The Honorable
Grace F. Napolitano
38th Congressional District of California
Born and raised in the border community of Brownsville, Texas, Graciela Flores Napolitano moved to California with her husband after high school. A working mother of five, Napolitano made her way up through the ranks of Ford Motor Company. After retirement, she focused full-time on civic pursuits in her adopted hometown of Norwalk where she has resided for more than 47 years.
Napolitano began her political career as a member of the Norwalk City Council, winning her first election in 1986 by a mere 28 votes. Four years later she won re-election by the highest margin of votes recorded in city history and was selected city mayor by her peers.
Following her 1992 election to the California Assembly, Napolitano emerged as a recognized leader on international trade, environmental protection, transportation and immigration. She quickly earned a reputation as a hard worker and champion for small business, women, economic expansion and job creation.
In Congress
First elected to Congress in 1998, Grace Flores Napolitano is currently serving her fifth term. Her Los Angeles County-based district covers several cities and communities in the San Gabriel Valley and Southeast Los Angeles County areas.
The Congresswoman has been a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources since the 106th Congress and was appointed as the most senior new member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure at the start of the 110th Congress. She now presides as Chair of the Natural Resources subcommittee on Water and Power, yielding her a strong voice on water conservation, water recycling, desalination, and sound groundwater management and storage, helping to address Southern California's need for adequate water quality and supply. As a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure committee, she sits on the subcommittees of Highways and Transit, Railroads, Pipelines & Hazardous Materials, and Water Resources and Environment.
Napolitano joins Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Mental Health Caucus, where she has taken a leading role in suicide prevention among Latina adolescents after learning that nearly one out of three has seriously contemplated suicide - the highest rate for any ethnic or racial group in the country. She also previously served as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during the 109th Congress, which continues to address national education, immigration, health, and civil rights issues, and the impact these policies have on the Hispanic community.