Term 2020-2024
District 1

Born at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange and a graduate of Orange Unified School District (OUSD) schools, Arianna Barrios has spent her life living, working, and volunteering in her hometown of Orange. Today, Arianna lives and runs a small business in the City’s historic district as the owner of Communications LAB, a boutique Public Relations and Community Outreach firm that employs 11 communications professionals, many of whom are Orange residents themselves.

As a passionate advocate for small businesses, Barrios often testifies on behalf of the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). In 2018, Arianna was recognized by Assembly Member Dr. Steven Choi and the State of California as the Woman of the Year in the 68th Assembly District. She was named to the National Advisory Board of the National Small Business Association in 2019 and continues to serve in that role.

Long-time residents of Orange County, the Barrios family has a storied history that began with her grandfather, Cruz Barrios, who owned the ubiquitous Barrios Market in Santa Ana, a hub for the local Latino community. Cruz was a founding member of Orange County’s first chapter of LULAC in Santa Ana and, a half-century later, his granddaughter would found the first chapter in Orange. Cruz played a crucial role in helping local Latino families build their historic legal case, Mendez v. Westminster in the late 1940s. The precedent-setting case ended so-called “Mexican” schools in Orange County and school segregation across the state of California. Continuing the family commitment to education, her father served as the first Latino elected to the Orange Unified School District in the late 1980s.

Fueled by a powerful family legacy and strong belief in giving back, Barrios also finds numerous ways in which to mentor students and aspiring public servants including volunteering for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s LOFT Latina Leadership Academy, the Marian Bergeson Excellence in Public Service Series, California Women’s Leadership Association (CWLA), and California Women Lead.

Barrios has served on several boards of directors including the Orange Chamber of Commerce, YWCA of Central Orange County, Orange Unified Educational Foundation, Pitcher Park Community Foundation and, Community Foundation of Orange where she has chaired the Annual Fundraising Gala for the past five years raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the greater Orange community on programs for veterans, at-risk youth, education programs and more. Most weekends she and her husband, Brian Lochrie, can be found volunteering at community events.

Barrios served as the elected representative for Trustee Area 7 of the Rancho Santiago Community College District for ten years before transitioning to the Orange City Council. She ran for election in 2020 to become the first directly elected representative for the newly formed District 1. In addition, Barrios’ election made her only the fifth woman to be elected to the Orange City Council and the very first Latina.

Barrios has been married to Brian Lochrie for more than 20 years and has two sons currently attending college.