Meet Caroline
As the daughter of an immigrant father and first Generation Mother, I have always valued my working class roots. Family, to me, is one’s community. It was this sense of community that drove me to pursue ways to bridge those missing gaps within other communities around us. This brought me to Santa Rosa in the late 80s, where I soon transferred to Sonoma State University in the early 90s, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science in 1994.
Attending the 1996 Democratic National Convention
During my time at SSU, I became involved in politics on campus and began to understand the value of youth-led participation. I started the “Students for Boxer” group to help elect Barbara Boxer to the U.S. Senate, and later formed the first Sonoma State University College Democrats Chapter. Around that same time, I also had the opportunity to join our county’s local Democratic Party. I was quickly elected Vice-Chair and became President of the Sonoma County Latino Democratic Club in 1996. I had found my newfound community and did the most I could with my fellow classmates and local leaders to inspire others to take action and be involved in politics.
After graduating, I spent time working for various nonprofits including Community Support Network, The Living Room and later Ceres Community Project. While there, my work led to me being offered the opportunity to serve on Santa Rosa’s first ever Community Advisory Board (CAB)(2004-2006), then the Board of Community Services (2006-2008), and later the Santa Rosa Planning Commission (2008-2012).
Attending a United Farm Workers Rally (2010)
In 2005, it was becoming apparent that tensions between law enforcement and Santa Rosa’s Roseland community on Cinco de Mayo had reached a boiling point. I was compelled to step in and lend a hand. It was the work of key members of the Latinx community, and myself coming together to create an official event on Cinco de Mayo, Santa Rosa’s Annual Cinco De Mayor Festival. As Co-Chair, our all-volunteer committee has continued the tradition for nearly 20 years. Our goal at the time, and today remains the same; to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community, bringing together both groups
Meeting Labor Leader Dolores Huerta (2014)
In 2013, Santa Rosa was struck with a sad moment in our city’s history. Andy Lopez, a resident of Santa Rosa was shot down and killed by local law enforcement. This sent ripple effects through the Latinx community. Not long after, an investigation of the case was opened along with the creation of the Community and Local Law Enforcement Task Force. When called to help form this Task Force, I did not hesitate. My community was in pain and felt compelled to mend relationships and find common ground. As the first appointed Chair of our task force, I laid the groundwork of guiding 20 other appointees to come together and bring forth recommendations for law enforcement reforms to the Board of Supervisors. With nearly two years of research and community meetings, the committee presented the Board with our 21 recommendations. After countless hours of work, we were proud to see that all of our recommendations were either adopted, implemented, or brought forward with the creation of IOLERO (Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach) Sonoma County’s first Independent non-police county agency.
Furthering my involvement within the Latinx community I joined KBBF Bilingual Public Radio as one of their Board Directors in 2016.
Since 2020, I am proud to have won my election to the Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees, where I have helped students, our faculty, and Junior College be better equipped with the resources to help us thrive.
Since 2018 I have worked at Sonoma State University in the Center for Community Engagement.
Having lived in Santa Rosa for over 30 years, 10 of those being in District 5, my work continues to be reflective of empowering our community, social justice, human rights, and being an educator for our youth.
Meeting with the Sonoma State University College Dems
Santa Rosa’s Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival Committee Members
Speaking at the Santa Rosa Democratic Club