Barbara Jean Lee was born July 16, 1946 in El Paso, Texas. A Democrat representing Oakland, she earned her BA from Mills College, and her MS in Social Welfare from University of California, Berkeley. She was elected to the Assembly and later, in a special election, to the Senate. Barbara Lee’s legislative agenda focused on African American economic and social status, and safety of women and children. During her Assembly tenure, Barbara Lee was a member of the Committees of Correspondence in Berkeley. She was elected to the 9th and 13th U.S. Congressional Districts, and has represented her East Bay area constituents for more than 15 years.