Her father worked in the railroad yards and her mother, who left school after sixth grade, stayed home and raised the kids.

[2] Following U.S. Representative Hilda Solis's December 2008 selection to become U.S. Secretary of Labor by President-elect Barack Obama (and expected subsequent confirmation), Romero indicated strong interest in running in the special election for California's 32nd congressional district to replace her,[5] but later chose to run for the nonpartisan California State Superintendent of Public Instruction instead.

32 that would bar workers from donating to their unions' Political Action Committees (PACs) using payroll deductions.

[2] She founded Scholarship Prep Charter School, which enrolls TK-8th grade students in low income communities.

In a press conference, Romero endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 election and offered praise for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling him a "personal hero".