Natividad Carrera is a Chicano from Los Angeles who is part of the community at Eastside Cafe. He has worked with the Son Jarocho collective and on various committees to safeguard the existence of the Eastside Cafe Echospace as well as the various businesses which are housed within the Maycrest building. He helped form the El Sereno Community Land Trust along with other members of the El Sereno community to safeguard community spaces and affordable housing.

Estefany Garcia is a proud Chicana raised by her community in the Eastside of Los Angeles. She was introduced to community organizing by the Eastside Café as a young person, and has since been leading youth development and program management with various nonprofits for the past 13 years.

Estefany is a first generation college graduate from UCLA and is currently a graduate student at her alma mater studying Urban Planning. Being a long term resident of El Sereno, she is determined to relentlessly advocate for housing justice to ensure people can stay housed and have access to dignified housing.

Tina Orduno Calderon is a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva, Chumash, and Yoeme decent. She is wife, mother, grandmother, sister and auntie to many. Tina is a singer who also enjoys creative writing and composing poems and songs. To date, she has composed over a dozen songs in her ancestral languages of Tongvé and Chumash.

Additionally, Tina is a traditional dancer and storyteller who strongly believes in honoring her ancestors by sharing their history, educating others about Indigenous truths, and inspiring others to respect the land, waters, sacred elements, and environment.

I was born in Boyle Heights to immigrant parents from Mexic, and grew up in East LA and Southeast LA areas. It was a working class family of five. Both my parents worked in factory industry. Even though we struggled, homeownership was a possibility during that time. Although I am born and raised in this country, have a Bachelor’s degree, homeownership has not been possible for me as an adult.

Claudia Lara Vazquez (she/her) is a Chicana born in Guadalajara, raised in Boyle Heights and current resident of El Sereno. Claudia is committed to the lifetime process of identifying and healing the symptoms of colonization for herself, family, community and the next seven generations. Claudia enjoys spending time reconnecting to nature and practicing jiu jitsu.

Brenda (Macehual/Detribalized) is a land defender and experimental filmmaker. She was born in Boyle Heights and raised in occupied Tongva Territory. As co-founder and President of Coyotl wan Macehualli, Brenda has been working to defend and restore the open hillsides of 'Ochuunga (El Sereno).

Roberto (Beto) Flores was born on January 23, 1948 and raised in La Colonia, a migrant working barrio in Oxnard California. Beto currently lives in South Pasadena, California with his wife Cynthia Mata-Flores, academic advisor at USC. Beto has 5 daughters, 2 sons and 15 grandchildren. Roberto is a life-long community scholar and activist for human rights, especially the right of people of color to self-determination. Dr. Flores is an adjunct professor at Cal State LA and at Pasadena City College.

Sandra Saucedo is a housing Justice advocate and proud Reclaimer of Reclaiming Our Homes. She’s excited to be on the ESCLT team to ensure housing for the houseless and to obtain land to put in the hands of the people. In her spare time she likes to travel to her hometown in Zacatecas, Mx, take care of her family and she loves to cook, keep an eye out for her food cart, Doña Gorditas Sandra.