Dear John, 

After 12 years as LAANE’s Executive Director, I will be stepping down next month and Víctor Sánchez will be taking the helm.

From the moment I met Víctor, I knew he could be the next person to run this organization. Víctor is the whole package: he brings experience, humility, strategy, heart, and rigor to his work. He is a native Angeleno who has spent his life and his career advocating and caring for his family and community. In leading the Long Beach, Quality Care, and Climate campaigns at LAANE, he has trained up lead organizers and implemented new tools for a new century of building power. I cannot express how excited I am for him to take this ball and run with it.

Víctor and Roxana at LAANE's 2023 City of Justice Awards

A key piece of the vision that the two of us share is that our movement needs to be building institutional power for working people such that the decisions that affect their lives are their own. And the bottom line is that democracy, real democracy, both on the job and in our government, is built on a vibrant and democratic labor movement. The only way to build that movement, and to build institutional power for working families, is to organize. Punto. 

A part of organizing that I, along with everyone else at LAANE, take very seriously is organizing new leaders. The first job of any progressive leader should be to find and train their replacement - this is how we build a movement that outlasts the monied interests that seek to wrestle power away from people. I’m proud that this leadership transition is a culmination of a plan that we have built over years, ensuring that our momentum never falters. 

Our movement needs that momentum. We must do everything in our power in Los Angeles, and in California, to make sure enough organizing is happening. LAANE is organizing voters in Long Beach, retail workers across the county, parents in LAUSD, and we’re supporting our union partners engaged in worker organizing on many more fronts, from hotels to climate jobs. Still, there is so much to do, and there is no shortcut to doing it. While Víctor steps into his role as Executive Director, I will be staying on at LAANE as an advisor and working with allies to help build an ecosystem of ideas and resources that can strengthen our organizing network across the state.

I have been so privileged to do this work, and to help lead this organization. I am also excited to spend more time with my two teenagers, regardless of whether they’re excited to spend time with me. 

I look forward to working with Víctor, LAANE’s Leadership Team, staff, Boards, and all of you in the months and years ahead as LAANE pursues its vision of an economy that works for everyone.

Gratefully,

Roxana Tynan
LAANE Executive Director