Ref Rodriguez - LAUSD Board Member, District 5

Ref Rodriguez has spent his adult life working to improve his community in East and Northeast Los Angeles, opening public schools, serving as a lecturer at Loyola Marymount University, and supporting local teachers. 

The son of immigrants from Jalisco, Mexico, Ref grew up in Cypress Park and, after becoming the first in his family to graduate from college, Ref returned to his home in Northeast Los Angeles, determined to improve the community that raised him. 

Ref started by helping to turn around the elementary school he once attended, working with teachers and parents to create a school that better served the needs of the community. 

Recognizing that parents deserved more and better public school options for their children, Ref opened the first of several public schools in his neighborhood under the banner “Partnerships to Uplift Communities.” The PUC network of public charter schools is achieving graduation rates and test scores consistently higher than their local counterparts. 

Ref also lectures at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education, and was appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the California Commission for Teacher Credentialing. 

Ref will work to transform LAUSD from a burdensome bureaucracy to an organization that serves schools, parents, and students. 

Phone: 213 321 8400

E-Mail: [email protected]