12th Annual
Sacramento Reception

Senator Anna M. Caballero has built her career on the principle that government works best when it listens—when leaders meet people at their kitchen tables, hear their struggles and fight alongside them for a better future. A trailblazer and a consensus-builder, Senator Caballero has spent over three decades delivering real results for the families of California.

Born to a family of copper miners in Arizona, Senator Caballero was raised with a deep respect for hard work, faith and community. Inspired by the farmworker movement, she pursued a law degree from UCLA after completing her undergraduate studies at UC San Diego and returned to serve in California’s rural heartland. She began her legal career representing farmworkers with California Rural Legal Assistance and later co-founded a law firm dedicated to providing affordable legal services to working families. She also founded Partners for Peace, a nonprofit that helped reduce youth violence by strengthening families, promoting literacy, expanding afterschool programs and supporting early childhood development and youth employment across the Salinas Valley.

In 1998, Senator Caballero made history as the first woman elected Mayor in the 126-year history of the City of Salinas. She went on to become the first Latina elected to represent the 28th Assembly District in 2006. In 2011, she was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as a member of his cabinet, where she oversaw 16,000 employees and a $27 billion budget—managing civil rights enforcement, consumer protections, building standards, pension funds and the licensing of over 3.4 million professionals statewide.

Senator Caballero returned to the Legislature in 2016 and once again made history as the first Latina elected to represent California’s 12th Senate District. After redistricting, she now proudly serves the 14th Senate District and is currently in her second term. Throughout her tenure, she has continued her work to uplift working families, strengthen public infrastructure, support small businesses and deliver resources to underserved communities.

In 2023 alone, Senator Caballero secured over half a billion dollars in direct investments to support flood recovery, veterans’ services, agricultural modernization, institutions of higher education, and community infrastructure throughout the Central Valley.

Throughout her career, Senator Caballero has been recognized for her integrity, persistence and ability to bring people together to solve problems. Her people-first leadership style has made her one of the most trusted voices in California public service—grounded in community, driven by results and focused on building a future where every Californian can thrive.

She is a wife, mother of three adult children and proud grandmother of six. She resides in Merced County with her husband, Juan Uranga, a retired attorney and lifelong advocate for farmworker rights.