Luis Angel Martinez (he/him)
Luis is FFCA's Campaigns Organizer and an experienced organizer grounded in social and environmental justice principles. Spending his childhood in Wilmington, CA–a community surrounded by five refineries peppered with oil wells, and neighbored by the Port of Los Angeles–Luis has friends and family with compromised health due to poor air quality caused by the fossil fuel industry. Moved by his loved ones, Luis has been involved in local Los Angeles and Wilmington environmental justice organizing since the age of 15; he came up as a grassroots organizer at Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). Now at Fossil Free California, he uses his experience to mobilize frontline communities in pushing for fossil fuel setbacks, divestment, and phaseout at the local and state level.
Luis graduated from California State University of Los Angeles with a Masters Degree in Philosophy. Luis credits his philosophy studies with helping him bolster his social and environmental justice values. He also enjoys playing jazz standards on the piano, collecting vinyl records, and visiting local LA bookstores that engage in political organizing.
Speaker Bios:
Cynthia Kaufman
Cynthia Kaufman is the Director of the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action De Anza College where she runs, and teaches in, a community organizer training program. She is the author of five books on social change, including The Sea is Rising and So Are We: A Climate Justice Handbook.
Raka Ray
Raka Ray is a dedicated Biology teacher at Kennedy High School and a committed CTA State Council Delegate for the United Teachers of Richmond. With a deep passion for environmental issues, particularly climate change, Raka is driven by the urgent need to address rising sea levels in West Bengal, where the effects of global warming are already being felt. As an advocate for sustainable practices, Raka strongly supports the divestment from fossil fuels and works to raise awareness about the environmental challenges facing communities worldwide. Through teaching, activism, and advocacy, Raka is committed to creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
Craig Sheldon, Ph.D.
Dr. Craig Sheldon is an atmospheric chemist who has worked alongside other founding members of Climate Brunch to fight neighborhood oil drilling in the oil town of Signal Hill. Through this work, Dr. Sheldon helped foster a powerful grassroots resistance to a dangerous and long 20-year drilling permit by Signal Hill Petroleum.
Tanya Borja
Tanya Borja Valdovinos is a dedicated community organizer and environmental justice advocate from South Central Los Angeles. As the Lead Organizer at Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), she focuses on critical issues such as air quality and combating neighborhood oil drilling in South LA, ensuring that marginalized communities have a voice in environmental policies.
In addition to her role at SCOPE, Tanya serves on the Coordinating Committee for California Calls, a coalition that guides statewide organizing and policy campaigns. This committee, comprising representatives from various anchor organizations, meets quarterly to develop program strategies, facilitate leadership development, and promote peer-to-peer learning.
Before her tenure at SCOPE, Tanya worked as an organizer for LEGACY LA in Boyle Heights, where she collaborated with youth to advocate against gentrification and promote community empowerment. Her commitment to social justice and environmental equity continues to drive her efforts in creating sustainable and inclusive communities.