Alex has been working in education since 1996. Like many other educators, he began as a paraprofessional, working at Pacoima Elementary — where he met his wife — while attending Los Angeles Valley College. After earning his BA from Cal State Northridge in 2000, he began his teaching career at Madison Middle School as a history teacher. He later went on to receive his master’s in Education Leadership and Policy from CSUN. As an immigrant child with little resources and living in a converted garage, Alex found refuge in school. He would spend his afternoons helping his teachers after school, which gave him insight into the world of teaching and the dedication that it took to be a teacher. Along with great teaching, Alex saw the joy in giving back. Once in the classroom and married to an elementary school teacher, Alex saw the need to get involved in UTLA, with careers and livelihoods at stake during the tumultuous budget cuts of the early 2000s. His activism started as a Chapter Chair, where his goals were to unite the staff and community around co-location and privatization attempts, layoffs, and other school-site issues. In 2014 Alex was elected to the UTLA Board of Directors. Alex was elected as UTLA Treasurer in 2017. As Treasurer, Alex led in healthcare bargaining and protecting educators’ right to high-quality healthcare. He also led in the aftermath of the anti-union Janus decision to ensure that UTLA membership and finances are strong and solvent. As Treasurer, Alex guided UTLA financially through the historic 2019 strike, making sure UTLA resources funded school sites and supported organizing, and he has continued to ensure that UTLA finances are solid. Alex is the point officer for substitute educators, working with substitute leadership to score contract wins for these crucial colleagues during the strike and beyond. During the initial stage of COVID, Alex led on making sure substitutes won protections that included extra pay and guaranteed work and healthcare. Alex is also the point officer on the Building and Safety Committee, Grievance Review Committee, Finance Committee, Over Assessments, Co-Locations, and Housed Teachers. As the proud father of two LAUSD graduates, his perspective as a public school parent has had a positive impact on his union work. One of Alex’s favorite things to do as a UTLA officer is to visit school sites. It is at the school sites where you really get an understanding of what members are experiencing. UTLA members are the heart of our union, and making sure that we grow stronger together is Alex’s goal.
