Liz Blum-Gutierrez

Liz Blum-Gutierrez is an organizer at the ACLU of Northern California. In this capacity, she leads political campaigns throughout Northern California.

Prior to joining the ACLU, Liz co-founded Decarcerate Sacramento, an organization focused on criminal justice reform in Sacramento County. She led successful campaigns that prevented multiple jail expansion projects, and increased county spending on public defense, health, and housing by millions of dollars. Liz’s work also led to the creation of Sacramento County’s first ever Jail Population Reduction Plan, which she helped develop through appointed positions on several county commissions and advisory boards. She has authored numerous works on her organizing in Sacramento, including a chapter of the book “The Jail is Everywhere: Fighting the New Geography of Mass Incarceration.” Liz is personally impacted by incarceration, which fuels her commitment to this work.

Liz also has a background in food justice and sustainable agriculture. She started a program at the Yolo Food Bank in 2017 that organized local farmers to reduce food waste and increase fresh food access. Liz has managed many educational farms, including an urban farm through The Center for Land-Based Learning. She also co-facilitated a garden program for two years inside Folsom Women’s Prison.

Liz is a graduate of UC Davis, where she received a master’s in community development and a B.S. in international agricultural development. At UC Davis, she was awarded the Racial Capitalism Fellowship and the Beyond the Barriers Carceral Justice Award. Liz is also a Rockwood Leadership Institute Fellow and Anne Braden Program alumni.

When she’s not organizing, she’s spending time with her cats, cooking, and traveling to visit family and friends.