Xavier Becerra
Xavier Becerra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 31st district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Edward R. Roybal |
| Member of the California State Assembly | |
| In office 1990–1992 | |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Carolina Reyes |
| Residence(s) | Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater | Stanford Law School (J.D.) Stanford University (B.A.) |
| Occupation | attorney, politician |
Xavier Becerra (/hɑːviˈɛr bɨˈsɛrə/; born January 26, 1958) is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing California's 31st congressional district (map), which is based in Los Angeles.
Early life and family
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.
Becerra is married to physician Carolina Reyes[1] and has three children.
Congressional career
Becerra is a member of the Committee on Ways and Means and 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.[2]
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.[3]
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Ways and Means
- U.S.-Korea Interparliamentary Exchange (Vice Chair)
Caucuses
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus (Co-Chair)
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.[4]
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,[5] on December 15, 2008, he announced that he would not accept the position.[6]
References
- ^ Gold, Matea (2001-03-12). "Congressman Tests His Winning Streak". Los Angeles Times. Accessed through ProQuest.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help); Unknown parameter|curly=ignored (help) - ^ Becerra, Xavier (2008-10-01). "On the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act". The Becerra Blog. US House of Representatives. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Dems back off leadership challenges". TheHill.com. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|firstname=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|lastname=ignored (help) - ^ "Congressman Xavier Becerra Endorses Barack Obama".
- ^ Rep. Becerra Offered Trade Representative Post
- ^ AP (2008). Becerra won't take trade job. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra official House site
- Becerra for Congress official campaign site
- United States Congress. "Xavier Becerra (id: b000287)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Federal Election Commission — Xavier Becerra campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Xavier Becerra issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Xavier Becerra campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Xavier Becerra (CA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Xavier Becerra profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Xavier Becerra voting record
- 1958 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from California
- Members of the California State Assembly
- Mexican American politicians
- California Democrats
- Hispanic Americans in the United States Congress
- Stanford University alumni
- Politicians from Los Angeles, California
- American Roman Catholic politicians
- Stanford Law School alumni
- People from Sacramento, California