Meet Caroline
Caroline Bañuelos is a woman who others will want by their side to get things done. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, before moving to Santa Rosa in the early 1980s. From a young age, she has always been very politically aware due to her mother frequently talking to her about politics. She has always loved the process of politics and providing ways for people to have their voices heard. Her interest and knowledge in politics has set precedent to the amazing work she has done throughout the years and continues to do.
Bañuelos has been very active in the community since the 1990s. She was a part of the Democratic Central Committee, now called the Sonoma County Democratic Party, for six years, where she worked on many campaigns and in other capacities. In the 2000s, she started getting involved in the City. She sat on the very first Community Advisory Board (CAB) in 2004 and held her position for two years. After serving with the CAB, she sat on the Board of Community Services, where the focus was on the creation of parks. At the time, Bañuelos was the only person of color sitting on the board and she often felt that she had to be the spokesperson for other Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in the community. She recalled being the only person to speak up on behalf of the Japanese and Asian communities who voiced that they wanted a community park in Fountaingrove to be named after Kanaye Nagasawa, who was a prominent winemaker and one of the first people of Japanese descent to immigrate to the United States. After much debate and advocacy on her part, the other members of the board compromised on the name but decided to keep “at Fountaingrove” at the end. She was grateful for her presence because if she wasn’t there, the voices and ideas of the community would have been dismissed. She was also on the Planning Commission for four years and ran for City Council three times. She was truly interested and dedicated to connecting with the community.
Bañuelos also spoke about her earliest memories of being stereotyped. When she was in the 3rd grade, she was put into Spanish speaking classes by the teachers. Because she is Mexican, they had assumed she didn’t know how to speak English, even though she was very fluent in it. At that age, she didn’t question it or really understand the magnitude of the actions of the school and how that would affect the way people would perceive her throughout her life. However, she is a very self – aware person and has not allowed the way others view her stop her from being a leader and advocate for her community.
In 2005, Bañuelos along with Sylvia Lemus, Rene Meza and Arnie Barragan decided that Cinco de Mayo deserved its own celebration. They then went to the County and met with the Sheriff who was willing to support them and provide any resources along the way. He provided the group with a place to hold their meetings and eventually, the meetings developed into creating the now annual Roseland Cinco de Mayo event; 2020 would have been the 15th year. This event created a safe space for the Latinx community and provided something for everyone of all ages to enjoy. The City of Santa Rosa has provided an annual sponsorship for the event since its inception. In addition, along the way, relationships between law enforcement and the community began to form.
In 2013, the Board of Supervisors created the Community and Local Law Enforcement (CALLE) Task Force, which Bañuelos applied for and became Chair of. The task force was split into 3 committees, which focused on community policing, healing of the community and seeking accountability from the sheriff’s department. For two years, the group of 21 worked on the issues regarding racial inequity and the Sheriff’s Office’s relationship with BIPOC in Sonoma County and created 21 recommendations. Some of the recommendations mirrored Barack Obama’s task force Policing for the 21st Century, after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The group was able to see implementation of some of the recommendations. The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) was also developed from this task force.
Currently, Bañuelos is the Community Partnerships Coordinator at Sonoma State University, where she supports and develops community partnerships, the VISTA Program and service – learning projects. She was recently elected to the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) Board of Trustees. She described her experience as a student at SRJC, where she worked full-time and went to school at night. She moved to San Jose and attended a community college there and graduated in two years. She then transferred to Sonoma State, where she received her degree in Political Science. She wants students to know that they are more than capable of attending and finishing school. This gives them the chance to do something they probably didn’t think they could. In her position, she wants to accomplish ensuring students have a voice with the board and administration and have the tools and resources to be successful. She wants to explore how diversity and inclusion can be implemented in courses, the future of employment opportunities for students, recruiting older students because of the changing work environment and improving the Southwest campus.
Caroline Bañuelos embodies determination, commitment and courage. Since the 1990s, she has served the community in various capacities. She wants more than community members’ voices to be heard. She wants them to have a seat at the table. She has been dedicated to advocating for social justice and strives to make a real difference in her community. Bañuelos explains that change does not come easy. It’s a slow process and teaches patience. She encourages people to start with their passion and operate from a point of integrity.
