Anica Walls
Vice President for Organizing / Representation

Profile

Born in Los Angeles, Anica Walls was raised in the agricultural landscape surrounding Ventura, California, where she lived in a community largely populated with immigrant farmworkers. An early memory of the labor issues and politics of the time was when, at the age of 5, she was told she couldn’t have grapes because “we can’t buy grapes right now,” in support of the famous boycott launched by Cesar Chavez.

She was influenced greatly by her father and her “tia,” who reinforced in her how important it is to be fair and just and to treat all others with humanity.

Her passion for the working class carried her through college at UC Santa Cruz, where she earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Latin American and Latino Studies and Community Studies.

Out of college, she worked as an organizer helping at-risk and poor residents get much-needed services in Mexico, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Sacramento, including Head Start and the Mission Neighborhood Center.

Her state career began in 2006, and she works in Sacramento as a Disability Evaluation Analyst III at the Department of Social Services.  She’s been recognized for her work with an Excellence in Customer Service award in 2017.

In 2007, she became a Union Steward after witnessing repeated incidents of management harassing her fellow employees. As the Vice President for Organizing/Representation, she hopes to foster greater member engagement by making Local 1000 visible in our worksites, believing “we are all stronger together.”

Anica is married and the mother of two boys. She lives in Sacramento.