Anna Caballero was in Hollister rounding-up some of her core supporters Friday, April 15. The event was held at Paine’s Restaurant and was attended by about 26 of her friends and long-time supporters. Caballero is running for Assembly in the upcoming election.
Caballero, an attorney, was California’s Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency under Governor Jerry Brown until November 2015. Prior to her appointment, Caballero was a Democratic member of the California State Assembly for four years for what was the 28th District but is now the 30th District . She was also mayor of Salinas and a Salinas City Council member for 15 years.
Caballero worked for California Rural Legal Assistance before starting her own firm with partners called Caballero, Matchum and McCarthy, which provided low-cost legal assistance.
The dinner was full of lively stories about previous projects on which guests had worked with Caballero. Several speakers expressed their support for the candidate and offered their homes for fundraising events. Caballero was appreciative of the support and asked her guests to work hard now, so she could secure the Democratic candidacy.
Caballero will be running against Democrat Karina Cervantez Alejo, who is a Watsonville City Council member. Cervantez Alejo’s husband, Luis Alejo, is the current Assemblyman for District 30. Republicans Georgia Acosta and John Neville are also in the race.
Caballero said that she will continue to protect and help small business owners. She said that no matter how much people talk about Silicon Valley start-ups, small businesses are the backbone of the economy.
Helping youth and reducing gang violence are also areas Caballero has shown consistent personal interest. Caballero was chair of the select committee on Youth Violence Prevention. Several guests at the table were San Benito High School graduates. “This community puts out some very talented young people,” Caballero told them. She listed several San Benito County students who had worked in her office as interns and have continued to work in the politics.
She cited as a success her efforts to keep the San Benito County Courthouse in the downtown area. “It would have devastated your downtown to put it out where they wanted it,” she said.
“We could potentially end up with two Democrats running against each other,” she said, noting that would be unfortunate. Caballero explained that San Benito County is about 50 percent Democrats and 25 percent Republicans. She said the remaining percentages of independents had a tendency to vote Democratic.
“Let’s try to win big enough in the primary election,” she said, reminding the group that if she is victorious over Cervantez Alejo, the general election could be an easier victory.
Patty Hughes, a fundraising consultant working on the Caballero campaign, said, “There isn’t a woman I wouldn’t stick my neck out more for than Anna Caballero.”
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