By Ana Gomez Salcido 
The opportunity to study in the United States after growing up between Tijuana and San Diego drove Luis Osuna, President of the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association, to help other Latinos achieve their goals as scholars and professionals.
“I come from Mexico. I’m an immigrant and I grew up seeing the differences between the political systems that are in place in Mexico and in the United States,” said the Tijuana native.
“I grew up in a Latino community where, unfortunately, many of my peers did not graduate from high school or did not go to college; and if they did go to college they didn’t finish; and if they did finish they did not go to grad school.”
Osuna graduated from UC Berkeley, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science. He later received a Juris Doctorate degree from the California Western School of Law in San Diego.
“When I was in graduate school, it was very clear to me that there were not that many Latinos. In law school it was the same thing, and as lawyer is now a big thing,” said Osuna who, while at California Western School of Law, was a Diversity Scholarship recipient and was awarded the Pro Bono and Public Service Honors Society awards.
“My interest to join La Raza Lawyers Association was to be a part of the community, and to make sure that we help other people, especially the ones that are growing up to give them an example, that they can graduate from high school, go to college, go to graduate school, and become professionals in whatever field, whether it’s medicine, law, or computer science,” said Osuna. “I think giving an example is crucial for the next generation.”
Osuna first got involved with the La Raza Student Association. After graduating from law school back in 2012, he became involved with the La Raza Lawyers Association. First, he was Chair of their Community Outreach Committee. Osuna was later appointed to the Board of Directors, and he was also Chair of La Raza Lawyers Association’s Political Affairs Committee.
Osuna was officially sworn in as President of La Raza Lawyers Association in October 2015. Since then, Osuna has focused his tenure on three different projects.
“What the La Raza Lawyers Association does for the community I think is very important,” said Osuna. “We are teaching people about their rights. Many people don’t know they have rights even if they are undocumented.”
One of Osuna’s main projects as President of La Raza Lawyers Association is to connect Latino community members that don’t speak English to lawyers within the group that speak Spanish to have a better connection with the Latino community.
“I truly believe that in our association, which is made up of lawyers, we are inherently political in a sense. I wanted to continue to steer the association in a direction that makes sure that we don’t shy away of taking political positions when necessary,” said Osuna; including what happened with now presidential for the Republican Party Donald Trump, who attacked the association.
“Our association was attacked by Donald Trump, and he claimed that we were conspiring with the judge overseeing the federal case against him in the Trump University case. [Trump] claimed that we were basically organizing the anti-Trump rallies and commencing violence at all of his rallies, which was not true,” said Osuna. “We actually continued a robust defense of this association with media outreach including with national news outlets like CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.”
The second project is a Political Action Committee (PAC) that is going to be launched before the November presidential elections that will support candidates endorsed by the association. This PAC will also support initiatives like the recently approved ordinance which increased in the minimum wage and gave paid sick leave to San Diego residents. The PAC looks to support Latinos through services outside of the association’s direct legal resources and legal action.
The last main project in Osuna’s tenure is to increase a connection between law school students and La Raza Lawyers Association to bridge the gap between students and professionals.
“As a young kid living in Mexico, I always had family on both sides of the border. After I immigrated to America, I was still traveling to both sides of the border. Seeing the difference in the lives that were led between Mexico and here in the United States, and seeing the many opportunities, the reason my father brought us over to America, really instilled a drive in me that made sure that I always try to excel, particularly on my studies and professionally,” said Osuna.
“And it was even more important to use that success to help my community and other people who are younger, that need the help; to help those who don’t have the confidence to believe, or the fortunes I had of having a family that pushed me to get an education. That’s why I’m involved with the community.”
In addition to his practice, which specializes in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases, Osuna is involved in the community, not only through La Raza Lawyers Association, but also through different groups like the Chicano Federation, of which he is a member of the board of directors. Osuna has also been a guest speaker for the SEIU at various forums where he helps educate local workers.
“I want to pursue avenues that will make me able to continue to have a positive impact in the community as a whole as well as in the Latino community,” added Osuna. “I want to continue to develop my practice, and in the future, I would like to keep my options open to run for political office.”
Osuna will be appointed next week to the Independent Rates Oversight Committee by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, continuing his community involvement.