Local 1000 is a strong member led union. The purpose of Local
1000 is to have the power necessary to give our members—and all
Californians—the opportunity to have a good life, live in
sustainable communities and enjoy the fruits of social, economic
and environmental justice.
We will achieve this by engaging and developing our members and
by creating strategic alliances with key leaders and
organizations who share our purpose and values.
For more than 20 years, Yvonne Walker has dedicated her life to serving the people of California through public service. Yvonne began working for the State of California at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 1995 as a legal secretary. She soon became a union steward and led efforts to organize her coworkers at the DOJ. Before becoming President of Local 1000, Yvonne chaired our Office and Allied Workers Bargaining Team (Unit 4) and later took on the role as Vice President for Bargaining. In May of 2008, she broke racial and gender barriers to become the first African-American woman president of SEIU Local 1000. Currently, President Walker is also a Vice President on SEIU International’s Executive Board.
“We cannot get stuck in a race to the bottom. Good Jobs improve our economy and strengthen the middle class.”
—Yvonne R. Walker
President, Local 1000
Yvonne developed her leadership skills in the U.S. Marine Corps where she learned the importance of discipline, dedication and unity of purpose. As President of Local 1000, she has put those leadership qualities to use by empowering Local 1000’s membership to get involved in the fight for economic and social justice. Her efforts have given Local 1000 a stronger collective voice in its fight to defend working families from assaults on their pensions, wages and benefits.
Rancho Cordova native Kevin Menager’s state career spans back
more than 30 years, with early stops at the Office of State
Architect and the California Department of Social Services. For
28 years, he’s worked at the Franchise Tax Board in Sacramento in
the area of Information Technology. He’s currently an IT
Specialist I.
Married, with three daughters ranging in age from 23 to 29, he’s
active in his community and Parkside Community Church, supporting
Black Lives Matter and LGBTIQ rights issues and brings his labor
voice when he participates in the Poor People’s campaign. Raising
a special needs child, he’s an advocate for fair and appropriate
educational opportunities for his daughter and others.
A “card-carrying union member since day one,” Menager became an
activist shortly thereafter when he “saw how easy it was to step
up and become involved.” Working in District Labor Council 786,
he was elected as a General Council Delegate to the California
State Employee’s Association. He was a Unit 1 District Bargaining
Unit Representative and part of our bargaining team in 2007-08.
Kevin Menager believes in “the nobility of labor and all the
workers it represents” and looks forward to building a committed
and engaged membership by reinforcing to his fellow members that
“the union’s got their back.”
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.
Tony Owens’ work as an Interface Coordinator in the Information
Technology Department at CalPERS will serve him well as our new
Vice President for Bargaining at Local 1000. His work involves
bridging the gap between software developers and various
divisions at CalPERS. “I see bargaining as doing much the same,
bridging the gap between members and the state, seeking ways to
reach a positive outcome.”
Previously, Owens worked at CDCR in the Division of Adult Parole
Operations, where he helped keep California’s citizens safe by
providing parolee data to the California Law Enforcement
Telecommunications System. He later worked as a Business Analyst
at CalPERS, leading up to his current assignment.
Owens is the single father of a boy and a girl and has turned the
challenges of raising his children into dedicated community
service. He received valuable assistance from the Centers for
Fathers for Families (CFF), a group dedicated to strengthening
families through enrichment and empowerment. He now gives back to
CFF’s “Daddy’s Here” program, advising fathers about raising a
family in a divorce environment.
A 12-year state employee, Owens experienced first-hand the power
of our union when, in 2007, he was laid off during a large-scale
realignment at CDCR. He benefitted from the union’s negotiated
process to mitigate the job losses and was able to transfer to
CalPERS, where he’s been ever since. He’s been a Local 1000
steward for four years.
Tony Owens looks forward to raising the public profile of our
members and the valuable services they provide, while at the same
time building stronger relationships among our members and
engaging and empowering them to effect real change.
I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did if it weren’t for
the provisions that were in the contract. It’s a privilege
that’s been fought for. I wouldn’t be here if not for the
union.
The retirement issues of young professionals in their 20s and
early 30s may seem far off for a board that is developing a
system to help people retire in their 60s, but we are
California’s future.
