Long-serving California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard to retire
Long-serving California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard — the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress — will not seek re-election in her Los Angeles-area district
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Long-serving California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress announced Monday she will not seek re-election in her Los Angeles-area district.
The decision by the 80-year-old Democratic congresswoman comes as her district appeared headed for elimination, as part of California's once-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts to account for population shifts. California is losing a congressional seat for the first time because other states are growing faster, dropping to 52 seats from 53 seats, though it will remain the largest House delegation by far.
Shifting district boundary lines appear to have played a role in other House departures. Among them: Republican Rep. Devin Nunes who was one of former President Donald Trump’s most ardent loyalists in Congress, is leaving the House at the end of this year to join Trump’s fledgling media company, and Democratic Rep. Alan Lowenthal, who represents a district anchored in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles announced he would retire at the end of his term.
In other prominent departures, Democratic Rep. Karen Bass is running for mayor of Los Angeles and will not seek re-election, and Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier has said she will retire after the end of her term; she represents a San Francisco Bay Area district.
Roybal-Allard was first elected in 1992. She is the daughter of the late Rep. Edward Roybal, who spent three decades in Congress and died in 2005. When her father was elected to the House in 1962, Roybal was the first Hispanic from California to serve in Congress since 1879.
In Congress, Roybal-Allard was known for her work on immigration issues, and was one of the original co-authors of legislation to give legal status to people who entered the U.S. illegally as children.
After 30 years in the House "the time has come for me to spend more time with my family," she said in a statement.
Redrawn congressional district maps show Roybal-Allard losing key areas in her district, with parts of it merging into the district now held by Lowenthal.
The state commission redrawing the lines faces a Dec. 27 deadline to finalize its maps.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.