2024 - Coolest in LA

We thank you for joining us at Coolest in LA 2024 and making it an unforgettable event. We couldn’t have done it without your presence and support. We look forward to seeing you next year for our 15th anniversary. Click on the photo to view all the pictures from the gala, or follow this link to our Flickr page. Don’t forget to tag us on your social media posts and use the hashtag #CoolestinLA.

EMCEES

Kellie Hawkins Davis

Kellie is a Partner at the public affairs firm, EKA, where she leads the health and social services practice areas. She has held distinguished positions in both the public and private sectors. Her training and background offers clients expert counsel on both a practical and legislative level. Her mastery of the field combined with her extensive relationships delivers exceptional results.

Before joining EKA, Kellie served as the chief operating officer for the National Health Foundation (NHF), where she oversaw the day-to-day operational and administrative functions of the organization. She has managed the health and human services practice for The Hawkins Company, an executive recruitment firm based in Los Angeles. While at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Kellie advised senior administration officials on fiscal priorities.

Locally, Kellie served in the administration of former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as executive director of the Commission on the Status of Women. Kellie also has practical experience in public health, having worked as an epidemiologist for the Los Angeles County Department of Health’s sexually transmitted diseases program.

In addition to her professional career, Kellie is civically engaged and serves on the boards of Coro Southern California and Climate Resolve.

Kellie has a degree from Howard University and received her master’s degree in public health from the University of Southern California in 2003. She was an American Marshall Memorial Fellow in 2013 and a graduate of CORO’s Health Leadership Program.

She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and enjoys playing golf.

Shomari A. Davis

Shomari Davis is a Business Representative for the IBEW Local 11, where he represents members on projects from South Los Angeles to Downtown LA. As a trained electrician, he brings over 25 years of field experience from apprentice to Foreman, having worked on key projects throughout the County of Los Angeles, such as the West Angeles Cathedral and Huntington Hospital.

In his current role, he represents over 8,000 electrical workers and serves on the negotiations team between management and labor.

In addition to his formal role within labor, he has served in various advisory roles to municipal agencies and initiatives. During the Villaraigosa mayoral administration, he worked closely with the City of Los Angeles to address the lack of Black representation in the building trades through the Faith Based Initiative. Shomari also served on the LA County Workforce Investment Board from 2010 to 2018 and the LA City Workforce Investment Board from 2011 – 2013.

He has also worked closely with non-profit organizations seeking to advance labor friendly and worker-centered policies, such as Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy. In 2008, as part of a greater push to ensure inclusivity of workers living near development projects, they secured the first Project Labor Agreement on a private Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) project in Los Angeles. This was a monumental win for the community.

In 2011, Shomari was a founding member of the LA Black Worker Center, established to increase and retain the number of Black tradespersons in LA County.

He embodies a relentless commitment to building a pipeline of Black tradespersons through his leadership with the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC). During his tenure as President of EWMC, he created a tutoring program for apprenticeship candidates from underrepresented communities as well as spearheaded multiple community service construction related projects.

His current Board service includes the Los Angeles Electrical Workers Credit Union and Treasurer of EWMC. He is a delegate to the IBEW International Convention, LA/Orange County Building Trades, and LA County Federation of Labor.

Shomari resides in South Los Angeles with his wife and is the father to two wonderful adult sons.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Rex Richardson
Mayor of Long Beach

Rex Richardson is a husband, father, and the 29^th Mayor of Long Beach.

Mayor Richardson’s history in Long Beach is grounded in empowering communities to have a seat at the table.

Mayor Richardson has a distinguished record of public service. Richardson’s electoral history includes serving as a Long Beach City Councilmember from 2014 – 2022, representing the Ninth District. He served two terms as Vice Mayor and is known as both the youngest council member and Vice Mayor in the city’s history. He also broke barriers as the first African American Mayor of Long Beach.

His track record of pursuing positive change for his community has left an indelible mark on the entire city. He has continually worked alongside neighborhood leaders to bring vital public safety, economic, and community investments to Long Beach.

On the national level, Mayor Richardson serves on the Advisory Board of the United States Conference of Mayors. Regionally, Richardson is Vice Chair of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency and has previously served as past President of the Southern California Association of Governments. He has also held the position of Western District Cities Representative on the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board.

Mayor Rex Richardson is the leader of the 42^nd most populous city in America, home to the nation’s second-largest port and Space Beach, which is amongst the fastest-growing aerospace clusters in the country.

Since taking office, Mayor Richardson has been at the forefront of addressing the most pressing challenges facing Long Beach through his “Opportunity Beach” Agenda, which focused on key priorities such as homelessness, economic recovery, public safety, youth development, and environmental sustainability.

Mayor Richardson and his wife, Dr. Nina Richardson, are proudly raising their two young daughters, Alina and Mila, in the North Long Beach community. He understands the work and determination it takes for families and communities to climb into the middle class. He believes that everyone, no matter their circumstance, deserves the opportunity to thrive.

HONOREES

Rudy Ortega Jr.
Tribal President, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians

Rudy Ortega, Jr. is the Tribal President of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, a native sovereign nation of northern Los Angeles County. As the elected leader of his Tribe, Ortega Jr. oversees the governmental body and manages affairs pertaining to the rights of all Fernandeño Tataviam tarahat (people).

Ortega Jr. is a member of Siutcabit, the lineage of present-day Encino, CA. His ancestors come from the villages that originated in the geographical areas of Santa Clarita Valley, Simi Valley, and San Fernando Valley. His great-grandfather Antonio Maria Ortega, from whom he receives his traditional role as tomiar or leader, advocated in Los Angeles Superior Court in the 19th century to preserve traditional lands and protect Native title to Mexican land grants from encroaching settlers. Through his role as Tribal President, Ortega Jr. helped establish his Tribe’s first conservation corps, land conservancy, economic development, and co-management agreement with the City of San Fernando for village lands.

His father, the late Rudy Ortega Sr., served as the previous leader of the Tribe for over fifty years and was elected to the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission in 1977. Following his father’s leadership, Ortega Jr. was appointed to the Native American Indian Commission in 2004. From 2004 – 2018, Ortega Jr. spearheaded the Tribe’s social services non-profit Pukúu Cultural Community Services as the Executive Director. Through this role, he served the greater Los Angeles County American Indian community and oversaw Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center.

Ortega Jr. currently serves as chair of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, board member on the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, board member on the Santa Clarita Watershed Recreation and Conservation Authority, and commissioner on the LA City Climate Emergency Mobilization Committee. He previously served on the LA River Master Plan Steering Committee and the Edison Consumer Advisory Panel Board.

Scott Z. Burns
Screenwriter, Director, Producer, and Playwright

Scott Z. Burns is an award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, and playwright. He is the writer, director, executive producer, and creator of the Apple TV+ series EXTRAPOLATIONS starring Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker, Edward Norton, and Marion Cotillard, which features eight interconnected stories exploring how the upcoming changes to our planet will affect love, faith, work, and family. In film, Burns’ writing credits include THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM as well as THE INFORMANT!, CONTAGION, SIDE EFFECTS, and THE LAUNDROMAT for director Steven Soderbergh. As a director, Burns’ credits include PU-239, starring Oscar Isaac and Paddy Considine, and THE REPORT, starring Adam Driver, Annette Bening, and Jon Hamm, which tells the story of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program. Burns served as a producer for the Academy Award-winning documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, as well as an executive producer for AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL and SEA OF SHADOWS. On stage, Burns’ play THE LIBRARY, which deals with a high school shooting, was produced at The Public Theater and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New American play.

Burns is a frequent advisor at the Sundance Institute and a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Leadership Committee. He attended the University of Minnesota, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in English Literature. Burns began his career in advertising. Before leaving the industry, he was part of the team that created the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign.

Representative Judy Chu

Judy Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009. She represents the 28th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley of southern California.

Rep. Chu currently serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to taxes, revenues, Social Security, and Medicare. In that Committee, Rep. Chu is a member of the Subcommittees on Health, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight, giving her oversight over healthcare reform and crucial safety net programs.

She also serves on the House Small Business Committee, which has oversight of the Small Business Administration.

In 2011, Chu was elected Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which advocates for the needs and concerns of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community across the nation. She helps lead the Tri-Caucus, a joint effort with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Chu founded and co-chairs the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus, which advocates for the copyright protections of those in the creative industries, such as music, film and visual arts. She also serves in leadership of the House Democratic Caucus as a Member of the Steering and Policy Committee.

Some of Rep. Chu’s proudest accomplishments in Congress include: introducing and passing a Congressional resolution of regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882; working with President Obama to declare the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument; requiring the Department of Defense to address military hazing; helping entrepreneurs by establishing two new Small Business Development Centers in the San Gabriel Valley; and helping small businesses refinance old, expensive real estate loans by reviving the Small Business Administration’s 504 loan refinance program.

Chu was first elected to the Board of Education for Garvey School District in 1985. From there, she was elected to the Monterey Park City Council, where she served as Mayor three times. She then was elected to the State Assembly and then California’s elected tax board, known as the State Board of Equalization. In 2009, she became the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress in history.

Chu lives with her husband, Michael Eng, in the city of Monterey Park, where they have been residents for over 30 years.

Honorable Mike Eng

Mike Eng authored AB 685, making California the first state to declare Water As A Human Right, which, despite opposition from every major water agency, was recognized by the United Nations as an inspiring policy for governments around the world after its eventual passage. Previously, he authored legislation to clean up polluted water in the San Gabriel Valley after being appointed to the Legislature’s working group of bipartisan members of the Assembly and Senate that wrote the language for California’s Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010.

While serving as Mayor of Monterey Park, he worked on solutions to the unprecedented perchlorate contamination of the city’s wells and, as a result, formed the first city Environmental Commission in the San Gabriel Valley to enable residents, especially youth, to fight for a better quality of life. Mike also authored the Homeowner Bill of Rights, which helped save thousands of homes from unlawful foreclosure practices-legislation, which was named by the Huffington Post as in the top ten most significant progressive victories in the U.S. in the year of passage. He helped obtain major funding for the first survey of Asian Pacific Islanders’ views on important environmental policies.

Mike Eng currently serves as a Director for the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, his fourth position as an elected official. He previously served as State Assemblymember, 49th District, Vice Chair of the Los Angeles Community College District, and Mayor of the City of Monterey Park.

His public service also includes appointments to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, the California Acupuncture Board, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Advancing Justice), the Monterey Park Library Board of Trustees, PACE, and the ACLU.

Mike earned his law degree from UCLA and his M.A. from the University of Hawaii. As an immigration lawyer, he originated the nation’s first course on Asian Americans and the Law and produced the video “How to Become a United States Citizen,” which was the basis for a local television series that won the Emmy as the Best Instructional Video.

Presenting Antonio Villaraigosa:
David Nahai

Bio coming soon…

Presenting Antonio Villaraigosa:
Assemblywoman Wendy Carillo
California State Assembly

Wendy Carrillo was elected to serve in the California State Assembly in December 2017. She represents the 52nd Assembly District which is home to close to 500,000 residents in the City of Los Angeles. Prior to being elected to office, Assemblywoman Carrillo was a broadcast journalist for twelve years covering human rights, global conflict and US politics. Additionally, she worked in communications for the Service Employee International Union United Long Term Care Workers, which represents over 350,000 Home healthcare workers in California and served in local government as a communications deputy for a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

In the State Assembly she has served as the Chair of the Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration, in addition to the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Budget, Budget Sub. 6 on Budget Process, Oversight and Program Evaluation, Health, Housing and Community Development, Utilities and Energy, and the Joint Committees on Legislative Budget and Climate Change Policies. She has been an advocate for workforce development, restorative justice, climate justice, women’s rights, education, immigration reform, healthcare for all, job creation and innovation. Assemblywoman Carrillo immigrated to the United States as a young child during El Salvador’s Civil War and is a first generation American with Salvadoran and Mexican heritage. She is the eldest of five daughters and received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from California State University Los Angeles and a Masters Degree in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Southern California.

ENTERTAINMENT

Que Madre

Que Madre is a Los Angeles based DJ and mother. She began collecting vinyl records in her early 20’s to connect with her upbringing in East Los Angeles, primarily focusing on lowrider oldies and soul. She joined the all women-of-color vinyl collective, Chulita Vinyl Club, in 2014 and since then has cultivated a musical style and vibe of her own. Que Madre is a regular in the Los Angeles DJ scene and has several residencies around town where she plays a mix of hip hop, r&b, cumbia, reggaeton, world tunes & more. You can keep a lookout where she’ll be dj’ing next by staying up to date on her instagram where she posts a calendar of dj gigs every month.

CO-CHAIRS

David Nahai

President

David Nahai Consulting Services, LLC

Victor Griego

President and Founder

Diverse Strategies for Organizing, Inc.

Randall Winston

Attorney

O’Melveny & Myers LLP

Renee Dake Wilson

Partner

Dake Wilson Architects

Glen Dake

Principal

Dake Landscape

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Presenting Sponsors

Diamond

Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Non-Profit

Community

Thank you for joining us to celebrate our Honorees’ and organization’s accomplishments towards creating a just, equitable future! Your contribution directly supports cutting-edge strategies to combat the climate crisis.

To sponsor the event or purchase an advertisement in our awards journal, choose from one of the available benefit packages below:

Questions? Contact the Development Team
development@climateresolve.org
(213) 468 – 1957

COVID-19: Climate Resolve and our events team will be following of-the-moment COVID safety guidelines to provide our attendees with the most comfortable and enjoyable experience possible. We’re excited about gathering safely to celebrate a better future together!

*If you are affiliated with a nonprofit or a community member who is seeking a discounted rate on tickets, please contact Mayra at development@climateresolve.org or
(213) 634-3790 X405.