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Xavier Becerra
HHS Xavier Becerra.jpg
Off‌icial portrait, 2021
25th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
Assumed office
March 19, 2021
President Joe Biden
Deputy Andrea Palm
Preceded by Alex Azar
33rd Attorney General of California
In office
January 24, 2017 – March 18, 2021
Governor Jerry Brown
Gavin Newsom
Preceded by Kamala Harris
Succeeded by Rob Bonta
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
January 3, 1993 – January 24, 2017
Preceded by Edward Roybal (Redistricting)
Succeeded by Jimmy Gomez
Constituency 30th 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
Deputy Joe Crowley
Leader Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by John Larson
Succeeded by Joe Crowley
Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2013
Leader Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by John Larson
Succeeded by Joe Crowley
House Democratic Assistant to the Leader
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Leader Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by John Spratt
Succeeded by Chris Van Hollen
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 59th district
In office
December 3, 1990 – December 3, 1992
Preceded by Charles Calderon
Succeeded by Dick Mountjoy
Personal details
Born (1958-01-26) January 26, 1958 (age 66)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse Carolina Reyes Becerra
Children 3
Education Stanford University (BA, JD)
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • politician

Xavier Becerra (/ˌhɑːviˈɛər bɪˈsɛrə/ hah-VEE-air-_-biss-ERR, Latin American Spanish: [xaˈβjeɾ βeˈsera]; born January 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services, a position he has held since March 2021. He is the first Latino to hold this position in history. Becerra previously served as the attorney general of California from January 2017 until March 2021. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Downtown Los Angeles in Congress from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Becerra was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017.

Born in Sacramento, California, Becerra graduated from Stanford University and received his Juris Doctor degree 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 first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992. He represented 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. 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. He was elected Chairman of the U.S. House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017.

Early life and education

Born in Sacramento, California, on January 26, 1958, Becerra is the son of working-class parents, Maria Teresa and Manuel Guerrero Becerra. His father was born in the U.S. and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, and his mother was from Guadalajara. As a child, Becerra grew up in a one-room apartment 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 Bachelor of Arts 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.

Early career

Becerra began his career as a lawyer, working on cases involving individuals who had mental disorders for the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts (now Community Legal Aid).

Becerra returned to California, and in 1986, became an administrative assistant for Democratic state senator Art Torres of Los Angeles. 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 grass-roots campaign for the California State Assembly, defeating Calderon's Senate aide Marta Maestas in the Democratic primary. He went on to defeat 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. As a state legislator, Becerra worked to pass a law that would increase gang members' sentences.

U.S. House of Representatives (1993–2017)

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.

Becerra won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 32% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican nominee Morry Waksberg, 58%–24%. He won re-election to a second term in 1994 with 66% of the vote. 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. He defeated Republican Stephen Smith 85.6% to 14.4%.

Tenure

Xavier Becerra, Robert Matsui, and Elijah Cummings at a press conference on civil rights
Elijah Cummings, Xavier Becerra, and Robert Matsui at a press conference on civil rights in 1997
President Bill Clinton, Tipper Gore, and Xavier Becerra
Tipper Gore, Becerra, and President Bill Clinton

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

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

Becerra was appointed assistant to the Speaker of the House for the 110th Congress. He won his bid to succeed John Larson as Vice-Chair in the 111th Congress, defeating Marcy Kaptur of Ohio by a vote of 175–67.

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

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

Becerra had a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee and was the first Latino to serve on the committee.

Committee assignments

  • Committee on Ways and Means
    • Subcommittee on Oversight
    • Subcommittee on Health
    • Subcommittee on Social Security
  • Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

Caucus memberships

Other political ambitions

2001 Los Angeles mayoral election

Becerra ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He finished with 6% 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.

Consideration for federal government positions

In 2008, 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, he announced on December 15 that he would not accept the position. Becerra had endorsed then-Senator Barack Obama for president on January 27, 2008.

Becerra was on the shortlist of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for the vice presidential nomination in 2016. Senator Tim Kaine was eventually chosen.

During the presidential transition of Joe Biden in 2020, it was reported that Becerra was being considered for the Cabinet positions of Secretary of Homeland Security and Attorney General.

2020 U.S. Senate speculation

In August 2020, California Senator Kamala Harris was selected by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate. After Biden ultimately won the general election, Becerra was floated as a possible replacement for Harris, along with others such as Representative Karen Bass, Representative Barbara Lee, Secretary of State Alex Padilla (who was eventually chosen), and former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solís. Early December reports that Biden planned to nominate Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services rendered such speculation moot.

2026 California Governor speculation

In the 2026 California gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom will be ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits. In February 2024, Politico reported that Becerra was considering a run for Governor, and that he or affiliated individuals had approached a political consulting firm to that effect, a potential violation of the Hatch Act. Becerra's tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services was described as "frustrating and at times rocky" by the Politico article and in a previous interview Becerra said that he missed being California Attorney General because of the autonomy of the position.

California Attorney General (2017–2021)

Xavier Becerra by Gage Skidmore
Becerra speaking to the California Democratic Party State Convention in 2019

Becerra accepted Governor Jerry Brown's offer to be the attorney general of California on December 1, 2016. The California Legislature confirmed Becerra to the post on January 23, 2017. He succeeded Kamala Harris, who was elected to the United States Senate. Becerra was sworn in January 24, 2017, becoming the first Latino to serve as California's attorney general. Becerra was elected to a full four-year term in 2018, after defeating Republican challenger Steven Bailey and securing 61 percent of the vote.

While Attorney General, Becerra delivered the Democratic Spanish-language response to President Trump's 2019 State of the Union address.

California Department of Justice reforms

In 2018, Becerra created an environmental justice branch of the California Department of Justice. Among other projects, it opposed the effort to expand San Bernardino International Airport due to concerns regarding air pollution.

California law enforcement

In 2019, Becerra threatened "legal action" against reporters who had received records of California law enforcement officers who had been convicted of crimes during the past decade.

In December 2020, Becerra was faulted by state district attorneys for not taking leadership to help stop unemployment fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, in what was described as the "biggest taxpayer fraud in California history". In January 2021, investigators said the total fraud was over $11 billion, with $19 billion in claims still under investigation. Most of this money will likely never be recovered, prosecutors said.

Lawsuits against Trump administration

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

The Trump administration opened 1 million acres in California to fracking and drilling in December 2019. Under the new policy, the Bureau of Land Management proposed new lease sales for oil and gas extraction along "California's Central Valley and Central Coast, touching eight counties and including 400,000 acres of public land". California officials and agencies, including Becerra, filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management in January 2020.

Despite the multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration filed with other state attorneys general, Becerra had not joined antitrust efforts against any major tech companies. His office would not disclose whether it had examined any tech companies and had not endorsed any joint investigations with other states. On December 9, 2020, it was reported that Becerra's office had joined 47 other states and the Federal Trade Commission in an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook, Inc, headquartered in California.

Ballot drafting

As Attorney General of California, Becerra was tasked with writing ballot titles and summaries that appeared on voter information guides and ballots in both the 2018 and 2020 elections. Proponents accused Becerra multiple times of writing biased descriptions that violated the law, which requires "a true and impartial statement of the purpose" of measures. In one of many unsuccessful lawsuits against Becerra, a state judge wrote that attorneys general have "wide latitude" in how they write ballot descriptions. Critics said the responsibility to write the ballot title and summary should be transferred to a different, non-partisan office.

Secretary of Health and Human Services (2021–present)

Confirmation

After Joe Biden's election as president in November 2020, Becerra was considered a candidate for United States Attorney General. The New York Times reported in early December 2020 that Biden would nominate Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services. ..... Becerra's nomination was deadlocked by the Senate's Finance Committee on March 10, 2021. One day later, on March 11, 2021, Becerra's nomination was discharged from the Finance Committee by the entire Senate, in a vote of 51–48. He was confirmed by the Senate in a vote of 50–49 on March 18, 2021, with all but one Democrat present and one Republican, Susan Collins, voting in favor. This was the narrowest vote for any of Biden's cabinet positions. On March 22, 2021, Becerra was sworn in to be the new secretary.

Tenure

First Lady Jill Biden with Secretary Becerra and Secretary McDonough
Secretary Becerra with First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, June 4, 2021

Soon after officially becoming the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Becerra released a statement praising the Affordable Care Act and encouraging people to keep enrolling in its health care program. Becerra also became Secretary during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, of which his cabinet department the U.S. Health and Human Services was mainly responsible for mitigating the pandemic's effects to the American public.

Becerra is credited for his critical efforts to preserve reproductive rights across the country, to expand Medicaid and CHIP postpartum coverage for more than half the states in the nation and slashing disparities in access to public health tools—particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He has consistently cited curbing health care costs, advancing women's health, and tackling gaps in who has access to health care as big priorities—along with protecting public health.

Becerra has overseen one of the biggest reform efforts of sub-agencies in HHS's history, including at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Becerra has been criticized as health and human services secretary for being absent in the public eye during the pandemic, for confusing messaging by federal public health authorities and for the subsequent loss of public trust, and for his collaborative management style while serving as secretary; his defenders said he was given an unclear role as secretary. Becerra was similarly criticized following his agency's response to the 2022 monkeypox outbreak amid issues with health policy communication and what was widely considered a slow response; White House officials said that Becerra sought to scapegoat the states rather than take responsibility for the subpar response.

.....

In 2023, The New York Times published investigations regarding immigrant child laborers who are working in violation of child labor laws across the U.S. According to the Times' reports, "Again and again, veteran government staffers and outside contractors told the Health and Human Services Department, including in reports that reached Secretary Xavier Becerra, that children appeared to be at risk". The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for the welfare of these children.

Personal life

Becerra is married to physician Carolina Reyes, and they have three daughters. He is a member of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, based in Washington, D.C. Becerra is Roman Catholic.

Election history

California State Assembly

1990 California State Assembly 59th district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra 9,098 34.80
Democratic Marta Maestas 7,352 28.12
Democratic Diane Martinez 6,703 25.64
Democratic Larry Salazar 1,509 5.77
Democratic Bill Hernandez 1,482 5.67
Total votes 26,144 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra 34,650 60.87
Republican Lee Lieberg 19,938 35.03
Libertarian Steven Pencall 2,331 4.10
Total votes 56,919 100%
Democratic hold

U.S. House of Representatives

1992 United States House of Representatives in California, District 30
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra 10,417 31.84
Democratic Leticia Quezada 7,089 21.67
Democratic Albert C. Lum 5,128 15.68
Democratic Jeff J. Penichet 4,136 12.64
Democratic Gonzalo Molina 2,320 7.09
Democratic Helen Hernandez 1,908 5.83
Democratic Roland R. Mora 611 1.87
Democratic Esca W. Smith 444 1.36
Democratic Mark Calney 336 1.03
Democratic Ysidro "Sid" Molina 325 0.99
Total votes 32,714 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra 48,800 58.41
Republican Morry Waksberg 20,034 23.98
Green Blase Bonpane 6,315 7.56
Peace and Freedom Elizabeth A. Nakano 6,173 7.39
Libertarian Andrew "Drew" Consalvo 2,221 2.66
Total votes 83,543 100%
Democratic hold
1994 United States House of Representatives in California, District 30
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 18,790 81.51
Democratic Leticia Quezada 4,263 18.49
Total votes 23,053 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 43,943 66.15
Republican David A. Ramirez 18,741 28.21
Libertarian R. William Weilberg 3,741 5.63
Total votes 66,425 100%
Democratic hold
1996 United States House of Representatives in California, District 30
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 21,310 100
Total votes 21,310 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 58,283 72.32
Republican Patricia Parker 15,078 18.71
Libertarian Pam Probst 2,759 3.42
Peace and Freedom Shirley Mandel 2,499 3.10
Natural Law Rosemary Watson-Frith 1,971 2.45
Total votes 80,590 100%
Democratic hold
1998 United States House of Representatives in California, District 30
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 38,925 100
Total votes 38,925 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 58,230 81.25
Republican Patricia Parker 13,441 18.75
Total votes 71,671 100%
Democratic hold
2000 United States House of Representatives in California, District 30
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 53,145 100
Total votes 53,145 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 83,223 83.29
Republican Tony Goss 11,788 11.80
Libertarian Jason E. Heath 2,858 2.86
Natural Law Gary D. Hearne 2,051 2.05
Total votes 99,920 100%
Democratic hold
2002 United States House of Representatives in California, District 31
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 24,231 100
Total votes 24,231 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 54,569 81.15
Republican Luis Vega 12,674 18.85
Total votes 67,243 100%
Democratic hold
2004 United States House of Representatives in California, District 31
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 26,308 89.45
Democratic Mervin Leon Evans 3,103 10.55
Total votes 29,411 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 89,363 80.21
Republican Luis Vega 22,048 19.79
Total votes 111,411 100%
Democratic hold
2006 United States House of Representatives in California, District 31
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 26,904 89.29
Democratic Mervin Leon Evans 3,227 10.71
Total votes 30,131 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 64,952 100
Total votes 64,952 100%
Democratic hold
2008 United States House of Representatives in California, District 31
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 18,127 100
Total votes 18,127 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 110,955 100
Total votes 110,955 100%
Democratic hold
2010 United States House of Representatives in California, District 31
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 20,550 88.03
Democratic Sal Genovese 2,795 11.97
Total votes 23,345 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 76,363 83.82
Republican Stephen Carlton Smith 14,740 16.08
Democratic Sal Genovese (write-in) 3 0.00
Total votes 91,106 100%
Democratic hold
2012 United States House of Representatives in California, District 34
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 27,939 77.43
Democratic Stephen C. Smith 5,793 16.01
Peace and Freedom Howard Johnson 2,407 6.67%
Total votes 36,085 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 120,367 85.62
Democratic Stephen Carlton Smith 20,223 14.38
Total votes 140,590 100%
Democratic hold
2014 United States House of Representatives in California, District 34
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 22,878 73.83
Democratic Adrienne Nicole Edwards 4,473 14.44
Peace and Freedom Howard Johnson 3,587 11.58
No party preference Jonathan Turner Smith (write-in) 48 0.15
Total votes 30,986 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 44,697 72.54
Democratic Adrienne Nicole Edwards 16,924 27.46
Total votes 61,621 100%
Democratic hold
2016 United States House of Representatives in California, District 34
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 71,982 77.58
Democratic Adrienne Nicole Edwards 19,624 21.15
Democratic Kenneth Mejia (write-in) 1,177 1.26
Total votes 92,783 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 122,842 77.18
Democratic Adrienne Nicole Edwards 36,314 22.82
Total votes 159,156 100%
Democratic hold

California Attorney General

2018 California Attorney General election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 3,024,611 45.82
Republican Steven C. Bailey 1,615,859 24.48
Democratic Dave Jones 1,017,427 15.41
Republican Eric Early 943,017 14.29
Total votes 6,600,914 100%
General election
Democratic Xavier Becerra (incumbent) 7,790,743 63.57
Republican Steven C. Bailey 4,465,587 36.43
Total votes 12,256,330 100%
Democratic hold

See also

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