Erica began working for the County in January of 2017 in Public Assistance as an Eligibility Worker. Erica has experience working the CalFresh and CalWORKs programs, and with specialized Medi-Cal programs for specifically elderly and disabled households within the Grant Maintenance Operations unit. Since 2019, Erica has worked in the foster care unit where she determines eligibility to various federal and state funding sources for children and non-minor dependents in foster care and their related other programs, such as guardianship.

When Erica first started, now MAPE president Elizabeth Rodriguez encouraged most of Erica's training class to sign up to become members of MAPE. Elizabeth stressed the importance of becoming a member vs. a fee-payer, and gave the class examples of the things MAPE could do and had done up until that point. In late 2017 Elizabeth encouraged Erica to join the 2018 bargaining team after she had expressed concerns and complaints about our bargaining contract and how MAPE needed to organize and unite to get a fair contract. Once Erica was on the bargaining team and got to see first hand how hard it can be to negotiate and bargain with an employer, it made her that much more dedicated to wanting to help our members and allowed her to see how sometimes what people think are small changes have a huge impact in other departments.

Erica joined the Executive Board in 2021 and she enjoys feeling like what she does makes a difference and being a voice for MAPE members. Erica has networked with lots of other County employees through MAPE and made connections with fellow members, as well as met and developed great rapport with some of the leaders for the County. Being a part of this Board helps Erica stay grounded. Erica says "I will continue to keep the faith and stand proud with our membership to advocate for what's equitable, fair, and honest."

Steve comes from a union family and has always been active in the union. When the union became MAPE Steve was nominated to be a director for trades. Steve has been proud to serve MAPE's members as a director as well as a bargaining team member and shop Steward.

In January 1970, Maya began volunteering as a computer programmer for the County’s Data Processing Department. Within a few months, she started to be paid $10/hour as an extra hire employee. In September 1971, she was hired as a Programmer Analyst. Within a year, she became a Steward with the original MAPE and, as contracts expired, started serving on bargaining teams. Over the years, many changes occurred: MAPE affiliated with SEIU as Local 949; Data Processing became Information Services and Technology; after some promotions, Maya became a Senior Systems Support Analyst; and, in 1992, Maya was elected to the Executive Board of SEIU Local 949.

After SEIU forced a merger of ten Northern California locals into Local 1021 in 2007, Maya fought to maintain services for her members in Marin. Despite her efforts, our union office was closed, all but one staffer was reassigned, and our $300,000 strike fund was confiscated. In the Fall of 2009, Maya worked with an attorney to clarify the requirements of the County’s PMR’s and State’s Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, prior to initiating the distribution of decertification petitions. Long story short, on July 1, 2010, the new, reconstituted MAPE reclaimed recognition to represent six of the seven bargaining units. The seventh unit followed ten years later. 

In March 2015, after 35 years of service, Maya retired from the County and switched to the retiree seat on the MAPE Executive Board. She has also represented employees and retirees as a Trustee on the Board of the Marin County Employees’ Retirement Association since 2003. Additionally, she has served on several other community and nonprofit boards.