Xavier Becerra

Xavier Becerra
Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairman of the United States House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2009
Preceded by	John B. Larson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 31st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Hilda Solis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 30th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Matthew G. Martínez
Succeeded by	Henry Waxman
Member of the California State Assembly from the 59th district
In office 1990–1992
Preceded by	Charles Calderon
Succeeded by	Dick Mountjoy
Personal details
Born	January 26, 1958 (1958-01-26) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Carolina Reyes
Residence	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Stanford Law School (J.D.) Stanford University (B.A.)
Occupation	Attorney Politician
Religion	Roman Catholic

Xavier Becerra (English pronunciation: /hɑːviˈɛər bɨˈsɛrə/ "HAH-vee-air"; born January 26, 1958) is the U.S. Representative for California's 31st congressional district, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Los Angeles.

Early life, education and career

Becerra was born in Sacramento, California, the son of working-class immigrants. He graduated in 1976 from C.K. McClatchy High School located in central city Sacramento. He went on to earn his B.A. in economics from Stanford University and his J.D. from Stanford Law School. He was initially a lawyer, working on cases involving individuals with mental impairment. He was also a staff member for California State Senator Art Torres and the Deputy Attorney-General of California. Becerra was a one-term member of the California State Assembly before entering the House.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Oversight
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Social Security
• Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
• U.S.-Korea Interparliamentary Exchange (Vice Chair)

Caucuses

• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus (Co-Chair)

Becerra is a prominent member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which he served as chairman during the 105th Congress.

Rep. Becerra is a frequent guest on Kudlow & Company. He was featured on The Colbert Report's Better Know a District on August 17, 2006.

On September 29, 2008 Becerra voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 because he "wanted to see direct protections for responsible homeowners" in the bill.

Democratic House leadership

Becerra considered running for Democratic Caucus Vice Chair for the 110th Congress; however, he deferred to John Larson when DCCC chairman Rahm Emanuel decided to run for Caucus Chair, the position Larson had been running for. Instead, Becerra was assistant to the Speaker for that congressional session.

Before the opening of the 111th Congress, Emanuel accepted a position as White House Chief of Staff in the Obama Administration. Larson succeeded Emanuel as caucus chair, and Becerra won his bid to succeed Larson as Vice-Chair. He defeated Marcy Kaptur of Ohio by a vote of 175-67.

Other political information

2001 LA Mayor Bid

Becerra ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He finished with 6 percent of the primary vote, finishing behind businessman Steve Soboroff, Councilman Joel Wachs, former California State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, and the eventual winner, then-City Attorney James Hahn.

US Trade Representative speculation

On January 27, 2008, Becerra formally endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama for President.

Becerra was considered for the position of US Trade Representative in the administration of President-elect Obama. While it was initially reported that he had already accepted, on December 15, 2008, he announced that he would not accept the position.

Personal life

Becerra is married to physician Carolina Reyes and has three children. He resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife and three children, Clarisa, Olivia, and Natalia.

External links

• U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra official U.S. house site
• Becerra for Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Profile at SourceWatch

California Assembly
Preceded by Charles Calderon	Member of the California State Assembly from the 59th district 1990–1992	Succeeded by Dick Mountjoy
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Matthew G. Martínez	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 30th congressional district 1993–2003	Succeeded by Henry Waxman
Preceded by Hilda Solis	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 31st congressional district 2003–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by John B. Larson	Democratic Caucus Vice-Chairman of the United States House of Representatives 2009–present	Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Roscoe Bartlett R-Maryland	United States Representatives by seniority 68th	Succeeded by Sanford Bishop D-Georgia