Nanette Diaz Barragán was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2016, becoming the first Latina ever to represent California’s 44th Congressional district.
Born in Harbor City and growing up in its surrounding harbor communities, Nanette’s humble beginnings shaped her interest in issues that matter locally: environmental and health justice, immigration reform, strengthening the economy and affordable and accessible education.
As the youngest of eleven children raised by immigrant parents from Mexico, Nanette knows about the challenges that many low-income minority families face firsthand. Her father, a local tv repairman, instilled in her a strong work ethic and influenced her love for baseball (in particular, for the Los Angeles Dodgers). Her mother, who only completed the third grade, cleaned homes, cared for others and worked in factories to make ends meet. Nanette learned from her parents the values of hard work, and obtained her undergraduate degree from UCLA and her Juris Doctor from USC Gould School of Law.
As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I believe in ensuring that our country is equipped to meet our myriad national security challenges. I am working to secure our nation’s critical infrastructure, including our ports, and to address unique vulnerabilities.
Cyber threats and attacks are becoming increasingly common, sophisticated and damaging. We must make dramatic investments and improvements to our cyber defenses. I am focused on building an effective cybersecurity program across the federal government.