Xavier Becerra

Xavier Becerra (/hɑːviˈɛər bɪˈsɛrə/, hah-vee-AIR; born January 26, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 33rd and current Attorney General of California since 2017. He previously was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Downtown Los Angeles in Congress from 1993 to 2017. Becerra, a member of the Democratic Party, was Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017.

Xavier Becerra
33rd Attorney General of California
Assumed office
January 24, 2017
GovernorJerry Brown
Gavin Newsom
Preceded byKamala Harris
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 1993 – January 24, 2017
Preceded byEdward Roybal (Redistricting)
Succeeded byJimmy Gomez
Constituency30th district (1993–2003)
31st district (2003–2013)
34th district (2013–2017)
Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byJohn Larson
Succeeded byJoe Crowley
Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2013
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byJohn Larson
Succeeded byJoe Crowley
House Democratic Assistant to the Leader
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
LeaderNancy Pelosi
Preceded byJohn Spratt
Succeeded byChris Van Hollen
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 59th district
In office
1990–1992
Preceded byCharles Calderon
Succeeded byDick Mountjoy
Personal details
Born (1958-01-26) January 26, 1958
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Carolina Reyes
Children3
EducationStanford University (BA, JD)
WebsiteGovernment website

Born in Sacramento, California, to Mexican parents, Becerra is a graduate of Stanford University, receiving his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. He worked as a lawyer at the Legal Assistance Corporation of central Massachusetts, before returning to California in 1986 to work as an administrative assistant for state senator Art Torres. He served as a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice from 1987 to 1990, before he was elected to the California State Assembly, where he served one term from 1990 to 1992.

Becerra was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, representing California's 30th congressional district from 1993 to 2003, California's 31st congressional district from 2003 to 2013 and California's 34th congressional district from 2013 to 2017. During his tenure, he served as Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from 1997 to 1999, Vice Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus from 2009 to 2013 and as a member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. Becerra is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, based in Washington, D.C. [1]

Early life, education, and law career

Born in Sacramento, California, Becerra is the son of working-class immigrants from Jalisco, Mexico.[2] As a young child Becerra grew up in a one-room apartment with his three sisters.[3] He graduated in 1976 from C.K. McClatchy High School, located in the center of Sacramento.[4] 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.[5][6] He received his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1984 and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1985.[7] He was initially a lawyer, working on cases involving individuals who had mental disorders for the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts.[8]

Early political career

Becerra worked as an Administrative Assistant for California State Senator Art Torres in 1986.[9] He served as a Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice under Attorney General John Van de Kamp from 1987 to 1990.[10]

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.[11] He later went on to defeat Republican Lee Lieberg and Libertarian Steven Pencall, receiving 60% of the vote.[12] Becerra served one term in the State Assembly, representing California's 59th district, from 1990 to 1992.[13]

U.S. House of Representatives
Xavier Becerra, Robert Matsui, and Elijah Cummings at a press conference on civil rights in 1997

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.[14] In the general election, he defeated Republican nominee Morry Waksberg 58%–24%.[15]

In 1994, he won re-election to a second term with 66%,[16]%. 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.[17] 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.[18] He was featured on The Colbert Report's Better Know a District on August 17, 2006.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21]

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.[22] 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.[23] He consistently voted against budget plans that would protect tax cuts for higher income brackets by cutting Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and certain federal services.[24] He supported legislation like the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Please note citations 22, 23 and 24 reference statements by Xavier Becerra and therefore any editorializing is suspect.

Immigration

Immigration is a pertinent issue for Becerra because of California's proximity to the border and its large number of undocumented immigrants. Becerra was a strong supporter of the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform.[25] Becerra supported the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program put in place by President Obama.[26]

Women's issues

Becerra is strongly pro-choice and favors legal abortion up to the third trimester. On May 31, 2012, Becerra voted against H.R. 3541, the Prenatal Non-Discrimination 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 health care providers to report known or suspected violations to law enforcement, including suspicions about a woman's motives for seeking an abortion.[27] Becerra received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2012.[28][29] 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.[30][31]

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.[32]

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.

Other political ambitions

Los Angeles mayoral election, 2001

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.[33]

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,[34] on December 15, 2008, he announced that he would not accept the position.[35]

California Attorney General
Xavier Becerra speaking to the California Democratic Party State Convention in 2019

On December 1, 2016, Becerra accepted Governor Jerry Brown's offer to be 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.[36]

On January 24, 2017, Becerra was sworn in as the Attorney General of California, becoming the first Latino to serve as Attorney General.[37]

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.[38] 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;[39] the charges were refiled with the names and dates in July 2017.[40]

In 2018, Becerra was elected to a full four-year term after defeating Republican challenger Steven Bailey and securing 61 percent of the vote.[41][42]

On January 29, 2019, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced Becerra would deliver the Spanish-language Democratic response to President drumpf's State of the Union address on February 5, 2019.[43]

In 2019, Becerra threatened reporters who had received records of California law enforcement officers who had been convicted of crimes in the past decade.[44]

In February 2019, Becerra, Governor Gavin Newsom, and 15 other states had filed a lawsuit against the drumpf Administration over the President's declaration of a national emergency to fund a wall at the southern U.S. border.[45] As of September 26, 2019, Becerra has sued the drumpf administration 62 times in total.[46]

Despite the multiple lawsuits against the drumpf administration filed with other state attorney generals, Becerra has not joined antitrust efforts against any of the major tech companies. His office would not disclose whether it is examining any tech company and had not endorsed any joint investigations with other states.[47]

In December 2019, the drumpf administration opened 1 million acres in California to fracking and drilling.[48] Under the new policy, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed beginning new lease sales for oil and gas extraction along "California’s Central Valley and Central Coast, touching eight counties and includes 400,000 acres of public land."[49] California officials and agencies, including Becerra, filed a lawsuit against BLM in January 2020,[50][49]

Personal life

Becerra is married to physician Carolina Reyes[51] and has three children.

gollark: Who cares? I use simple 3D games and the occasional bit of GPU-accelerated stuff.
gollark: *cheap*
gollark: Well, my GTX 1050 does all the 3D stuff and works and was cheapish, so I'm hardly going to switch to AMD over a relatively insignificant thingy.
gollark: Yes, I got that, it's just that I doubt anyone except you has heard of such a thing.
gollark: Whaaaaa?

See also

References
  1. "Inter-American Dialogue | Experts". thedialogue.org. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  2. "CNN.com". CNN.
  3. "Member of the Week: Xavier Becerra – Representing California's 31st District". clotureclub.com. August 31, 2011.
  4. Congressional Directory 2011-2012 112th Congress. 2012. ISBN 9780160886539.
  5. "Congressional Directory California Thirty-First District" (PDF). gpo.gov.
  6. Mark Landler (December 4, 2008). "The New Team Xavier Becerra". nytimes.com.
  7. "Attorney Search Xavier Becerra - #118517". calbar.ca.gov.
  8. "Xavier Becerra Caucus Chairman Representing the 34th District of CA". dems.gov. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013.
  9. "108th Congress Directory California Thirty-First District" (PDF). gpo.gov =accessdate = February 2, 2013.
  10. "Xavier Becerra (D) House - California, District 34 - Up for re-election in 2012". projects.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  11. Rodolfo Acuna (June 8, 1990). "Column Left / Rodolfo Acuna : The Candidate Who Upset Latino Politics : Xavier Becerra owes his victory to the people, not to the blessings of a papacito". latimes.com. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  12. "Member of the State Assembly" (PDF). sos.ca.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  13. "BECERRA, Xavier, (1958 - )". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  14. CA - District 30 - Democratic Primary (1992) Our Campaigns
  15. CA District 30 – General Election (1992) Our Campaigns
  16. CA District 30 (1994) Our Campaigns
  18. "Congressman Xavier Becerra To Deliver Hispanic Heritage Month Keynote". loc.gov. August 29, 2007.
  19. "Better Know a District - California's 31st - Javier Becerra". colbertnation.com. August 17, 2006.
  20. Becerra, Xavier (October 1, 2008). "On the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act". The Becerra Blog. US House of Representatives. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  21. Allen, Jared. "Dems back off leadership challenges". TheHill.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  22. Xavier Becerra DNC Speech (Sept. 6, 2012) Vote Smart
  23. Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012, Floor Speech (Aug. 1, 2012) Vote Smart
  24. Representative Becerra Votes Against Budget Plan that Picks Millionaires Over Middle Class (May 10, 2012) Vote Smart
  25. Dream Act Statement (Oct. 17, 2012) Vote Smart
  26. Rep. Becerra: A New Day for Dreamers (Aug. 15, 2012) Vote Smart
  27. CAPAC Members Denounce Attack on Reproductive Rights (May 31, 2012) Vote Smart
  28. "2013 CONGRESSIONAL SCORECARD". plannedparenthoodaction.org. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013.
  29. "2012 Congressional Record on Choice" (PDF). prochoiceamerica.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  30. "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 37 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009". clerk.house.gov. January 27, 2009.
  31. Representative Becerra on Equal Pay Day (April 18, 2012) Vote Smart
  32. Allen, Jared. "Dems back off leadership challenges". TheHill.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  33. "Congressman Xavier Becerra Endorses Barack Obama". Archived from the original on February 1, 2008.
  34. Rep. Becerra Offered Trade Representative Post Archived December 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  35. AP (2008). Becerra won't take trade job. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  36. Wire, Sarah D.; Myers, John (December 1, 2016). "Gov. Brown taps California's Rep. Xavier Becerra to be state's first Latino attorney general". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  37. "Essential Politics: Gov. Brown delivers State of the State address, Xavier Becerra is sworn in as California's new attorney general". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  38. Pérez-Peña, Richard (March 30, 2017). "Anti-Abortion Activists Charged in Planned Parenthood Video Case". The New York Times. p. A22. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  39. Egelko, Bob (June 21, 2017). "SF judge deals setback to prosecutors in abortion sting videos". The San Francisco Gate.
  40. Egelko, Bob (July 6, 2017). "California files more charges against antiabortion activists". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  41. https://www.law.com/therecorder/2018/11/07/xavier-becerra-wins-four-year-term-as-attorney-general/?slreturn=20190008190726
  42. https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-midterm-election-day-updates-hold-attorney-general-xavier-becerra-1541367769-htmlstory.htm
  43. Conradis, Brandon (January 29, 2019). "California AG Becerra to give Spanish-language SOTU response". TheHill. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  44. lewis, Robert (February 26, 2019). "California Keeps a Secret List of Criminal Cops But Says You Can't Have It". KQED. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  45. https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/governor-newsom-attorney-general-becerra-and-15-partner-states-file-lawsuit
  46. Eilperin, Juliet; Dennis, Brady; Dawsey, Josh (September 26, 2019). "EPA tells California it is 'failing to meet its obligations' to protect the environment". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  47. McCabe, David (September 26, 2019). "California Attorney General Is a No-Show on Tech Investigations". Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  48. Seheeler, Andrew (December 12, 2019). "drumpf administration opens 1 million acres in California to fracking, drilling". sacbee.com. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  49. Canon, Gabrielle (January 17, 2020). "California sues over drumpf plan to open land to fracking". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  50. "California going to court to stop drumpf fracking plans". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  51. Gold, Matea (March 12, 2001). "Congressman Tests His Winning Streak". Los Angeles Times.
California Assembly
Preceded by
Charles Calderon		 Member of the California Assembly
from the 59th district
1990–1992		 Succeeded by
Dick Mountjoy
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Marty Martínez		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 30th congressional district
1993–2003		 Succeeded by
Henry Waxman
Preceded by
Ed Pastor		 Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
1997–1999		 Succeeded by
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Preceded by
Hilda Solis		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 31st congressional district
2003–2013		 Succeeded by
Gary Miller
Preceded by
Lucille Roybal-Allard		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 34th congressional district
2013–2017		 Succeeded by
Jimmy Gomez
Party political offices
Preceded by
John Spratt		 House Democratic Assistant to the Leader
2007–2009		 Succeeded by
Chris Van Hollen
Preceded by
John Larson		 Vice Chair of the House Democratic Conference
2009–2013		 Succeeded by
Joe Crowley
Chair of the House Democratic Conference
2013–2017
Legal offices
Preceded by
Kathleen Kenealy
Acting		 Attorney General of California
2017–present		 Incumbent
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