Top job: U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services Biggest splash: As California attorney general, sued the Trump administration roughly 120 times. Particulars: Becerra, 67, lives in Sacramento with his wife, Dr. Carolina Reyes, and they have three adult daughters. Born in Sacramento, he is the son of Mexican immigrants: His mother was a clerical worker and his father picked vegetables, worked in construction and had other jobs. He is a Democrat. Campaign launch: April 2025
After working for Legal Aid in Massachusetts, Becerra came back to Sacramento to work for state Sen. Art Torres. After serving in the California Assembly for a two-year term, Becerra was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992, where he served until 2017 and rose to become the highest-ranking Latino at the time. While in Congress, Becerra voted against the Iraq war and against the Defense of Marriage Act, which sought to limit marriage to a union between a man and a woman.
After then-state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate, Gov. Jerry Brown nominated Becerra to succeed her as California’s top law enforcement official. Despite his lengthy career in national politics, Becerra quickly became known as the top legal antagonist of the Trump administration. As the state’s attorney general, Becerra filed roughly 120 lawsuits against the federal government over issues including immigration, healthcare, the environment and civil rights.
After his election in 2020, President Biden nominated Becerra to become the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services and he took office during one of the worst health crises in a century, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Becerra has said that among the administration’s top accomplishments was getting 700 million COVID vaccination shots into the arms of Americans, and he touted the administration’s efforts to expand access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. Becerra also faced criticism as secretary over his handling of issues including the mpox outbreak.
A recent scandal in Sacramento involved Becerra’s former chief deputy in the California attorney general’s office and ex-chief of staff, Sean McCluskie, who, along with two high-profile Democratic political strategists, was indicted on allegations of conspiring to bill Becerra’s dormant campaign account for bogus consulting services. Becerra is not accused of wrongdoing in the case.
