summer vacations while he had spent the time getting up at
5 a.m. until about the age of 13 to work in the orchards.
Playing a sport didn't matter to his parents, he said, adding
that none of his cousins had time to play sports, either.
His parents considered the idea of playing a game as, "What
was more important, luxury sports or earning a family living?"
he explained.
Though the 1981 Yuba City High School graduate would have
liked to try out as a wide receiver, he's not sorry he wasn't
allowed to play. "I'm glad I did it because it makes
me appreciate who I am today."
And farming continues in his life: He and his wife purchased
60 acres of land in 1994, and his parents still farm peaches
and prunes.
His generation, however, is raising children differently,
Gill said. The children still help out at the family farms
but parents don't have the kids work as hard on the ranch
as they did.
"I want to make sure my kids don't have a tough life,"
he said, but he also wants to make sure they understand they
have to work for a good life. "They have a better life
than I did growing up."
Gill's priorities right now are that his wife, Nina, and
their three children - Harveen, 12, Rajan, 9, and Preya, 3
- have a nice house, that he have a nice job and that the
children's future and education, an important part of the
American dream, are planned.
"You can take money away, but you've still got family,
your health and education," he said. He intends that
his children "have all the help they need to accomplish
their goals in life."
Gill thought about studying law but decided on a bachelor's
degree in agriculture business from California State University,
Chico. The major combined his background of growing up on
a farm and having parents working on the ranch with his interest
in banking.
Ever since accompanying his father to the bank in his youth,
"I thought being a banker was such a prestigious thing,"
he said. "It was interesting to be a banker."
The busy local resident is in his 15th year in the banking
industry. He is also heavily involved with his family and
the community.
"Parents have to be 110 percent involved with their
kids' school, their after-school activities and homework,"
he said. Being from two cultures, "you pull out values
from both cultures."
He emphasizes to his children that they should earn an honest
living, work hard and be themselves, he said.
The older children already know about community service,
working with their dad while he does projects such as the
Yuba City Noon Rotary Club's Christmas tree at The Mall at
Yuba City.
Gill is also a member of the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce,
currently serving on its executive committee; a director of
the Tierra Buena Sikh Temple; chairman of the Fremont-Rideout
Hospital Foundation Board; vice chairman of Family Intervention
Foundation; and worked on the school bond measure to fund
the building of new schools in Yuba City.
"I like being involved in the community" in activities
other than those that are work related, he said. "My
family's roots are here, my wife's family is here, the kids
are at the same elementary school as I was. It's a wonderful
community. If you want to get involved, there's lots to do."
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