Pablo Rodriguez

Pablo Rodríguez, born on October 21, 1973, in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, passed away in his sleep on December 9, 2025. He was a beloved father, son, brother, uncle, and visionary organizer whose life was dedicated to building power, dignity, and belonging in the neighborhoods he loved.

Raised in Hilmar, California, Pablo grew up in a family whose values of dignity, justice, and service marked the course of his life. In high school, he played football at Hilmar High School, where he was known as a versatile and loyal team player. Did he play multiple positions, including guard, fullback, and defensive end, and was selected to play in the Rotary All-Star Game in his junior and senior years. In moments of high pressure and tension, Pablo assumed the role that the team will need, even changing shirts in the middle of the game to go from guard to fullback. These experiences instilled in him an enduring commitment to teamwork, adaptability, and responsibility to those around him.

His early years were also marked by art, activism, and lessons learned from movement building through his family's long connection to the United Farm Workers (UFW), including his grandfather Gonzalo Rodriguez, who was a member of the UFW. After participating in UFW marches, Pablo joined the organization as a staff member and became an assistant to UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, where he helped oversee voter registration and voter mobilization efforts throughout California's Central Valley. He used humor, culture, and identity to build political awareness, combining strong analysis with creativity and joy.

His foundational belief that culture heals created an urgency to return power to the hands and voices of residents and communities throughout Califas. Pablo brought these teachings into every space he occupied, as a spoken word artist, a tireless advocate for working families, and ultimately as the architect of one of California's most impactful community-driven civic organizations.

He helped found Communities for a New California (CNC), which began as a conversation between friends of the San Joaquin Valley and grew into a statewide, community-driven civic organization. Under Pablo's leadership, CNC grew into a statewide organization that engages with hundreds of thousands of residents each year.

Pablo believed deeply in people. A talented mentor, he invested in people with generosity and care, often seeing their potential long before they themselves recognized it. Many of the CNC leaders began their careers as volunteers or interns whom Pablo trained, challenged, and lifted. Organizers across the country remember Pablo as a trusted guide, a dear friend, and their strongest cheerleader. And others, how he loved to dance cumbias and a true chess genius.

Pablo's greatest pride was his family, and his love for them was constant and unmistakable. He often spoke of his parents with deep respect. He especially admired his mother's fierce protection, fondly remembering the moment she stormed the football field after he rolled his ankle to insist he be taken out of the game. Although he disagreed at the time, he loved witnessing his devotion in action. He also appreciated the early mornings he spent working alongside his father on the construction site, and how, at the end of the day, his father would ask him to reflect on the impact of what they had accomplished together. Pablo was infinitely proud of his sisters, of their strength, of their work and the lives they were building, and of how each one was a leader in their own spaces. He reveled in the intelligence, curiosity, and promise of his niece and nephews, always quick to share his admiration for how extraordinary he thought they were. Usually in the fall you always knew you could find him cheering on the Hilmar Yellowjackets football team or following them when they played away from home. He proudly commented that the second generation of children in the family attended such prestigious universities as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; California State University, Fresno; University of California, Los Angeles; and University of California, Santa Barbara. Pablo also became a father. He was deeply devoted to his daughter, Alexa Victoria, whom he adopted and who brightened his life. Vicky brought Pablo immense joy, introduced him to Bad Bunny, kept him up to date with the best lip glosses, and most of all, filled his days with the latest high school gossip. He was endlessly proud of her and cherished being not only her father, but also her confidant and a constant presence he could always rely on.

Those who knew Pablo also enjoyed his sense of humor. He had a way of joking that was sharp, loving, and deeply observant, never unpleasant, always rooted in care. Whether as a colleague, friend, or mentor, almost everyone has a story of being teased by Pablo in a way that made them feel seen and loved at the same time.

Prior to founding CNC, Pablo served as Director of the Dolores Huerta Institute of Community Organizers, where he trained organizers across the state and supported political action campaigns. He later worked as a public policy analyst and director of communications at JG & Associates. His commitment to justice also extended through board service with organizations such as Americans for Democratic Action, California Calls, California Common Cause, Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, Community Water Center Action Fund, La Peña Cultural Center, and Liberation in a Generation.

Pablo was preceded in death by his father, Melchor Rodríguez, and his brother-in-law, Edgar Juárez.

He is survived by his mother, Bertha Elvia Rodríguez; his daughter, Victoria Miramontes Rodríguez; his brother, Rubén Pérez; and sisters, Elsa Rodriguez-Juarez, Ruth Rodriguez, and Elizabeth Rodriguez. He is also survived by his niece and nephews: Esteban Juárez, Ileana Juárez, Elián Juárez, Sergio Romero, Maxsim Romero, and Arturo Pérez. And finally, Pablo is survived by his beloved dog, Luna.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at Hilmar Covenant Church, located at 20056 American Ave, Hilmar, CA 95324, with a reception to follow.