Susan Davis

Susan Carol Davis (née Alpert; born April 13, 1944) is a former American politician who served as the U.S. representative for for one term and for nine terms from 2003 to 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Her district included central and eastern portions of the city of San Diego, as well as eastern suburbs such as El Cajon, La Mesa, Spring Valley, and Lemon Grove.

Early life, education, and career

Davis was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has spent most of her life in California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. She earned a master's degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her husband Steve Davis was a doctor in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. After returning to California, she became a social worker in San Diego.

Early political career

Davis 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 board of San Diego Unified School District in 1983. She served there until 1992, including two years as president of the body.

In 1994, she was elected to the California State Assembly, and was reelected in 1996 and 1998. In the Assembly, Davis chaired the Committee on Consumer Protection, Government Efficiency and Economic Development. She authored a state law giving women direct access to their OB/Gyn doctors without requiring a referral from their primary care physicians. Other legislation she authored established the right of a patient to obtain a second medical opinion and allowed frail senior citizens to remain in their homes while receiving state-funded nursing care. She introduced laws to reward high-achieving teachers and to establish after-school programs at public schools.

Davis was a member of the New Democrat Coalition and she portrayed herself as someone who was willing to work across party lines. She served on the House Armed Services Committee. She also served on the Education and Workforce Committee, where she was the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

In 2012, Davis filed a lawsuit to recover over $150,000 in campaign funds from her former campaign treasurer, Kinde Durkee. Durkee was later sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud after pleading guilty to stealing seven million dollars from more than fifty people.

On September 4, 2019, Davis announced that she would not seek re-election in 2020.

Committee assignments Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development (Chair) Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Committee on House Administration

Caucus memberships Congressional Arts Caucus Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus Congressional Mental Health Caucus House Mentoring Caucus (Co-Chair) United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus Pro-Choice Caucus Congressional COPD Caucus Congressional EOD Caucus (Co-Chair) Veterinary Medicine Caucus Congressional Navy-Marine Corps Caucus (Co-Founder) Afterschool Caucuses

U.S.-Japan Caucus

Legacy Davis was inducted into the San Diego Women's Hall of Fame in 2020. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on December 27, 2022. On July 7, 2023, a ceremony was held to rename the former Andrew Jackson Post Office in Rolando after Davis.