Current Role:
Member, United States House of Representatives, California's 6th congressional district (2013–present)
Previous roles:
Chief Medical Officer, County of Sacramento
Associate Dean for Admissions, UC Davis School of Medicine
Clinical Professor, UC Davis School of Medicine (2005–2012)
Medical Director, Mercy Healthcare Sacramento (1997–1999)
Education:
B.S. in Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine
M.D., University of California, Irvine, 1991
Background:
Born 1965, Los Angeles, California
Raised in La Palma, Orange County
Son of Indian immigrants from Rajkot, Gujarat
Married to Janine Bera; one daughter
Career:
Physician and public health official
Chief Medical Officer for Sacramento County
Leadership roles in community organizations, including the American Red Cross and California State Board of Education
Political positions:
Democratic Party
Focus on healthcare access, public health, diplomacy, global engagement, and bipartisan cooperation
Advocate for civility and depolarization in politics
Legislative achievements:
Cosponsor of over 100 legislative items that became law, including bipartisan measures
Major legislation includes Nutria Eradication and Control Act reauthorization and federal funding for stillbirth prevention
Senior member of House Foreign Affairs and Science, Space, and Technology Committees
Controversies:
Returned a donation from a CAIR official after criticism (2010)
Father convicted of campaign finance violations (2016)
Faced criticism from some in the Sikh-American community regarding responses to 1984 anti-Sikh riots
Targeted in competitive and high-profile elections
Ami Bera, born in Los Angeles in 1965 to Indian immigrant parents, has represented California’s 6th congressional district since 2013. A physician by training, Bera previously served as Sacramento County’s chief medical officer and as a professor at UC Davis. Known for his bipartisan approach, he is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and advocates for healthcare access and global engagement. Bera has sponsored significant public health and environmental legislation. Despite controversies, including family campaign finance violations, he remains the longest-serving Indian American in Congress and a leading figure in U.S. healthcare and foreign policy.
