Jessica R. Flores was born in Edinburg, Texas on March 8, 1971 to Orlando Flores and Noelia Zamora Flores. Jessica grew up in Edcouch Elsa and La Feria, Texas. She graduated from La Feria High School in 1989 then went off to Austin. Jessica was interested in journalism when she attended the University of Texas in Austin. She graduated with honors from UT. She later became interested in law and was accepted at UCLA. Jessica then went off to California and graduated from the school of law at UCLA in 1997. Jessica made her home in Santa Rosa, California where she worked in private practice. She soon grew fame and was very much loved by many people from all walks of life. She believed in giving back to the community and often volunteered as she felt needed. At times she motivated others to get involved and do volunteer work. Jessica became a friend and an encourager to many that came in contact with her. “She always saw the good in people and had a genuine interest in others.” She encouraged so many people to educate themselves and make their dream a reality. Jessica believed that everyone had the ability to become anything they desired.

Jessica Flores was a young successful attorney that had so much going for her. Debra Lamb from Santa Rosa, California recalls, “Jessica was the Family Law Attorney for the Sonoma County Superior Court. She was responsible for helping people with divorces, child custody, child visitation, and child support. She was the manager for the Self Help Center at the court. The Self Help Center assisted people who did not have an attorney. Jessica and her staff would meet with the litigants and help them with their paperwork.”



Debra Lamb said, “Jessica was known as an extremely bright, hard working and easy going person. She worked well with the judges and attorneys but also was able to relate to people who came to the court for help. Her Spanish speaking skills were truly an asset. She made Spanish speakers feel very comfortable.” Attorney Jessica Flores was named the incoming Judge for the Sonoma County Superior Courthouse in Santa Rosa, California.



Jessica Flores was a voice for the people and stood her ground for families. Debra Lamb stated, “Jessica served on numerous committees as a result of her position. She was a member of the Domestic Violence Task Force. This committee looked at ways to improve the domestic violence process for victims. She was a member of the Self Represented Litigant Committee. This committee looked at ways to improve services for litigants who could not afford an attorney. Jessica also worked closely with the Department of Child Support Services and helped litigants with child support issues.” She served on board of directors for nonprofit organizations, such as the California Parenting Institute and Listening For A Change, which seeks to educate about diversity. Often Jessica voiced her opinion and was once quoted speaking about Listening For A Change, “…I think that a lot of this attitude is with one person at a time. In my opinion that’s the best way to look at it. It is the conversations that we have with other people. It’s the way that you carry yourself. I think its challenging people. As uncomfortable as that is, really challenging people and what we do and put our best foot forward.”



Family Traditions were very dear to Jessica’s heart. As Janet Parmer wrote, “Attorney Jessica Flores took to California her zeal for the civic involvement with her from her tiny Texas hometown of La Feria, Texas. The grocery store owned by Jessica Flores’ grandparents, Emilio and Eudelia Zamora Sr., was the social epicenter of the tiny Texas town where she was raised and where her family was deeply involved in politics and community affairs.” Jessica Flores was quoted about her job on the Santa Rosa Magazine, “It’s really great work, but it sometimes can be overwhelming because of the volume. It’s not an easy job. It’s fast-paced and very satisfying, and at the end of the day you know you’ve done something to help people. What I really like is that we help a lot of monolingual Spanish speakers who have less financial resources.”



Jessica met and married Jeremy Foster. On Mother’s Day 2008, Jessica Roxanna Flores gave birth to her only child, Elias Daniel Flores- Foster. That was as she said, “The happiest day of my life”. Three months later Jessica was diagnosed with colon cancer. Jessica went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on February 19, 2009, nine months after Elias’ birth.



Judge Arnold Rosenfield from the Sonoma County Superior Courthouse stated the following about Jessica, “Jessica was a vivacious, warm person who was really talented in her role. She worked hard at her job and had instituted many changes to increase outreach to the community and benefits to those self-represented persons who came to seek her help at the courthouse.”

According to Debra Lamb, “The courts in California are required to have children’s waiting rooms where children can be supervised while the parents attend court. The waiting room in the Sonoma County Superior Courthouse in Santa Rosa, California is called the Jessica Flores Children’s Waiting Room. We dedicated the room to her because she helped so many families in Sonoma County.”