(January 19, 1974 – October 21, 2023)

When Cindy Montañez was CEO of TreePeople, she rapidly expanded the Los Angeles-based organization’s impact across Southern California.

At the age of 25, Cindy was elected as the youngest councilmember of her hometown of San Fernando. She became mayor at 27 and at 28 years old, was elected the youngest woman ever to the California State Legislature.

Upon leaving the legislature, Cindy was hired as Assistant General Manager at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where she was a core part of the team transitioning the nation’s largest publicly-owned utility to cleaner energy and a more sustainable local water supply.

Cindy was a longtime champion for bringing people together around the environment, sustainable urban planning, and social justice. 

In addition to her role as CEO of TreePeople, Cindy was elected in November 2020 to the San Fernando City Council and was a Board Member for the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

On August 28, 2023, the California State Assembly passed a resolution that declared January 19 as Cindy Montañez Day, with the Los Angeles City Council unanimously renaming Pacoima Wash Natural Park to Cindy Montañez Natural Park a day later. In October 2023, the Los Angeles Unified School District renamed Gridley Street Elementary school in honor of Cindy Montanez.