HOW I MADE IT: California finance director is someone the governor can count on The gig: The director of the California Finance Department, Ana Matosantos helps the governor shape California's $87-billion general fund budget. The youngest person ever appointed to the post and the first Latina, Matosantos, now 36, has gained a reputation as a fiscal straight shooter respected by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. A registered Democrat, Matosantos was appointed to the job in December 2009 by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. She proved so adept at crafting budget solutions that incoming Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown reappointed her in January 2011. In the last year, Matosantos helped Brown whittle the state's budget deficit to $5 billion from $20 billion, putting California on a path toward boosting its credit rating and bringing its finances into balance. Matosantos likens the job to doing "trigonometry ... trying to make sure we understand how all the pieces are fitting together, to make sure things happen according to the plan and to adjust and adapt." Keeping her cool: When your state is billions in the red, there's no use panicking. Known for her low-key, friendly manner, Matosantos credits her grandmother for helping her learn to stay focused under fire. When I was a little kid and running around being a hothead, my grandmother always said to me: 'Great, now you've got two problems: whatever the [original] problem was and the fact you are upset about it.' Matosantos said she takes her current job "really seriously. But being scared just creates one more problem. Island girl: The youngest of two children, Matosantos grew up in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, a middle- to upper-class suburb of San Juan, which is the capital of that U.S. territory in the Caribbean. Her father, Manuel, owns a company that distributes food, paper products and cleaning supplies in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Her mother, Maritere, a lifelong educator, directs a private school near the family home. The most important lesson that Matosantos and her brother Jose learned from their parents was to work and study hard. It was always very clear in our household that we had one job: to get good grades. There were no excuses about that," she said. Both our parents had us go to work at an early age in Dad's company. They have a very strong work ethic. Made in California: Matosantos graduated from high school in Puerto Rico and was accepted to Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. She opted for Stanford because the weather and the landscape "felt more like home" and she found the students less stuffy and full of themselves. She considered majoring in engineering but settled on feminist studies and political science. Matosantos honed her analytical skills in Palo Alto. "I was interested in the combination of looking at one issue from different perspectives and looking at a lot of issues from a single perspective," she said. At Stanford, she performed community service in neighboring East Palo Alto. Punching her ticket: After college, Matosantos worked at a San Francisco law firm before winning a state Senate fellowship. Then, she rose through a series of Sacramento policy jobs before joining the Finance Department in 2008. She was chief deputy of the department before assuming the director's post. Biggest mistake: In October, she was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol. She is awaiting a first court hearing on the charge. "It was a result of a bad and irresponsible decision I wish I could take back," she said. Luckily, I didn't hurt anybody. Take a walk: When the pressures of deciding whether to cut spending for the disabled, schools and other programs get too much, Matosantos hits the bricks. "Whenever it gets to the point that it just feels overwhelming or I'm tired, I take a walk, give myself a self-imposed timeout, try to get my thoughts in order and figure out what's my game plan," she said. Personal: Matosantos lives in Sacramento in a Craftsman-style home in the tree-lined Curtis Park neighborhood with her longtime partner, Sally Espinoza. She likes to read and occasionally sail in San Francisco Bay when she can escape the state Capitol building.