Juan Ovalle and his family have lived in the Bixby Knolls area since 1997 and in western Long Beach since the early 1970s. In 2004, Juan and his wife established their own small business that they both manage. Both were actively involved parents throughout their son’s grammar and HS education. Juan is a concerned resident, community activist, involved in many civic and professional organizations including the Los Cerritos/Bixby Knolls Clean Streets initiative. Juan is President of Riverpark Coalition.

Leslie Garretson moved to Los Cerritos in 2012, drawn by the beautiful homes, history of the area and the community atmosphere. She married Steve Garretson in 2014 with whom she shares an extended family, complete with grandchildren and several rescue dogs. Leslie’s career was in international sales and customer experience management for Fortune 500 companies. Leslie believes that our community should be able to breathe the air without fear of toxic chemicals. She wants to see the promise fulfilled for greenspace along the lower Los Angeles River.  Leslie is Vice President of Riverpark Coalition.

Elena Tucci Lifelong environmentalist, advocate for social equity and Long Beach native, Elena Tucci graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor Degree in Political Science. Through her journey across the professional landscape, her friend, mentor and future partner, Andy De Young exposed her to the field of Landscape Architecture. Earning a Master Degree in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly, Pomona, the program’s emphasis on planning gave Elena the ability to develop a fulcrum within the broader, complex issues surrounding positive, environmental impact and social equity—toward advocacy for sustainable methods and practices in the built environment for all—particularly that of formally “red-lined” and underinvested neighborhoods. Elena’s personal interests and professional practice helped her to recognize and promote the need for creating thoughtfully planned communities and outdoor environments beyond its programming—areas and spaces that feature social equity, environmental and ecological value. Elena is Secretary of Riverpark Coalition.

Ann Cantrell is an 89-year native of Long Beach, now living in the 5th district. She has worked on many environmental issues including the destruction of the Naval Base, commercial sports park in El Dorado, the Belmont Pool, oil drilling in wetlands, artificial turf in park, illegal tree trimming and removal, use of RoundUp and other pesticides in public parks and wetlands. She has joined in this fight to make sure the River Park is created as promised by Long Beach politicians for the last 30 years.  Ann is also the Treasurer of Riverpark Coalition. She can be reached at treasurer@riverparkcoalition.org

Martin Holman (aka Roger Holman) has lived in Long Beach since 1982. His profession has been in the Information Technology sector since 1976. Since 2004, he has been an active opponent of the poisons and quality of life degradation generated by goods movement along the 710 freeway produced because of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Now living in Wrigley Heights, he is concerned with the quality and quantity of open space on Long Beach’s west side, especially because it is significantly lower per resident than any other quadrant of Long Beach.

Renee Lawler, Long Beach 4th district native, advocate for historic equestrian lifestyle, trails and LA River open space preservation since 1997. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Entrepreneur & USC graduate. HETASC – Historic Equestrian Trail Assn of Southern CA founder. Successfully mediated Wrigley equestrian easement with land use protections. Founding board member of CARP (Citizens About Responsible Planning). Licensed Realtor. Bi-lingual in English & Spanish. Subject of LBCC documentary film “The Last Long Beach Ranch”.

Corliss Lee is a retired aerospace manager and a city activist that lives on the eastside. She opposed the international airport in 2016, alerted residents about the Land Use Element (LUE) in 2017, and as a member of Citizens About Responsible Planning (CARP) has worked on several environmental issues throughout the city. Corliss is a board member on the Long Beach Reform Coalition that promotes transparency in government and a member of the El Dorado Park East group that seeks to protect wildlife and plantlife. She advocates for a westside park that will give the children and residents open space and cleaner air.

Serena Steers brings a unique local perspective to the board. She was born and raised in the Los Cerritos area as well as a fourth-generation native. Serena studied business at Loyola Marymount University where she earned both her BA and MBA. Once back in Long Beach, she became a small business owner and a classroom volunteer working with business students at her alma mater, Long Beach Poly High School. The majority of her career has been in the private sector within marketing and international operations management. Living adjacent to the 3701 Pacific Place property, Serena is driven by her profound concern for the health and livelihood of all community members affected by this toxic land which includes her family, her fiance, as well as her beloved rescue dog, Charlie. Throughout her life, Serena has given a great amount of time as a volunteer to many local philanthropic organizations. In addition to mentoring incoming MBA students at LMU, she also tutored children in foster care programs at Olive Crest and has assisted a number of organizations with the health and welfare of animals. Serena is also the head of our legal team.