Congressman Joe Baca: Biography

Rep. Joe Baca has served in Congress since winning a special election in 1999. Rep. Baca represents the 43rd District of California, which includes the cities of Colton, Fontana, Rialto, Ontario and San Bernardino, as well as the areas of Bloomington and Muscoy.

Rep. Baca serves on the House Agriculture Committee, and he is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Departmental Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry. He also is a member of the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry. He also serves on the 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. In addition, Rep. Baca serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and as a member of the Water and Power Subcommittee.

In November 2006, the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) elected Congressman Joe Baca (D-California) to serve as its next Chair. Rep. Baca will lead the group, which includes all Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate of Hispanic descent, during the 110th Congress (2007-2008). He also chairs the CHC Corporate America, Technology, Communications and the Arts Task Force.

Personal History
Joe was born in Belen, New Mexico, the youngest of 15 children in a house where little English was spoken. His father was a railroad laborer. When Joe was a young boy his family moved to Barstow, California. Joe 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 as a paratrooper with both the 101st and the 82nd Airborne Divisions from 1966-68.

Following military service, Joe earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University – Los Angeles. 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, where he became the first Latino Speaker pro Tempore, and was elected to the State Senate in 1998.

Joe 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. Joe Baca Jr. recently completed service as state assemblyman for California’s 62nd district, marking the first time a father and son have served alongside from the same district.

Awards
Rep. Baca has received many honors for his public service. Recent awards include the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President’s Achievement Award, the National Farmers Union Presidential Award for Leadership and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Coalition of Minority Employees Award of Excellence. A 2007 report released by the organization Congress.org, ranked Rep. Baca at number 38 on a list of the most powerful Members of the House of Representatives. 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.