Politician
U.S. Representative from California
Free account · your comment posts right after signup
Julia Andrews Brownley is an American businesswoman and politician who has been the United States representative for California's 26th congressional district since 2013. A Democrat, she served in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012. Before her political career, she worked in marketing and sales.
Related
Julia Andrews Brownley (born August 28, 1952) is an American businesswoman and politician who has been the United States representative for California's 26th congressional district since 2013. A Democrat, she served in the California State Assembly from 2006 to 2012. Before her political career, she worked in marketing and sales.
Brownley grew up in Virginia, and attended Fairfax Hall, a girls' boarding school in Waynesboro, for four years. Brownley received a bachelor's degree in political science from Mount Vernon College for Women of George Washington University in 1975 and a master's degree in business administration from American University in 1979.
Brownley served on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education from 1994 to 2006. During her time on the school board, she served three terms as president.
In 2006, Brownley ran for the California State Assembly in California's 41st Assembly district which included Santa Monica. She won a five-way Democratic primary with 35% of the vote and the general election with 62% of the vote. In 2008, she was reelected with 66% of the vote. In 2010, she was reelected to a third term with 59% of the vote. Brownley was term-limited in 2012, having served the maximum of three terms in the Assembly permitted under California law.
She was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters.
In 2010, Brownley authored a bill that would have banned all plastic shopping bags. It did not pass.
Brownley served on the following California State Assembly committees:
Aging and Long-Term Care Committee
Education Committee (chair)
Higher Education Committee
Judiciary Committee
Legislative Budget Committee
Natural Resources Joint Legislative Budget Committee
Select Committee on Community Colleges
In February 2012, Brownley announced her candidacy for California's 26th congressional district. The district had previously been the 24th district, represented by 13-term Republican Elton Gallegly. In the general election, Brownley defeated Republican state senator Tony Strickland, 53%–47%. She was endorsed by Emily's List and Planned Parenthood.
Brownley was narrowly reelected over Republican state assemblyman Jeff Gorell in the general election. She is a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program, which is designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents. After Republican candidates garnered over 50% of the vote in the June blanket primary, the Cook Political Report changed the rating of the race from "Leans Democratic" to "Toss-up". The race did become close, making for closer scrutiny of the results. Initial results showed Brownley winning 51% to 49%, with about 4,000 votes separating the candidates.
On January 8, 2026, Brownley announced she would not seek reelection and would retire from the House of Representatives in 2027. She did not cite a reason for her retirement, but said "Serving our community and our country has been the honor of my lifetime. Every step of this journey has been shaped by the people I represent, by their resilience, their determination, and their belief that government can and should work for the common good," in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.
Brownley supports the DREAM Act, the Affordable Care Act, and same-sex marriage. She has advocated increased insurance company regulation, job training funds, toxic cleanup, and increased public education funding. Since her election to Congress, Brownley has voted with the Democratic Party 93% of the time. On November 19, 2015, she voted for HR 4038, American SAFE Act of 2015, legislation that would effectively halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the United States.
For the 119th Congress:
Committee on Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Subcommittee on Aviation
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Subcommittee on Health (Ranking Member)
Black Maternal Health Caucus
Blue Collar Caucus
California Public Higher Education Caucus
Compost Caucus (Co-Chair and Co-Founder)
Congressional Arts Caucus
Congressional California Coastal Caucus (Co-Chair)
Congressional Caucus on Global Migration
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans
Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic
Congressional Coalition on Adoption
Congressional Community Health Centers Caucus
Congressional Dyslexia Caucus (Co-Chair)
Congressional Equality Caucus
Congressional Food Safety Caucus
Congressional Freethought Caucus
Congressional Solar Caucus
Congressional Ukraine Caucus
House Baltic Caucus
New Democrat Coalition
Rare Disease Caucus
Reproductive Freedom Caucus
VA, Servicemembers, & Veterans Task Force Chair
Brownley strongly opposed the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling the decision "unprecedented, deeply disappointing, and ideologically driven".
Brownley supports federal funding for alternative proteins, including plant-based and cultivated meat. In 2021, Brownley and Representative Jim McGovern led a letter by 46 members of Congress requesting $200 million for alternative proteins research in an upcoming budget reconciliation package. In 2023, Brownley authored the Producing Real Opportunities for Technology and Entrepreneurs Investing in Nutrition (PROTEIN) Act, which would have established alternative protein job training programs and research centers at universities and the Department of Agriculture.
In March 2024, Brownley joined a letter to President Biden encouraging the administration to follow through with a proposal to increase plant-based food offerings across federal facilities. In August 2024, she led a letter alongside Representative Adam Schiff urging the Federal Bureau of Prisons to increase plant-based meal options for federal prisoners.
Brownley voted to provide Israel with support following the October 7 attacks. Brownley has stated her support for Israel and Israeli sovereignty, as well as her belief in Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. In 2026, Brownley voted in favor of an amendment to halt certain U.S. funds appropriated for Israeli military operations, citing a need for a "course correction" regarding the state of affairs within the Middle East region. Brownley found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's course of action to have "deeply undermined" the right to dignity and self-determination of the Palestinian people, as well as lacking in efforts towards the advancement of regional peace and security, having rather "recklessly escalated tensions" that "left both Israelis and Palestinians less safe."
Brownley is divorced and has two children. She is an Episcopalian.
Studio characters