Xavier Becerra

Early life, education, and law career

Born in Sacramento, California, Becerra is the son of working-class immigrants from Jalisco, Mexico. As a young child Becerra grew up in a one-room house with his three sisters. He graduated in 1976 from C.K. McClatchy High School, located in the center of Sacramento. He studied abroad at the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain from 1978 to 1979, before earning his B.A. in economics from Stanford University in 1980, becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college. He received his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1984 and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1985. He was initially a lawyer, working on cases involving individuals who had mental disorders for the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts.

Early political career

Becerra worked as an Administrative Assistant for California State Senator Art Torres in 1986. He served as a Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice under Attorney General John Van de Kamp from 1987 to 1990.

After incumbent State Assemblyman Charles Calderon decided to seek a seat in the California Senate, Becerra launched a grassroots campaign for the California State Assembly, defeating Calderon's Senate aide Marta Maestas in the Democratic primary. He later went on to beat Republican Lee Lieberg and Libertarian Steven Pencall, receiving 60% of the vote. Becerra served one term in the State Assembly, representing California's 59th district, from 1990 to 1992.

Elections

In 1992, 25th District Congressman Edward Roybal announced his retirement after 30 years in Congress. Becerra entered the race for the seat, which had been renumbered as the 30th district after redistricting.

He won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 32% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican nominee Morry Waksberg 58%–24%.

In 1994, he won re-election to a second term with 66%, the lowest re-election winning percentage of his career. Later, he never won re-election with less than 72%. His district was renumbered as the 31st district after the 2000 census.

After redistricting, ahead of the 2012 elections, most of Becerra's old district became the 34th district. Becerra announced he would run there; it includes his home. He defeated Republican Stephen Smith 85.6% to 14.4%.

Tenure

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

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 appointed assistant to the Speaker of the House for the 110th Congress.

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.

In 2011, Becerra successfully ran for a second-term as Vice-Chair to serve during the 112th Congress.

During the 111th Congress and 112th Congress, Becerra served on several high-profile committees. On March 24, 2010, Becerra was appointed to serve on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (often called Bowles-Simpson/Simpson-Bowles). On August 11, 2011, Becerra was selected to serve on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (also known as the Super Committee). And on December 23, 2011 Becerra was appointed to serve on a bicameral conference committee to find bipartisan solutions on the middle class tax cuts, unemployment insurance, and the Medicare physician payment rate.

Taxes

Becerra consistently expressed opposition to Social Security and Medicare cuts and tax provisions seen to benefit outsourcers. He argued against the Job Protection Act and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 which would extend certain tax provisions enacted in 2001 and 2003 under G.W. Bush, on which Becerra voted against despite it passing through the House. He consistently voted against budget plans that would protect tax cuts for higher income brackets by cutting Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and certain federal services. He supported legislation like the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.

Immigration

Immigration is a pertinent issue for Becerra because of its proximity to the border and the large number of undocumented immigrants in California. Becerra was a strong supporter of the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform. Becerra supported the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program put in place by President Obama.

Women's issues

Becerra is pro-choice and supports the right of access to abortion. On May 31, 2012, Becerra voted against H.R. 3541, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), which would have imposed civil and criminal penalties on anyone knowingly attempting to perform a sex-selective abortion. The bill also would have required healthcare providers to report known or suspected violations to law enforcement, including suspicions about a woman's motives for seeking an abortion. Becerra received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2012. Becerra voted in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 which made the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination reset with each new paycheck affected by that discriminatory action.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Party leadership

Becerra considered running for Democratic Caucus Vice Chair for the 110th Congress; however, he deferred to John Larson when Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rahm Emanuel decided to run for Caucus Chair, the position Larson had been running for. Instead, Becerra was appointed assistant to the Speaker of the House for the 110th Congress.

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.

In 2011, Becerra won a second-term as Vice-Chair to serve during the 112th Congress. During the 111th Congress and 112th Congress, Becerra served on several high-profile committees. On March 24, 2010, Becerra was appointed to serve on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (often called Bowles-Simpson/Simpson-Bowles). On August 11, 2011, Becerra was selected to serve on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (also known as the Super Committee). And on December 23, 2011 Becerra was appointed to serve on a bicameral conference committee to find bipartisan solutions on the middle class tax cuts, unemployment insurance, and the Medicare physician payment rate.

2001 run for L.A. Mayor

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.

Obama administration

On January 27, 2008, Becerra endorsed U.S. Senator Barack Obama for President.

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

California Attorney General

On December 1, 2016, Becerra accepted Governor Jerry Brown's offer to make Becerra the Attorney General of California. On January 23, 2017, the California Legislature confirmed Becerra to the post. He succeeded Kamala Harris, who was elected to the United States Senate.

On January 24, 2017, Becerra was sworn in as the Attorney General of California, becoming the first Latino to serve as Attorney General.

On March 28, 2017, Becerra brought 14 felony charges against The Center for Medical Progress activists for recording 14 videos (see Planned Parenthood 2015 undercover videos controversy), and 1 felony charge for conspiring to invade privacy. The charges were dismissed by a California Superior Court judge in June for not stating the names of those recorded and the specific dates of the recordings; the charges were refiled with the names and dates in July 2017.

Personal life

Becerra is married to physician Carolina Reyes and has three children. He owns a home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where he, his wife, and three children resided when Congress was in session. He has a home in his district in Los Angeles, California, where they currently live.