About Center for Workers’ Rights

Mission and Vision

Our vision is a community in which workers are respected and treated with dignity and justice. To bring that vision into reality, we provide legal representation to low-wage workers, advocate for initiatives to advance workers’ rights, and promote worker education, activism, and leadership in the greater Sacramento area.

Our History

The Center for Workers’ Rights opened its doors in August of 2014 with the commitment to the improvement of working conditions for all low-wage workers and their families. Founded by Mariko Yoshihara and Daniela Urban, the Center focused on offering its free-of-cost services to all low-wage workers, focusing on the city of Sacramento and surrounding areas specifically, regardless of citizenship status. As the Center grew, we increasingly engaged in advocacy efforts at the city and state level, helping to bring necessary changes to the legal protections for workers. We continue to bring together workers and engage with new communities to broaden the organization’s impact.

Who We Help

The Center is open to all workers regardless of immigration status. Income guidelines determine eligibility to receive our free legal services. We assist those workers most vulnerable to workplace abuse, including undocumented immigrants, pregnant people, caregivers, people of color, victims of domestic violence, and members of the LGBTQ community. We focus our work on the greater Sacramento area.

2022 Center for Workers' Rights Service Map

Staff

Daniela Urban (She/Her)

Executive Director

Daniela Urban is the founder and executive director of the Center for Workers’ Rights. Ms. Urban runs the Center’s workers’ rights clinics. She advocates for changes in California’s unemployment insurance benefits program and facilitates the statewide network of unemployment advocates who have met weekly since June 2020. Since 2015, she has been a member of the Coalition of Low Wage and Immigrant Worker Advocates (CLIWA) coordinating committee. Previously, Ms. Urban worked as a labor lawyer, representing public and private sector unions in Los Angeles. From 2009-2012, Ms. Urban was an editor of the Berkeley Journal of Labor and Employment Law, serving as Co-Editor-in-Chief in her final year. She is co-author of the article, “Workplace Violence and Harassment for Low-Wage Workers,” in the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law. Ms. Urban received her B.A. from Scripps College in 2005 and her J.D. from University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2012.

Fatima Garcia (She/Her)

Lead Community Organizer

Fatima Garcia has been a labor organizer in the Sacramento area for many years and has joined our team to help us build our worker organizing program. She believes that workers’ power is built from the bottom up, where workers identify shared problems, struggle together in ways that build trust, and shared power to transform the society that we live in.

Laura Navarro (She/Her)

Program Administrator

Laura Leon Navarro is a program administrator for the Center for Workers’ Rights. Her primary work is coordinating outreach for our team to keep us connected to the community and to community partners. Her primary goal is to help bridge the gap between the worker and important information about their workplace rights. Prior to joining the team Laura worked in a community that helps the underserved youth. In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Silvia Saldivar (She/They)

Program Administrator

Silvia is a Program Administrator for the Center for Workers’ Rights. Her main focus is on expanding and developing stronger connections with local low wage workers and organizations. Silvia has experience as a community organizer working with nonprofit organizations that build people power. They graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Security & Conflict Resolution: Justice in the Global System, and is currently pursuing her Masters degree at the University of the Pacific for Leadership: Leading for Social Impact. Silvia looks forward to uplifting and supporting working people to be able to live full dignified lives. In her free time Silvia enjoys spending time with her friends and family, watching sunsets, and meeting people from different walks of life.

Marisela Dueñas (She/Her)

Program Administrator

Marisela is a Program Administrator for the Center for Workers’ Rights. Marisela has two years of experience working in the nonprofit community in Sacramento. Marisela developed strong sense of devotion to serve the under privilege community members of Northern California. She has a deep appreciation for how non-profits seek to improve the quality of life. Marisela looks forward to providing assistance to the hard working individuals who seek to the support from Center for Workers’ Rights. On her free time, Marisela likes to be out doors, exploring new adventures and spending quality time with her loving family.

Alba Bautista (She/Her)

Program Administrator

Alba Bautista is a program administrator at the Center for Workers’ Rights. She comes from the central valley, near the Tulare area. Alba attend the College of the Sequoias and then transferred to Sacramento State and graduated with a Bachelors in Sociology. After working several years in the retail industry, she is excited to serve her community and help others expand their knowledge in their rights. On her spare time, she likes to go on walks and try new foods and go back to the central valley to visit her family.

Max Villalva (He/Him)

Program Administrator

Max Villalva is a Program Administrator for the Center for Workers’ Rights, where he coordinates outreach efforts to maintain the Center’s strong connections with the community and its partners. Max is passionate about bridging the gap between workers and the critical information they need about their workplace rights. Before joining the team, Max worked extensively with underserved communities, focusing on improving access to education and employment opportunities.