Biographies

ABOUT JORGE MORALES:

In addition to now serving as a Founding Partner of Morales + Morales, Jorge Morales brings nearly 20 years of government affairs industry experience – including eight (8) years as Mayor and Council Member for the City of South Gate. His public sector career includes legislative work for California Assembly Majority Leader Marco Antonio Firebaugh and Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, as well as Chief of Staff to Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Yolie Flores.

Jorge joined the private sector in 2013 as Vice President of Business Development for the Meruelo Group – a Downey-based, minority-owned and -operated holding company.  Its portfolio includes the Arizona Coyotes, the Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, NV, as well as leading Los Angeles radio stations Power 106, KDAY, KLOS and Cali 93.9 FM.  He previously held the position of Senior Strategist for Ek, Sunkin & Bai – a full-service public affairs, strategic communication and government advocacy firm – and most recently as a Senior Vice President at Mercury Public Affairs, a global public and government affairs strategy firm.

Jorge also has served on numerous committees and boards. These include being the Governor’s Appointee to the San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy; the Secretary of the Natural Resources’ Appointee to the AB 530 Lower Los Angeles River Working Group; the President & Legislative Chair of the California Contract Cities Association (CCCA); the State Director of the League of California Cities Board of Directors; a Board Member of the County of Los Angeles Sanitation Districts; and a Board Member of the Watershed Conservation Authority.

Jorge is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and he is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California (USC), with a Master’s Degree from the Sol Price School of Public Policy.

 

ABOUT ERIKA MORALES:

Now a Founding Partner of Morales + Morales, Erika Morales possesses 14 years of experience in public service, political campaigns, construction development and the arts– during which she developed a distinguished reputation for respectfully building and maintaining effective relationships with a myriad of leaders, donors and organization representatives.

Erika’s campaign management and event planning skills are exceptional, with her political fundraising talents refined over the course of 17 separate campaigns at The Vine Strategy, Inc., where she serves as the Founder and Principal Fundraiser. While specializing on City Council campaigns, Erika also successfully handled all fundraising services for candidates in State Senate, State Assembly, County Supervisor and Community College Board races as well as organizations raising funds for local ballot measures and elections.  Previously, Erika served as Director of Community Outreach at Dakota Communications and Rick Taylor & Associates, where she garnered extensive experience crafting strategy and communications materials for a myriad of civic causes and political candidates.  And as Director of Development at Bancomer Construction and Development, Inc., Erika successfully managed new construction projects through the entire development cycle while handling all community and government relations responsibilities.

Erika’s interest and connections extend into the art world, both locally and internationally.  She has worked closely with AltaMed Health Services Corporation as Project Manager of “Building Bridges in Time of Walls: Chicano / Mexican Art from Los Angeles to Mexico” – an art exhibit which toured six different states in the nation of Mexico, requiring successful and complex coordination between teams of workers in Mexico and the U.S.  During that time, Erika fostered and maintained critical relationships with government officials at all levels as well as business clients, cultural partners and community stakeholders.  While working with Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, Erika handled many high-profile artistic events to critical acclaim.  These include “Sounds of Latino Los Angeles: A Special Bienvenida to Gustavo Dudamel” at the Hollywood Bowl, welcoming the new Los Angeles Philharmonic Conductor with a red-carpet gala featuring local celebrities and elected officials at a sold-out community concert; the “Celebrating 150 Years of East L.A.!” Heroes Gala and Concert Under the Stars at the newly renovated East Los Angeles Civic Center, which featured workshops, lectures and art pieces provided by local and national organizations; and the Grand Avenue Civic Park Groundbreaking Ceremony, among others.

Erika is a graduate of Whittier College, having earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a Latin American and Political Science Emphasis.  More recently, Erika was the 2010 Development Proposal Winner for the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the University of Southern California (USC).