Claudia was raised in Santa Ana and has lived in the City for 26 years. She attended Santa Ana schools and graduated from Santiago High School. After high school, Claudia went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice/Political Science from California State University, Fullerton and a Law Degree from Loyola Law School. She currently lives in the Washington Square neighborhood of Santa Ana.

Claudia chose to pursue a career in law to better serve the community. During college, she worked at the North Orange County Superior Court. While attending law school, she volunteered for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and at the Conflict Resolution Center. Since being admitted to the California Bar in 1994, Claudia has managed a private practice and currently serves as a Deputy District Attorney for the County of Orange.

Claudia has also been active in many community organizations. She has been a mentor for the Puente and Hermanita Mentor Program and has also worked with gang diversion programs. Claudia has served as President of the Hispanic Bar Association and as Vice-President of KinderCaminata, a program that introduces low-income kindergarten students to higher education through their local community colleges. She has also been President of MANA, a National Latina Organization and currently serves as a board member of the Community Service Programs, an organization dedicated to serving Orange County residents that are involved with the justice system.

In addition, Claudia attended the Program for Senior Executives in State & Local Government at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in June 2002 and served as a delegate to Japan through the American Council of Young Political Leaders in October 2003.

Claudia was elected to the City Council in November 2000, and in January 2007 was appointed by the City Council to serve on the Orange County Water District (OCWD) Board of Directors representing Division 8 which serves the City of Santa Ana.  In addition to her focus on local water issues, her focus is on education and children, and she intends to work with the school district to create a safe and productive learning environment for Santa Ana's children.