A resident of Ventura since 1996 with his wife, Robin Jacobs and three children, Marcos Vargas is a longtime Latinx community organizer, Sundancer in the Lakota tradition, and long distance trail runner. Among his professional positions, he has served as the executive director of the Fund for Santa Barbara from 2015 to 2023, and the founding executive director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) from 2001 to 2015. Retired in 2023, he is currently the volunteer Regional Organizer for the 2024 Peace and Dignity Journeys - Central Coast, an indigenous peoples ceremonial run across the Americas. Marcos has his Masters Degree and Ph.D. in urban planning from UCLA.