Steve Veres is the immediate past president of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board Trustees. He has served as a Trustee since 2011 where he led efforts to improve graduation and transfer rates as well as workforce and career pathway programs. He led the adoption of the District’s Award-winning Clean Energy and Sustainability Program and has presided over nearly $4B in facility improvements at all 9 Colleges. Under Steve’s leadership, LACCD has built more LEED Certified and Energy Efficient facilities than any other Community College District in the nation. He’s an advocate of the District’s Racial Equity and Social Justice programs and led efforts to confront student transportation, student hunger, and student housing challenges.
With over 20 years of public service in the San Fernando Valley, Steve has fought for equity, civil rights, and creating opportunities for disadvantaged communities. He’s the son of immigrant working-class parents.
Steve was a student activist at UCLA and worked as a teacher, college instructor, journalist, and news editor. He is the former mayor of the City of San Fernando where he helped improve the quality of public safety, housing, and recreation space. He is knowledgeable in the transportation and water infrastructure needs of the region having served on the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s San Fernando Valley Service Sector Governance Council as well as the Metropolitan Water District.
Steve has also worked for the California State Legislature having served as the Staff Director for Senator Maria Elena Durazo, Senate President Kevin de Leon, and Assemblymember Cindy Montanez. His legislative work efforts include making Community College tuition-free, securing funding to build 17 new parks in Los Angeles, and developing the California Homeless Hiring Tax Credit. In 2014, Steve helped negotiate the effort to triple California’s Film and Television Tax Credit and make it more accountable to taxpayers. The bill was praised as one of the most significant steps to protect California’s film industry jobs in the past 100 years.
He is an appointed member of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, where he’s championed access to the coast, land conservation, climate resilience, and connecting parklands to working-class communities. Steve is also a volunteer member of the Friends of the Los Angeles River Board of Directors, where he’s advocated for the cleaning up and the greening up of the river for all Los Angeles Communities.
He serves on the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, where he advocates for Clean Transportation funding and infrastructure and was instrumental in the development of the Dodger express shuttle service from LA Union Station to Dodgers Stadium.
He and his wife, Cynthia, are raising their three daughters in the San Fernando Valley.
