Rivas ' family later moved from Escondido , California to Watsonville , California where he attended Watsonville High School . Spurred and marked by the events of the Watsonville Canning Strike , the Gomez v City of Watsonville Supreme Court voting rights decision , and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , he deferred college for several years to remain involved as a community organizer and voting rights activist . He lated enrolled at Cabrillo College , where theatre classes prompted him to get involved with theatre in general . In 1993 , after having interned with El Teatro Campesino for nearly two seasons , Rivas along with three other classmates ( Manuel Montez , Leonard Maestas and Renee Sola ) founded Chicano TheatreWorks , a company created in response to the passage of California Proposition 187
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Tlaloc Rivas