A Project of
the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls,
the Women's Museum of California,
SDSU Women's Studies Department, and UCSD Women's Center.
Congresswoman Susan Davis
2020
Trailblazer
Susan Davis was born Susan Carol Alpert in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is a descendant of grandparents who were Jewish immigrants from Russia. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After returning to California, she became a social worker in San Diego and has spent most of her life here since.
Susan became active in politics through her membership in the local branch of the League of Women Voters, of which she became president in 1977. She was elected to the San Diego School Board in 1983 and served until 1992, including two years as president.
She was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994 and was reelected in 1996 and 1998. In the Assembly, Davis chaired the Committee on Consumer Protection, Government Efficiency, and Economic Development. Always an advocate for women, she authored a state law giving women direct access to their OB/Gyn doctors without requiring a referral from their primary care physicians. She also introduced laws to reward high-achieving teachers and to establish after-school programs at public schools.
In 2000, Davis challenged three-term Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray in what was then the 49th Congressional District, winning with 50 percent of the vote. She is the first Democrat to represent what is now the 53rd district for more than one term in over half a century. (The district was renumbered after the 2000 Census redistricting.)
In Congress, Susan has approached legislating as a bipartisan consensus builder focusing on education, election reform, military family and veterans support, women’s empowerment, civil rights, and health care. She is Chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment of the House Education and Labor Committee and is also a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on House Administration.
Susan prides herself on serving as a resource for her constituents, ensuring that constituent service is a top priority in her office. As a result, Susan received the highly competitive Congressional Management Foundation “Best in Congress” award for both her constituent service and creating a positive work environment in her congressional office.