Linda Sanchez

Linda Sánchez
Born	28 1, 1969
Birthplace	Orange, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	U.S. Representative
Known for	Representing California's 38th Congressional District; first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress (with Loretta Sanchez)
Education	University of California, Berkeley (B.A.) UCLA School of Law (J.D.)
Website	[[lindasanchez.house.gov lindasanchez.house.gov] Official site]

Linda Teresa Sánchez (born January 28, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the U.S. Representative for California's 38th congressional district since 2013, having previously represented California's 39th congressional district from 2003 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Sánchez has represented communities in southeastern Los Angeles County and northern Orange County for over two decades. She and her sister Loretta Sanchez made history as the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the United States Congress. Throughout her congressional career, Sánchez has been an advocate for working families, health care access, and Latino representation in government. In November 2025, following the passage of California's Proposition 50 and the subsequent redrawing of congressional district boundaries, Sánchez announced her candidacy for the newly drawn 41st Congressional District, seeking to continue her service in a reconfigured region of Southern California.

Early Life

Linda Teresa Sánchez was born on January 28, 1969, in Orange, California, to Mexican-American parents. She is one of seven children raised in a working-class household. Her parents, who were immigrants from Mexico, emphasized the importance of education and hard work. Her older sister, Loretta Sanchez, would also go on to pursue a career in politics, ultimately serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017 representing a neighboring California district. The Sánchez family's roots in the Latino community of Southern California would prove influential in shaping Linda's political identity and policy priorities.

Growing up in a large family in Orange County, Sánchez was exposed early to the challenges facing immigrant communities and working-class families. She attended public schools in the area and developed an interest in civic engagement and social justice issues during her formative years. The family's background — rooted in labor, community, and the immigrant experience — would later inform many of the legislative priorities Sánchez pursued during her career in Congress, including immigration reform, labor rights, and access to health care and education.

Education

Sánchez attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently enrolled at the UCLA School of Law, earning her Juris Doctor degree. Her legal education prepared her for a career in labor and civil rights law prior to entering politics. Before her election to Congress, Sánchez worked as a civil rights attorney and labor organizer, representing workers in employment disputes and advocating for fair labor practices. Her background as an attorney specializing in labor law gave her practical experience with the issues that would define much of her legislative agenda in Congress.

Career

Early Legal and Labor Career

Prior to entering electoral politics, Sánchez practiced law with a focus on labor relations and civil rights. She worked as an attorney representing workers in cases involving workplace discrimination, wage disputes, and labor organizing rights. She also served as an executive secretary-treasurer of the Orange County Central Labor Council, deepening her ties to organized labor and the broader progressive community in Southern California. Her career in labor law and union organizing provided her with a network of support and policy expertise that she would carry into her congressional campaigns.

Election to Congress

Sánchez was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, winning the seat in California's 39th congressional district. Her victory, combined with her sister Loretta's ongoing service representing a neighboring district, made the Sánchez sisters the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the United States Congress — a milestone that drew national media attention and highlighted the growing political influence of Latino Americans in Southern California. Sánchez won her initial race on a platform centered on supporting working families, expanding access to health care, and reforming immigration policy.

Upon taking office in January 2003, Sánchez quickly established herself as a vocal member of the Democratic caucus. She secured assignments on key committees and began building a legislative record focused on labor protections, education funding, and civil rights.

Congressional Tenure

Over the course of more than two decades in Congress, Sánchez has represented communities across southeastern Los Angeles County and portions of northern Orange County, including the cities of Whittier, Norwalk, Downey, La Mirada, Cerritos, and surrounding areas. Following redistricting after the 2010 Census, Sánchez began representing California's 38th congressional district starting in 2013.

Sánchez has served on several prominent House committees during her tenure. She has been a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, one of the most powerful committees in Congress, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, trade, Social Security, Medicare, and other revenue-related programs. Her position on Ways and Means has allowed her to influence major legislative debates on fiscal policy, health care financing, and economic competitiveness.

She has also been active on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where she has championed issues of importance to the Latino community, including comprehensive immigration reform, educational equity, and combating discrimination. Sánchez has repeatedly spoken out on behalf of immigrant families and has advocated for pathways to legal status for undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Health Care Advocacy

A consistent theme throughout Sánchez's congressional career has been her advocacy for expanded access to health care. She has been a supporter of the Affordable Care Act and has fought against efforts to repeal or weaken its provisions. In October 2025, Sánchez appeared on the Democrats' Daily Blueprint to discuss Republican efforts related to health care policy, emphasizing the importance of protecting health care access for all Americans and highlighting the particular impact on Latino communities. During that appearance, Sánchez argued for the preservation of programs benefiting working families and underscored the role of Latino elected officials in shaping national health care policy.

Immigration and Federal Accountability

Immigration policy has been another defining issue for Sánchez. In an October 2025 interview with the Orange County Register, Sánchez addressed questions about immigration and tariffs, calling for greater accountability from federal immigration authorities regarding their actions, including the detention of individuals. She expressed concern about the treatment of detained individuals and advocated for oversight mechanisms to ensure that immigration enforcement is conducted in a manner consistent with American values and legal protections. Sánchez's positions on immigration have reflected a consistent advocacy for comprehensive reform, a path to citizenship for undocumented residents, and protections for immigrant families against what she has described as overly aggressive enforcement measures.

Support for the Arts and Creative Industries

In addition to her work on fiscal, health care, and immigration policy, Sánchez has been recognized for her bipartisan efforts to support the arts and creative industries. In April 2025, she was named one of two honorees at the 2025 GRAMMYs on the Hill event, hosted by the Recording Academy. Sánchez was recognized alongside Representative Ron Estes, a Republican, for their bipartisan work on the RESALE Amendment Act, a piece of legislation aimed at protecting artists and creators in the music and entertainment industries. The recognition highlighted Sánchez's willingness to work across party lines on issues related to intellectual property, artists' rights, and the economic vitality of the creative sector.

2025 Redistricting and Re-Election Bid

Following the passage of California's Proposition 50 in November 2025, which altered the state's redistricting process, the boundaries of Sánchez's existing congressional district were significantly redrawn. The reconfiguration effectively divided the Southern California district she had been representing, creating new electoral geography that required Sánchez to decide which of the newly drawn districts to pursue.

On November 10, 2025, Sánchez announced that she would seek re-election in the newly drawn 41st Congressional District. The announcement was reported by multiple outlets across the region. The Downey Patriot reported that Sánchez, identified as a Democrat from Whittier, would be running for the new seat, which encompassed portions of the communities she had previously represented. The San Fernando Valley Sun similarly reported on Sánchez's announcement, noting the significance of the redistricting decision and its implications for the region's political landscape.

The Orange County Register provided additional context for the decision, noting that the passage of Proposition 50 had divided Sánchez's existing district, making her re-election decision more complex than in previous cycles. Sánchez opted to run in the new 41st District, which included communities in the Whittier and Downey areas with which she had longstanding political connections.

Personal Life

Linda Sánchez and her sister Loretta Sanchez are among the most prominent Mexican-American political figures in California. The two made national history as the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the United States Congress. Loretta represented a nearby congressional district in Orange County from 1997 until 2017, when she left the House to run for the U.S. Senate.

Sánchez has been open about her identity as a Latina woman in Congress and has spoken publicly about the importance of representation for Latino communities in the federal government. In her October 2025 appearance on the Democrats' Daily Blueprint, she discussed the significance of Latino representation in shaping policy debates, particularly in areas such as health care and immigration.

Sánchez resides in Whittier, California, and has maintained deep ties to the communities of southeastern Los Angeles County throughout her congressional career.

Recognition

Sánchez has received recognition from various organizations over the course of her career for her legislative work and advocacy. In April 2025, she was honored at the GRAMMYs on the Hill awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., alongside Republican Representative Ron Estes. The event, organized by the Recording Academy, recognized the pair for their bipartisan legislative efforts in support of artists' rights, specifically their work on the RESALE Amendment Act. The honor highlighted Sánchez's engagement with intellectual property and arts policy, an area that complements her broader legislative portfolio.

Her distinction as part of the first pair of sisters to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress has been a recurring point of recognition throughout her career, drawing attention to the increasing diversity of the legislative body and the growing political engagement of Latino families in American public life.

Sánchez has also been recognized by labor organizations and civil rights groups for her advocacy on behalf of workers' rights, immigration reform, and access to education and health care. Her background as a labor attorney and union organizer prior to entering Congress has informed her policy priorities and earned her support from organized labor throughout her electoral career.

Legacy

As of 2025, Linda Sánchez has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than two decades, making her one of the longest-serving Latina members of Congress. Her career has spanned a period of significant demographic and political change in Southern California, during which the Latino community has grown substantially in both population and political influence. Sánchez has been a part of this transformation, both reflecting and contributing to the increased representation of Latinos in the federal government.

Her partnership with her sister Loretta in Congress — the first such sibling pairing in American history — has been a notable chapter in the broader story of Latino political advancement. While Loretta left Congress in 2017, Linda has continued to serve, maintaining a presence on major committees and playing a role in national policy debates on health care, immigration, trade, and the arts.

Sánchez's decision in 2025 to seek re-election in a newly drawn congressional district, following the passage of Proposition 50, demonstrated her ongoing commitment to representing the communities of southeastern Los Angeles County despite the disruptions caused by redistricting. Her continued candidacy reflected both her personal connection to the region and the significance of sustained Latino representation in Congress.

Through her work on the Ways and Means Committee, her advocacy for immigration reform, her support for health care access, and her bipartisan efforts on behalf of the creative industries, Sánchez has built a legislative record that spans a broad range of domestic policy issues. Her career illustrates the intersection of identity, community, and public service in contemporary American politics.