The elected board.
Our leadership
Co-Chair, Northern California
Luis A. Zamora
Luis A. Zamora (he/him/his) is the Director of Executive Affairs for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. Prior to joining the City Attorney’s Office, Luis served as District Director for current City Attorney and former Assemblymember David Chiu of San Francisco.
Luis also serves as a member of the California Democratic State Central Committee and as a board member of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club.
Previously, Luis served as Vice President and Chair of Public Policy for the Golden Gate Business Association, the nation’s first LGBT Chamber of Commerce, as Commissioner on the Immigrant Rights Commission for the City and County of San Francisco, President of the San Francisco Young Democrats, and Chief of Staff and Regional Director of the California Young Democrat’s LGBTQ Caucus. Luis’ experiences as a first-generation Mexican American and as an openly Gay man have driven his commitment to civic engagement and advocating for the most vulnerable members of our community.
Co-Chair, Southern California
Sasha Renée Pérez
Sasha Renée Pérez (she/her/hers) is an Alhambra City Councilmember, lifelong Democrat, educator, and equal rights advocate.
On November 3rd, 2020, after being elected to Alhambra City Council, Sasha was immediately sworn-in as Mayor, making her the youngest female mayor in San Gabriel Valley history and one of the first openly Bi Mayors in the United States. Her historic campaign was endorsed by a coalition of cross-sector organizations, representing teachers, nurses, construction workers, environmentalists, and more.
Sasha continues to be an active community member volunteering her time at food banks, serving as a Delegate to the California Democratic Party, and a board member to Asian Youth Center, a 501(C)3 non-profit dedicated to empowering low-income, immigrant, and at-risk youth. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, supporting local restaurants, and reading with her cats.
Vice Chair, Northern California
Shay Franco-Clausen
Shay Franco-Clausen (she/her/hers) is a fierce and dynamic powerhouse, who advocates tirelessly to empower, educate and prepare the community to take their rightful seat at the decision making table.
Overcoming many adversaries and barriers growing up in the Bay Area, Shay engages her community with empathy and diligence with “first person” experience, serving on many boards and commissions to create stronger, comprehensive legislation benefiting marginalized communities that she has proudly risen from.
Shay has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Law degree from Mills College, working on her Executive Leadership in State and Local Government at Harvard Kennedy School and has been instrumental in many legislation wins, campaigns and initiatives in California. Her advocacy has led to the passing of Senate Bill 273 (Senator Rubio) that "Expanded the Statute of Limitations on felony Domestic Violence”, protected 1,000 acres of California's most threatened pieces of land in Coyote Valley, passed Proposition 17 that restored voting rights for people on parole, worked to remove Involuntary Servitude from the California Constitution, is currently working on more.
Shay serves as Co-Chair for the National Black Justice Coalition “Good Trouble Network,” Victory Fund Campaign Board and Black Leadership Caucus, Adult Advisor for California High School Democrats, Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women and Courage California C4 Chair.
"I am just trying to be the woman I wished I would have met at 14" Shay says is the impetus to her advocacy.
Vice Chair, Southern California
Ryan Trabuco
Ryan Trabuco (he/him/his) is the Club President of San Diego Democrats for Equality, recently named as the 2023 Democratic Club of the Year by the San Diego County Democratic Party. He was publicly elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024 as a member of the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee. He also serves as an Executive Board Member of the California Democratic Party's State Central Committee.
During the day, he works as Executive Assistant to Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre. He previously worked for the Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, the President pro Tempore of the California State Senate, and for an Orange County Supervisor. While working for the County of San Diego, he was Vice Chair of the County’s LGBTQ&A Employee Resource Group. In 2022, he was appointed by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria to serve on the City's Human Relations Commission. He is a licensed Notary Public, and a graduate of the Young Professionals Council Academy at the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
Treasurer
Devin T. Murphy
Devin Tré Murphy (he/him/his) is running for Treasurer of the California Democratic Party's LGBTQ Caucus. He currently serves as Northern California Vice Chair of the LGBTQ Caucus and as Mayor of the vibrant city of Pinole, CA—the first openly gay, first Black, and youngest Mayor in the city's 120-year history.
Professionally, he leads DTM Strategies, a cutting-edge public affairs agency at the intersection of technology, racial justice, and electoral politics. He serves on several boards, including the Young Democrats of America, California Young Democrats, and the Lambda Democratic Club of Contra Costa County, where he serves as President. Most recently, he was elected as a Delegate representing Assembly District 14.
A former appointed Technology & Democracy Fellow at Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and a San Francisco native, Devin has a dynamic education background graduating from UCLA with a degree in Afro-American Studies and also studying in Cuba and Brazil. When he's not working, he loves spending time with his puppy Miles as well as his nieces and nephews.
Secretary
John Yi
John Yi (he/him/his) is the Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks. Prior to joining LA Walks in 2019, John was the Advocacy Director for the American Lung Association in California, where he worked on strong tobacco control and air quality policies. At the Lung Association, John also served as a lead organizer by training tobacco control coalitions throughout the state. He helped bring smoke-free ordinances to over a dozen different cities, fighting back against secondhand smoke and Big Tobacco's efforts to target low-income and communities of color.
He received his master's degree at Georgetown University and his bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan. He is a brother of Pi Alpha Phi, speaks Korean and Russian, and loves to cook.
At-Large Board Member
Khilynn Fowler
Born, raised, and educated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama Khilynn (she/her/hers) learned and respected the value of treating people how they would like to be treated very early. Perpetuity, Preservation, and Principle are the three pillars Khilynn lives by. Khilynn serves as a community leader while consistently defending the right of LGBTQ + statewide. Khilynn applies ethical principles to make a significant difference in her community while keeping a balanced life.
Her mission is to lead with great intention and consistently change the narrative of Transgender representation in the political spectrum. To be the voice for the unheard, bridge the gap between the LGBTQ + community and Government officials. Khilynn uses her platform to take people from “Diversity and Inclusion” to Diversity and Acceptance.
At-Large Board Member
Honey Mahogany
Honey Mahogany (she/they) is a performer, small business owner, and activist who grew up in San Francisco. Honey received her Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, and her work has earned her recognition from the City of San Francisco; the State of California; Sainthood from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; and awards from numerous organizations including the Imperial Court of San Francisco; Harvey Milk Democratic Club; Trans Day of Visibility; and the Women's Foundation of California.
Honey is a co-founder of the Transgender District in SF, a founding queen of Drag Queen Story Hour, co-owner of the Stud Bar, recently ran a historic campaign for District 6 Supervisor in San Francisco, and currently serves as Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party.
At-Large Board Member
Dan Arriola
Councilmember Dan Arriola (he/him/his) was elected to the Tracy City Council in 2018. He also works as a Deputy District Attorney for San Joaquin County. At 29-years-old, he became the youngest Councilmember in the history of the City of Tracy at the time, as well as the first openly LGBTQ elected official in the city. He graduated as the Political Science Valedictorian of UCLA in 2011 and as the Student Body President of USC Law School in 2014.
As a Council Member, Arriola has championed various policy initiatives including officially recognizing LGBTQ Pride Month, raising the Pride Flag for the first-time ever, and authoring the “Tracy Equity & Empowerment Initiative” to address social equity and justice reform in the City of Tracy.
Arriola has also received national recognition on the “40 Under 40” LGBT Lawyers List by the National LGBT Bar Association, on the “35 Under 35” Young Elected Officials List by the YEO Network, and as a “Victory Empowerment Fellow” by the International LGBTQ Victory Institute.
At-Large Board Member
Marsha Conant
Marsha Conant (she/her/hers) has served the Central Valley as an advocate for women and the LGBTQ community since college. She was recently recognized as the Democrat of the Year by the Fresno County Democratic Party where she serves as Fundraising Chair and as the CADEM Region 8 Volunteer of the Year.
Marsha is the current President of the Fresno National Women’s Political Caucus and Vice-President of Fresno Stonewall Democrats. She was honored to be an Elector in 2020 and proudly cast her vote for Joe Biden and the first woman Vice President Kamala Harris!
In 2016 she attended the Democratic National Convention as a delegate for Hilary Clinton, which had been a life-long dream.
She received her BS from Fresno State majoring in political science. She is a retired business woman, after having owned a successful business with her life partner Marilyn for 25 years. They have raised two wonderful daughters and are furious that they have fewer rights as women than their mothers had at their age. We must not go back!
At-Large Board Member
Ryan Darsey
Ryan (he/him/his) is a lifelong resident of San Diego County and has dedicated the last 20+ years of his life working to elect Democrats across San Diego. Ryan has been a strong advocate for the rights of LGBTQ+ people and has served our local Democratic Party in various leadership roles throughout the years; he currently serves as Vice President of both the San Diego Democrats for Equality and the San Diego County Young Democrats.
Ryan believes that we must continue to work hard as a Party to elect good Democrats across California. He believes that our Party is strongest when it is united.
At-Large Board Member
Dr. Betty Valencia, Ph.D.
Betty Valencia (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Vice President of Operations in Business and Finance. She is a proponent of education equity and a longtime advocate for criminal justice reform. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership Studies and a Masters in Organizational Communication and currently serves as the vice-president of Santiago Canyon College Foundation (SCCF) Board of Directors. She also serves on the Board of H.I.R.E (Hub for Integration, Re-Entry & Employment) and One Payer State, and is a volunteer recruiter with Close the Gap California.
Pushing for representation in local politics, Betty ran for City of Orange City Council and served as past Central Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County. Currently, she is a the Vice-Chair Region 7 of the Chicano Latino Caucus of the Democratic Party (the largest in the nation). Betty was named (one of several) women of the year for 2019 and most recently named by the OC Register as TOP 100 Influencers in Orange County for 2019. Betty is a motivational speaker on civic engagement, education equity, immigration justice, environmental justice, transformational leadership, and a published author.
Betty was born the youngest of 12 children in Mexico City and is married to her long-time partner Laura Villa.