Rep. Grace Napolitano, a veteran Democrat from Norwalk, to retire from Congress

Rep. Grace Napolitano, a veteran California lawmaker and the oldest member of the U.S. House of Representatives, announced that she would not seek another term in Congress during an event Saturday in her district to honor her career.

The 86-year-old Norwalk Democrat has been a fixture in state, local and national politics for nearly four decades. She announced her retirement plans Saturday morning at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Grace F. Napolitano Nature Education Center in La Puente.

“I am incredibly grateful for the people of the San Gabriel Valley and the people of Southeastern Los Angeles County for the trust they have bestowed in me to represent them for a quarter century,” Napolitano said in a statement. “I have lived in this community since I moved to Norwalk, California in 1960. I have seen our region grow with ingenuity that has built some of America’s greatest businesses, and the desire for residents to live in a kind, picturesque, and family-friendly community that has made millions of people move here, build homes, and have their own piece of the American dream.”

Democrats had been speculating about Napolitano’s plans for some time because of her age and lackluster fundraising for the 2024 election. She reported raising less than $21,000 during the first three months of this year, according to the Federal Election Commission. Her retirement is expected to unleash an intense intra-party battle to represent her San Gabriel Valley congressional seat.

Napolitano, a Texas native, was elected to the Norwalk City Council in 1986, the state Assembly in 1992 and Congress in 1998. She worked at Ford Motor Co. for more than two decades. Trade, immigration, transportation and the environment are among the issues she focused on while in office.

She represents the Latino-majority 31st Congressional District, which is contained in Los Angeles County and includes Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina, Duarte, Irwindale, La Verne and San Dimas as well as parts of Glendora, Industry and Monrovia.

Democrats had a 27-percentage-point lead over Republicans in the district’s voter registration as of Feb. 10, according to the California secretary of state’s office. Democrats accounted for 48.6% of the district’s voters, while those who expressed no political preference made up 23.3%. Nearly 21.5% identified as members of the GOP.

The district’s partisan tilt is among the reasons Democrats predicted it would be a blockbuster race once Napolitano decided to retire. It’s a rare open seat that offers ambitious legislative and local elected officials a higher perch — even though it won’t affect control of a narrowly divided Congress.

“These seats don’t come up and open that often so you would expect a pretty big field given the opportunity and no term limits in Congress,” said Dan Rottenstreich, a San Diego-based Democratic consultant.

With the 2024 primary less than a year away, he said, candidates with established bases of political support and proven fundraising ability will have a big advantage. Both will be essential to win in the Los Angeles area, one of the most expensive media markets in the nation.

Three Democrats have already opened campaign accounts to run: state Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera), Citrus Community College Trustee Mary Ann Lutz and Baldwin Park Planning Commissioner Ricardo Vazques, according to the Federal Election Commission.

After she announced her retirement, Napolitano endorsed Archuleta, who was at the Saturday event.

“Her dedicated service to the community over the years has been priceless,” Archuleta told The Times in a Friday interview. “What a remarkable legacy. And I’ve received encouragement from her to go ahead and run.”

A former Pico Rivera mayor and more moderate member of the Legislature’s Democratic caucus, Archuleta is the most well-known among the three candidates who’ve already filed to replace Napolitano. Archuleta is an Army combat veteran and former paratrooper, according to his official legislative biography, and has spent much of his time in the statehouse focusing on military and veterans issues, as well as promoting hydrogen energy technology.

Archuleta was elected in 2018 to replace a state lawmaker who resigned amid allegations of inappropriate behavior during the #MeToo movement in the Legislature. In 2021, Archuleta faced scandal after a former staffer filed a lawsuit, which has not been resolved, claiming sexual harassment and retaliation. Archuleta has denied the accusations.

State Sen. Susan Rubio of Baldwin Park, another moderate Democrat and a former public school teacher, announced Friday that she would also run for the seat.

“My decision to run for Congress is fueled by an urgency to confront pressing challenges and safeguard our shared values,” she said in a statement, adding that she would prioritize fighting against gun violence, climate change, attacks on the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community, book banning and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Rubio said she would also focus on strengthening public schools, building affordable housing, reducing the cost of living, creating jobs and expanding access to healthcare.

“With too many working families being left behind, we need a government that works for everyone, that is why I will push for social, emotional, and economic equity for all of our communities,” Rubio said. “America is the most powerful nation in modern history and that power can be misused. Our might should be used to build bridges to a brighter future for every child, no matter who they are or where they come from.”

Rubio spent more than a decade in local politics before she was elected to the Legislature in 2018. During her time in Sacramento, Rubio has written a number of affordable housing and education bills, including an unsuccessful proposal last year to make kindergarten mandatory in California.

But the bulk of Rubio’s legislative accomplishments include strengthening protections for domestic violence survivors, efforts that stem from her own accusations of abuse while she was a Baldwin Park City Council member against her then-husband Roger Hernandez, a former Assembly member.

Lutz said she would bring experienced leadership representing the district as its congresswoman.

“I know how to lead through difficult times and produce positive results. And that’s exactly what I’ll do for the constituents of this district as their next Congresswoman,” Lutz said in a statement last month announcing her run.

Vazques said he decided to run because he’s had personal experience with poverty, homelessness, the foster care system and other struggles many in the district face.

“I understand the many challenges that are in the communities this district is facing,” he said.

Gil Cisneros, a former congressman who is the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the Biden administration, also has been receiving calls urging him to run for the seat, according to an advisor close to him.