Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez serves as the Executive Director of the Center, where he helps manage its staff and set its litigation and advocacy strategies. He is a civil rights attorney with a record of fighting the misuse of government power for nearly 15 years. He began his career with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division as a trial attorney, investigating and litigating allegations of unconstitutional policing practices across the United States and its territories. He was part of the team that investigated and prosecuted Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for racial profiling and other unlawful policing practices, including discrimination of undocumented persons. 

Sergio previously served as the Executive Director of Orange County's Office of Independent Review (OIR). OIR has oversight authority over justice-related county agencies, including the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Office of the District Attorney. He also previously worked with the Los Angeles County Office of the Inspector General to investigate allegations of excessive force within the County's juvenile halls and camps, ultimately publishing a public report that brought to light troubling practices and ultimately led to the elimination of pepper spray in those facilities. 

Sergio also previously served as the first Inspector General for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, the Director of Enforcement for the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, and the Chief of Accountability & Oversight for the L.A. City Controller. 

He is a Los Angeles native, the son of formerly undocumented immigrants from Mexico, and the first in his family to graduate from high school. He graduated from Yale Law School and the University of California, Berkeley.