Eddie Martinez is a Huntington Park city councilmember and Executive Director of Latino Equality Alliance
Los Angeles, CA — Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn appointed Latino LGBTQ+ community leader and Huntington Park councilmember Eddie Martinez to the first-ever Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission. The Commission was created in June with a motion authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis that Hahn coauthored. The 15-member Commission will advise the Board of Supervisors on issues facing LGBTQ+ residents in Los Angeles County.
Eddie Martinez (he/him) is the executive director of the Latino Equality Alliance, which he co-founded and previously served on the board of before taking on the role of its first executive director in 2016. He is also a former mayor of the City of Huntington Park.
“When we created this Commission I wanted to make sure that LGBTQ+ people from Southeast LA had a seat at the table, and Eddie is a well-known and respected voice in these communities,” said Hahn. “From bringing a new LGBTQ+ youth space in Bell to spending his own time organizing community cleanups with his staff from Latino Equality Alliance, he is a committed public servant and this Commission will be so enriched by his contribution.”
Martinez has more than 20 years of non-profit management and civic engagement experience including 18 years of tenure with the HIV/AIDS organization The Wall Las Memorias Project. He studied business marketing at Long Beach State University.
“It is an honor to serve on the Commission to represent Supervisor Janice Hahn and the LGBTQ community of District 4. The commission will be an important tool that will shape policies and provide recommendations that will support the well-being and safety of the LGBTQ+ community, especially in BIPOC and immigrant communities,” said Martinez.
The LGBTQ+ Commission will provide recommendations on policies and budget priorities at a time when LGBTQ+ people face mounting challenges. According to the LA County Commission on Human Relations’ 2021 Hate Crime Report, 89% of the hate crimes towards gay men were of a violent nature and 93% of anti-transgender crimes were violent – a rate of violence higher than any other marginalized group recorded by the report. Nationwide, hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced at the state and local levels.
Hahn’s other appointment to the LGBTQ+ Commision is Interim Executive Director of The LGBTQ Center Long Beach, Ellie Perez.