Zoe Lofgren has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995. She represents the 19th District of California, based in the “Capital of Silicon Valley,” San Jose, and the Santa Clara Valley.
A lifelong Bay Area resident and the daughter of a truck driver and a cafeteria cook, Zoe attended public schools and attended Stanford University on a California State Scholarship, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1970. Prior to attending Stanford, Lofgren worked the night shift at the Eastman Kodak plant in Palo Alto to save money for non-tuition college expenses not covered by her scholarship. After graduating from Stanford, she attended, with the help of a scholarship, Santa Clara University School of Law, graduating cum laude in 1975.
From an early age when Zoe spent time with her family outdoors in California's many parks and natural places, she developed the belief that we all have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment. Throughout her public service, Zoe has worked to protect the environment and strived to ensure we have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.
Zoe has also long believed that protecting the environment and growing the economy are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, Zoe believes American "know how" and innovation will lead the way in addressing the challenges we face from climate change. With this in mind, the efforts of Silicon Valley innovators and engineers will continue to play a key role in pioneering the new technologies that will help protect our environment.
To that end, Zoe is committed to working with her colleagues in Congress to find solutions ensuring a clean and healthy environment capable of nurturing and supporting our families and future generations.