Alan Stuart Lowenthal (; born March 8, 1941) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 47th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the California state assemblyman for the 54th district from 1998 to 2004 and California state senator from the 27th district from 2004 to 2012. In both posts, Lowenthal represented the city of Long Beach and its surrounding suburbs. On December 16, 2021, Lowenthal announced that he would not seek reelection to Congress. Early life, education, and academic career Lowenthal was born and raised in Queens, New York City. His family is Jewish. He graduated with a B.A. from Hobart College and earned a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. In 1969, Lowenthal moved to Long Beach and became a professor of community psychology at California State University, Long Beach. He went on leave to become a Long Beach City Councilman in 1992. He remained on leave for several years until retiring in 1998. California Assembly Elections In 1998, Lowenthal decided to run for the 54th district of the California State Assembly. He defeated Republican nominee Julie Alban 50%-47%. In 2000, he was reelected, defeating Republican nominee Rudy Svorinich, a Los Angeles City Council member, 59%-39%. In 2002, he was reelected to a third term, defeating Republican nominee Cesar Castellanos, 60%-40%. Tenure In the Assembly, Lowenthal authored gun control legislation that would ban gun selling in people's homes. He was also a founding member of the Assembly's Bipartisan Caucus and authored legislation for the creation of California's first ever Bipartisan Citizens Redistricting Commission. In 2002, the California Firefighters Association named Lowenthal Legislator of the Year by after he passed a law that limited liability for organizations that donated firefighting equipment. The League of California Cities named him Legislator of the Year in 2001 due to his advocacy on behalf of local governments. He has also received the "Rivie" Award from the Friends of the Los Angeles River due to his efforts to help clean up the river. California Senate Elections In 2004, Lowenthal ran for the California Senate in the 27th Senate district. He won the Democratic primary unopposed. In the general election, he defeated Republican nominee Cesar Navarro Castellanos 63%-37%. In 2008, he was reelected, defeating Allen Wood 67%-33%. Tenure The 47th district includes the Los Angeles County communities of Avalon, Long Beach, Signal Hill,