John Garamendi

Democrat Representative of California's 8th district

Representative
California, district 10
November 3, 2009 - January 3, 2011
Representative
California, district 10
January 5, 2011 - January 3, 2013
Representative
California, district 3
January 3, 2013 - January 3, 2015
Representative
California, district 3
January 6, 2015 - January 3, 2017
Representative
California, district 3
January 3, 2017 - January 3, 2019
Representative
California, district 3
January 3, 2019 - January 3, 2021
Representative
California, district 3
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2023
Representative
California, district 8
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025

202-225-1880

@RepGaramendi

garamendi.house.gov

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Congresses Served

House Terms

January 24, 1945 (79 years old)

Birthday

American businessman and politician with a long career in public service
Served as California Insurance Commissioner twice (1991-1995, 2003-2007)
Held the position of U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998
Became the 46th Lieutenant Governor of California (2007-2009)
Has been a U.S. Representative since 2009, representing areas of Northern California
Born in Florida and raised in California, with Basque immigrants and Irish-Italian ancestry
Holds a B.A. in business from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School
Served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia (1966-1968)
Elected to the California State Assembly in 1974 and the California State Senate in 1976, serving until 1990
Ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nominations for governor of California in 1982 and California State Controller in 1986
Ran for governor in 1994 but lost in the Democratic primary
Briefly ran for governor again in the 2003 recall before dropping out
Planned to run for governor in 2010 but instead ran for Congress
Involved in a scandal as Insurance Commissioner when he seized and sold a failing insurance company to French investors, leading to significant policyholder losses
Voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress
Supports abortion access and opposed the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade
Critical of President Donald Trump, suggesting conflicts of interest and expressing concern over Trump’s military and international affairs appointments
Co-sponsored the Green New Deal and introduced a bill to strengthen the Jones Act for offshore energy projects
Became a cosponsor of the Medicare for All Act of 2021
Described the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 as a “tax scam”
Expressed the need for comprehensive immigration reform and enforcement of E-Verify
Called for privacy laws covering social media following Mark Zuckerberg’s Senate testimony
Opposed the construction of a missile defense site on the East Coast and voted against extending the Patriot Act
Advocated for ending the war in Afghanistan and opposed building a border wall
Co-introduced legislation for student loan refinancing and recalculating
Opposed military strikes on Syria and criticized Trump’s strategy in the region
Rejected the California WaterFix proposal, supporting alternative water supply solutions
Holds several committee assignments in the 118th Congress and is a member of multiple caucuses
Married to Patricia Wilkinson with six children and 13 grandchildren, residing in Walnut Grove, California