Paloma FosterFormer Criminal Justice Research Advisory Board Member

In Memoriam: In June 2026, Paloma Foster, a member of CPL’s RAB, passed away. The Daily Cal wrote an article memorializing her.

CPL Researcher Alissa Skog shared her experience of working with Paloma:

“Paloma joined our RAB in its inaugural cohort, and brought her own lived experience navigating both the foster system and justice systems to bear on our work. She embodied curiosity and joy, and never missed a meeting, even when attending from DC at 9pm her time. Her recommendations informed CPL’s work, including recommending that efforts to improve awareness of and access to criminal record status be available in multiple languages and foregrounding the immigration considerations of different policy changes. She was poised to keep impacting policy for Californians for years to come, and losing her so early is a profound tragedy.”

Paloma Foster was a re-entry student parent at UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science with minors in Public Policy and Ethnic Studies. She was also Chair of a new Commission called Equity and Systems Impact, which aims to give representation to marginalized student groups within the Associated Students of the University of California. Paloma was a Yardi Scholar, which is a new scholarship within Regents’ Scholars where students learn about the intersectionality of democracy and technology.

Within the Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholars Association (RCSA), she was the Chair of Operations and has a year of Senator experience within the organization. Having been in the foster care and juvenile justice systems during her formative years, Paloma sought to use her lived experience to help reform a less-than-perfect system. By returning to higher education, and eventually earning both a juris doctorate and a master’s in public policy, she believed she could make a real difference in the lives of others. Outside of UC Berkeley, Paloma enjoyed spending time with her two boys Micah and Cairo, and volunteering for political campaigns.