Dream a Better Future Together
José Trinidad Castañeda is a public servant, community organizer, and policy advocate who has spent his career championing the needs of under served communities across Orange County.
José Trinidad Castañeda’s grandparents immigrated from Totolmajac, Villa Guerrero, Estado de Mexico and El Cargadero, Jerez, Zacatecas to Orange County over 60 years ago during the U.S. Bracero Program. They raised 5 generations who call Buena Park, Fullerton, Anaheim, La Habra, and Yorba Linda our home. José’s parents grew up in Anaheim, and are alumni from Anaheim High School.
The Casas Mejia Family picking strawberries in Buena Park, CA 1979
Jose Trinidad (age 6yo) throwing darts at his baby sister's 3rd Birthday Party at Boisserranc Park, Buena Park, CA 1997
Jose Trinidad (age 2yo) cutting cake with his mom and cousins at his 2nd Birthday Party at Boisserranc Park, Buena Park, CA 1992
Jose Trinidad (age 2yo) with his padrinos Mucio and Norma Sanchez at his 2nd Birthday Party at Boisserranc Park, Buena Park, CA 1992
Jose Trinidad (age 2yo) with his mom Ofelia Casas trick-or-treating on Halloween at the Buena Park Mall, Buena Park, CA 1992
José Trinidad Castañeda was born at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in Anaheim, and grew up on the border of West Fullerton and East Buena Park. His father works to save lives at local hospitals and his mother works in the medical industry.
Growing up, José Trinidad Castañeda attended the Buena Park Boys and Girls Club with his sister Amanda, who was born with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). José’s family always sought programs, resources, and community that were attentive to families with children with special needs, like Buena Park Boys and Girls Club in the late 90s and throughout the 00s. The Castañeda’s spent every significant holiday together at Boiserranc Park, including birthday parties, Easter, Fourth of July, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. José spent every summer with his cousins in the Flower Tract. José was raised in the Catholic tradition, baptized at St. Mary’s, confirmed at St. Philip Benizi, and attended mass every Sunday at St. Pius V Catholic Church for two decades.
After graduating from Troy High School with National Honors Distinctions, José Trinidad Castañeda became the first in his family to graduate from college, earning degrees in Biology from Fullerton College, and Anthropology from California State University, Los Angeles.
Home Video Cassette: Lydia Amanda’s Baptism at St. Mary’s in Fullerton and Jose Trinidad "Buddy" Castaneda’s 3rd Birthday Party at Boisseranc Park, Buena Park 1993
Home videos of Jose Trinidad growing up in Buena Park and Fullerton in the 1990s.
4th of July, 1994 with the Castaneda Family celebrating with fireworks in the Flower Tract, Buena Park
Like many Buena Park families, Jose spent every 4th of July with his family celebrating America’s freedom with fireworks.
At University, Castañeda joined campaigns to increase awareness on LGBTQ-issues, increase Black student enrollment, support undocumented students with The Dream Act, advance environmental progress with school gardens and eliminating waste, and stand with workers & faculty unions for better working conditions. During the same time, Jose was appointed to his local Parks and Recreation Commission, and worked on local environmental causes, such as preventing waste from entering the ocean, as well as organizing the March for Science and People’s Climate Marches.
Since graduating, Castañeda has continued his work on local policy issues, led county-wide campaigns, and educated constituents from across Orange County on how to effectively fight for policies to improve our communities. In the last 5 years, he has played an important role in passing legislation and establishing a new public agency to increase clean energy and boost local jobs.
Jose co-founded Buena Park United in 2016
In 2016, José Trinidad Castañeda became a founding member of a local community organization called Buena Park United to encourage the City of Buena Park to take a positive direction and facilitate the needs of its community and increase civic participation. We volunteered our time to provide greater transparency and accountability in our Buena Park City Council, as well as empower all Buena Park residents, by providing a platform for their voices to be heard and invoke their individual rights. We believe every voice matters, and our goal was to build a better Buena Park for generations to come. Jose later became a founding member of the Buena Park Democratic Club in 2019.
On April 16th, 2022, Castañeda announced his campaign for Buena Park City Council, and if elected, would make him the first Latino, Native American (Mescalero Apache descent), and LGBTQ council member in Buena Park history at the age of 31. His historic campaign has been endorsed by a coalition of cross-sector organizations, representing community leaders, construction workers, healthcare workers, environmentalists, and more.
Castañeda continues to be an active community member volunteering his time at food banks, serving as a Delegate to the California Democratic Party, Democratic Party of Orange County, and a board director to a 501(C)3 non-profit dedicated to ensuring everyone has a right to a safe, affordable home. In his free time, he enjoys biking to the beach, gardening, and supporting local restaurants.
