The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District will be managed by an Advisory Board of 15-19 people. This board is being chosen through three rounds of elections. The first three rounds of elections took place on December 14th, 2019, February 22, 2020, and September 19, 2020
Click here for a complete description of voting procedures.
Candidate statements for this election are below. These statements are presented as submitted by the candidates, and no attempt has been made to verify their content. In addition, women have been seriously underrepresented among the candidates in all three rounds; after Round 3, up to four appointed seats will still be available to balance the board’s diversity and skill set, and will be filled by the board on an individual basis.
Castro LGBTQ Cultural District Fall 2022 Candidates
Alfredo Bracamontes-Ochoa (He/Him)
Alfredo Bracamontes-Ochoa is a resident of the Castro who supports the local businesses, attends community events, and accesses the COVID testing hub behind Walgreens. He is a lead for his company’s Latinx/Hispanic Group and has participated as a cyclist and team co-captain for AIDS/LifeCycle.
Video: Alfredo Bracamontes-Ochoa
Diego Gomez (They/He/She)
Diego Gomez regularly attends events in the Castro and serves on boards and works for LGBTQ organizations. He is a former resident/worker/business owner of the Castro, working at Cliff’s Variety, Walgreens pharmacy, the Midnight Sun, and Moby Dicks. As an artist, Diego has created murals and provided illustration and design work for Castro businesses. Video: Diego Gomez
Andrew Gutierrez III (he/they)
Andrew Gutierrez’s involvement with the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District began as a Transitional Age Youth (TAY), where he worked at LYRIC to develop a leadership institute for Queer and Trans youth. He has a Master’s in Education from UCLA, where he designed programs, curriculum and taught courses in Ethnic Studies and LGBTQ Studies for K-12 students at Everett Middle School, Mission High School, and Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School. Andrew collaborates with non-profits in the Castro District and provides technical assistance to agencies across the country interested in implementing LGBTQ+ inclusive programs, policies and interventions. Andrew managed the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) at Larkin Street Youth Services and is a current member of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District Advisory Board and would like to continue to serve on the board.
Braeden Mansouri (He/Him/His)
Braeden is a land use and environmental attorney with a specialization in affordable and supportive housing development. Living in San Francisco, he spends much of his time in the Castro and among the SF LGBTQ community. He also regularly works to increase the number of LGBTQ representatives in elected office. Video: Braeden Mansouri
JConr B. Ortega (He/Him/ Comrade)
JConr B. Ortega regularly attends events in the Castro and is a current board member of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District. He also works to get LGBTQ candidates elected to office. Video:JConr B. Ortega
Adam-Michael Royston (he/they)
Adam-Michael (he/they). Since I moved to San Francisco in 2016 I have called The Castro “home”. I love fundraising, so much that I would say I am a fundraising nerd. I come from a decade of experience securing critical funds for causes that change the world-especially those related to the LGBTQ+ community. I have worked or lived in over 20 countries, mostly in Asia and I have raised more than 100+ million dollars for programs focusing on youth development, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and LGBTQ+ IDPs/refugees throughout the world. All of this helps me center on how important the Castro is for our local queer community and helps me center on how important we are globally as a symbol of hope for queer people across the world. Having raised funds for many projects, I am most proud of leading the proposal design and leadership of Myanmar Pride in 2016. I am currently the Vice-President of LYRIC: Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth -based here in the Castro. I truly believe that we have to create and support the next generation of queer advocates that fundamentally understand our history and culture. In my spare time, I also am Chair-Elect of the What If? Foundation and am currently the Co-Chair of this year’s National Philanthropy Day for the AFP Golden Gate Chapter which is the premier fundraising conference here in San Francesco. I consult and support policy work for several organizations globally focusing on LGBTQ+ human rights and the UN Mandate for SOGI. I live in San Francisco with my partner, our son, and our two golden doodles. Outside of my fundraising and advocacy work I love a night out in the Castro- a place I will always consider “home.”
William Walker (he/she/they)
William Walker volunteers and regularly attends events in the Castro, he is a former resident/worker/business owner of the Castro. He has served on the boards of the ACLU, KPFA, Coleman Advocates, and SF LGBT Pride. As a KPFA news reporter, William had covered the profiling of Black men who frequented Badlands in 2005. He was endorsed by the Bay Area Reporter for his 2014 and 2022 campaigns for the Community College Board of Trustees and by the Harvey Milk LGBT Democrats for his 2014 run. He is currently a member of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and teaches at Abraham Lincoln High School
Castro LGBTQ Cultural District 