Oscar Monge is a native Angeleno that aspires to stabilize gentrifying neighborhoods through community building and community control.  He joined T.R.U.S.T. South LA in 2017 as an Environmental Planner, was promoted to Community Development Manager in 2018, and recently stepped into his new role as Associate Director of Community Development to support T.R.U.S.T. South LA’s large scale and small multifamily housing projects, member & leadership development activities, as well as manage daily operations.

Oscar brings a broad range of experiences working with non-profit and public sector organizations focused on improving the quality of life of inner city residents. His passion for social and environmental justice started at an early age when he joined the LA Conservation Corps (LACC) and visualized how his own underserved community could be beautified with environmental work and youth economic empowerment. Inspired by these ideals, he returned to LACC and worked closely with LA’s inner-city youth to increase access to education and job training programs.

While completing his Master of Urban Planning (MPL) degree, Oscar worked with the USC Center for Urban Education analyzing Equity Plans for institutions of higher education and with the City of Los Angeles’ LA Promise Zone in their efforts to complete a comprehensive community needs assessment. He also had the privilege of mentoring and guiding 30+ (mostly Latinx and African American) high school students in surveying nearly 2,000+ community members in the LA Promise Zone while also providing them with financial literacy, job training, access to higher education opportunities, and most importantly, a safe space to unpack their community findings, neighborhoods’ histories + gentrification & intersectionality.

Oscar is an active Board Member of the California Community Land Trust Network and an avid participant in his local Cypress Park Neighborhood Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee. In his free time, he enjoys discussing big ideas & grassroots resilience strategies with friends, going on hikes, and camping.