Xavier Becerra

Elections

In 1992, Becerra won the Democratic primary in California's 30th congressional district with a plurality of 32% of the vote.^[14] In the general election, he defeated Republican nominee Morry Waksberg, 58%–24%.^[15] He won re-election to a second term in 1994 with 66%^[16] of the vote. His district was renumbered as the 31st district after the 2000 census.^{[citation needed]}

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%.^[17]

Tenure

Becerra was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which he served as chair during the 105th Congress.^[18]

Becerra was appointed assistant to the speaker of the House for the 110th Congress.^[19] 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.^[20] Becerra successfully ran for a second term as vice chair in 2011 to serve during the 112th Congress.^[21] He served as chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Ways and Means^[25]
  • Subcommittee on Oversight
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Social Security
• Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction^[26]

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus (Former Chair)
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus

California Department of Justice reforms

Criminal law enforcement

On June 4, 2019, Becerra announced the arrest of Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the Mexican megachurch La Luz Del Mundo and other co-defendants. Charges included human trafficking, production of child pornography, and forcible rape of a minor. On June 8, 2022, Naasón Joaquín García was sentenced to more than 16 years in a California prison.^[35] In the same year, Becerra filed charges against a number of men for their alleged involvement in a statewide organized crime ring engaged in sex trafficking, tax fraud, and money laundering. Five suspects were sentenced in March 2022.^[36]

Becerra brought fourteen felony charges against Center for Medical Progress activists for secretly recording fourteen videos, and one felony charge for conspiring to invade privacy, on March 28, 2017.^[37] Two members of the group pleaded no contest to a felony each in 2025.^[38] In August 2018, an operation targeted the MS-13 gang in the Central Valley and beyond. The following year, multiple operations were directed against Norteño street gangs in Kings, Tulare, and Stanislaus Counties, as well as in Stockton.^[39] In December 2019, the Country Boy Crips in south Bakersfield were the focus of a significant operation.^[40]

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".^[41] In January 2021, investigators said the total fraud was over $11 billion, with $19 billion in claims still under investigation.^[42][43][44] Most of this money will likely never be recovered, prosecutors said.^[41][45][46]

Transparency

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.^[47] The First Amendment Coalition stated about his position that it was "disheartening and ominous that the highest law enforcement officer in the state is threatening legal action over something the First Amendment makes clear can't give rise to criminal action".^[48] One of the reporters stated that Becerra's legal threat was "just completely wrong in its interpretation of the law" and "had real implications for press freedom". The reporters ultimately published a number of articles about the records, and Becerra never prosecuted them.^[49]

Becerra refused to offer independent investigation into the killing of Sean Monterrosa, who had been shot in the back of the head by police. He later opposed a bill that would have required him to do so.^[50] Becerra said in a public statement that there were "significant" allegations of "destruction of evidence" in the case of Monterrosa's killing.^[51]

Two major state newspapers have criticized Becerra for, they stated, shielding law enforcement and lacking transparency. A number of news outlets stated that a significant part of his campaign support was provided by law enforcement unions.^[50] In a move that was criticized by his own party, Becerra refused to enforce a state law that required the government to release information about police officers accused of rape and physical abuse, ultimately resisting lawsuits for at least six years and despite having been ruled against by an appeals court.^[49]

Death penalty

During the COVID-19 pandemic Becerra acted to uphold a number of death penalty sentences.^[50] He stated in 2020 that he supported capital punishment with "serious reservations", while also stating that its applications were "deeply flawed" and that a number of "Americans have been wrongly sentenced to death in this country and later exonerated". He had earlier voted to repeal the death penalty in California in 2016. In 2017, he pursued the death penalty for a mass murderer. Becerra described Newsom’s 2019 decision to stop executions in the state as a "new direction in California's march toward perfecting our search for justice". The Los Angeles Times wrote in the same year that Becerra had "declined" to answer whether he supported capital punishment or not, stating only that the death penalty was part of the state law he had a duty to enforce. Two years later, his attorney general's office successfully argued to make it easier for juries to recommend death sentences, a position that Newsom argued against in court.^[52][53][54]

An article by Amherst College professor Austin Sarat stated that Becerra had not, as attorney general, addressed the issues of "racial discrimination, the impact of geography, and the risk of false convictions" in California's death penalty cases.^[53] Robert Lewis, a Black man with an IQ of 70, was sentenced to death in 1991, but was later ruled ineligible due to being intellectually disabled. In 2017, Becerra unsuccessfully sought to have a court artificially inflate Lewis' IQ score in order for him to be deemed eligible for the death penalty.^[50][55]

While arguing in favor Lewis' death penalty eligibility in court, Becerra's office stated that his IQ score had been underestimated because Lewis' background was similar to that of "African American children [who] scored much more poorly on these tests than did the group against which the test was normed". Law professor Lara Bazelon described the argument as "alarming" and "race-based". The court ruled in favor of Lewis in a 7–0 decision.^[55] Two years later, the state legislature banned the practice of adjusting IQ scoring based on race in death penalty cases.^[50]

Lawsuits against Trump administration

Nomination and confirmation

The New York Times reported in early December 2020 that Biden would nominate Becerra to be secretary of health and human services.^[66] His nomination to lead the Health and Human Services Department drew criticism from pro-life and conservative leaders led by Students for Life of America, citing his "absence of health care experience and his disregard for people of faith".^[67][68] Becerra's nomination was deadlocked by the Senate Finance Committee on March 10, 2021.^[69] One day later, on March 11, 2021, Becerra's nomination was discharged from the Finance Committee by the entire Senate, in a 51–48 vote.^[70] He was confirmed by the Senate in a 50–49 vote on March 18, 2021, with all but one Democrat present and one Republican, Susan Collins, voting in favor.^[71][72] 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.^[73]

Tenure

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.^[74]

Becerra has been credited for his efforts to preserve reproductive rights^[75] across the country,^[76] to expand Medicaid and CHIP postpartum coverage for more than half the states in the nation.^[77] 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.^[78][79]

2001 Los Angeles mayoral election

Becerra ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He finished with 6% of the primary vote.^[87]

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.^[88] While it was reported that he had already accepted,^[89] he announced on December 15 that he would not accept the position.^[90]

Becerra was on the shortlist of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for the vice presidential nomination in 2016.^[87][91] Senator Tim Kaine was eventually chosen.

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' senate seat, 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 Solis.^[92][93][94]

California State Assembly

U.S. House of Representatives

California Attorney General