Life & Work with Sebastian Cazares

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sebastian Cazares.

Hi Sebastian, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am 20 years old, a UCLA student, an activist, and now I hold public office as LA County’s youngest elected official. I grew up in a historically conservative, white community, Santa Clarita, and have been active in leading its movements for change as our city has transformed and diversified. As often the only Latino voice in leadership, I saw bigotry and intolerance everywhere in my hometown. But it all shaped me.

Since 15, I had a passion for public service and for making change, and I dedicated my life to fighting for underrepresented voices and the youth. I’m a 2018 alum of Saugus High and close to many that experienced the school shooting, and the school was where I gained my determination for advocacy. The political ineptitude in my city’s representatives was apparent, so I decided to run for office at 19. While I was both a full-time student and helped lead the protest movement for racial justice in the community; at the same time I ran a historic campaign to flip our community college board at College of the Canyons (COC). I was the most recent student government president of the college (just transferred from COC in 2020 to UCLA) and just won a seat on the college board held by the GOP establishment for generations. Our campaign was endorsed by student leaders, the college faculty, and teachers organizations statewide and was built on the principles of educational equity during this moment. Personally, my family history had a huge influence on me since young, coming from a family who were Chicano migrant workers that marched with Cesar Chavez, and Puerto Ricans, who were multigenerational U.S. veterans that were also impacted by Hurricane Maria.

Some articles with my work/story:
https://www.hometownstation.com/santa-clarita-news/politics/elections-2/sebastian-cazares-declares-victory-in-coc-board-race-as-youngest-elected-official-in-santa-clarita-history-354692 https://www.forbes.com/sites/civicnation/2020/07/07/how-student-civic-leaders-across-the-country-are-preparing-for-an-unprecedented-semester/#7cb8ab684dcc
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/4213427002

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My experiences have been fueled with turmoil and challenges. I am a passionate progressive and have been always incredibly proud of my people and my culture. Many of the issues that have happened in the national political discourse were deeply personal and matured me at a young age. The Puerto Rican side of my family are actually Puerto Ricans from Hawaii, so I have always been engulfed in the Hawaiian way of life and world view, being a very passionate fighter against colonialism and white supremacy since young. When Hurricane Maria happened, it was deeply hurtful. My family on my father’s side are immigrants too, so many of the issues that have happened in the national political discourse were deeply personal and matured me at a young age. My community however, historically would stand against many of these principles.

Our area is the last GOP controlled area of LA County, and I have lost track of the amount of racist incidents that have happened here and other problems. It is an intense political arena, and local elections fall under the division of the CA-25, Red v Blue battles. So while I always was a talented and experienced community leader, leaders in this city often would stand against me instead of with me. Everything I built to hold my historic position was all from years of underdog kind of work, and my activism honestly has led me to moments where I have almost reached breaking points. From seeing my alma mater experience a school shooting to my own personal struggles as the only progressive person of color to be elected here, it has had its battles and traumas. But I continue to carry on because this is my hometown and too much is at stake. Each year I see more change occur, and the youth always give me hope. I never got involved because it was convenient to win here, I wanted to change the conversation, fight for everyday people, and make sure the marginalized had a voice since young, and I will continue to persevere!!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve worked in a variety of positions, from manual labor to being an educational instructor. I have been deeply involved in student and educational advocacy. I also have worked in politics, being an employee for the California Assembly, a hired fellow working to register young voters, and an intern for the U.S. Senate. My work in civic engagement and public speaking at Saugus High and at my community college received statewide recognition.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Focus on what you can actually tangibly change and take everything one day at a time. Fight for others of course, but make sure to take care of yourself. Be yourself and be true to who you are. Authenticity, being real, caring for others, etc., to me always beats greed and fakeness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cazaresforcoc.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cazaresforcoc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cazaresforcoc
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/cazaresforcoc (public official account)
  www.twitter.com/sebcazares (personal activist account)

Image Credits
James Gonzalez, Pro Duck Productions (headshots in black button up, and in suit) Brandon Bayalan (photo of me speaking at a rally in a tank top)