Dr. David C. Lizárraga is the former president of The East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU) in Los Angeles California and the founder of the TELACU business model of generating a double bottom line– profitability along with generating social impact for the community. David Lizárraga previously served as the Chairman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and continues to advise and assist TELACU in the organization’s business ventures and educational programs for the Los Angeles community.

Interview 1 (2022) Summary

Lizárraga shares his experience working with community organizers and local businessmen and women to help create TELACU. He discusses how the first members of TELACU were able to engage their fellow community members by creating connections with other community development corporations across the United States that could share ideas and advise them on what actions to take to advocate for resources that could be made available to Latino residents in East Los Angeles. He discusses the development of the TELACU business model and how this idea expanded in different projects over time. Jose Villalobos also shares about working with Lizárraga and what TELACU means to individuals in the present. Lizárraga shares the story of Tamayo Restaurant and what purpose this business contributed to the TELACU story.

Interview 2 (2022) Summary

In this second interview session, Lizárraga discusses his early experiences of growing up in East L.A. and being introduced to community organizing through church activities and working with individuals who lived in housing projects. He shares some of these early days of community organizing and protest which led to his introduction to TELACU through Esteban Torres, who came from a background of organizing with the United Auto Workers. He shares how CDCs like TELACU met with national politicians to generate grants for programs that would be reinvested into the East Los Angeles community. Lizárraga talks about TELACU’s journey from radical activism to a business-focused organization that continues to generate resources back into the local community.

Key Terms

Community, Building, TELACU, East Los Angeles, business, jobs, housing projects, restaurant

Date: June 30, 2022 and September 1, 2022

Interviewers: Research assistants Ashton Jeffers and Carly Bagley