Registration
Event Description
As we know, redistricting is our once-a-decade opportunity to redraw our state’s district boundaries to ensure fair representation for all Californians. However, did you know cities and counties have their own independent redistricting process and commissions?
Locally, the City of Los Angeles is working on redrawing its council district boundaries. Like state redistricting, a local redistricting process helps assure that districts are drawn in a way that gives people equal and fair representation for the next ten years. Representation is power. Who represents you in City Hall can mean more or less affordable housing, cleaner streets, and political accountability.
Join us to learn more about the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission, their plan for an inclusive and equitable redistricting process, what we know about the 2020 census data, and how funders and community organizations are working together to redraw our city.
Speakers
Fred Ali SCG Member
<p>Fred Ali has more than 40 years of senior management experience with philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and government. He began his career in 1972 as a volunteer teacher and counselor in a small western Alaska village. Over the next 19 years, Fred held a number of leadership positions in Alaska with nonprofit organizations, state government, and higher education. In 1991, he became the executive director of Covenant House in Los Angeles. Under Fred’s leadership, Covenant House California developed into a large, multi-service program working with homeless and at-risk youth in Los Angeles and Oakland.</p>
<p>Fred was appointed president of the Weingart Foundation in 1999. He serves on the boards of Covenant House California, the MLK Health and Wellness Community Development Corporation, and the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles. Fred also chairs the board of advisors for the University of Southern California’s Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy and co-chairs the Center’s national advisory committee for the Irene Hirano Inouye’s Philanthropic Leadership Fund. Fred speaks regularly on issues pertaining to the nonprofit sector including equity, organizational effectiveness and capacity building.</p>
<p>Fred was appointed president of the Weingart Foundation in 1999. He serves on the boards of Covenant House California, the MLK Health and Wellness Community Development Corporation, and the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles. Fred also chairs the board of advisors for the University of Southern California’s Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy and co-chairs the Center’s national advisory committee for the Irene Hirano Inouye’s Philanthropic Leadership Fund. Fred speaks regularly on issues pertaining to the nonprofit sector including equity, organizational effectiveness and capacity building.</p>
Rafael Gonzalez SCG Member
Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission City of Los Angeles
Rafael is a proven and inclusive leader, manager and advocate driven by his core values of justice, collaboration, accountability, balance, respect, trust, and innovation. Over the years, he has worked & organized in the nonprofit, government, service, and philanthropic fields. This multisector experience has gifted him the skill to develop and maintain relationships with individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds for purposes of realizing common objectives, social impact, equity, and community/systems change. Rafael previously served as Director of Community Relations for First 5 LA; Director of Community Relations for the Los Angeles Dodgers; Chief Service Officer and Director of Neighborhood & Community Services for City of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Executive Director of Collective SPACE; Founder and Executive Director of Public Allies – Los Angeles; Director of Civic Education & U.S. Citizenship Project Director at the National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund; Affirmative Action Campaign Coordinator at the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF); Campaign Field Director at Coalition LA & Senior Field Deputy for LA Councilmember Mike Hernandez.
Vy Nguyen SCG Member
Director of Special Projects and Communications, Weingart Foundation
<p>Vy Nguyen joined Weingart Foundation in 2008 as Program Associate, and currently serves as Director of Special Projects and Communications, working on initiatives and other projects that fall outside of the Foundation’s typical responsive grantmaking. Before entering philanthropy, she worked for more than a decade in the nonprofit and public sectors, most recently for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education and, prior to that, for the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance. Vy holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from University of California, Los Angeles.</p>
Kirk Samuels
Director of Civic Engagement, People's Bloc
Kirk is responsible for developing and implementing outreach strategies that inform and motivate residents of South Los Angeles to develop and use their political power to effect change. With an unprecedented year of opportunities for civic engagement beginning in 2020, Kirk has crafted CoCo’s strategic plan for outreach workers to execute various campaigns as well as developed relationships with other organizations to increase voter turnout and Census participation in South L.A. Kirk also cultivates external partnerships in an effort to build a broader base of civic power to progressively impact the conditions of the community. Kirk joined Community Coalition as a volunteer in 2015 and began working full-time with the organization shortly thereafter. Being directly impacted by the dire conditions and injustices of South Los Angeles, he developed a deeply rooted connection with social justice and wanted to be part of the positive change he wished to see in his community. Kirk has led numerous programs focused on educating thousands of voters on ballot measures, initiatives and propositions that positively affect the community.