Becerra, Xavier << beh SEH ruh, HAH vee air >> (1958 – …) became United States secretary of health and human services in 2021. Becerra, a Democrat , had earlier served as the attorney general of California . An attorney general is a state’s chief law officer. Becerra also represented a district in Los Angeles in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017.
Becerra was born on Jan. 26, 1958, in Sacramento , California. His California-born father and Mexican-born mother had married in Mexico prior to settling in Sacramento. Becerra attended Stanford University , receiving a bachelor of arts degree in economics in 1980 and a law degree in 1984. He then worked for a legal office that provided services for people with mental illness. In 1986, Becerra joined the staff of California state Senator Art Torres. From 1987 to 1990, Becerra served as a deputy attorney general in the state attorney general’s office. In 1990, Becerra won election to a two-year term in the state Assembly.
Becerra was elected to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. He was reelected every two years through 2016. As a congressman, Becerra focused on such issues as health care, poverty, technology, trade, and social programs for the elderly. He became a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and served on the House Ways and Means Committee, which deals with tax bills. In 2013, Becerra became the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House when he was named chairman of the Democratic Caucus.
In December 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown nominated Becerra to fill the attorney general position to be vacated by Kamala Harris, who was elected to the U.S. Senate. Becerra stepped down from his House seat after California’s Legislature confirmed his appointment as attorney general in January 2017. In November 2018, Becerra was elected to a full four-year term as the state’s attorney general. In 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed Becerra as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the Cabinet of President Joe Biden .
