Rivas, Luz M.

Luz Maria Rivas is a Democrat representing California's 29th congressional district, having been elected in 2025. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from MIT, followed by a Master of Education degree from Harvard. Before entering Congress, she worked as an electrical engineer for Motorola and founded DIY Girls, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging school-age girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She also served six years in the California State Assembly representing the 43rd district, where she secured over $70 million in state funding for infrastructure, education, and healthcare projects.

Rivas serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, with assignments to the Energy and Mineral Resources, and Water, Wildlife and Fisheries subcommittees, as well as the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, where she focuses on Investigations and Oversight and Research and Technology. Her legislative priorities reflect her background in engineering and commitment to underrepresented communities, including bills addressing affordable housing, environmental justice, computer science education, and artificial intelligence policy.

In the 119th Congress, Rivas was elected by her Democratic peers to serve as Freshman Leadership Representative, a position in which she advocates for freshman members' priorities within House Democratic leadership. She is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Democratic Women's Caucus. As the first Latina to represent California's 29th district and the only Latina in Congress with a STEM background, she brings a distinctive perspective to technology and science policy discussions in the House.