Pedro Hernandez

Deputy Director, FairVote California

Pedro Hernandez joined FairVote California as Deputy Director in August 2016. He brings both experience and passion to electoral reform and community advocacy; most recently, he worked as an Associate at the Law Office of Robert Rubin where he specialized in claims under the California Voting Rights Act.

Hernandez is the son of immigrant agricultural workers. His experiences growing up in Watsonville–serving as a student trustee for the local school board–set in motion his commitment to community empowerment at a young age.

He previously served as an Education Equity Fellow at Public Advocates, where he provided technical support to community groups regarding California's Local Control Funding Formula.

In addition, Hernandez clerked at the Equal Justice Society, where he contributed to an amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court affirmative action case, Fisher v. University of Texas. He also externed for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, and clerked in the Watsonville office of California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA).

Hernandez earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science, with a minor in American Studies, from the University of California, Davis in 2006; and J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2014. While at Hastings, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Hastings Race & Poverty Law Journal.