Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 28

Anna M. Caballero is a woman of firsts. The first female Mayor in the 126-year history of the City of Salinas (Population 155,000) Caballero was re-elected to her fourth term as Mayor in November 2004 with over 69% of the vote. Mayor Caballero's popular support among the residents of Salinas can be attributed to her seven years of experience as a City Council member, including four years as Vice Mayor. Her vision for the community led to increased professionalism at City Hall, improved relations with City residents, and to greater diversification of Salinas' economic base. She has been a strong advocate for the creation of affordable housing, redevelopment of the historic downtown area, and a focus on meeting the needs of teens and families.

During her tenure on the City Council, Mayor Caballero has matched her pragmatic business experience to the needs of a growing community. The Mayor believes her greatest strength is consensus building. Her excellent listening skills and ability to quickly frame issues help the Mayor to address the key community issues that impact quality of life and the environment. The key to the success of Salinas, according to Mayor Caballero, is the continued development of partnerships with neighborhoods, parent groups, labor, school districts, the business community, and the greater Salinas community.

Mayor Caballero is a proven leader in the private sector as well as the political arena. In 1982, the law offices of Caballero, Matcham & McCarthy opened for business in Salinas with the mission of providing excellent legal representation at a price working families can afford. The firm and Mayor Caballero have been recognized on many occasions for excellence in the legal profession. Awards have included: The Excellence Award in the Professional Category by the Salinas Area Chamber of Commerce and the "Small Business Leader of the Month" by the Bank of Salinas and KSMS Channel 67. In April 1996, the Salinas Area Chamber of Commerce personally recognized Mayor Caballero and awarded her the "Athena" award for "entrepreneurial excellence", the most prestigious honor the Chamber can bestow upon a fellow businessperson. In 2000, the Monterey County Lawyers Association awarded Mayor Caballero the Justice Gibson Award, the Association's highest award for members who bring distinction to the legal profession through commitment to public service.

Mayor Caballero has also received recognition for her numerous community activities. Faced with a funding shortage for the city's libraries, she founded Rally Salinas! to raise critical operating funds, and championed the successful Measure V initiative to secure a permanent solution. Mayor Caballero is also an unflagging champion of career days and courthouse tours for students, and has volunteered coaching baseball and soccer. Through "MANA", an association of Mexican American women, she has raised scholarship money for young women continuing on to higher education. Mayor Caballero has been honored as an entrepreneur and role model by such diverse groups as the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the ZONTA Club of Salinas, the California State Commission on the Status of Women and the Monterey County Commission on the Status of Women.

The Mayor's commitment to ensuring that Salinas is a safe and peaceful community has resulted in a sabbatical from the law firm of Caballero, Matcham & McCarthy. The Mayor now serves as the Executive Director of Partners for Peace, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to developing effective violence prevention strategies by focusing on literacy, early childhood education and strengthening families and children. She is working in her capacity as Executive Director to develop multi-disciplinary partnerships, which share community resources to bring about community change.

Mayor Caballero, 51, is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law. She is married to attorney Juan Uranga. Together they have three children, and are also proud grandparents.