A hard left New York City Democrat calling to tax the wealthy lives in a sleek $1.5 million home his parents bought for him which he is decorating with very expensive blinds.
Gustavo Gordillo's posh two-story townhouse is located on a quiet, leafy street in Brooklyn's historic Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, an area which boasts the most Victorian-era brownstones in the US.
The home is in the middle of sweeping renovations, but has so far seen extensive changes to its facade, as well as the addition of a perfectly manicured front yard, pictures obtained by the Daily Mail reveal.
The front porch features a tasteful, ornately carved wooden bench which has been secured to the property by a chain.
The property's shades are also understood to be from a premium retailer in Manhattan, The Shade Store, which offers 'bespoke window treatments' starting at $290.
Construction appeared to be ongoing with further changes apparently planned for the top half of the home, which already boasts a trendy, botanical feature on its roof.
Gordillo, 38, has previously called for lawmakers to 'tax the rich' and insisted on the redistribution of land 'from landowners to the landless.'
He has also called for a rent freeze and last month argued that landlords do not have the constitutional right to make 'double digit returns on investments.'
New York City Democratic Socialists co-chair Gustavo Gordillo refused to answer when pressed about the controversy surrounding his $1.5 million townhouse purchased by his parents
The Bed-Stuy home appeared on NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's so-called 'tax the rich' list
But it recently emerged that his wealthy parents gave him a leg-up after they bought the swanky home through their holding company, Chucuito LLC.
The awkward detail emerged when the property was included in Mamdani's so-called 'shame the rich' list, a database of homes which could fall foul of his tax on expensive second homes.
While Gordillo's home is likely to be exempt since it appears to be a primary residence, the secret handout is somewhat at odds with his public persona as an ardent socialist and 'union electrician' as he describes himself online.
In another embarrassing twist, the New York Post has since uncovered that Gordillo was fired from his electrician apprenticeship in March after failing to turn up to the training program.
The IBEW Local 3 union confirmed to the outlet that Gordillo never finished the required training to become a fully-credentialed electrician.
'After learning of Mr. Gordillo's prolonged absence from and failure to participate in required work and classes, the trustees of the Joint Apprentice Training Committee terminated Mr. Gordillo from the program,' the IBEW said in a statement.
Gordillo then reportedly begged his DSA colleagues to provide him and his co-chair Grace Mausser with a $95,000 salary last month, marking the first time the organization has provided remuneration for those in the role.
It comes after Gordillo studied literature at Yale for four years before leaving without a degree, according to the New York Post which also reported that he went on to study sculpture at the Connecticut Ivy League.
Blinds from The Shade Store - where 'window treatments' start from $290 - were seen being delivered to Gordillo's home
Gordillo espouses hard left socialism policies and wants to tax the rich - but is decorating his home with expensive Shade Store blinds thanks to his dad's success as a capitalist
The property has undergone renovations since it was purchased by his parents' company for $$935,000 in April 2019
Gordillo, sporting a DSA NYC hat, is pictured with Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani
The proud socialist refers to himself as a 'union electrician' on his X account, but was reportedly dropped from his apprenticeship after allegedly failing to show up for months
The Daily Mail has reached out to Gordillo through the DSA for comment regarding the reports.
Gordillo's home was purchased by his parents' company for $935,000 in April 2019.
His father, Gustavo Gordillo Snr, told the New York Post that he bought the townhouse for his two sons and 'we did the renovations.'
That included work to the home's facade, interior, roof and front door, and seemingly other ongoing construction.
'My son and my other son both live there,' Gordillo's father told the outlet.
Gordillo's father added that he had rented a property on the Lower East Side for the local leftist leader in 2016 and 2019, according to the Post.
The rental, which went through the same LLC, cost $2,600 a month for those years, per the outlet.
Neighbors on the quiet, tree-lined street described Gordillo as a 'nice guy' who 'comes and goes.'
The home sits on this quiet, leafy Bed-Stuy street, a neighborhood which has seen huge gentrification since the 2000s
Gordillo's home is pictured before the sweeping renovations carried out by his parents
Gordillo previously stated that nobody, 'including landlords' has the 'constitutional right to double digit returns on their investment'
Baristas at his regular coffee shop, the trendy Milk and Pull, were unaware of Gordillo's position, but said he comes in often and described him as 'a nice, normal guy' and 'not much of a talker.'
Gordillo's parents own two $3 million homes in Florida, according to the outlet. His father became wealthy as the founder of engineering and construction firm Draftpros Inc.
They are Peruvian immigrants who arrived in South Florida with 'nothing' when he was just three years old.
'Their first jobs were in fast food and cleaning houses,' Gordillo told the Times. 'They built success in this country. And they're absolutely the exception.'
Gordillo said that his views moved further to the left once he moved to New York City after graduate school.
He joined the NYC DSA chapter after Donald Trump's first presidential election in 2016.
Around that time, Gordillo also became an electrician and joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, according to the outlet.
Gordillo appeared on Fox News last month to discuss his leftist views.
During his appearance, Gordillo also advocated for a rent freeze, which he suggested landlords would react to by 'crying.'
