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AB 617 COMMUNITY STEERING COMMITTEE
MERSEDES MARTINEZ
Community Corridor
Martinez is a resident within the community corridor and has special expertise working with families and patients suffering with asthma and respiratory complications. She is a chronic care management nurse for older patients living with chronic respiratory conditions.
JOHN HERNANDEZ
SERGIO CABANAS
Community Corridor
Sergio Cabanas is a Health, Environmental, and Safety Coordinator for Ormat; where he oversees the daily environmental compliance of the Imperial Valley Ormat IV facilities. He is a member of the American Chemical Engineering Society and American Safety Council.
Cabanas is a graduate of San Diego State University and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
DIAHNA
GARCIA-RUIZ
BLAKE PLOURD
Community Corridor
Blake Plourd is an El Centro resident and General Manager of El Toro Land and Cattle in Heber. After graduating from Holtville High School, Blake received a degree in BioResource & Agricultural Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is a CA licensed civil engineer. He has local knowledge on agriculture, water, and environmental issues.
RENE FELIX
Community Corridor
John Hernandez is the director of the Our Roots Multi-Cultural Center in El Centro. He is a lifelong community advocate representing senior citizens on the Imperial County Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council. He is a former California Senior Legislature Assemblyman and Central Union High School Trustee.
Hernandez is an active participant in the Air Quality Steering Committee.
Community Corridor
Garcia-Ruiz is resident within the community corridor and a trustee on the Central Union High School District. She has also served on the Heber Public Utility District as an elected board member.
She has very strong relationships with those in her community and would like to see a reduction in air pollution, especially in lower income communities.
Community Corridor
Bio Coming Soon
MATT DESSERT
Co-Chair
APCD
Matt Dessert is the Imperial County Air Pollution Control Officer and a former Imperial Irrigation District director.
Prior to becoming an IID director in 2010, Dessert worked as an administrative analyst for the ICAPCD for over nine years.
Dessert is an Imperial County native, graduated from Central Union High School and later received his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
LUIS OLMEDO
Co-Chair
CCV
Executive Director of Comite Civico del Valle, an organization located in Imperial Valley whose mission focuses on addressing environmental health related problems in the Salton Sea Region. Mr. Olmedo is a member of various state and national networks that focus on environmental policy, civic participation and environmental justice.
Community Corridor
KRISTIAN SALGADO
Kristian Salgado is a resident of the City of Calexico participating in the AB 617 Community Steering Committee. She currently works at the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE)- Imperial as a Community Education Specialist focused on Climate Smart Agriculture. In 2018 she earned a Master of Art Degree in a Social Science as part of an interdisciplinary program called Environment and the Community at Humboldt State University (HSU). Her graduate research methodology is grounded in Participatory Action Research (PAR), and citizen science, environmental justice discourse, and the environmental decision-making process. She feels passionate about the proper dissemination and development of knowledge that can help support community development. As an undergraduate at San Diego State University (SDSU) she double majoring in both her passions: Psychology and Environmental Studies with a minor in Counseling and Social Change.
MARY SALAZAR
Community Corridor
Salazar is business owner and resident within the community corridor. She also serves as a planning commissioner for the city of Calexico.
Salazar has been involved in her community at all levels and strives to improve awareness of air quality in the Imperial County.
