Candidate for San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre of Perseverance and Patience

By Perlita R. Dicochea

A large black and white photo of Robert Kennedy strolling along an Oregon beach hangs in the entrance hallway of Mike Aguirre’s Hillcrest home. The U.S. Constitution is framed next to a window in his office. Stacks of videos and books Aguirre studies include biographies of FDR. These items frame Aguirre’s political inspirations and represent his long-time commitment to issues of social justice.

While an undergrad at Arizona State University, where he studied political science 6-8 hours a day, Aguirre’s introduction to the ideals of American democratic governance was as a volunteer for Robert Kennedy’s campaign. He was also active in the effort to increase Native American enrollment at ASU. By the time Aguirre entered UC Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law, ideas of social justice were already at the forefront of his career decisions and community activism.

“As a result of the civil rights movement and the movements of the 60s, people became more aware of the injustices in the system. People were willing to do something about those injustices. The values of many students changed. Going to college was not just about making money, it was about change,” Aguirre said.

He recalls in a calm and matter-of-fact tone, “Also, with the war in Vietnam, much like Iraq, no one had a clear idea what we were doing. We were at war with the communists but on behalf of who?”

One critical outcome of the questioning of the Vietnam War and domestic inequalities was the effort to connect the interests of American people, or the masses, to governmental processes – “and that’s what Robert Kennedy was trying to do,” Aguirre explains.

The ideology of social justice globally and locally became the backbone for his exceptional career as an attorney – which involves 30 years as a federal prosecutor, fraud victim trial attorney, municipal law expert, and U.S. Senate investigator and public interest lawyer. Aguirre was also involved in the redistricting of the San Diego School District, which facilitated more fair representation of Latina/o communities.

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