Cárdenas, Tony, 1963-

Antonio Cárdenas (born March 31, 1963) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the U.S. Representative for California's 29th congressional district since January 2013.

Born in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California, he graduated from San Fernando High School before earning a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Cárdenas worked as a realtor and insurance agent before successfully running for ther first of two terms representing California's 39th State Assembly district. While there, Cárdenas' state reforms brought 78,000 new classroom seats and 15 playgrounds throughout Los Angeles. He also secured more than $650 million for new school construction and authored legislation that reformed California's gang prevention and intervention programs and teamed up with fellow Democrat Adam Schiff to create the Schiff-Cárdenas Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act. In 2002, Cárdenas ran for the Los Angeles City Council's 2nd district, being narrowly defeated by Wendy Greuel.

In 2003, Cárdenas ran for the City Council's 6th district, easily winning the first of three terms there. He brought his passion for juvenile justice to the Los Angeles City Council. As Chair of the City's Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development, Cárdenas identified millions of dollars overlooked by the City to help keep kids off the streets, and reduced crime while reducing expenditures on crime abatement programs. As Vice Chair of the City's Public Safety Committee, Cárdenas spearheaded the most comprehensive gang intervention model in the country. The Community-Based Gang Intervention Model standardized and defined the methods used by gang intervention workers to help stop violence in some of Los Angeles' most dangerous neighborhoods.

Cárdenas was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2013 for the 113th Congress (2013-2014) and has represented California’s 29th district since. In the 117th Congress (2021-2022), Rep. Cárdenas sits on the prestigious House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he is fighting for hard-working American families. He has worked on and authored legislation to lower prescription drug prices, protect American consumers, combat climate change, and ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality health care. Cárdenas launched the Connecting the Americas Caucus, along with Rep. Carlos Curbelo in 2015. The caucus focuses on strengthening relationships and business opportunities between the United States and Central and South American countries. Rep. Cárdenas is also a member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; the Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus; the LGBT Equality Caucus; and the Small Business Caucus, amongst many others.