California's 12th congressional district is a

congressional district Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

in northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Lateefah Simon, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2025. The district was represented previously by longtime congresswoman

Barbara Lee Barbara Jean Lee (; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd mayor of Oakland since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Lee previously served as a United States House of Repr ...

. Currently, the 12th district is located in

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. A ...

and includes the cities of

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, Berkeley, Emeryville, Alameda, Albany,

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, and most of San Leandro. With a Cook Partisan Voter Index rating of D+39, the 12th district is the most Democratic district in California, giving nearly 90% of its vote to Democrats in both the

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and 2020 presidential elections. Before redistricting in 2023, the 12th district was within

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, encompassing most of the city. The remainder of the city was included in the 14th district.

History

When the district was created after the 1930 census, it was located in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

. As California's population grew, however, the district generally was moved northward, eventually to the San Francisco peninsula.

California Constitution The Constitution of California () is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of California, describing the duties, powers, structures and functions of the government of California. California's constitution was drafted in both English ...

, Article 21, Section 1(c) (congressional districts), Section 2(f) (state government districts).

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, who would subsequently serve as the 37th

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, represented this district from 1947 to 1951, when it was located to the east of Los Angeles.

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...

, the former

speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

, represented the district from 2013 to 2023, when it covered most of San Francisco. She had previously served

California's 5th congressional district California's 5th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, U.S. congressional district in California. The district is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley and central Sierra Nevada. The district includes ...

from 1987 to 1993 and California's 8th congressional district from 1993 to 2013 and currently represents

California's 11th congressional district California's 11th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California represented by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Before redistricting, the 11th district consisted of most of Contra Costa County, Ca ...

Recent election results from statewide races

Composition

Due to the 2020 redistricting, California's 12th district has effectively been shifted to the former geography of the 13th district. It encompasses the coastal section of

, and is anchored by

. The district also includes the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville,

, and San Leandro. Technically, the westernmost tip of Alameda Island is part of the City and County of San Francisco, but it is uninhabited. This district borders the 13th district, and Alameda County is partitioned between them by Grant Ave, Union Pacific, Lewelling Blvd, Wicks Blvd, Manor Blvd, Juniper St, Dayton Ave, Padre Ave, Fargo Ave, Edgemoor St, Trojan Ave, Beatty St, Fleming St, Highway 880, Floresta Blvd, Halcyon Dr, Hesperian Blvd, Thornally Dr, Highway 185, 150th Ave, Highway 580, Benedict Dr, San Leandro Creek, and Lake Chabot Regional Park.

Cities

– 440,646 * Berkeley – 124,321 * San Leandro – 91,008 * Alameda – 78,280 * Albany – 20,271 * Emeryville – 12,905 *

– 11,270

List of members representing the district

Election results

1932

1934

1936

1938

1940

1942

1944

1946

1948

1950

1952

1954

1956

1958

1960

1962

1964

1966

1968

1970

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1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008 (Special)

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

References

External links

*GovTrack.us
California's 12th congressional district
(out of date)
California Voter Foundation map – CD12
(out of date) {{DEFAULTSORT:California's 12th Congressional District 12 Government of San Francisco Constituencies established in 1933 1933 establishments in California Nancy Pelosi