Nathan (he/him) is the Long Beach/Compton Youth Organizer for EastYard Communities for Environmental Justice. Nathan comes from a lineage of educators and agricultural workers from Costa Rica. From a young age, Nathan saw his uncles and aunties work within the education system in Costa Rica as administrators and special education teachers while being union members deeply rooted in their communities/church. Nathan saw these family members as inspiration and began organizing as a college student alongside unions and student groups. In his role, Nathan strives to connect and uplift the talents and passions of students. Nathan is an avid Dodger and LA Galaxy fan in his free time.
Laura Cortez (She/Ella) is a lifelong Bell Gardens resident. Laura received a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from CSU, Los Angeles, and her Master of Arts degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Community Development from CSU, Long Beach. Laura has organized in the South Bay & now organizes in her hood of Southeast Los Angeles. Laura is also a Spanish-English interpreter since 2010, including interpreting for domestic violence survivors, health, and immigration organizations. Laura started at EYCEJ in 2017 as a member & organizer for the Eastside & Southeast LA and currently supports our communities as a member, one of 2 SELA organizers & Co-Executive Director (2020). Laura’s hope is to work toward equity that improves the lives of families of color through community-led leadership in the Southeast cities for current and future generations.
Jocelyn (She/Her/Hers) was raised in Bell Gardens, where much of her interest in environmental justice began. She graduated with a BA in Geography/Environmental Studies and Urban Planning from UCLA. She has been involved with EYCEJ since high school and has served as a researcher for the Marina Pando Social Justice Research Collaborative. She assisted research in brownfield truthing, researched industrial pollution in the communities of Southeast and East LA, and will continue to produce community-based knowledge to demand accountability from polluters. She will continue working toward sustainable development and building power in low-income communities of color.
Cindy Donis (She/Her/Hers) grew up in the city of Maywood and graduated with a BA in Chicana/o Studies and Gender & Feminist Studies at Pitzer College. As a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, she has always valued her roots and history of struggle. She became involved in social movements and organizing in college, fighting for worker rights through the Claremont Student Worker Alliance as well as connecting local and international movements through the Chiapas Support Committee. She spent 3 years working at the Labor/Community Strategy Center, as a youth organizer challenging the mass criminalization of black and brown youth and the militarization of communities. She is committed and passionate about creating a world where black and brown communities are truly free.
Jasmine Gonzalez (she/her/hers) was born in Boyle Heights but moved at the age of eight and grew up in the city of Commerce. She obtained her B.A. in Geography from UC Santa Barbara and eventually became involved in political campaigns where she was able to develop her passion for engaging community members. She developed a personal interest in housing and came across EYCEJ where as a member she learned of the importance of community in order to fight oppressive systems. She is dedicated to housing justice and continually strives to equip herself with the tools needed to better support her community. Her goal is to empower the community by giving renters the tools and information they need. Her favorite part of doing outreach is hearing the infectious smile on someone’s face when she tells them housing is a human right.
mark! Lopez – Eastside Community Organizer & Special Projects Coordinator
mark! Lopez (He/Him/His) comes from a family with a long history of activism. He was raised in the Madres del Este de Los Angeles Santa Isabel (Mothers of East LA Santa Isabel – MELASI), an organization co-founded by his grandparents, Juana Beatriz Gutierrez, and Ricardo Gutierrez. This set his trajectory as a community activist. He engaged in a wide array of student activism at UC Santa Cruz where he earned his B.A. in Environmental Studies and taught university courses at UC Santa Cruz, Cal State Northridge, and UCLA Extension. mark! earned his M.A. from the Chican@ Studies Department at Cal State Northridge, where he completed his Master’s thesis titled The Fire: Decolonizing “Environmental Justice.” mark! joined East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice as a member three years before joining the staff. After serving as Lead Organizer for East Yard Communities and Co-Director with EYCEJ Co-Founder Angelo Logan, mark! served as the Executive Director for over 6 years. He is now serving as Eastside Community Organizer & Special Projects Coordinator. He organizes in the area where he was born, raised, and continues to live. mark! is the 2017 North American Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Andrea Luna (she/her) grew up in Huntington Park and now lives in the City of Bell. She became passionate about social, environmental, and food justice during her first year at East Los Angeles College, where she became involved with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. Her involvement began within La Cosecha Colectiva (LCC), which led her to participate in the second and third cohort of the Marina Pando Social Justice Research Collaborative where she conducted research about the social and health impacts of lead contamination of LCC member gardens and in Southeast Los Angeles. Andrea then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley graduating with a B.S. in Society and Environment and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies, and a minor in Race and Law. Andrea is dedicated to challenging social, environmental, and food injustices impacting her community and communities like hers.
Taylor Thomas – Research & Policy Analyst/Co-Executive Director
Taylor Thomas (She/they) is proud to be born and raised in the Westside of Long Beach. She has been involved in organizing for quality and affordable education, racial equity, and environmental justice. She came to understand the impacts of environmental racism on her industrialized neighborhood adjacent to the 710 freeway through her involvement with EYCEJ as a member in 2012; this changed the trajectory of her life and opened a path to advocate for her health and the health of her community. Taylor loves dance, writing, ecology, fashion, poetry, somatic practices, cats, and Uno. You can often find them engaging in spirited debates about cultural and gendered traditions, moving their body on a dance floor (anywhere really), laughing with friends, curled up with a book, frolicking in water, or napping. She is an alum of the Human Development department at CSULB.
Evelyn Torres – Administrative Team
Evelyn was born in Los Angeles, where she lived until the age of six before moving to a neighboring city. With many of her family roots still in the Los Angeles community, Evelyn has always felt a strong connection to the area. Over the past decade, she has garnered more than 10 years of Human Resources Administrative experience. Now, she hopes to contribute her growth and knowledge to EYCEJ as she supports her community as part of the Administrative Team.
Guadalupe (Lupe) Valdovinos, (She/Her/Hers) was born and raised in East Los Angeles. Very proud of her community, culture, and family history, she decided to be the first in her family to pursue higher education. She graduated from CSULA in 2018 with a BS in Public Health. She has ambitions to combat environmental health disparities in her community and began volunteering with EYCEJ in the summer of 2018. Having participated in water research for the H2Ours campaign was the moment she felt she can encourage the growth of knowledge in her community. It is through her efforts in volunteering with EYCEJ that she found her passion to fight the good fight with amazing people. Lupe’s journey has just begun and she embraces it with everyone willing to grow with her.
Paola Vargas – Long Beach Organizer
Paola Vargas (she/her) is a graduate of the University of California, Davis with a degree in Environmental Science and Management. Born and raised in the South Bay, Paola is a resident of Carson and grew up in a Mexican-Salvadoran family. Combining her experiences with the refineries in Carson as a high school student and her environmental background, she found her place at UC Davis as an advocate for a clean and just environment. Paola is interested in the unification of ecology with human function and its role in bridging community needs with environmental concerns.
EYCEJ Team
Meet the East Yard Team
Nathan Carbajal – Long Beach Youth Organizer
Nathanc.eycej@gmail.com
Nathan (he/him) is the Long Beach/Compton Youth Organizer for EastYard Communities for Environmental Justice. Nathan comes from a lineage of educators and agricultural workers from Costa Rica. From a young age, Nathan saw his uncles and aunties work within the education system in Costa Rica as administrators and special education teachers while being union members deeply rooted in their communities/church. Nathan saw these family members as inspiration and began organizing as a college student alongside unions and student groups. In his role, Nathan strives to connect and uplift the talents and passions of students. Nathan is an avid Dodger and LA Galaxy fan in his free time.
Laura Cortez – Organizer/Co-Executive Director
laura@eycej.org
Laura Cortez (She/Ella) is a lifelong Bell Gardens resident. Laura received a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from CSU, Los Angeles, and her Master of Arts degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Community Development from CSU, Long Beach. Laura has organized in the South Bay & now organizes in her hood of Southeast Los Angeles. Laura is also a Spanish-English interpreter since 2010, including interpreting for domestic violence survivors, health, and immigration organizations. Laura started at EYCEJ in 2017 as a member & organizer for the Eastside & Southeast LA and currently supports our communities as a member, one of 2 SELA organizers & Co-Executive Director (2020). Laura’s hope is to work toward equity that improves the lives of families of color through community-led leadership in the Southeast cities for current and future generations.
Jocelyn Del Real – Energy Policy Organizer
Jocelyn (She/Her/Hers) was raised in Bell Gardens, where much of her interest in environmental justice began. She graduated with a BA in Geography/Environmental Studies and Urban Planning from UCLA. She has been involved with EYCEJ since high school and has served as a researcher for the Marina Pando Social Justice Research Collaborative. She assisted research in brownfield truthing, researched industrial pollution in the communities of Southeast and East LA, and will continue to produce community-based knowledge to demand accountability from polluters. She will continue working toward sustainable development and building power in low-income communities of color.
Cindy Donis – Community Organizer
Cindy Donis (She/Her/Hers) grew up in the city of Maywood and graduated with a BA in Chicana/o Studies and Gender & Feminist Studies at Pitzer College. As a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, she has always valued her roots and history of struggle. She became involved in social movements and organizing in college, fighting for worker rights through the Claremont Student Worker Alliance as well as connecting local and international movements through the Chiapas Support Committee. She spent 3 years working at the Labor/Community Strategy Center, as a youth organizer challenging the mass criminalization of black and brown youth and the militarization of communities. She is committed and passionate about creating a world where black and brown communities are truly free.
Jasmine Gonzalez – Community Stability Organizer
Jasmine Gonzalez (she/her/hers) was born in Boyle Heights but moved at the age of eight and grew up in the city of Commerce. She obtained her B.A. in Geography from UC Santa Barbara and eventually became involved in political campaigns where she was able to develop her passion for engaging community members. She developed a personal interest in housing and came across EYCEJ where as a member she learned of the importance of community in order to fight oppressive systems. She is dedicated to housing justice and continually strives to equip herself with the tools needed to better support her community. Her goal is to empower the community by giving renters the tools and information they need. Her favorite part of doing outreach is hearing the infectious smile on someone’s face when she tells them housing is a human right.
mark! Lopez – Eastside Community Organizer & Special Projects Coordinator
mlopez@eycej.org
mark! Lopez (He/Him/His) comes from a family with a long history of activism. He was raised in the Madres del Este de Los Angeles Santa Isabel (Mothers of East LA Santa Isabel – MELASI), an organization co-founded by his grandparents, Juana Beatriz Gutierrez, and Ricardo Gutierrez. This set his trajectory as a community activist. He engaged in a wide array of student activism at UC Santa Cruz where he earned his B.A. in Environmental Studies and taught university courses at UC Santa Cruz, Cal State Northridge, and UCLA Extension. mark! earned his M.A. from the Chican@ Studies Department at Cal State Northridge, where he completed his Master’s thesis titled The Fire: Decolonizing “Environmental Justice.” mark! joined East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice as a member three years before joining the staff. After serving as Lead Organizer for East Yard Communities and Co-Director with EYCEJ Co-Founder Angelo Logan, mark! served as the Executive Director for over 6 years. He is now serving as Eastside Community Organizer & Special Projects Coordinator. He organizes in the area where he was born, raised, and continues to live. mark! is the 2017 North American Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Andrea Luna – Policy Analyst
aluna@eycej.org
Andrea Luna (she/her) grew up in Huntington Park and now lives in the City of Bell. She became passionate about social, environmental, and food justice during her first year at East Los Angeles College, where she became involved with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. Her involvement began within La Cosecha Colectiva (LCC), which led her to participate in the second and third cohort of the Marina Pando Social Justice Research Collaborative where she conducted research about the social and health impacts of lead contamination of LCC member gardens and in Southeast Los Angeles. Andrea then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley graduating with a B.S. in Society and Environment and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies, and a minor in Race and Law. Andrea is dedicated to challenging social, environmental, and food injustices impacting her community and communities like hers.
Taylor Thomas – Research & Policy Analyst/Co-Executive Director
Taylor Thomas (She/they) is proud to be born and raised in the Westside of Long Beach. She has been involved in organizing for quality and affordable education, racial equity, and environmental justice. She came to understand the impacts of environmental racism on her industrialized neighborhood adjacent to the 710 freeway through her involvement with EYCEJ as a member in 2012; this changed the trajectory of her life and opened a path to advocate for her health and the health of her community. Taylor loves dance, writing, ecology, fashion, poetry, somatic practices, cats, and Uno. You can often find them engaging in spirited debates about cultural and gendered traditions, moving their body on a dance floor (anywhere really), laughing with friends, curled up with a book, frolicking in water, or napping. She is an alum of the Human Development department at CSULB.
Evelyn Torres – Administrative Team
Evelyn was born in Los Angeles, where she lived until the age of six before moving to a neighboring city. With many of her family roots still in the Los Angeles community, Evelyn has always felt a strong connection to the area. Over the past decade, she has garnered more than 10 years of Human Resources Administrative experience. Now, she hopes to contribute her growth and knowledge to EYCEJ as she supports her community as part of the Administrative Team.
Lupe Valdovinos – Operations Director
info@eycej.org
Guadalupe (Lupe) Valdovinos, (She/Her/Hers) was born and raised in East Los Angeles. Very proud of her community, culture, and family history, she decided to be the first in her family to pursue higher education. She graduated from CSULA in 2018 with a BS in Public Health. She has ambitions to combat environmental health disparities in her community and began volunteering with EYCEJ in the summer of 2018. Having participated in water research for the H2Ours campaign was the moment she felt she can encourage the growth of knowledge in her community. It is through her efforts in volunteering with EYCEJ that she found her passion to fight the good fight with amazing people. Lupe’s journey has just begun and she embraces it with everyone willing to grow with her.
Paola Vargas – Long Beach Organizer
Paola Vargas (she/her) is a graduate of the University of California, Davis with a degree in Environmental Science and Management. Born and raised in the South Bay, Paola is a resident of Carson and grew up in a Mexican-Salvadoran family. Combining her experiences with the refineries in Carson as a high school student and her environmental background, she found her place at UC Davis as an advocate for a clean and just environment. Paola is interested in the unification of ecology with human function and its role in bridging community needs with environmental concerns.
Recent Posts