Anna M. Caballero was elected in November 2018 to the California State Senate to represent the 12th Senate District, which includes the Salinas Valley, San Benito County, Merced County and portions of Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno Counties.
Anna has a 30 year legacy of public service in her community. She received her undergraduate degree from UC San Diego, and her law degree from UCLA. After graduating law school she moved to Salinas to provide legal services to farmworkers. Anna then ran for Salinas City Council and served for seven years; where she focused on affordable housing, strengthening the business and commercial opportunities for growth, the redevelopment of downtown, and provided more parks and recreational space for families. Anna later became the first female Mayor of Salinas in 1998, as Mayor she raised private funds for city libraries, along with putting a measure on the ballot to raise money for essential services during a state budget crisis.
Anna was first elected to the State Assembly in 2006, where she continued to focus on meeting the needs of local residents. She made it easier for farmers to utilize their land to build farmworker housing, while also facilitating funds to make sure her community had clean drinking water. She was also able to access much needed gang intervention funds to help reduce gang violence in the region, creating a partnership with the Highway Patrol and the Department of Justice. An advocate for education, she also voted to extend state student aid to undocumented students applying for citizenship.
From 2010 to 2016, Anna joined Governor Edmund G. Brown’s cabinet as Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Under Anna’s leadership, 65 million dollars were allocated to build housing and provide services for homeless veterans and rural communities, while providing struggling families access to home refinancing assistance. During her time working with Governor Brown, Anna was the highest-ranking Latina in state government.
Anna’s leadership has inspired generations of young leaders to work hard, and help build a strong community for the future. She has been a tireless advocate for families, farmers, veterans, workers, the disabled, seniors, and teachers. She is honored to serve as your state Senator.