Tony Cardenas

Tony Cardenas represented California's 29th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2013-2025, becoming the first Latino elected to represent the San Fernando Valley in Congress. The youngest of 11 children born to Mexican immigrant parents who had only first and second grade educations, he was the first in his family to attend college. Before Congress, he served in the California State Assembly (1996-2002) and on the Los Angeles City Council (2003-2013), where he championed clean energy initiatives as Chairman of the DWP oversight committee.

Son of Andres Cardenas and Maria Quezada, who immigrated to the United States from Jalisco, Mexico shortly after marrying in 1946. His father worked as a farm worker near Stockton before the family relocated to Pacoima in 1954. The youngest of 11 children, Cardenas credits his parents as his greatest teachers despite their limited formal education. He is married to wife Norma and has three children (Alina, Cristian, Andres) and one stepchild (Vanessa). The family established the Andres y Maria Cardenas Family Foundation, which has raised over $1.5 million and awarded more than 1,400 scholarships to San Fernando Valley students since its founding.