Jorge L. Barón is a Colombian-American politician, attorney, and former actor. He has been a member of the

King County Council The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure is ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

since 2024, representing District 4.

Early life

Barón is the eldest son of

Jorge Barón Jorge Eliécer Barón Ortíz (born Jorge Eliécer Varón Ortíz 29 June 1948 in Ibagué) is a Colombian television presenter, media personality and businessman. By the mid-1980s, he was already a media sensation in Colombia and was broadcasting ...

, a Colombian television personality and businessperson. He grew up in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

and appeared on television programs with his father. Barón immigrated with his mother to the United States in 1986 at the age of 13 without knowing English. He graduated from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

in 1995 and later worked in film and television production in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Barón worked as an assistant director for '' The Negotiator'', ''

The Mask of Zorro ''The Mask of Zorro'' is a 1998 American Western swashbuckler film based on the fictional character Zorro by Johnston McCulley. Directed by Martin Campbell from a screenplay by John Eskow, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio, it stars Anto ...

'', and the series '' JAG''. He chose to work as an international human rights lawyer after a visit to the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

and graduated from the

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

. Barón moved from Connecticut to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

in 2006 to join the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) as a staff attorney in 2006. He became the executive director of the NWIRP in 2008 and held the position until 2023. During his tenure, the organization grew to 130 people in four offices and rose to prominence through their opposition to travel bans enacted by the Trump administration in the late 2010s. The NWIRP also fought to close the Northwest Detention Center, a

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

facility in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, that has had several long

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

s by inmates. Barón left his position as executive director in June 2023.

Political career

Barón announced his campaign for the

seat representing District 4 in May 2023 following the retirement of incumbent

Jeanne Kohl-Welles Jeanne Elizabeth Pearl Kohl-Welles (née Jean Elizabeth Pearl Kohl; October 19, 1942) is an American politician and academic. She was a member of the King County Council from the 4th district from 2016 to 2024. She previously served as a member ...

. The district includes portions of northwestern Seattle. His campaign focused on racial justice and addressing the regional

homelessness Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

crisis. Barón had 51 percent of the vote in the primary election and advanced to the top-two general election alongside assistant attorney general Sarah Reyneveld; both candidates were described as "progressive lawyers". Barón was elected to the King County Council in November 2023. He took office on January 9, 2024, becoming one of the first Latino American members of the council.

Personal life

He met his wife Tyler Crone at the Yale Law School, where she graduated with a master's degree in public health. They have two children. His family filed a lawsuit against the Seattle Department of Planning and Development in 2007 for an improper environmental review of the proposed demolition of the Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist near their home due to increased lead exposure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barón, Jorge Living people Politicians from Bogotá American nonprofit executives Yale Law School alumni King County Councillors 21st-century Washington (state) politicians American politicians of Colombian descent Year of birth missing (living people)