Fernando (Fer) was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. His parents emigrated from El Salvador during the Civil War of the 1980s. He is a community organizer, policy analyst, and researcher primarily focused on alternative housing and community economic development strategies. Fernando has worked on local campaigns in Los Angeles, including the Legalize Street Vending Campaign while working for one of the largest affordable housing development non-profits in the Eastside of Los Angeles. Through a Fulbright research scholarship, Fernando returned to his parent’s native land of El Salvador, where he lived and partnered with community members to document the history of a community-owned land trust. In partnership with community leaders and the local housing cooperative, his research led to producing a short film, Nueva Heroica (New Heroics) – named after the cooperative itself, documenting the history of this successful community project. He returned to Los Angeles to get his Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He currently serves as the National Field Organizer for the Western Region at the Right to the City Alliance. In his free time, you can catch Fer watching a soccer game with the family or out and about taking photos while listening to some funky soulful beats.
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