Congresswoman Diane Watson
33rd Congressional District of California
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2001
Congresswoman Watson was elected to the California State Senate in 1978, where she was chosen to chair, from 1981 to 1998, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. She also served on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
During her tenure in the California State Senate, Congresswoman Watson became a statewide and national advocate for health care, consumer protection, women, and children. In 1993, she authored the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program Act, which led to pioneering research into the causes of birth defects, and the Residential Care Facilities Act, to ensure that senior citizens receive quality care in nursing and assisted living homes. In 1997, she introduced legislation to toughen food health safety requirements for restaurants. She also played a key role in the enactment of legislation to promote breast cancer research.
In 1999, President Clinton appointed Congresswoman Watson to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. Watson served in this capacity until 2001 when she returned to California to run for Congress in a special election held on June 5, 2001, after the death of Congressman Julian Dixon. She was reelected on November 5, 2002 to a full two-year term and again on November 9, 2004. Congresswoman Watson represents the 33rd Congressional District serving Culver City and portions of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated portions of Los Angeles County.
Congresswoman Watson currently serves on the House International Relations Committee, the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights & International Operations; the House Government Reform Committee, the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, and serves as the Ranking Minority Member of the Subcommittee on Energy & Resources. Representative Watson chairs the Congressional Industries Entertainment Caucus.
Congresswoman Watson also serves as Democratic Regional Whip for Southern California.