A Community Land Trust is governed by a democratically elected board of directors. Most CLTs utilize a tripartite board structure, meaning a third of the board are elected leaseholders that live or work on the CLTs land, a third are community representatives, and the last third are general representatives. BVCLT utilizes a traditional tripartite board structure and a democratic election process to elect board members when their term is completed. Get to know our governing board below!
Linda Reyes
PresidentLinda Reyes (she/her) is a community planner, cultural organizer and the daughter of Filipino, Burmese and Chinese immigrants. She was born and raised in unceded Tongva territory (Los Angeles), with family roots in Historic Filipinotown/Rampart Village. Having also worked and organized in similarly changing neighborhoods (Boyle Heights, Inglewood, Little Tokyo and Elysian Valley), Linda has witnessed how development that ignores the local culture displaces longtime residents. She is passionate about creating infrastructure that amplifies the voice and leadership of communities of color, who have historically been excluded from and harmed by city planning processes. Linda works at community development nonprofit LA Más and organizes with Tuesday Night Project and HiFi Coalition. Linda received her master’s in Urban Sustainability from Antioch University–LA and her bachelor's degree in International Development Studies and Political Science, with a minor in Southeast Asian Studies from UCLA.
|
Steven Simon
Vice PresidentA native of Fresno, California, Steven moved to Los Angeles in 2006 to obtain a master's degree in urban planning at UCLA. A former union campaign researcher and strategist, Steven now works at a non-profit organization in central Los Angeles that addresses the needs of disadvantaged workers.
|
Diana Mabel Cruz
SecretaryDiana's roots to the neighborhood date back to the 1960s when her grandparents first immigrated from El Salvador to Koreatown. Having been raised just a few blocks west of Beverly and Vermont, Diana has seen several changes in her neighborhood and is committed to ensuring that future changes in housing, transit, and environmental initiatives benefit all members- especially the long-term POC and houseless community. At her day job, Diana helps build the organizational capacity of two community engagement offices at Occidental College. In 2017, she graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Sustainable Environmental Design with a focus on Participatory Urbanism. Since then, she has moved back home to continue learning, growing, and organizing with her neighbors.
|
Audrey Younsook JangAudrey grew up in Koreatown and is glad to have found her way back home. She discovered the Los Angeles Ecovillage upon returning from an internship with a CLT on a rural island off the coast of Washington State. She wrote a public policy analysis thesis analyzing the alternative model of sustainable development demonstrated at the Ecovillage. Currently, she works to increase Korean American 2020 Census participation and civic engagement. Audrey aspires to join the burgeoning coalition of activists in all sectors organizing to transform mainstream land use patterns in Los Angeles, to solve the interrelated crises of climate change and homelessness. She is currently attending a dual J.D.-Masters in Urban Planning program at UCLA.
|
Adriana Swain
Adriana is a Project Steward at the L.A. Co-op Lab, and an independent campaigns and communications consultant. She is passionate about equitable community development, having worked as an organizer and communications strategist for several economic and environmental justice initiatives, including the Uplift Inglewood Coalition and the Social Justice Learning Institute. She holds a MS in Environment, Politics and Development from SOAS, University of London and a BA in International Development from the University of Sussex.
|
Yuki KidokoroYuki Kidokoro is CJA’s Reinvest Project Director. After graduate studies in Urban Planning at UCLA, Yuki spent 15 years at Communities for a Better Environment as a Youth Organizer, Lead Organizer and Southern California Program Director. At CBE, Yuki developed the youth program and was active in many successful grassroots campaigns. Some of these victories include stopping two fossil fuel power plant projects in Southeast LA, delaying the expansion of the I-710 diesel truck corridor to allow for public process, and winning health protective policies at the city, regional and state levels. Yuki helped carry out CBE’s movement building work with the California EJ Alliance and with the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance at the state and national levels. Raised in Southern California, Yuki helped create a 45 unit affordable housing cooperative at the Los Angeles Eco-Village in Koreatown where she lives with her partner and 2 cats. She currently serves on the Board of the Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust and is trained in conflict mediation and group facilitation. Yuki enjoys biking, gardening, board games and thinking about community governance structures.
|
Chris Cuellar
Chris Cuellar is a technologist, artist and community organizer working at the intersections of digital technologies, movement-building and radical pedagogy. Chris is based in unceded territory of the Tongva people and their neighbors (Los Angeles, California). In 2015, Chris co-founded Color Coded, a tech learning space for people of color in LA. Starting in 2012, Chris has been actively involved in the housing rights movement. Chris helped found the Los Angeles Tenants Union in 2015, and is currently serving on the board of the Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust. Chris is currently a senior software engineer at The Movement Cooperative, helping build tech & data infrastructure for the progressive movement in the US, and is a regular guest lecturer at the UCLA Design Media Arts department.
|
Citlalli VelasquezCitlalli grew up in Lincoln Heights and received her BA from Georgetown University. She is a worker cooperative developer with the L.A. Co-op Lab, an English-Spanish interpreter, and a de-escalation and by-stander intervention instructor with Defend Yourself. She brings a background in housing organizing where she supported tenants in DC through rent strikes, TOPA, cooperative conversions and city-wide campaigns such as Reclaim Rent Control, Cancel Rent and building a city wide Tenant Union. Citlalli is devoted to building joyous and life-affirming spaces alongside her communities. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, karaoke with friends, cuddling with her cat Señor, and writing snail mail to friends and family.
|
Ixchel HernandezIxchel Hernandez was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and was raised in Koreatown, Los Angeles. She immigrated to Los Angeles with her family in 2001, she attended school and grew up within the Beverly Vermont area. Ixchel received her BA in Art at California State University of Northridge
and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Arts. As a DACA student, artist, and activist, she is greatly influenced by her community and her peers. She hopes to become an educator and inspire young POC emerging artists. Her experience include organizing, lobbying and advocating for immigrant rights, domestic worker rights and now tenant unionization. She hopes to continue learning and gaining experience in community outreach, housing equity and tenants rights through BVCLT. |
Jessica Brown
Treasurer
|
Michelle Wong
|
Kasey VenturaStaff Representative
|
Faizah BarlasStaff Representative
|