Bay Area Board of Advisors

Zoe Lofgren
U.S. House of Representatives

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren represents California's 16th District, wholly within Santa Clara County. The district, which extends from Milpitas in the North and Gilroy in the South, encompasses much of the City of San Jose, the Capitol of Silicon Valley.

The daughter of a truck driver and a secretary, Lofgren attended public schools in Santa Clara County before attending Stanford University on a scholarship. She served on the staff of her predecessor, Don Edwards, during the 1970's, working on such issues as impeachment, the Equal Rights Amendment and the creation of the National Wildlife Refuge in South San Francisco Bay. She attended law school at the University of Santa Clara, graduating cum laude in 1975. Admitted to practice in California in 1975, she was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1995 and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1996.

Lofgren became the first Executive Director of Community Housing Developers in San Jose, a non-profit organization building affordable housing for families and seniors. She was a partner in the firm of Webber & Lofgren and taught law on a part-time basis at the University of Santa Clara School of Law.

In 1979, Lofgren was elected to the Board of Trustees of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District Board. She was subsequently elected to the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County where she served from 1981 until becoming a Member of Congress in 1995. While serving on the Board of Supervisors, Lofgren led the effort to raise funds for local transportation efforts and chaired for many years the County Traffic Authority, which constructed three major highways ahead of schedule and under budget. She was Chair of California's Urban County Caucus, was recognized as a leader in criminal justice reform in her county and led efforts to preserve the health and human services safety net programs in that county.

As the only newly elected Democrat west of the Rockies in the 1994 election, Lofgren found herself unexpectedly in the minority in the House. Using problem solving skills, she worked on a bipartisan basis to help secure a provision in the 1996 Telecommunications Bill to guarantee affordable Internet access for the nation's schools. She was also recognized for her work on Megan's law — the tough new child abuse legislation — and for her work on securities litigation reform. A leader on complex technology issues in the House such as encryption and patent reform, Lofgren has personally introduced many of her colleagues to computers and to the Internet.

Congressional Quarterly called Congresswoman Lofgren one of "the most effective Members of her class." The National Association of Counties named her "Legislator of the Year" in January of 1997.

Married to John Marshall Collins in 1978, Lofgren is mother to two school-aged children. In 1994, as a first-time candidate for Congress, Lofgren gained national attention when she attempted to list both of her jobs — county supervisor and mother — on the ballot.

Lofgren serves on the House Judiciary Committee and its subcommittees on Courts and Intellectual Property as well as Immigration and Claims. She also serves on the House Science Committee, its subcommittees on Space and Aeronautics, and on the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.