Bobbi Lopez was born in Mexico City to a Sephardi/Ashkenazi Jewish mother and an Indigenous father, who met during the historic Mexican Student Movement of 1968. Her father later converted to Judaism under Rabbi Samuel Lerer, who is noted for having converted more individuals to Judaism than any other rabbi in recent centuries. This rich cultural and political legacy has shaped Bobbi’s lifelong commitment to social justice and community advocacy.
She currently serves as a Deputy Director for the City and County of San Francisco. Her previous work includes serving as a business representative and negotating contracts for SEIU 1021, a legal advocate for youth at the ACLU and La Raza Centro Legal, and co-founding La Voz Latina, a program supporting Latino immigrants in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. Bobbi has also held key policy roles as Legislative Director to former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim and Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan, and as an administrator under former San Francisco Mayor London Breed. A former Vice President of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, she also served four years on the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee and two years on the California Democratic Party’s legislative committee. She lives in Oakland with her spouse and two children, who participate in the B’nai Mitzvah program and Kehilla school. Bobbi attended Oberlin College. She spent many years as a dj, as part of the Queer Qumbia music collective.