PRESIDENT

Jamie (she/they) grew up in the Bay Area and moved to Los Angeles to study at UCLA, where she majored in Political Science and Global Studies. They then worked in the legislature for over two years, serving as a Field Representative and District Director for Senator Sydney Kamlager. Jamie currently works as the Public Affairs Special for the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project of Los Angeles County. She also serves as the Membership Director of Westside Young Democrats. Jamie’s hobbies include playing soccer, riding motorcycles, and binge watching the latest HBO shows.

OPERATIONS VICE PRESIDENT

Kanin was first exposed to politics as a student organizer in Arizona. Inspired by his passion for helping the LGBTQ+ community and advancing progressive housing policies, Kanin committed himself to working on various elections and political campaigns for over a decade. Kanin previously worked as an executive assistant to the Maricopa County Recorder, and on the management team with the Los Angeles County Recorder/Registrar’s office on the Voting Solution for All People (VSAP) project. In his time off he enjoys binge watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race and binge eating dark chocolate.

POLITICAL VICE PRESIDENT

Ernesto Castillo is a dedicated educational advocate and public servant, born and raised in Inglewood, CA. Ernesto served on Capitol Hill as a congressional intern for Congressman Tony Cardenas in Washington D.C. and returned to his hometown to continue serving his community.

Upon his return to Inglewood he was appointed as an Inglewood City Commissioner for the Library Board. As the only Latino and Youngest Commissioner, he advocated for more digital and Spanish language material. In 2022, he was elected as the first Latino Trustee on the Inglewood Unified School Board.

Ernesto has organized educational opportunities for low-income healthcare workers worked as a Field Representative for State Senator Lena A. Gonzalez and served as an ADEM Delegate for the 62nd Assembly District.

He is currently a 3L at LMU Loyola Law School, specializing in the Intellectual Property concentration and the Entertainment & Media Law concentration.

COMMUNITY VICE PRESIDENT

Jacob is the Director of Public Affairs at ColLAborate. As the newest addition to the team, Jacob draws upon his extensive experience in local and state government relations and political communications – including developing strategic public affairs campaigns, policy analysis, community coalition building and outreach, and lobbying. With a background in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, Jacob’s areas of legislative expertise include higher education, land use, economic development, environment, healthcare, and entertainment, to name a few. Jacob earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Los Angeles. He lives in the Westside neighborhood of Del Rey and is politically involved with organizations focused on LGBTQIA and Latinx issues.

COMMUNICATIONS VICE PRESIDENT

Summer Chiang was born and raised in Honolulu before moving to Los Angeles, where she attends UCLA as a Public Affairs and Political Science major, and is involved on-campus with organizations including Bruin Democrats, IGNITE, and the USAC Office of the IVP. Outside of college, she currently serves as a member of JusticeCorps and a researcher for the Institute of Inequality and Democracy, and has developed her passion for civil rights law with her previous work for the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice and the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General. Starting off as a Vice Chair, she is excited for her new role as the VP of Communications. In her free time, you can find her doing yoga or going on matcha runs with friends!

COMMUNICATIONS VICE CHAIR

Nick Wyville serves as Communications Deputy for Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, overseeing digital communications for the Third District. He previously worked with numerous local and national campaigns, including President Biden’s 2020 campaign and Supervisor Horvath’s 2022 Supervisorial campaign. A graduate of Harvard College, Nick has focused his academic and professional career on urban studies and criminal justice issues. He lives in West Hollywood, and serves the city as a Human Services Commissioner.

COMMUNICATIONS VICE CHAIR & DPSFV ALTERNATE

Carla (she/her), was born and raised in San Pedro, and currently lives in North Hollywood with her boyfriend and their two 🐈‍⬛🐈 . She graduated from CSUN with a degree in Political Science and an emphasis on Public Policy. During her academic journey, she worked at the National Hispanic Media Coalition. She currently serves as the Social Innovation Coordinator for the Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative, she is an active member of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy - Los Angeles, holding a position on its Steering Committee. Carla serves on the boards of: the Greater Valley Glen Council, League of Women Voters of Greater Los Angeles, and Latinas Lead California's Young Professionals Network.

AT LARGE & DPSFV MEMBER

Brandon Whalen-Castellanos (he/him) proudly serves as a Member at Large for the Stonewall Young Democrats. He is SYD’s Club Representative for the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley. Brandon has been a strong advocate for young people leading in Democratic Party politics. Originally from Orange County, Brandon volunteered during the 2018 Blue Wave and helped flip historically conservative districts alongside the Orange County Young Democrats. He currently lives in North Hollywood with his partner, Luke. Professionally, he is an environmental planner specializing in land use planning and housing development. With the help of organizations like SYD, Brandon was elected in 2023 as an Assembly District Delegate for the California Democratic Party, representing the 44th Assembly District. He also serves as the Legislative Director for the San Fernando Valley Young Democrats.

AT LARGE

SECRETARY

Campbell Baker (they/she) was born and raised in Seattle before moving to Los Angeles, where they attend UCLA as a Microbiology and Environmental Science major. There, she is involved with on-campus organizations including IGNITE as Events Director, Sustainability Action Research, and SWC Planned Parenthood. Outside of university, they currently work with Planned Parenthood as a public affairs intern, and with UCLA Health, focusing on waste and sustainability issues at UCLA Health clinics. When not working on different advocacy or health topics, Campbell enjoys reading and getting boba with friends!

CONTROLLER

Marcial Rene Romero is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles currently residing in South Central Los Angeles, who has a deep passion for activism. Rene is the youngest son of a single immigrant mother, and his early life experience of seeing his mother struggle to make ends meet fueled his passion for social justice. In college, Rene found his passion for higher education advocating for student needs and successfully advocated against a tuition increase to the California State University system. Upon graduating, Rene began work on political campaigns and found employment with Assemblymember Ed Chau’s office focusing on Veterans, Water, and Health & Human Services issues. In mid-2019, Rene took up a once in a lifetime opportunity to go work on the Bernie Sanders’ Presidential campaign in New Hampshire, successfully winning the state primary for Senator Bernie Sanders. Rene currently works for State Senator Maria Elena Durazo as a Caseworker and Field Representative. In his free time, Rene likes to hang out with his two dogs Shae and Leo, watch the Dodgers and Rams, and just hang out with friends. Rene’s passion for social justice is only matched for his hatred for the Houston Astros.

MEMBER DIRECTOR

Justyn began organizing as a student fellow with Mike Levin for Congress in 2022. He then moved on to serve as a Deputy Field Director with the campaign through the 2022 Midterms, helping defend one of the most competitive seats in the country. He currently serves as the Youth Vote Coordinator & Field Manager at the Grassroots Democrats HQ, and is a second year Political Economy major at the University of Southern California.

PARLIAMENTARIAN

LACDP LIASON

Jake (he/him) grew up in San Diego and moved to Los Angeles to study theatre at UCLA, but he has always had an interest in politics. During the pandemic, Jake became inspired to take a more active role in public affairs. Coming from a family of educators, Jake is dedicated to involving the community in government. He is excited to be working towards a better Los Angeles during his first year on the SYD Board. Besides an interest in public service, Jake is actively working in the entertainment industry. He hopes to be a part of making impactful and inclusive stories for audiences. In his free time, he can be found writing on his laptop, reading a good book, or falling down a research rabbit hole.

DPSFV REPRESENTATIVE

SOCIAL CHAIR

Whether it was creating petitions for favored political candidates or organizing around changing school policies, Sequoia has always been politically involved. Growing up in a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota with two parents as civil rights attorneys she felt a deep call to a justice oriented career. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a degree in Political Science and Pre-Law. She currently is the Organizing and Campaign Specialist for Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. She is excited to help fight for a future that has accessible reproductive health for all.