Meet Becca
My story begins at DVC — the college I could afford, in the community that raised me.
Like a lot of Contra Costa students, DVC was the only college my family could afford. What I found there turned out to be everything I needed.
Where I Come From
I grew up in a working-class family with roots on two continents — my father was the son of Mexican and Irish immigrants, and my mother came from Liverpool, England. We settled in Concord when I was 12; today I live in Martinez with my husband, close to my childhood home. In our house nobody had to explain that education opens doors — or that a steady paycheck, safety on the job, and a voice at work are what keep them open.
The Bay Area's economic shifts shaped my early life. After the dot-com bust, my mom went back to work as a caregiver and put her kids' education first. When it was my turn for college, DVC was the option we could afford — so that's where I went. It gave me real support for my dyslexia, a chance to work and volunteer while I studied, and a launchpad to UCLA, where I earned my B.A. in Political Science.
The Road Home
From a Concord kitchen table to the district boardroom — the long way around.
The early years
Liverpool roots, Concord raised
A big, loud, loving working-class family — Mexican and Irish on my dad's side, Scouse on my mum's. We landed in Concord when I was 12.
2003–2007
Concord High
Undiagnosed dyslexia made school harder than it needed to be. I learned to work twice as hard — and to spot the kid in the back who's struggling quietly.
2007–2009
DVC — the college I could afford
DVC gave me dyslexia support, work, volunteering, and confidence. It's where I learned what a community college can do for a person.
2009–2011
UCLA — the transfer that proved the promise
From DVC to a B.A. in Political Science at UCLA — the same path thousands of Contra Costa students take today.
2011–2015
California Department of Education
I built my career in public education, rising to Principal Advisor to the State Superintendent and running the Gold Ribbon Schools program.
2015 – Today
Home to Contra Costa
I came home to work for Congressman Mark DeSaulnier and local nonprofits — the community that raised me, now my day job.
2018 – Today
Elected to the college board
Ward 3 voters elected me to the 4CD Governing Board in 2018 and re-elected me in 2022.
2020 & 2024
Board President — twice
My colleagues elected me Board President in December 2019 — just before COVID hit — and again in December 2023.
What We've Achieved
None of this happened alone. It took students, faculty, classified staff, labor, and neighbors pulling in the same direction. Together we:
- Expanded free tuition, so thousands of local students start college without a bill
- Grew the free textbook program and the college clothing drive
- Led the charge to change California's community college funding formula, making our district eligible for more state funding
- Steered the district through COVID — elected Board President in December 2019, I helped lead the fast move to online learning, emergency scholarships, and expanded food assistance
- Won the 2021 project labor agreement, so our campuses are built by district students and graduates, local residents, and veterans at family-supporting wages
- Cut administrative overhead — outside legal spending fell from more than $2 million a year to about $200,000 — and put that money back toward students
- Flew the Pride flag, answered acts of hate quickly, and advanced equity work across the district
- Took our district's fight statewide, winning a seat on the California Community College Trustees board — a bigger platform to fight for our colleges' funding
I've known Becca since she was a kid in Concord. What you see is what you get — she's never stopped being one of us.
Moving Forward
Community college changed my life. For eight years I've worked to make sure it keeps changing lives: I made college affordable, won good jobs for our students, and put the district back on track.
Next term, I'll protect free college through the tough budget years ahead, build more pathways from our classrooms to careers that can support a family here, and keep our budgets balanced and our books open — students first, politics last. I'm asking for the chance to keep doing it — with you.
