Joe Baca
This page is about Joe Baca, the California Congressman. For his son, see former Assemblyman Joe Baca, Jr.
| Joe Baca | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | George Brown, Jr. |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | January 23 1947 Belen, New Mexico |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Barbara Baca |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Jose "Joe" Baca (born January 23 1947), an American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing the California's 43rd congressional district (map).
Rep. Joe Baca has served in Congress since winning a special election in 1999 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative George Brown. Rep. Baca represents California's 43rd congressional district, which includes the cities of Colton, Fontana, Rialto, Ontario and San Bernardino, as well as the areas of Bloomington and Muscoy.
He serves on the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, where he is a member of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, and the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit. Rep. Baca also serves on the House Agriculture Committee, where he is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Departmental Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry. As Ranking Member, and even prior to taking that post, Rep. Baca had excelled at expanding anti-hunger and nutrition programs.[citation needed] Most recently, he helped make a pilot program to serve fresh fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias into a nationwide program,[citation needed] prevented Bush administration proposals to decrease spending for the Food Stamp Program, and prevented the elimination of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.[citation needed]
Rep. Baca is the First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and serves as chair of the CHC Corporate America Task Force, which aims to increase Hispanic representation in corporate America.[citation needed] He created and co-chairs the Congressional Sex and Violence in the Media Caucus. Other caucus memberships include the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, the Military/ Veterans Caucus, the Native American Caucus and the U.S.-Mexico Caucus.
Early life
Baca was born in Belen, New Mexico, in 1947, the youngest of 15 children[1] in a house where little English was spoken.[citation needed] His father was a railroad laborer.[1] When Joe was a young boy his family moved to Barstow, California.[citation needed] Baca worked shining shoes at age 10, delivered newspapers, and later worked as a laborer for the Santa Fe Railroad until he was drafted in 1966. He served in the U.S. Army until 1968.[2]
Following military service, Joe earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Los Angeles.[citation needed] He worked for 15 years in community relations with General Telephone and Electric. In 1979, he was the first Latino elected to the Board of Trustees for the San Bernardino Valley College District. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1992,[1] where he became the first Latino Speaker pro tempore,[citation needed] and was elected to the State Senate in 1998.[1]
Personal life
Baca and his wife, Barbara, began their own business, Interstate World Travel, in San Bernardino in 1989. They have four children: Joe Jr., Jeremy, Natalie and Jennifer. Son Joe Baca, Jr. served one term as state assemblyman for California's 62nd district, marking the first time a father and son have served alongside from the same district.[citation needed]
Elections
Baca was reelected in 2004 with 66.4% of the vote, the same percentage as his 2002 vote.[3][4] Scott Folkens, a U.S. Government and History teacher, ran unsuccessfully against Baca in the 2006 election.
Controversies
According to the Los Angeles Times, Baca, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, directed Congressional Hispanic Caucus funds from its PAC[5] BOLDPAC (Building Our Leadership Diversity)[6] to the unsuccessful California campaigns of his sons, Joe Baca Jr. and Jeremy Baca.[7] At the time, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and five other members dropped out of the PAC in protest of these actions.[5] They alleged that the funds, meant to elect Hispanic candidates, should not have been used to help Baca's sons run against Hispanic candidates and that in a previous race funded by the PAC Joe Jr. had run against Hispanic candidates.[6]
Citizens for Ethics has released a report stating that Rep. Baca has paid his daughter $27,000 from campaign funds as a campaign fundraiser and donated more than $20,000 to his sons' political campaigns from his own campaign funds.[8] They also report accusations that were made in 2006 by former Washington staff members of Baca's that they were sent to California in 2004 for a staff retreat and pressured to work on Baca's son Joe Baca Jr.'s campaign for state Assemblyman on their paid time for the senior Baca.[1]
In January 2007, fellow Hispanic Caucus members including Loretta Sanchez, Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) Hilda Solis (D-CA) and Sanchez's sister Linda Sanchez (D-CA) wrote a letter to Baca asking for a new election with a secret ballot. They claimed that Baca was elected chair of the Caucus in a public ballot, which is against the Caucus' own rules for electing a chair, which call for a secret ballot election.[7]
On January 31 2007, The Politico reported that Rep. Baca had called Loretta Sanchez a "whore." Citing Baca's alleged insult and the perceived impropriety in Baca's election to chairman of the CHC, as well as Baca's treatment of Latina members in the CHC, Loretta Sanchez resigned from the Caucus along with four other female California members and one female member from Arizona, including Linda Sanchez.[7] Rep. Baca has denied making the insult.[9]
Rep. Sanchez and Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) alleged that Rep. Baca made the remark in the summer of 2006. The two Congresswomen state that they heard the remark from unnamed sources, although The Politico identified California State Assemblyman Fabian Núñez as one of those who heard the insult firsthand and told Sanchez.[10] Loretta said that Baca confirmed the comments to her sister, fellow Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, the day before Loretta Sanchez confronted him over the accusation.[5]
Awards
Rep. Baca has received many honors for his public service.[citation needed] Recent awards include the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President's Achievement Award, the 2006 California Hunger Fighter Award (first time awarded to a Member of Congress), and the National Farmers Union Presidential Award for Leadership.[citation needed] He has also had two local parks named after him: the Joe Baca Senior Field at the Empire Center in Fontana and the Joe Baca Field at the Rialto Boys and Girls Club.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Former staff accuse Baca of 'forced volunteering' (Culture of Corruption Alert)", The Hill, 2006-05-18. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
- ^ 2004 California State Election Results
- ^ 2002 California State Election Results
- ^ a b c Bunis, Dena. "Sanchez quits caucus", The Orange County Register, 2007-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
- ^ a b Aleman, Adam. "Baca to Chair Congressional Hispanic Caucus Despite Female Members' Misgivings", Flash Report, 2006-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
- ^ a b c "Who's a 'whore'?", Los Angeles Times, 2007-02-03. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
- ^ "Watchdog lists 64 in the House paying kin out campaign funds", Citizens for Ethics, 2007-06-19. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
- ^ Hearn, Josephine. "Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,' Resigns from Hispanic Group", The Politico, 2007-02-02. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
- ^ Werner, Erica. "Hispanic Caucus Members Toil Over Insult", Washington Post, 2007-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Joe Baca official House site
- Joe Baca at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Joe Baca campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Joe Baca issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Joe Baca campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Joe Baca (CA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Joe Baca profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Joe Baca voting record
- Working Joe Baca official campaign site
- Explaining his agenda of increasing La Raza
Succession Boxes
| Preceded by William H. Lancaster |
California State
Assembly, 62nd District 1992–1998 |
Succeeded by John Longville |
| Preceded by Ruben Ayala |
California State
Senate, 32nd District 1998–1999 |
Succeeded by Nell Soto |
| Preceded by George Brown, Jr. |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 42nd congressional district 1999–2003 |
Succeeded by Gary Miller |
| Preceded by Ken Calvert |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 43rd congressional district 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
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