Nanette Barragán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nanette D. Barragán
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 44th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Janice Hahn |
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Nanette Díaz Barragán
September 15, 1976 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) University of Southern California (JD) |
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Nanette Díaz Barragán (born September 15, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer. She serves as a U.S. Representative for California's 44th congressional district. She has held this position since 2017. Before that, she was a city council member for Hermosa Beach from 2013 to 2015. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Early Life and School
Nanette Barragán was born in Harbor City, Los Angeles. She is the youngest of 11 children. Her parents came from Mexico. She grew up in Torrance and nearby areas. She went to North Torrance High School, where she played softball.
In 2000, she earned her first college degree, a Bachelor of Arts, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She studied political science and public policy. Later, in 2005, she earned her law degree, called a Juris Doctor, from the University of Southern California.
While in college and until 2003, Nanette worked as the Executive Director for the Gillian S. Fuller Foundation. This foundation gave money to groups that helped with education, the environment, and youth programs. Some of the groups they supported included Heal the Bay and the Nature Conservancy.
Her Work as a Lawyer
In 2003, Nanette Barragán worked for Justice Carlos R. Moreno at the California Supreme Court. This was like an internship where she learned about how the highest court in California works.
In 2004, she helped people with low incomes at the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation. She helped workers who needed to file claims for unpaid overtime or meal breaks.
In 2005, she worked at the United States Attorney's Office. There, she helped lawyers who were working on cases about organized crime and terrorism.
After finishing her studies, Nanette joined a law firm called Latham & Watkins LLP. She worked on many different types of cases. She was the main lawyer for a child and mother from Guatemala who were seeking asylum. She helped them win their case. After Hurricane Katrina, she also traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi, to help people with their insurance claims for free. She also helped low-income families with adoptions.
Starting in Politics
Nanette Barragán began her political journey at the Clinton White House. She worked in the Office of Public Liaison, reaching out to African American groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She helped connect the president with these organizations. In 1999, she worked with the NAACP on health policy.
Before going to law school, she volunteered for many political campaigns. She also served on the board of the L.A. County Young Democrats for three years.
In 2012, she took a break from her law firm to work on President Barack Obama's reelection campaign in Florida. She helped make sure that every eligible voter had the chance to vote.
Hermosa Beach City Council
In 2013, Nanette Barragán ran for the Hermosa Beach City Council. She ran because she wanted to stop an oil company from drilling new oil wells in Hermosa Beach and the Santa Monica Bay. She won against six other candidates. She became the first Latina elected to the council and the first woman in ten years.
She left her position on the City Council on July 31, 2015. She did this to run for Congress.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
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Nanette Barragán is a U.S. Representative. This means she is elected by people in her district to represent them in the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. She helps make laws for the country.
Elections for Congress
2016 Election
Nanette Barragán announced she would run for California's 44th congressional district in April 2015. The person who held the seat before, Janice Hahn, decided not to run again.
Barragán said that she wanted to help people in her district achieve their dreams, just like she did. She received support from many groups and politicians. In the election on November 8, 2016, she won against state senator Isadore Hall III.
2018 Election
In the election on November 6, 2018, Barragán ran against Compton mayor Aja Brown. Barragán won this election with 68.3% of the votes.
2020 Election
On November 3, 2020, Nanette Barragán ran for reelection again. She won against Analilia Joya, another Democrat, with 67.8% of the votes.
2022 Election
In the election on November 8, 2022, Nanette Barragán was reelected. She won against Paul Jones, a Republican, with 72.2% of the votes.
2024 Election
On November 5, 2024, Nanette Barragán was reelected for another term. She won against Roger Groh, a Republican, with 71.4% of the votes.
Her Time in Congress
In July 2019, Nanette Barragán visited facilities along the Mexico–United States border with other members of Congress.
Committees She Serves On
For the 118th Congress, Nanette Barragán is part of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Within this committee, she serves on two smaller groups:
- Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals
- Subcommittee on Health
Groups She Belongs To
Nanette Barragán is also a member of several special groups in Congress called caucuses. These groups focus on specific topics or represent certain communities. She is the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Other groups she belongs to include:
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
- Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Medicare for All Caucus
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption
- Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
What She Believes In
Supporting Women's Health Choices
Nanette Barragán supports a woman's right to make decisions about her own body and health. She has a strong record of voting to protect these rights. She disagreed with the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling it "a sad day."
Protecting the Environment
Nanette Barragán wants to ban a dangerous chemical called hydrofluoric acid (HF) at oil refineries. This chemical is used to make gasoline. She points out that storing this chemical at refineries is risky because explosions can happen. A large release of this chemical could create a toxic cloud and harm many people. She wants to make sure communities near these refineries are safe.
Her Personal Life
Nanette Barragán loves baseball. When she was in high school, she asked her school to let girls try out for the school's baseball team. Her favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2017, she was invited to throw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium.
Since 2017, she has played in the yearly Congressional Baseball Game. She has also played in the Congressional Women's Softball Game.
Nanette Barragán is Catholic.
See also
In Spanish: Nanette Barragán para niños
- List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
Images for kids
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Official portrait of Nanette Barragán.
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Signature of Nanette Barragán.
