U.S. House of RepresentativesCandidate for District 30

CJ Berina is a 30 year old who was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He became a student leader at Cal State University, Northridge in which he was the president & vice president of two top clubs & organizations on campu. He also was awarded 3 academic scholarships and an outstanding leadership award from CSUN. After graduation in 2014, CJ started a blog called Collective Lifestyle which had a purpose of changing the world in a positive way. The blog would eventually have 1000+ blogs from 100+ writers nationwide on various topics that included homelessness, ending wars, sustainability, and more. He eventually opened the Collective Lifestyle store on the busy Reseda Boulevard in Northridge. The Collective Lifestyle store had a purpose of providing fashion, music, art, and live events for the San Fernando Valley. It also doubled as a community space that hosted open mics, art shows, music showcases, educational panels, workshops, and progressive organizations & campaigns. CJ was awarded the business of the month award from the Council Member’s office. CJ also won 3 grants for $15,000, $12,000, and $8,000 from the City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs to activate art in the valley. He produced the Reseda Blvd Summer Series which was a community block party of 15 nights over 3 summers filled with musicians, an art walk, vendors, poets, dancers, art installations, food trucks, and more all based on the themes of peace, love, sustainability, and positive change. CJ made what would be an empty street with minimal foot traffic to a packed 3000+ attendees from the local community. CJ was recognized by the California State Assembly for his work on the Summer Series. He also joined the Northridge South Neighborhood Council at the age of 26. He has also worked for the Northridge Chamber of Commerce and sat on a committee called Northridge Vision that oversaw urban development in the area. He was also featured in an Uproxx.com video that received 50,000 views within the first week on how to make rundown neighborhoods more beautiful without gentrifying them. CJ also was awarded 1 of 26 Outstanding Small Business awards from the United States Small Business Administration presented by LA Mayor, Eric Garcetti. CJ was also invited to be a judge on a “Shark Tank” panel & contest at Mayor Garcetti’s Getty House. In January of 2019, CJ was elected to a 2-year term as an assembly delegate for the California Democratic Party.

CJ believes that we need a government that doesn't take money from corporations. CJ believes that our current government in Washington is broken and that we need to get in new progressive candidates that refuse corporate money. He believes that our government should be serving the people. Government should be there to serve their people and to make their lives easier. We shouldn't be using taxpayer dollars to continually be at war with other nations. Instead we must provide our country with Medicare for All, Education, Safety, Basic Human Rights, Jobs, Economic Rights, Infrastructure, and a Sustainable Planet. CJ believes we can achieve all this.