Meet Maria Pacheco
Meet Maria Pacheco
Mayor. Education Advocate. Proud Wife and Mom. Champion for Western Fresno County.
Maria Pacheco is proof that where you begin does not determine where you can go. Carrying with her a story forged in hardship, resilience, and unbreakable spirit, Maria serves as Mayor of Kerman and has dedicated her life to education, public service, and expanding opportunity for people.
Maria’s parents migrated to California from South Texas seeking a better quality of life. Her mother helped raise 15 siblings after surviving her own abusive childhood. Her father, who has strong Native American heritage, ran away from boarding school in the 4th grade and was never given the opportunity to read or write.
But Maria’s own childhood was marked by trauma no child should endure. At 15 years old, Maria became pregnant and dropped out of high school, facing housing insecurity and forced to navigate unsafe environments. By 18, she had two young children and found herself homeless, relying on welfare and staying in motels where even her few belongings were stolen.
There was one rainy day that changed everything.
With only a few dollars in her pocket and a baby in need of formula, Maria traveled across town trying to make ends meet. When her plan fell apart and she found herself stranded, she walked for miles in the rain, exhausted and overwhelmed. Maria refused to let hardship define the rest of her life. Instead, she chose to fight and build a better life for herself and her children.
Maria has turned her lived experience into a career centered on service, leadership, and community empowerment. After earning her GED, Maria pursued a degree in social work, inspired by a social worker who once helped her navigate her own crisis. She began working with at-risk youth, determined to be for others what someone had once been for her. She went on to develop and lead innovative programs for teen girls in crisis, working to create a department of social services for an organization that integrated education, mental health programs, and life skills training.
Before running for office, she worked as a human resources manager and nonprofit executive director, building trusted partnerships across Westside cities, colleges, and community organizations. Maria worked to advocate for education and championed first-generation and undocumented students who too often fell through the cracks.
Today, Maria is a proud wife of 25 years, mother of six, and dedicated foster parent and sibling who is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at Fresno State. Her life is a testament to perseverance, hard work, and purpose, and now she’s building pathways so others don’t have to fight as hard as she did.
When transportation barriers kept students – including her own daughter with special needs – from getting to and from class at Fresno City College, Maria didn’t accept it as “just the way things are.” She worked with Fresno City College, Fresno EOC, Fresno County Rural Transportation Authority and the City of Kerman to organize the first shuttle to college program to ensure students could receive an accessible education.
She also worked across the aisle with her then sitting Congressman, John Duarte, to advocate for legislation that would allow college graduates to earn green cards upon successful completion of their program, whether it was University, trade, or vocational, and fully contribute to the communities they call home.
The first Latina of indigenous roots to serve as Mayor of Kerman, Maria has secured millions for public safety and parks, expanded educational and workforce pathways, launched transportation programs for rural students, and led regional efforts to bring resources directly to families. Her leadership and collaborative style later led her to serve as a Senior Field Representative for Assembly District 27, where she continues to advocate for rural access, higher education, and community investment.
Maria is running for County Supervisor to ensure that communities from West Fresno to Firebaugh, receive the opportunity, investment, and representation they have long deserved. Her leadership is grounded in lived experience that fights for working families, education, public safety, and opportunity for those who are too often left behind. For families across rural Fresno County and the West Fresno corridor, Maria will stand up for us and deliver solutions that put people first.