Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 33; Democratic Party

Hilda Zacarķas has dedicated her life to public service. Through her business, her work as an elected official and as a community volunteer, she is a committed problem-solver and bridge-builder. Ms. Zacarķas currently serves as a City Councilmember for the City of Santa Maria. A tax accountant and educator (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Allan Hancock College), she is the former Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Family Care Center where she served to increase the quality and quantity of child care throughout Santa Barbara County. Zacarķas has also assisted community-based organizations in their financial and organizational development, most significantly the Historic Dana Adobe in Nipomo, the Alliance for Pharmaceutical Access in Northern Santa Barbara County, and the California Family Resource Association based in Sacramento. Ms. Zacarķas has authored several publications including: an analysis of community-based mental health systems titled "Integrating Mental Health Services into California's Diverse Neighborhoods"; developed and published the "Preschool for All" plan for Santa Barbara County; and co-authored "Bridging the Gap" designed to assist child care providers and parents in linking children with special needs to the systems of support.

A lifelong resident of the City of Santa Maria, she was the youngest person appointed and then elected to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees, serving for five years. In November 2006, she was elected to the Santa Maria City Council, only the third woman elected in the city's 105 year history. Ms. Zacarķas served as the late Rep. Walter Capps' district representative from Oceano to Lompoc.

Ms. Zacarķas champions efforts to ensure all youth have access to higher education and professional accomplishment and is involved with many local nonprofit organizations including the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance Program; the boards of Just Communities, the McCune Foundation, and the Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County; and is an appointed member to the Child Care Planning Council of Santa Barbara County and the Santa Maria Valley Affordable Housing Committee. She has served as a board member for over a dozen Central Coast non-profit organizations and community foundations.

Zacarķas graduated from Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo, with a degree in Business and has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumna of Allan Hancock Community College and an Honored Alumna of Cal Poly's Orfalea School of Business Accounting Department. In June 2006, Zacarķas received her Master's Degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Political Advocacy and Leadership from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where she received the prestigious Littauer Fellow award upon graduation. Zacarķas was honored as "Hispanic Businessperson of the Year" by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and is supported by a diverse coalition of community members including elected officials, business owners, law enforcement, teachers, unions, students, and grassroots leaders.