2024 Endorsements & Elections
14th LD
WE ARE PROUD TO ENDORSE:
Bio
Maria Beltran will hit the ground running as our next State Senator! Born and raised right here in Yakima, Maria has worked in federal, state, and local government and will be our voice in Olympia.
Maria is the oldest of three. She is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants (thanks to President Ronald Reagan, legal residents) and agricultural workers. Both of her parents are union members through their seasonal work at Del Monte Foods.
While Maria’s first “official” job was at our local frozen yogurt shop, growing up her parents didn’t have access to affordable and reliable childcare, so during the weekends and summers they took Maria picking with them. She remembers running around in the orchards, carrying water jugs and helping pick the low hanging fruit (apples, cherries, pears), or trying to sleep on the wooden bins because they couldn’t leave her alone in the car. Maria’s parents woke up early and would start picking as soon as the sun rose to maximize their time before it got too hot to continue. Her parents taught her the values of hard work, perseverance and determination, values that have grounded and inspired Maria’s work.
Maria’s parents emphasized the importance of obtaining an education. She attended Yakima schools and graduated from A.C. Davis High School, the first in her family to graduate from high school. She earned an associates degree from Yakima Valley College and her bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University. Yakima has always been home, and after graduating college, she came back to her community.
Maria began her career as a community organizer in her hometown, and over the last decade, she has helped candidates up and down the ballot across the entire state get elected and help constituents. Maria’s experience spans all levels of government with a blend of policy and campaign experience, including for U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier and State Rep. Debra Entenman.
In 2020, Maria became the youngest Board President of OneAmerica, a statewide non-profit organization that advocates for immigrants and refugees. She recently completed AgForestry, a leadership program for individuals in the agriculture, forestry, and natural resources industries. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Maria believes everyone deserves to feel safe, seen and loved. Maria still lives in Yakima, where she loves to enjoy nature, spend time with her family, and watch her little sister follow her footsteps and compete in cross country and track meets at her alma mater.
Bio
Chelsea Dimas (she/her/ella) is a longtime servant leader, communications professional, and proud daughter of Indigenous immigrants from México (Nahua and Purépecha) with a long family history of hard-working campesinos.
Chelsea has spent most of her life fighting for her gente (people) by being on the frontlines with them, demanding rights and protections for farmworkers, immigrants, reproductive freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and other vulnerable populations.
From here at home in he Yakima Valley to our state legislature and across the nation, Chelsea strongly believes that everyone deserves a seat at the table to have a say in the decision-making process. With more equitable policies and diverse representation, she believes we can truly create a future where ALL Washingtonians thrive.
Chelsea was the first openly Queer, Indigenous Latinx woman running for office in the city of Sunnyside in 2021 and is now the first (again) to be running as State Representative, in the NEW District 14.
When she’s not working to dismantle white supremacy and fighting for human rights (let’s be real—la lucha nunca para, the fight never stops), Chelsea devotes her free time to supporting her favorite eateries all over Central Washington, going to live shows and festivals, collecting tattoos, dabbling in whiskey distilling, streetwear fashion, and all things music + art related.
Chelsea and her partner call Sunnyside home—along with their 3 feisty “pupperonis,” one very sassy cat, and her countless plant babies.
Bio
Ana was born in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and raised in Colima City, Mexico. Her dad served with distinction in the Mexican military, became a doctor and achieved the rank of Colonel. Her mom had her first child as she worked her way through medical school, she had her fifth child as she finished her residency program. Ana first came to Franklin County in 1998 and it became her home in 2009. She is the proud mother of her three beloved children, all of whom were raised right here in Pasco.
As Ana’s children grew and were taught in the Pasco School District, she began to volunteer and find ways to become involved in serving at the School District who she view, had given so much to her family and community. She volunteered on the levy and bond campaign committee and the Pasco School District Facilities Task Force committee. She studied how our tax dollars are used to support the building of schools, maintaining its infrastructure, and supporting instructional and student services.
Ana has a track record of being a servant leader for over 15 years. Ana is grateful and humbled by all of the invitations over the years, to serve in leadership roles on a number of boards, commissions, and committees. She served as an Executive Committee member for the Somos Pasco Economic Development Strategic Vision, where she collaborated with economic development staff in our local governments and community organizations to develop a long-range economic development strategy for the City of Pasco. She was also a co-founder of the Pasco Taco Crawl and worked to get her vision come to fruition by leading the team who developed the Colima-Pasco Friendship Agreement with the State of Colima. She was also a member of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs and served on the Boards of Tri-Cities Community Health, Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Pasco Development Authority, Grace Kitchen, Progresso, Latino Community Fund, St Patrick’s Parish Council, Spiritual Exercises for Everyday Living, and the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties. She is a graduate of Leadership Tri-Cities, Class XVIII.
Ana has a professional career of 24 years. Ana currently serves as the Business Liaison at Craft3, a Community Development Financial Institution. As a non-profit community development financial organization, our mission is to serve businesses, individuals, or non-profits who are unable to access traditional financing. Before her role at Craft3, she was in the Community Development Department at Numerica Credit Union, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Fiesta Foods, an agent at New York Life Insurance, and an interpreter at Pacific Interpreters.