He is the first Latino to hold this position in history. He worked as a lawyer at the Legal Assistance Corporation of central Massachusetts, before returning to California in 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 to before he was elected to the California State Assembly , where he served one term from to Becerra was first elected to the House of Representatives in He represented California's 30th congressional district from to , California's 31st congressional district from to , and California's 34th congressional district from to He was elected Chairman of the U.
House Democratic Caucus from to His father was born in the U. McClatchy High School , located in the center of Sacramento. Becerra began his career as a attorney, working on cases involving individuals who had mental disorders for the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts [ 13 ] now Community Legal Aid. 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.
In , 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. His district was renumbered as the 31st district after the census. After redistricting, ahead of the elections , most of Becerra's old district became the 34th district.
He defeated Republican Stephen Smith Becerra was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus , of which he served as chairman during the th Congress. Becerra voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 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 th Congress. Becerra successfully ran for a second term as Vice-Chair in to serve during the th Congress.
