Editing Barbara Boxer (section)

==Post-Senate career==

After leaving the U.S. Senate, Boxer has given paid speeches; raised money for her political action committee (PAC for Change); hosted a weekly podcast with her daughter, Nicole Boxer; and worked as a lobbyist.<ref name="Meyer">{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/07/barbara-boxer-joins-dc-lobbying-firm-095196|first=Theodoric|last=Meyer|title=Barbara Boxer joins DC lobbying firm|date=January 7, 2020|website=Politico|language=en-US|access-date=November 14, 2021}}</ref>

In April 2017, Boxer served as the keynote speaker for the Environmental Student Assembly's Earth Month at the [[University of Southern California]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dailytrojan.com/2017/04/13/former-senator-barbara-boxer-speaks-usc/|title=Former Senator Barbara Boxer speaks at USC|first=Kate|last=Cunningham|date=April 13, 2017|publisher=Daily Trojan}}</ref>

===Lobbying===

In January 2020, it was reported that Boxer had become co-chair of Mercury Public Affairs, a prominent lobbying and public affairs firm, whose corporate clients have included [[Airbnb]] and [[AT&T]], along foreign governments such as [[Qatar]] and [[Turkey]].<ref name="Meyer"/>

Prior to joining Mercury Public Affairs, Boxer had worked as a paid advisor to [[Lyft]], during which time she advocated against the passage of [[California Assembly Bill 5 (2019)|AB-5]], a California law that Lyft opposed which reclassified as "employees" many workers, including Lyft drivers, who had previously been classified as "independent contractors" under state labor law.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Open-Forum-AB5-Is-Not-the-Answer-for-All-Workers-14379743.php|title=Barbara Boxer: AB5 is not the answer for all workers - SFChronicle.com |date=2019-08-26 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-04 |last1=Boxer |first1=By Barbara }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/29/aoc-rips-barbara-boxer-helping-lyft-fight-california-bill/2158941001/|title=AOC criticizes ex-Democratic senator for advising Lyft in battle over California gig worker bill|last=Behrmann|first=Savannah|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref>

Boxer also has worked as a paid consultant on behalf of Poseidon Water as part of that company's effort to install a [[Huntington Beach Desalination Plant|desalination plant in Huntington Beach, California]], and also for CityLift Parking, a company in [[Oakland]], California, that designs automated parking lifts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/07/barbara-boxer-joins-dc-lobbying-firm-095196|first=Theodoric|last=Meyer|title=Barbara Boxer joins DC lobbying firm|date=January 7, 2020|work=Politico|language=en-US|access-date=November 14, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-boxer-poseidon-20170419-story.html|first=Bettina|last=Boxall|title=Barbara Boxer will lobby for an environmentally controversial desalination plant in Huntington Beach|date=April 19, 2017|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=November 14, 2021}}</ref>

In October 2021, Boxer, former Los Angeles mayor [[Antonio Villaraigosa]], and former [[California State Assembly]] speaker [[Fabian Nunez]] led a high-profile mass exodus of employees from the California office of Mercury Public Affairs to set up their own public affairs and consulting firm. At the time of their departure, the press reported Mercury's California based clients included [[Clorox]], [[Lyft]], the California Charter Schools Association, and the [[Westlands Water District]], the utility that oversees the heart of the state's agricultural lands in the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]].<ref name="latimes.com"/>

===Foreign agent===
On January 12, 2021, it was reported that the inaugural committee of president-elect [[Joe Biden]] returned a $500 donation from Boxer after Boxer registered as a [[Foreign Agents Registration Act|foreign agent]] on behalf of [[Hikvision]], a Chinese state-owned manufacturer of surveillance equipment. The company has been accused of involvement in the [[Persecution of Uyghurs in China|persecution of Uyghur Muslims]] in the [[Xinjiang]] region. In an emailed statement to the press regarding the returned donation, Boxer defended her work as a registered foreign agent by saying, "When I am asked to provide strategic advice to help a company operate in a more responsible and humane manner consistent with U.S. law in spirit and letter, it is an opportunity to make things better while helping protect and create American jobs."<ref name="Markay"/>

Later that same day, Boxer reversed course and publicly announced on Twitter that she would deregister as a foreign agent for Hikvision, writing, "Due to the intense response to my registration I have determined that my continued work has become a negative distraction from my effort to preserve American jobs and make the company better. Therefore I have deregistered."<ref name="McFall"/>