AGENDA
ITEM
___ RESOLUTION NO. 2024-64
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GONZALES RECOGNIZING SENATOR ANNA M. CABALLERO’S DEDICATION AND
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY OF GONZALES
WHEREAS, Senator Anna M. Caballero was born to a family of copper miners from Arizona and has dedicated her life to empowering working families and to create opportunities for them and their children to become successful. While in the Assembly, she received numerous awards for her work in youth violence prevention, protection of local government, support for public school construction, and water reliability and sustainability; and WHEREAS, a graduate of UCLA Law School and UC San Diego, Senator Anna M.
Caballero has dedicated her professional life to families in rural California. She first put her legal acumen to work representing farm workers as an attorney for California Rural Legal Assistance. Dedicated to representing working families at a price they could afford, Caballero and two colleagues formed the law firm of Caballero, Matcham and McCarthy, opening offices in Salinas and Hollister. The firm received numerous awards for excellence during its 25-year history, and Ms. Caballero personally received the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce’s most distinguished award, the Athena, for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Commitment to the Community; and
WHEREAS, prior to her election to the Assembly, Senator Anna M. Caballero established a non-profit organization dedicated to youth violence prevention. Partners for Peace (PFP) helped parents and youth develop stronger family bonds and encourage healthy behavior. PFP focused on supporting literacy, after school activities, early childhood development, youth employment and high school dropout prevention strategies in partnership with other organizations; and
WHEREAS, Senator Anna M. Caballero is a woman of firsts. She was the first female Mayor elected in the 126-year history of the City of Salinas and the first Latina elected to represent the 28th Assembly District in 2006. In 2011, Governor Edmund G. Brown hired Senator Caballero to serve as a member of his cabinet as the Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Her mission mirrored her 34-year career fighting for working families; and
WHEREAS, Senator Anna M. Caballero has authored key pieces of legislation like the Middle Class Housing Act (SB 6), to help families achieve the dream of home ownership, legislation that ensures locally grown, quality produce for California students (SB 490), and the Distressed Hospital Loan Program (SB/AB 112), to keep struggling hospitals from closing their doors. Senator Caballero is also the proud author of comprehensive legislation to combat climate change and extreme heat (SB 306) and the capture, removal storage and utilization of carbon (SB 905). Her strong advocacy of reproductive rights led to the creation of a support fund (SB 1142), to expand access to care during this particularly critical time in history. In 2023, Senator Caballero was instrumental in securing over half a billion dollars in direct funding to support veterans, flood victims, institutions for higher education, agricultural modernization and district-specific infrastructure projects; and WHEREAS, Senator Anna M. Caballero has been a strong supporter of the Community of Gonzales and especially its youth, helping them attain $5 million dollars for their Teen Innovation Center in 2021.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Gonzales hereby expresses extreme gratitude for the dedication and service to the community that Mrs. Anna M. Caballero has shown the residents of Gonzales over her legendary tenure.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Gonzales at a regular meeting held on the 4
th day of November, 2024, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Jose L. Rios, The Honorable Mayor
ATTEST:
Mary Villegas, Deputy City Clerk