Photo by Torrey Bailey
Who is he? He’s the vice chair of the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group and sits on the Environmental Health Coalition board of directors. Oh, and he’s on the editorial board of the San Diego Free Press as well.
Why did we pick him? Earlier this year, Beltrán was instrumental in protests against labor leader Mickey Kasparian, who is accused of sexual harassment, among other misconduct. “Did I, as just some guy from Barrio Logan, realistically think that I would be able to take down one of the most powerful labor leaders in San Diego? No, not really. But I knew I could be that thorn in his side like he was a thorn in the side of the people in my community.” The uprising got Kasparian kicked off the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. “We’re a tight-knit community and we need to help each other out as much as we can.”
In his own words: “Just because they say they’re liberal, just because they say they’re progressive, doesn’t mean they act that way,” he says of Kasparian and other politicians. “We have to keep our own people in check just as much as the opposition.”
What’s next? Beltrán will continue working with his wife, four kids and the community to fight for affordable rents in and around Barrio Logan, as well as trying to slow the neighborhood’s gentrification.