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THE FUTURE OF IMMIGRANTSIN LOS ANGELESJanuary 9, 2020Cathedral of Our Lady of the AngelsOPENING SESSIONEmcees:Rosie ArroyoSenior Program Officer, California Community FoundationFor almost two decades, Rosie has dedicated her career to the educational and civicempowerment of underserved communities. Since joining the California CommunityFoundation (CCF) in 2007, Rosie has spearheaded a number of multisector, civicengagement initiatives to advance systems change policies. At CCF, Rosie oversees thefoundation’s Immigrant Integration portfolio which seeks to empower immigrants tothrive civically, economically and socially by promoting just and inclusive policies in LosAngeles County. Rosie is Board Chair of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), anonprofit organization that builds the Latina leadership pipeline and champions policiesthat advance Latinas in California and nationally. She was recently selected to be part ofthe 2019 California Influencer Series, an effort launched by the Sacramento Bee and other CA newspapers to encourageconversations between the public and leaders/influencers about the state’s most pressing public policy challenges and thesolutions to them. Rosie is a proud graduate from the California State University of Los Angeles. (see full bio)Rhonda OrtizManaging Director, USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity(PERE) & USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII)Rhonda Ortiz is the Managing Director at the USC Program for Environmental andRegional Equity and the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration where shemanages the organization, manages research projects, and conducts research. Ortiz holdsa Masters in Urban Planning from UCLA. She co-authored reports such as, How theFederally Proposed Rule Change for Public Charge Determination Could Negatively ImpactLos Angeles County; Immigrant Lives, American Futures: Linking Asset Building andImmigrant Integration; California Immigrant Integration Scorecard; and Making Change:How Social Movements Work and How to Support Them.Ortiz previously worked as an Evaluation Associate for The California Endowment, evaluating initiatives targeting policy andadvocacy work and grassroots organizations. Ortiz has also worked in varied capacities, such as, a Research Analyst for SEIULocal 399; a consultant conducting research on living wages for the first living wage ordinance in Santa Monica; and coordinatedan environmental education program. Fluent in Spanish, she has lived in Mexico and worked with a team of researchers todevelop economic development projects between immigrant Hometown Associations in Los Angeles and their communities inJalisco, Mexico. Ortiz was a member of the inaugural cohort of the Rockwood Fellowship for a New California and currentlyserves on the board of Power California. (see website)
Opening Performance:Vanessa TahayPoet & Student, Get LitVanessa Tahay is a 19 year old poet graduated from Cleveland high school, she wasnamed captain of the 2017 classic slam team and took first place for finals. Vanessa hasbeen featured on the front page of The Los Angeles Times, has been part of VogueMagazine, The Huffington Post, NPR and many more. She has also performed and spokein over 100 schools nationwide, and had the honor to perform at the 2017 women’srally. Vanessa has had the privilege to work alongside Mitú, Brown Issues, andUndocumedia to spread awareness for undocumented families, women’s rights, andempowering the youth to find their own voices.Welcoming Remarks:Antonia HernandezPresident and CEO, California Community FoundationNationally regarded for her expertise in immigration, philanthropy and civil rights,Antonia Hernández has spent more than four decades advocating for social justice andimproving the lives of underserved communities in Los Angeles County and beyond.Since 2004, she has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the CaliforniaCommunity Foundation, one of Southern California’s largest and most activephilanthropic organizations, which has served Angelenos for over a century. Hernándezearned her B.A. in History at UCLA and J.D. at the UCLA School of Law. (see full bio)
THE STATE OF IMMIGRANTS IN L.A. COUNTY PLENARYPresenter:Dr. Manuel PastorDistinguished Professor, Sociology and American Studies & EthnicityDirector, USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE)Director, USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII)Dr. Manuel Pastor is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies &Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He currently directs the Program forEnvironmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at USC and USC's Center for the Study ofImmigrant Integration (CSII). Pastor holds an economics Ph.D. from the University ofMassachusetts, Amherst, and is the inaugural holder of the Turpanjian Chair in CivilSociety and Social Change at USC.Pastor’s research has generally focused on issues of the economic, environmental and social conditions facing low-income urbancommunities – and the social movements seeking to change those realities. His current research culminates in his latest book,State of Resistance: What California's Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Means for America's Future. Pastor'sprevious book, Equity, Growth, and Community: What the Nation Can Learn from America's Metro Areas, co-authored withChris Benner (UC Press 2015), argues how inequality stunts economic growth and how bringing together equity and growthrequires concerted local action. His previous volumes include: Just Growth: Inclusion and Prosperity in America’s MetropolitanRegions, co-authored with Chris Benner (Routledge 2012), advances the idea that growth and equity can and should be linked,offering a new path for a U.S. economy seeking to recover from economic crisis and distributional distress; Uncommon CommonGround: Race and America’s Future (W.W. Norton 2010; co-authored with Angela Glover Blackwell and Stewart Kwoh),documents the gap between progress in racial attitudes and racial realities and offers a new set of strategies for both talkingabout race and achieving racial equity. (see full bio)Interviewer:Carolyn Wang KongChief Program Director, Blue Shield of California FoundationCarolyn Wang Kong is chief program director for the Blue Shield of California Foundation.In this role, she oversees the overall strategy, design, and management of theFoundation’s programs as well as strategic planning. Previously, Carolyn led theFoundation’s Collaborating for Healthy Communities initiative where she supported theFoundation’s grantmaking and programmatic efforts to advance cross-sectorcollaboration as an approach to addressing the complex drivers of poor health anddomestic violence in California communities. Carolyn has also led the Foundation’s ActNow grantmaking, designed to protect policies and programs that support vulnerablepopulations in California. In this capacity, she co-founded the Be Well Funder Group, anational collaborative of funders supporting immigrant mental health and well-being. Carolyn holds a master’s in public healthand public policy from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science from UCLA. (see full bio)
CURRENT CONTEXT: HOW L.A. IS RESPONDING TO DEFEND ITSIMMIGRANT COMMUNITIESModerator:Leon KrauzeNews Anchor, UnivisionAward-winning author and presenter Leon Krauze anchors Univision 34’s newscasts at6:00 pm and 11:00 pm. Krauze also hosts "Epicenter," a weekly podcast on UnivisionNews. León is a renowned columnist in Mexico and the United States: he writes a weeklycollaboration for El Universal and a biweekly column for The Washington Post. Inaddition, he is a regular contributor to the electronic magazine Slate.Krauze also has a remarkable academic career. For two years he held the WallisAnnenberg journalism chair at the University of Southern California. He is the author ofsix books on various topics, from international politics, immigration and even a fantasynovel.Speakers:Senait AdmassuExecutive Director, African Communities Public Health CoalitionMs. Admassu is the founder of the African Communities Public Health Coalition (ACPHC),a Los Angeles based non profit organization. With more than 8 years of experience incommunity, non-profit, and public mental health programs, Ms. Admassu’s educationand community advocacy efforts have clearly demonstrated her diligence to mentalhealth consumers, especially those of the African Communities. Ms. Admassu earned aMaster’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Southern California (USC).She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from University of California inLos Angeles (UCLA). (see full bio)Salam Al-MarayatiPresident & Co-Founder, Muslim Public Affairs CouncilNationally recognized for his commitment to improving the public understanding ofIslam and policies impacting American Muslims, Salam is president and co-founder of theMuslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). He oversees MPAC’s groundbreaking civicengagement, public policy, and advocacy work. He is an expert on Islam in the West,Muslim reform movements, human rights, democracy, national security, and Middle Eastpolitics. (see full bio)
Cynthia BuizaExecutive Director, California Immigrant Policy CenterCynthia Buiza is the Executive Director of the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC)where she provides the vision for the mission of California’s premiere immigrant rightsorganization. Cynthia has over two decades of experience in nonprofit management andhuman rights advocacy. Cynthia earned a Masters in International Affairs from theFletcher School at Tufts University, with a concentration on human security studies. Sheholds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from the Philippines. (see full bio)Angelica SalasExecutive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant RightsAngelica Salas is the Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights ofLos Angeles (CHIRLA), and is widely regarded as one of the most gifted activist/organizersin the country today. She is a leader in national coalitions of organizations which havesuccessfully mobilized millions of immigrants to demand comprehensive immigrationreform with a path to citizenship, family reunification, and protection of civil and laborrights. She grew up in Pasadena, California, and is a graduate of Occidental College. (seefull bio)KEYNOTE ADDRESSSpeaker:Ricardo LaraInsurance Commissioner, California Department of InsuranceRaised in East Los Angeles by immigrant parents, Commissioner Ricardo Lara madehistory in 2018 by becoming the first openly gay person elected to statewide office inCalifornia’s history. Commissioner Lara previously served in the California Legislature,representing Assembly District 50 from 2010 to 2012 and Senate District 33 from 2012 to2018. Commissioner Lara earned a BA in Journalism and Spanish with a minor in ChicanoStudies from San Diego State University. (see full bio)
WORKSHOPS FOR BUILDING ANIMMIGRANT-INCLUSIVE LOS ANGELES BY TOPICCivic Engagement & Leadership DevelopmentModerator:Apolonio MoralesPolitical Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant RightsApolonio (Polo) Morales is proud to serve the immigrant community as thePolitical Director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.He attended the University of California at Berkeley and graduated with anEnglish degree and an Education minor. For the past 10 years, he has dedicatedhis life to advancing pro-immigrant policies. He is the former PICO NationalNetwork Immigration Lead Organizer where he helped to strengthen immigrantorganizing across various faith institutions with the Campaign for Citizenship.(see full bio)Panelists:Diana ColinCivic Engagement Director, CHIRLADiana Colin is the Director of Civic Engagement at the Coalition for HumaneImmigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and the Program Director with the CHIRLA ActionFund. Her work at CHIRLA began as a student volunteer in 2009. She was hiredon as a statewide campaign organizer in 2013. During the 2018 MidtermElection, she ran the Immigrant Political Power Project (IPPP) which helped tocontact over 240,375 low propensity African-American, Latino, and immigrantvoters. In 2018, under her leadership, the CHIRLA Action Fund ran fourIndependent Expenditures in California which helped changed the politicalmakeup of the state. (see full bio)Luis SanchezExecutive Director, Power CaliforniaOver the last 25 years, Luis has dedicated himself to building a movement foreducational, social and economic justice in California. Through his consultingpractice, EC Strategy, Luis has served as a strategic planning, organizationaldevelopment, and media and political consultant for foundations, politicalcandidates, and campaigns, non-profit organizations, elected officials and laborunions. Luis is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in English and holds aMasters in Public Administration from Cal State Northridge. (see full bio)
Economic DevelopmentModerator:Rudy EspinozaExecutive Director, Inclusive Action for the CityRudy Espinoza is the Executive Director of Inclusive Action and an urban plannerwith a passion for neighborhoods, entrepreneurism, and financialempowerment. He specializes in designing and managing place-based initiatives,identifying profitable investment opportunities in low-income communities,building private/nonprofit partnerships, and training the working poor toparticipate in the socio-economic revitalization of their neighborhoods. Rudyholds a Master Degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.S. in BusinessAdministration. (see full bio)Panelists:Sandra DiazPolitical Director, Service Employee International UnionSandra Diaz leads through compassion and connection. A leader in theimmigrants’ rights and labor movement for nearly 20 year, Diaz is now the VicePresident and Political Director for SEIU United ServiceWorkersWest (SEIUUSWW), a local union representing over 40,000 janitors, security officers, airportworkers and other property service workers in California. Sandra’s personalhistory is the bedrock of her commitment to empowering workers of color inlowwage industries. Her immigrant parents taught her the value of hard work,humility and courage. Her mother was a domestic worker and her father was ajardinière, working for some of the wealthiest families in the country. Growingup on the U.S./Mexico border in a mixed-status household, Sandra knew what it was like to live in constant fear,wishing to remain unseen. These experiences profoundly shaped Sandra and continue to ground her in hercommitment to help workers find their own power, raise their voices, and step forward to be seen.Jessica QuintanaChief Executive Officer, Centro CHA, Inc.Jessica Quintana is the Chief Executive Officer of the Centro CHA Inc., one of thelargest and most effective Latino workforce development and immigration legalservices provider in the city of Long Beach and surrounding Harbor-Gatewayareas. Mrs. Quintana is also a member of the Education Consortium of the LongBeach College District and LBUSD and a member of the Board of Directors of theLong Beach Arts Council, steering committee lead for Long Beach LatinoEconomic Impact and data profile and annual Latino Economic Summit, andtaskforce member for City of Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia’s Everyone Home-
Homeless Initiative. Quintana is rooted in her community, as a Long Beach resident and community leader whereshe attended local schools as a youth, and remembers working multiple minimum wage jobs to support her family.As one of the original youth members of the former Long Beach grass-roots organization Centro de La Raza, Jessica’spassion for her hometown and for community organizing started at an early age. (see full bio)Veronica LagunasJanitorial Worker and Union Leader, Service Employee International UnionVeronica Laguas is a janitorial worker, union leader, educator and mother of twowho came to the United States from El Salvador eighteen years ago. As a workerin the janitorial industry and member of SEIU United Service Workers West, shehelped to lead the Ya Basta! campaign and participated in the hunger strike thatled to passage of California Assembly Bill (A.B.) 1978, the Property ServiceWorkers Protection Act, signed by Governor Jerry Brown in September 2016.She also participated in a similar hunger strike as part of a coalition effort in NewYork and currently is working on the campaign to pass A.B. 2079, legislationwhich would support peer education and advocacy on sexual harassment in the janitorial industry. She is active inthe National TPS Alliance, which is pushing for legislation for approximately 450,000 TPS holders to obtainpermanent residency in the USA. Ms. Girón is a community mental health and HIV prevention educator for LosAngeles County and a trained anti-violence educator in her union. She gives self-defense classes and is currentlyobtaining a diploma in first aid/emergency response for immigrants with a focus on women and children, through aprogram of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Los Angeles, UC Berkeley, and OIM.
EducationModerator:Ruth BaskettProject Director, Los Angeles County Office of EducationRuth Baskett is a project director with the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Multilingual Academic Support (MAS) Unitin the Curriculum and Instruction Division (CIS) . She currently provides Title III/English Learner program technical assistance andprofessional development for districts and schools across Los Angeles County. Prior to working for LACOE, Ms. Baskett was adistrict administrator, school principal, program coordinator, and bilingual teacher in Los Angeles County. (see website)Panelists:Arturo ValdezDeputy Superintendent, Los Angeles County Office of EducationArturo Valdez is proud to serve as Deputy Superintendent of the Los Angeles CountyOffice of Education (LACOE). Mr. Valdez is bilingual and has been in education for over 33years. He served as a Chief Academic Officer for LACOE until December 2019. Prior toLACOE, he has been a teacher, coordinator, assistant principal, principal and InstructionalDirector in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) supervising 16 principals at themiddle and high school level. He has been an administrator at Virgil Middle School,Belmont High School, Burbank Middle School and Franklin High School. Mr. Valdez hashad experience at the elementary, middle, high school, and adult school level, as well asextensive experiences at the central District office level. In every position that he hasheld, he has focused on data driven instructional decisions in order to create a student-centered focus environment. Mr. Valdezbelieves that school success requires that we create diverse learning communities where parents are partners, practitioners arereflective and children are the center of all that we do. Mr. Valdez is intent on developing a plan that focuses on three specificareas: (1) Unwavering Focus on Academic Achievement (2) School Culture, Climate, and Infrastructure and (3) Leadership thatSupports High Achievement for Students/Staff. Mr. Valdez’s responsibilities at LACOE includes the oversight of variousdepartments, including General Counsel, Educational Programs, Communications, Technology Services, Business Services,Human Resource Services and Governmental Relations. (see website)Vanessa AramayoExecutive Director, The Alliance for a Better CommunityVanessa Aramayo serves as the Executive Director at Alliance for a Better Community(ABC) and is responsible for overseeing the execution of the organization’s strategic plan,establishing policy priorities, and managing the coordination of ABC’s advocacy effortsaimed at improving the well-being of Latinos in Los Angeles County. Vanessa’s careerincludes working in California’s State Assembly, United States Congress, and runningstatewide organizations working on anti-poverty and immigrant r
a Masters in Urban Planning from UCLA. She co-authored reports such as, How the Federally Proposed Rule Change for Public Charge Determination Could Negatively Impact . Annenberg journalism chair at the University of Southern California. He is the author of six books on various topics
