Lacey City Council honors Jose Salvador Gutierrez Jr., otherwise known as ‘DJ Luvva J’
Lacey City Council on Thursday remembered the life of Jose Salvador Gutierrez Jr., a longtime Lacey resident, hip-hop figure and non-stop learner who died last month at the age of 44.
In his memory, the council proclaimed Dec. 19, his birthday, DJ Luvva J Day. A birthday celebration for Gutierrez is set for 1-4 p.m. Sunday at South Puget Sound Community College.
Each council member read a passage from the proclamation, which ended with Mayor Andy Ryder.
“He was someone I admired for a very long time,” Ryder said, adding that he knew Gutierrez when he was a student at River Ridge High School.
“Everyone knew he was special,” he said. “He was one of those amazing leaders who worked his entire life giving back to his community.”
Gutierrez’s sister, Stella Haioulani, attended Thursday’s council meeting.
“He was a great brother and a great servant, and I’m just honored to be able to accept this proclamation on his behalf,” she said.
Gutierrez died Nov. 5, the result of COVID-19 complications.
According to his obituary, he was born Dec. 19, 1976, in Hayward, California, but later lived in Lacey. At 12, he started volunteering at The Evergreen State College’s KAOS radio station as a D.J. and continued to volunteer and collaborate with them until his passing.
After graduating from River Ridge High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree with a triple major and distinctions in TV/film production, media management and journalism at Washington State University, as well as a master’s degree from the College of Education.
In Pullman, he founded the student organization Black Men Making a Difference and advocated for women’s safety on campus.
Gutierrez was a chapter leader, minister, and member of the Temple of Hip-Hop organization from 1996 until his passing, and was a member of the groups 206 Zulu and the Universal Zulu Nation. He founded and directed Hip-Hop for the Homeless in Washington state.
He earned an MBA from Western Washington University, master degrees in environmental science and public administration at The Evergreen State College, and in 2021, he was continuing his higher education by remotely attending the University of California Berkeley School of Law.
In Thurston County, he worked as a producer at Thurston Community Television and was a mentor liaison for the North Thurston School District. He also was an adjunct professor at the Northwest Indian College, a professor and director of strategic development and leadership at the Edutainment Academy and Institute and an adjunct professor of humanities and communications at South Puget Sound Community College.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
