A proud son of the Bay Area, who overcame adversity

Victor was born in Oakland and raised in the Fruitvale District. Growing up, his Mexican immigrant parents worked two or three jobs to pay the bills. Like many young men of color from low-income communities who have struggled due to disinvestment, he found belonging in the streets, where he began to get in trouble. This led to his arrest at the age of 17 and an 8-year prison sentence. 

From incarceration to higher education and community advocacy

For many incarcerated young men, the justice system can make or break them. Looking at eight years, Victor felt his whole life was gone. He found himself hopeless, unsure he would ever be free again, let alone live a normal life, if he ever made it out.  

But despite remarkable odds, Victor’s faith in himself never wavered. With the support of his family and mentors, Victor found a renewed sense of purpose through service. He took the initiative to become a Men’s Advisory Council representative, a liaison between the prisoners and corrections officers. In that position, he learned to advocate for the incarcerated community and what it meant to serve a diverse population that is often ignored, unheard, and overlooked by the government and society. Eventually, Victor completed his GED and started community college courses.

In 2017, Victor was paroled to Oakland and re-entered the workforce. He began volunteering for Catholic Charities of the East Bay as a legal intern for their Immigration Legal Service Team. While at Catholic Charities of the East Bay, he began taking and writing declarations from youths who came to the US as unaccompanied minors, fleeing from violence in their home countries. Through this work, Victor was able to connect with these youths who had also experienced trauma from violence during their developing years, as he did growing up in East Oakland.

Three months later, Victor enrolled at Laney College, where he earned his Associate’s Degree, and later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Chicanx Latinx Studies. While at Berkeley, Victor continued to work while joining with first-generation organizations to support others and outreach to high school students.

A firm believer in the power of good government and public service

At City Councilmember Abel Guillen’s office as a constituent liaison, Victor learned the importance of sound and effective governance in improving people’s lives. In his role, Victor led the Councilmember’s project to improve the San Antonio Park and Immigration Know Your Rights Workshop at Garfield Elementary School in partnership with Catholic Charities. Here, he learned about the intersection of urban planning, environmentalism, zoning, and inequity that could be changed through policy decisions.

Victor continued working in Oakland with freshman Council Member Loren Taylor in the District 6 office, where he was a constituent liaison assigned to four flatland neighborhoods and the Public Works Committee. Within this East Oakland district, Victor worked with some of the most underinvested areas, with passionate and resilient neighbors who love their community and fight every day to make it better than the day before.

During the 2020 election cycle, Victor worked on multiple electoral campaigns, including two county-wide measures to fund children’s health, childcare, and homeless services. During the pandemic, he also won elections for leadership positions within the California Young Democrats.

Fighting for a resilient future through safe, clean and sustainable transit

In the summer of 2020, Victor worked as a Climate Equity Summer Associate at The Greenlining Institute, where he conducted research and stakeholder outreach and put together recommendations on how to make public transit more resilient to natural disasters. Today, he is the Vice Chair of the Greenlining Academy Alumni Association, where he mentors emerging race equity leaders. READ MORE

Victor currently works as a resilience manager at Greenbelt Alliance, where he advocates for climate resilience policies, preserves open space, and building more housing near transit and jobs. He collaborates with various Bay Area communities to ensure they adapt to rising sea and wildfire risks while reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Climate SMART designs including prioritizing public transit and alternative modes of transportation. Victor has also been one of the lead co-conveners for Alameda County’s California Job’s First group. Through this project, he has worked across the San Francisco Bay Area to support the development of high-road career pathways into economically sustainable and climate-resilient jobs.

In addition to his work in public service, Victor has served on various boards such as the Alameda County Community Corrections Partnership Community Advisory Board, Neighborhood Opportunity & Accountability Board, Oakland Latino Task Force, Oakland Latino Chamber of Commerce, Latino Young Democrats of the East Bay, East Bay Young Democrats, and the California Young Democrats.