City of Los Angeles Paid Alleged 18th Street Gang Member $58K as a ‘Peace Ambassador’

A convicted murderer and alleged gang member was being paid by Los Angeles taxpayers to patrol neighborhoods as a “peace ambassador” until federal authorities arrested him Friday morning. Now, city leaders are facing questions about how he got the job in the first place.

Michael Angel Alvarez, 41, aka “Diablo,” was arrested on Friday during a traffic stop for possession of body armor by a violent felon, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. 

Alvarez was being paid by Los Angeles city tax dollars to patrol as a “peace ambassador,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

A program launched by LA Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, peace ambassadors were meant to be a way “to support Angelenos in moments of crisis” by providing people who are not law enforcement to aid in non-emergency situations, according to Hernandez’s website. 

“Each team consists of two unarmed workers who have lived experience in the justice or gang systems and are trained in violence prevention and trauma-informed care,” the website states.

According to U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Alvarez earned approximately $58,000 through the program last year. Essayli alleged that Alvarez maintained ties to the 18th Street gang while employed by the city.

“There is no indication Alvarez has ever stopped associating with the 18th Street gang. In fact, in jailhouse telephone call recordings of Alvarez since his release from state prison, he discussed assaulting individuals for breaking gang rules,” Essayli said in a post on X.

In 2002, Alvarez was convicted for first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison. He was released after serving 24 years. In April 2025, he received a felony conviction for being a prisoner in possession of a weapon.

According to a campaign website, Hernandez states she is focused on “investing in community care, workforce development, social services, and harm-reduction programs that help make our neighborhoods safer and healthier places for all Angelenos.”

The peace ambassador program is contracted out by two organizations, Homies Unidos, led by Executive Director Alex Sanchez, and Healing Urban Barrios, led by Executive Director Christina Navarro. Healing Urban Barrios paid Alvarez $58,156 in 2025.

Neither organization responded to the Daily Signal’s request for information on Alvarez’s arrest.

In response to the arrest, Essayli shared his disappointment in the misuse of taxpayer dollars. “The hardworking taxpayers of Los Angeles deserve better than to see their money shelled out to a convicted gang murderer,” he said.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt also criticized city leadership following the arrest, writing on X that “[Mayor] Karen Bass has turned Los Angeles into a criminal cartel.”

Essayli noted this “is not the first instance of an active criminal being funded by Los Angeles taxpayers.” In a post on X, he shared another case in which a felon used his anti-gang charity, Delivering Options, as a front for “fraudulent activities.”

Bass has not made a public statement on the issue.

As of the time of publication, Hernandez has not responded to the Daily Signal’s request for comment or made a public statement about the arrest.