Rep. Julia Brownley, who is completing her seventh term in Congress, announced Thursday, Jan. 8, that she will not seek reelection.

The Democrat was first elected in 2012 to represent California’s 26th Congressional District, which covers most of Ventura County and a small portion of northwestern Los Angeles County, including Westlake Village, Calabasas and Agoura Hills.

In announcing her retirement from Congress, the 73-year-old did not say why she chose not to seek another term, but she called her experience in serving her community and country “the honor of my lifetime.”

“Every step of this journey has been shaped by the people I represent, by their resilience, their determination, and their belief that government can and should work for the common good,” Brownley said.

She highlighted her work over the years in pushing to expand access to affordable health care, strengthen support for veterans and their families, protect natural resources and confront climate change.

“We have helped thousands of constituents navigate the federal government, returned millions in earned benefits, and never lost sight of the simple truth that public service is about showing up for people when they need help the most,” she said.

Brownley is the ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health. She also serves on committees focused on transportation and infrastructure and on natural resources.

The congressmember’s political career began when she was elected to a local school board in 1994 and continued with her election to the Assembly in 2006, where she chaired the Assembly Education Committee and served on other education-related panels.

In 2012, Brownley defeated state Sen. Tony Strickland, a Republican, in the race to represent the then-newly redrawn 26th Congressional District.

It was one of the most expensive races in the nation that year for what some at the time considered a toss-up district with a large number of independent voters.

The latest voter registration numbers from the California secretary of state’s website show Democrats had a 12-point voter registration advantage over Republicans in the 26th District (42% to 30%), with “no party preference” voters making up another 21% of the district’s electorate, heading into last November’s special election on redistricting.

Speaking of redistricting, the recently redrawn congressional maps that voters approved in November means that, for the 2026 midterm elections, the northern portion of District 26 will extend further east, stretching to Quartz Hill in L.A. County’s Antelope Valley.

The gap between the number of registered Democrats and Republicans is expected to widen slightly in the new 26th District, with an electorate that’s 43% Democrat, 28% Republican and 28% “no party preference” or other voters.

Brownley did not say in her announcement Thursday what specifically she plans to do after retiring from Congress but spoke of remaining “in the fight … for a better and brighter future.”

“Despite the immense challenges we are currently facing, I remain deeply optimistic about the future of our country,” she stated. “The American experiment has endured not because it is perfect, but because generations of Americans continue to believe in it and work to make it more just, more equal, and more reflective of those it serves.”