Romel Pascual serves as the Associate Director for Environment for Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio R. Villaraigosa. From 2001-2004, as the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice for California Environmental Protection Agency, he led the Agency’s effort to develop the state’s first environmental justice program. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Romel managed the environmental justice program for USEPA, Region 9.
Romel's involvement with environmental issues began in community organizations and grassroots leadership, working with the Urban Habitat Program, a non-profit organization based in the Bay Area where he coordinated the Brownfields Leadership and Community Revitalization Project; and with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) where he conducted research on the impacts of environmental pollution on communities.
He has a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA, and Masters in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley.