Rudy Espinoza
Executive Director, Inclusive Action for the City
"Each time I interact with a street vendor, I see a little bit of my mother. She raised my brother and I on her own, an undocumented migrant from Zacatecas, working long hours in food service so we could get an education. Our efforts to legalize street vending in Los Angeles were meant to champion stories like hers and many others who crossed borders and confronted violence and hate, just to take care of their families. They are what make our city great."
Biography
Rudy Espinoza is the Executive Director of Inclusive Action for the City, a development organization designing innovations to responsibly revitalize low-income, urban areas. At Inclusive Action, he leads their advocacy efforts in support of the working poor, as well as their microfinance programs that support entrepreneurs. Espinoza specializes in designing economic development initiatives in low-income communities, researching the informal economy, building private/nonprofit partnerships, and training the working poor to participate in the socio-economic revitalization of their neighborhoods. He serves on the East Area Planning Commission for the city of Los Angeles as well as the Commission on Revenue Generation, the Advisory Boards of the L.A. Development Fund, Investing in Place, and the L.A. Food Policy Council, and the board of directors for Esperanza Community Housing Corporation. Espinoza holds degrees in business administration and urban planning.
Photo Credits
Rudy Espinoza
“Lightmatter la at night 001” by Aaron Logan, used under CC BY 1.0, from http://www.lightmatter.net/gallery/albums.php
