Barbara Lopez

Moderator

Bobbi Lopez has dedicated her career to social justice and community empowerment in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her advocacy at La Raza Centro Legal, supporting children with disabilities, representing youth in disciplinary hearings, and assisting with VAWA claims. She later became a tenant organizer with the Central City SRO Collaborative and founded La Voz Latina, a vital program for Latino families in the Tenderloin. La Voz provided parent education, youth support, and housing assistance, and from it emerged the Tenderloin Safe Passage program, ensuring safer streets for youth and elders. Lopez also worked as a union representative for SEIU 1021, advocating for public employees across the Bay Area, and briefly with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, defending civil liberties. She later served as a legislative aide, director, and chief of staff to multiple elected officials, successfully shaping policies to expand affordable housing and shelter availability, strengthening civilian oversight of police departments, advocating in budgetary investments into violence prevention and restorative justice programs, and create a public health response for behavioral and mental health non-emergency 911 calls.

In 2023 and 2024, she worked in a joint role with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office and the Department of Public Health, contributing to public safety initiatives, including the Street Violence Response Team. She now serves as Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office for Victims’ Rights, a department created by ballot measure to advocate for victims and enhance services addressing gender-based violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and hate crimes.

Gun Violence Reduction Efforts in Northern California

Panelists

Barbara Lopez

Lili Gamero

Rev. Damita Davis-Howard

Joe McCoy

Reygan Cunningham

Supporting Individuals Impacted by Street Violence

Panelists:

Delia Montiel

Mike Texada

Maria Reynoso

Arturo Carrillo

Stephanie Felder

Barbara Lopez