Tomas Oliva was born in Los Angeles, CA and at a very young age moved to El Centro, to be closer to family, as my grandparents were from Mexicali and his father was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome.  Upon graduating from Central Union High School, he attended the University of California, San Diego and received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science – Public Law.  After UCSD, he was chosen to be a Richard G. Polanco Fellow in 2007 where he was given the opportunity to be an intern in the Attorney General’s Office and researched the underground economy and its effect on California’s revenues. 

In the second part of the Fellowship, he served as a Legislative Assistant for then Assemblymember Jose Solorio and following the Fellowship, campaigned for V. Manuel Perez for Assembly in 2008 – who also hired him to be on staff in Sacramento.  During his time working in the State Capitol, he staffed issues related to Water, Taxation, Local Government, Health, and the Green Economy.

Having a desire to return to his community and wanting to attend graduate school, he left Sacramento and enrolled in San Diego State University’s master’s in public administration program and graduated with a specialization in Public Finance and Public Policy.