Meet

Maria Grijalva

Maria Grijalva is Native American, a descendant of the Arizona PIMA tribe. She is a lifelong public servant, fierce advocate, and proud long-time resident of West Sacramento and the Sacramento area. Raised as the youngest of four sisters in the southernmost tip of Texas, she attended Harlingen High School and Texas Southmost College before earning her degree in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento, along with a certificate in Behavioral Psychology. She also pursued graduate studies in Education Administration & Policy Studies at CSUS, and works as a paralegal.

Her career in public civil service spans decades as a Regulations Analyst, but she never limited herself to a job title. As a trained EEO Counselor, she stepped into workplace conflicts—mediating between staff and supervisors to restore fairness and understanding.

But Maria Grijalva’s true calling has always been service beyond the office. As founder and director of the Latino Information & Resource Center, she leads a civil rights organization that provides advocacy and social services to those who need them most. She founded the annual Dia de los Muertos festivities in West SAC. Her impact is measurable: she helped safeguard the Voting Rights Act, fought to institute district-based elections in West Sacramento's school district and city council, and successfully abolished at-large elections—a Jim Crow-era relic that diluted the voice of minority voters:

https://www.capradio.org/articles/2022/07/08/west-sacramento-illegally-divided-diverse-low-income-neighborhood-court-rules/

From the Texas Rio Grande Valley to the Sacramento River, Maria Grijalva has spent her life building bridges, breaking down barriers, and delivering justice for working families. She makes change happen by solving problems for families, advocating for fairness, and making government work for the people.

Grijalva doesn’t wait for permission to serve - she steps up. She is your Watch Dog.

In 2018 she stepped in to rescue close to 200 exploited workers at the Viva Supermarkets in Sacramento. These employees worked under threat of deportation by former Sacramento City Council Member Sean Loloee. They worked 16 hour shifts until they dropped from exhaustion. This type of abuse falls under human trafficking. The trauma these workers lived over a 5 yr period has left permanent traumatic marks. This September former Sacramento Sean Loloee will finally be sentenced for his crimes at the Matsui federal courthouse.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-caed-2_23-cr-00320/pdf/USCOURTS-caed-2_23-cr-00320-15.pdf

https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/viva-grocery-store-owner-and-former-sacramento-city-councilmember-pleads-guilty-for-his-role-in-multiple-fraudulent-schemes

Today Maria Grijalva is focused on the issues families and educators are experiencing right now - and on building a school district where people feel valued, welcomed, and heard.

Background History:

In her twenties, long before she ever held a government position, Grijalva became known as the person who would step forward whenever someone needed help. Whether waiting in line at a grocery store, a bank, or a government office, she would hear the question, "Does anyone speak Spanish?"—and without hesitation, she would raise her hand. She translated restraining orders, eviction notices, and many complex legal forms, because families in crisis shouldn't have to face bureaucracy alone.

What began as simple acts of kindness became a lifelong mission. At the courthouse, Grijalva translated for residents struggling to understand legal documents, volunteering her time at self-help workshops to explain the system in language people could trust. She stood with laborers cheated out of their hard-earned wages, helping them file claims with the California Labor Commissioner. She walked alongside domestic violence survivors—escorted by police—so they could safely reclaim their belongings from dangerous situations. And when she saw immigrant families unfairly targeted by a landlord, she didn't stay silent.

Background History Continued:

While living in family student-housing at Sacramento State, she witnessed residents being disciplined for minor issues while others committing serious violations were overlooked. Grijalva stepped in to help families respond to eviction notices, guided them through unlawful detainer proceedings, and made sure they understood their housing rights.

She assisted entrepreneurs with business license applications, helped accident victims communicate with auto insurance companies, and guided countless families through government paperwork that would otherwise have been impossible to navigate. That same can-do spirit came in handy when she worked at Opening Doors Inc., where she implemented West Sacramento's Housing and Community Development Economic Development Block Grant. There, she directed the Microenterprise Technical Assistance program and ran the Business Development Academy—teaching aspiring entrepreneurs how to build effective business plans from the ground up.

Maria turned compassion into action. She served 13 years as a state analyst. During the devastating floods of '97, she wrote a procedural manual for the Office of Emergency Services and served as Interim Director of Individual Assistance. At the Department of Motor Vehicles, she was a true change-maker—writing administrative law/regulations, volunteering as an EEO counselor to resolve workplace conflicts by promoting fairness and transparency. She united the community by chartering the DMV Toastmasters club and launching the agency's annual Cinco de Mayo celebration. The Toastmasters club still thrives today, helping employees develop leadership and public speaking skills.

When Grijalva realized that illiterate applicants couldn't access the driver's license manual to prepare for the oral exam, she didn't wait. She developed an audiobook app herself—and in 2016, the DMV adopted an online statewide audio version, opening doors for thousands of illiterate applicants.

She has served on the Board of Directors of: Yolo NAMI, Yolo Chapter ACLU, Sacramento Festival de la Familia, Sacramento Washington Neighborhood Center, and was founder of the annual West Sacramento Dia de los Muertos festivities. She served many years under former Senator Deborah Ortiz and former Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. Grijalva received certificates of recognition from: Senator Dr. Richard Pan’s Community Advisory Committee, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Yolo County Juror, and the Justice Cruz Reynoso Voter Registration Project. She is a union member of SEIU 2015 and former member of the West Sacramento League of Women Voters. She is politically registered as No Party Preference.

Today, Grijalva continues the same mission that began decades ago: solving problems for families, advocating for fairness, and making government work for the people.

She lives on Michigan Boulevard on a quarter-acre with twenty fruit trees she shares with her community. She has been married to her husband Jose for decades. She raised three children—one at home with mental health disabilities—and is a proud grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of two. She knows exactly what is at stake for our families, because she has lived it.

Maria Grijalva-an action oriented leader, who protects families, delivers results, and is ready to serve.