Anna served as the Chief of Staff for Speaker pro tempore Leo McCarthy of the California State Assembly and was the first woman to Chair the San Mateo County Democratic Party. She was elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 1982 and served as its President in 1986.

As a San Mateo County Supervisor for ten years, Anna led the establishment of the Health Plan of San Mateo, took on the AIDS crisis, preserved thousands of acres of open space and fought for and protected its most vulnerable citizens. She was one of the few elected officials to publicly embrace the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, an LGBTQIA+ political organization founded in the early 1980’s. Anna has never been afraid to stand up for what is right.

Anna’s experience with state and local government, her deep understanding of issues faced by our schools, businesses and nonprofits, as well as her long-standing personal and professional ties in the region and in Washington, D.C. make her an extraordinarily effective partner for local and state elected officials and her constituents.

Anna was elected to Congress in 1992, in what has been dubbed “The Year of the Woman.”

She was the first Democrat and first woman in the history of the District to win her Silicon Valley Congressional District, then the 14th Congressional District (CD).

As a member of Congress, Anna has been a health care pioneer, a champion of new medical research and groundbreaking cures, a human rights and consumer advocate, a staunch proponent of clean energy innovation and the environment, and a defender of women’s reproductive rights.

Her constituents come first and she commutes home weekly to be with them.

Democratic Leader and Former Chair of the House Health Subcommittee.

Anna is the Democratic Leader of the House Health Subcommittee and served as the Chair of the Health Subcommittee in the 116th and 117th Congresses.

She was the first woman in the history of the Congress to Chair the Health Subcommittee. As Chair of this powerful committee, she oversaw the largest overhaul of Medicare since its inception, including reforms to lower prescription drug costs by enabling Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices and cap out-of-pocket costs on seniors’ prescription drugs. She worked to end the COVID-19 pandemic, eliminate racial and social inequities in health care delivery and has built on the success of the Affordable Care Act by adding 4 million enrollees to the plan.

Anna’s health care work is on the cutting-edge and has been and continues to be incredibly prescient, impactful and life-saving. To read more on her health care work, visit the Improving Our Health section of the Issues page.

The Senior Member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Anna is recognized as a national leader on technology policy. She was named one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley by the Mercury News and was honored to make Time Magazine’s Most Influential People in AI List in September, 2023.

Anna championed Net Neutrality and is the author of the successful electronic signature law that has streamlined digital transactions.

She has written what academic experts call the strongest and most comprehensive privacy legislation in Congress to safeguard personal information and hold companies accountable for violating individual privacy. She’s also a leader in combating the spread of disinformation and extremism on social media platforms that amplify hatred and incite violence.

Anna is the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus and a recognized leader of efforts to develop a legislative framework for regulating the nascent AI industry. To read more on her innovation economy and technology work, visit the Strengthening Our Economy section of the Issues page.

Consensus Builder and Proficient Legislator.

Anna is one of the most effective Democratic members of Congress, and is one of only two Democrats in the House to have had multiple bills pass the House this Congress. Nine of the bills she introduced in the last Congress became law in 2022.

Over the course of her time in Congress, she is proud to have authored over 60 bills and amendments that have been signed into law under 5 presidents. For a complete list, click here.

These laws reflect Anna’s drive to protect the most vulnerable Americans, foster innovation and economic growth, expand healthcare and address climate change. Her legislative efforts capitalize on her expertise in healthcare, telecommunications, technology and the environment, and her ability to build consensus by working across the aisle.

The following are some of Anna’s bills that have become law:

—Diverse and Equitable Participation in Clinical Trials (DEPICT) Act. For the first time ever, required reporting by drug makers on how they will recruit diverse participants in clinical trials. (Consolidated Appropriations Act. Biden 2022)

—Secure Equipment Act. Secures U.S. telecommunication networks by consolidating consumer protections with defense and trade restrictions to deny authorization of equipment manufactured by entities that are deemed a national security threat. (Secure Equipment Act of 2021. Biden 2021)

—Supporting Connectivity for High Education Students in Need Act. Establishes a new $245 million grant program to help low income students purchase broadband and internet-connected devices during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Consolidated Appropriations Act. Trump 2020)

—Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act. Permanently bans state and local taxation of Internet access and multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. (Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. Obama 2016)

—Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act of 2012. Requires the Director of the National Cancer Institute to develop a scientific framework for research on the most deadly cancers (cancer with a 5-year relative survival rate below 50%). (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. Obama 2013)

—Get the Lead Out Act. Protects families and children from lead exposure by tightening lead content standards for faucets and fixtures. (Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act. Obama 2011)

—CALM Act. To prevent loud TV commercials, the volume must be consistent with the volume of surrounding programming. (CALM Act. Obama 2010)

—Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. Bans discrimination on the basis of genetic information. (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. Bush 2008)

—Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Act. Established the first and only law to prevent and study causes of preterm birth. (PREEMIE Act. Bush 2006)

—Millennium Digital Commerce Act. Established the first internationally recognized electronic signature for interstate or foreign commerce. (Electronic Signatures in Global National Commerce Act. Clinton 2000)

—Reconstructive Breast Surgery Benefits Act of 1997. Requires insurance companies to cover the cost of reconstructive breast surgery following a covered mastectomy, redefining reconstruction as a necessary surgery and not cosmetic elective surgery. (Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999. Clinton 1998)

For a complete list, please click here.

The following are some of Anna’s awards:

—The Statesmanship Award from the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress for her bipartisan legislative record 

—Congressional Champion of Hope Award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network 

—National Venture Capital Association Startup Champion Award

– American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Congressional Champion Award

—The Science Coalition’s Champion of Science Award

—San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame inductee

—The Spirit of Innovation Award from the Telecommunications Industry Association 

—The Norman Y. Mineta Lifetime Achievement Award from the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club 

—The Lifetime Achievement Honoree and Spirit of Silicon Valley Award from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and 

—The Cities' Champion Award from the Cities Association of Santa Clara County.

Over the course of her legislative career, Anna has been repeatedly endorsed, rated A+ or 100% or a “Candidate of Distinction” by a wide range of organizations, including the Sierra Club; Peninsula Young Democrats; Planned Parenthood Action Fund; San Mateo County API Democrats; the Stonewall Democrats; the Conservation League of California; the Human Rights Campaign; the Alliance for Retired Americans; Mom’s Demand Action; and End Citizens United Action Fund. 

For a list of current endorsements, please click here.

Like many of her constituents, Anna is a proud first generation American.

Her father, an Assyrian Christian, fled with his mother to escape a campaign of genocide waged by the Ottoman Empire against Christians during the first World War. Her mother, an Armenian Christian, fled the same violence and persecution.

Both came to America as children and worked hard to achieve their own American dream. Her father was a successful small business owner and local Chamber of Commerce member. Like so many immigrants, her parents devoted themselves to raising their family and giving back to their community in gratitude for all that was given to them.

Anna’s family experience has had a tremendous impact on her social justice, human rights and immigration policy work and it guides her efforts to protect the vulnerable and underrepresented and level the playing field - whether they’re consumers, patients, children, seniors or racial minorities.

Anna is a graduate of Cañada College and the CORO Foundation and was awarded an Honorary Degree by Menlo College. She is the mother of Karen and Paul, and a devoted grandmother, aunt and godmother.