Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.)

Why She Matters 

A Bay Area native, Lofgren has been an outspoken critic of the Justice Department generally, and how it handles immigration issues specifically. She represents large swaths of Silicon Valley and all of San Jose, and has become an expert on cybersecurity.

She's been a friend of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for more than 20 years, and her experience in Congress dates back to the Nixon era. One of the California Democrat's biggest disappointments came in June 2007 when comprehensive immigration reform died in the Senate.

Pelosi did Lofgren the dubious favor of appointing her chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee when Democrats retook the majority in 2009. The ethics committee has functioned poorly in the past, and suffered from intense partisan conflict. Its job is to probe the alleged misdeeds of other lawmakers, something that is very unpopular with their colleagues.

Path to Power

Lofgren’s first taste of Congress came in 1970 as a staff assistant in the office of Rep. Don Edwards (D-Calif). She worked in Edwards’ Washington office and later, his district office during, and for three years after, graduating cum laude from law school.

In that time, she helped investigate Richard Nixon, push unsuccessfully for an equal- rights amendment and helped create the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge in the South San Francisco Bay.Lofgren House Web site

She left the congressman’s office in the late 1970s to become an attorney and professor of immigration law at Santa Clara School of Law. In 1981, she was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, a job she held the job until her former boss, Rep. Edwards, retired after 16 terms.

Immigration

Lofgren's district has the largest Hispanic population in the Bay Area at 38 percent and the largest concentration of Vietnamese immigrants in the U.S.Alamanac of American Politics She advocates employing technology to secure the country's Southern border, expedite visa processing and "regularize" the status of immigrants living in "in the shadows."Official website. 

Immigration reform died in the Senate in 2007, but businesses in Silicon Valley pressed Lofgren and others to try and pass a few narrower reforms to make it easier to hire foreign skilled workers. Lofgren agreed to try, but said the Senate had "effectively kill[ed] immigration reform in the 110th Congress."Kiely, Kathy, USA Today, "Immigration Overhaul Crumbles in Senate Vote," June 29, 2007.

Lofgren voted against building a fence along the border with Mexico in September 2006. The proposal passed the House, 283 to 138, in the 109th Congress and was signed by President George W. Bush. By 2009, however, Lofgren began to praise the fence. “The number of unlawful entries is dropping tremendously," she said. “...Professionals believe it is strongly related to how difficult it now is to make an unlawful entry.Curtis, Bryan, Daily Beast, "The Great Fence of Texas," June 25, 2009.

Despite some hardline stands on monitoring the U.S.-Mexican border, Lofgren is generally known as a tough critic of a security-first immigration policy. "At this record rate of arrests, it would still take 2,943 years to deport the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants," she said.Fears, Darryl, Washington Post, "Immigration Is Snaring U.S. Citizens In Its Raids," August 16, 2008. Local district attorneys often gripe to Lofgren that they have been forced to handle major criminal cases because the Justice Department has invested too many resources in immigration prosecutions.Moore, Solomon, New York Times, "Push on Immigration Crimes is Said to Shift Focus," Jan. 11, 2009.

Despite GOP criticism, Lofgren has sought to improve medical care for immigrants detained by the Homeland Security Department. She has also sponsered a measure to shorten the delay in receiving and renewing visas.

Lofren has also clashed with Joe Arpaio, a Phoenix-area sheriff who rose to national prominence as "America's toughest sheriff" for his reputation in launching harsh immigration raids.Glaister, Dan, The Guardian, "'America's toughest sheriff' faces misconduct trial," Feb. 17, 2009. Arpaio was the target of five lawsuits alleging misconduct, racial profiling and segregation by plaintiffs represented by the ACLU. Lofgren was one of several House Members to deliver an anti-Arpaio petition to the Justice and Homeland Security departments. "I'm concerned that...Latino members of [the] community are considered 'undocumented' until proven otherwise," Lofgren said.Glaister, Dan, The Guardian, "'America's toughest sheriff' faces misconduct trial," Feb. 17, 2009.

The Obama administration has made immigration legislation a priority in 2010, and Lofgren is writing legislation with Sen. Charles E. Schumer to present to Congress. Banerjee, Devin, San Jose Mercury News, "Immigrants Tell Their Stories of Fighting Red Tape," Aug. 7, 2009.

Ethics

Lofgren's selection in January 2009 to chair the House Ethics Committee was praised by congressional watchdogs who have long decried the panel's futility.Kocieniewski, David, New York Times, "Ethics Panel Chief Vows High Standards," Jan. 21, 2009. She pledged to hold members to the highest possible standards, but was quickly vexed by an inherited investigation into Rep. Charles B. Rangel. In June 2009, Lofgren announced her committee would look into whether the congressman violated House gift rules. Bresnahan, John, Politico, "Ten Months in, New Twist in Rangel Ethics Inquiry," June, 25, 2009.

Lofgren's job could be complicated further by the ongoing federal probe into a lobbying firm, PMA Group, close to Rep. John Murtha. Lofgren returned $7,000 from the firm's PAC to avoid an appearance of a conflict of interest should the investigation come before her committee.Leonnig, Carol D., Washington Post, "Two Lawmakers To Return Questionable Donations," Feb. 18, 2009.

The Economy

Lofgren supported the fall 2008 financial rescue package and the February 2009 economic stimulus. "These bozos, they risked other people's money and they brought our economy to a very serious situation," she said. "This is a massive regulatory failure.'' Molina, Joshua, San Jose Mercury News, "Congress, administration reach bailout deal; vote could come today," Sept. 28, 2008.

Many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and small businesses were deeply hurt by the 2008 credit freeze. Lofgren wanted to see  legislation allowing homeowners in foreclosure the ability to renegotiate their mortgages. May, Patrick, San Jose Mercury News, "Bailout Worries Silicon Valley Residents, Businesspeople, Lawmakers," Sept. 25, 2009.

Silicon Valley

Lofgren is also a force for technology issues on the Hill. She's sponsored legislation to crackdown on robo-calls, or automated phone calls frequently with a financial or political purpose,Davies, Frank, San Jose Mercury News, "'Robocalls' Violate State Laws," May 1, 2008. and is also the go-to person when colleagues' BlackBerrys or computers break down on Capitol Hill.O'Connor, Patrick, Politico, "Leak Risks on the Hill: BlackBerrys," July 9, 2008. She's a leader on cybersecurity issues and works with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure appropriate agencies can thwart hackers.Bhambhani, Dipka, Electric Utility Week, "House Committee Gives 'Blunt' Assessment of Need for More Efforts on Cybersecurity," Oct. 22, 2007 In 2008, Lofgren introduced legislation to freeze state and local taxes on wireless technology.