2021 Year in Review – New Statewide Leadership
Richard Louis Brown Leads New Slate of Statewide Officers

On June 30, 2021, a new slate of SEIU Local 1000 leadership took office, and a new era in our union’s history began with a commitment to a transparency and a focus on contract enforcement and full and fair treatment for each of the 100,000 employees we represent.

Richard Louis Brown – President
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Richard grew up in a working-class home before joining the U.S. Air Force and serving almost 10 years before receiving an honorable discharge He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in 2007.​

In 2009, Richard began working for the State of California as an Employment Program Representative adjudicating unemployment claims for the Employment Development Department (EDD). Prior to his election as president of Local 1000, he worked as an Associate Governmental Program Analyst for the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission in the State Treasurer’s Office and first ran for SEIU Local 1000 president in 2015.​

As a sincere, transparent, non-political leader who believes in serving the greater good, Richard’s sole priority is to serve our represented employees with dedication, integrity, loyalty, and accountability.

David Jimenez – Vice President / Secretary-Treasurer
David Jimenez is serving his first term as a statewide officer after more than 10 years as a member leader advocating for his fellow state workers at his Los Angeles-area worksite.

He’s the first generation of his family to be born in the US, and he was the second in his family to earn a college degree—in Business Administration—from Cal Poly Pomona

A veteran of 17 years of state service, David works in Covina as a Disability Evaluation Analyst for the Department of Social Services. As a Job Steward in his workplace, he fought against a management style that looked at applicants for SSI and disability income as mere numbers and production quotas rather than individuals. As an elected leader, David held positions as DLC Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President/Chief Steward, and, since 2019, President of DLC 706. 

A staunch advocate for our union’s hard-earned rights, David was a part of the team that piloted the Leadership Apprenticeship Program for Stewards (LAPS) during its first year, and also did a stint at Local 1000’s Member Resource Center (MRC) helping members with questions about the contract or who were facing issues at their worksites.

Anica Walls - Vice President for Organizing / Representation
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. 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 state career began in 2006, and she currently 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 SEIU Local 1000 visible in our worksites, believing “we are all stronger together.”

Irene Green - Vice President for Bargaining
Irene Green, a long-time member leader of SEIU Local 1000, was sworn in to her new post on August 29, 2021, as the statewide Vice President for Bargaining.

Green has been in state service for more than 12 years, all at the Employment Development Department. She’s an Employment Program Representative, working to ensure that California’s unemployed residents receive their benefits and helping them get back to work.

She became an activist early on, when the then-Governor Schwarzenegger imposed a total of three furlough days on state workers. Motivated to make change, she became an SEIU Local 1000 Job Steward, and in 2012 was appointed as a Unit 1 District Bargaining Unit Representative (DBUR).

In 2016, Irene was elected to the bargaining team, our Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC). As a BUNC member, she participated in contract negotiations in 2016 and again in 2019. It was there she experienced the tenacity and fortitude that characterizes the member leaders who bargain our contracts.