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Meet Moe

Meet Moe

Antonio “Moe" Maestas has served 2 years in the State Senate after serving 16 years in the House of Representatives representing Albuquerque’s westside. Moe is an 11th generation New Mexican whose parents are from Vegas.  Moe’s dad is the late Frank Maestas, former Albuquerque Journal sports journalist. Frank, one of the first Latino sports writers in the country, is a member of the NM Sports Hall of Fame inductee class of 2023. Moe's mom, Emma Maestas, is retired from APS and lives in the north valley. She is a descendant of the Romero family that helped found Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1835 and who’s great-grandfather, Eugenio Romero, was a Constitutional delegate the constitutional convention and signer of the New Mexico State constitution in 1910.

Early Life

Moe was raised by a single mom in Albuquerque's north valley with an older brother, Miguel. He attended Cochiti ES, Garfield MS & Valley High School where he played varsity football and was the class of ‘86 senior class president. Moe began his interest in politics and public service early in life. His maternal uncle Dwight Duran, was the lead plaintiff in the ground breaking prisoners' rights litigation known as the Duran Consent Decree. Moe’s paternal uncle, Roberto Maestas, was an iconic civil-rights leader in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle

After high school, Moe moved to Seattle, Washington, to join El Centro de la Raza as a community organizer. El Centro is a civil-rights organization established by Moe's uncle, Roberto Maestas, after a peaceful occupation of an abandoned school building in 1972. During his time in Seattle, Moe worked night shifts at Stoneway Carton Company as a union factory worker to fund his college education. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1995, majoring in political economy under the guidance of Dr. Paul T. Heyne. Moe then returned to New Mexico to attend the University of New Mexico, School of Law, graduating in 1998. At UNM Law, he was President of the Mexican American Law Student Association (MALSA) and co-founded the inaugural National Latina/o Law Student Association (NLLSA) Conference.

Lawyer

Moe's 25-year legal career began as a violent crimes prosecutor at the Bernalillo Co. District Attorney’s Office, where he served for five years. He later established MoeJustice Law, which lately specializes in personal injury law. His legal involvement extends to serving on the District Court & Metropolitan Court Judicial Selection Committees, the Supreme Court’s Ad Hoc Pretrial Release Committee, and the Uniform Law Commission and is a member of the National and NM Hispanic Bar Association.

Legislation

In the legislature, Moe's focus has been on economic development, public safety, and education. He has been instrumental in introducing financial literacy classes in NM high schools and passing New Mexico’s Medical Marijuana legislation. In 2013, he spearheaded the “Breaking Bad” bill, revitalizing the film industry in New Mexico, played a key role in reforming NM’s Sex Offender Registration Law, and overcame a 40-year hold by the liquor lobby to pass liquor license reform for restaurants. A proponent of criminal justice reform, Moe advocates for non-violent offender rehabilitation and resource allocation towards reducing violent crime. He has successfully passed several criminal justice constitutional amendments: establishing an independent Public Defender’s Office and a preventative detention measure to hold violent offender’s in jail pre-trial. Moe is the prime sponsor of the constitutional amendment to allocate more money from of New Mexico’s $27 Billion Permanent School Fund for early childhood educational programs. Most recently Moe helped write and pass SB 135 which forces insurance companies to pay for prescribed mediation for cancer patients and those suffering form and autoimmune deficiency.

Personal

Moe married Vanessa Alarid, a single mom in 2013, and is a proud father of three children: Gabriela McCarthy (21), Mateo (10), and Isadora (8). Vanessa is a graduate of Albuquerque High, UNM and has a Master’s Degree from Columbia University and is a former Executive Director of the State Democratic Party.