Congressman David G. Valadao was born and raised in Hanford, California in the center of the agriculturally rich Twenty First Congressional District. As a lifelong resident of the Central Valley, he has been active in agriculture and dairy industry groups, as well as many local causes including Children’s Hospital Central California, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and various Catholic charities.
The Valadao family emigrated from the Azores Islands of Portugal to the United States in 1969. After settling in the Central Valley, Valadao’s father started a small dairy farm in the Central Valley in 1973. Valadao was born on April 14, 1977.
The family business now consists of two dairies, as well as over 1,000 acres of farmland in Kings and western Tulare County, on which Valadao and his family grow alfalfa, corn, and wheat as dairy feed stock.
Intimately involved in the dairy industry, Valadao has taken on leadership roles within the California Milk Advisory Board, and Western States Dairy Trade Association. In addition, he was elected as Regional Leadership Council Chairman for Land O’ Lakes, Inc.
Valadao attended local schools, graduating from Hanford High School in 1995 and later attended the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. He is currently a partner at Valadao Dairy and Triple V Dairy. Valadao married his high school sweetheart, Terra, in 1999. Together, they have three beautiful children.
In 2010, Valadao was elected to represent California’s 30th State Assembly District. Valadao served on several California Assembly Committees including the Agriculture Committee, where he held the position of Committee Vice-Chair.
In 2012, Valadao was elected to represent California’s 21st Congressional District, which includes Kings County and portions of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare Counties. He was reelected for his second term in November 2014. Most recently, in November 2016, Valadao was elected to serve a third term in the United States House of Representatives. Valadao is proud to serve on the influential House Appropriations Committee, which is the committee responsible for funding the federal government and determining where American tax dollars are spent.
Valadao serves on the Energy and Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittees, and is the Vice-Chair of the Agriculture Subcommittee. Since he came to Congress, Valadao has established himself as a leader in agriculture and water policy, two important issues for his constituents in CA-21. His time in Congress has been focused on combating the water issues impacting California’s Central Valley. in the 114th Congress, Valadao introduced H.R. 2829, the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015, to address the regulatory burdens that have largely contributed to the severe drought conditions in Central and Southern California. Valadao aims to ensure Congress does everything in their power to provide relief for the farmers, families, and entire communities suffering from the current water crisis. This Congress, Valadao has introduced H.R. 23, the Gaining Responsibility on Water Act to improve Western water reliability in the United States.
Valadao’s work on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Committee has fostered his interest in ensuring our active duty military members have the tools and services they need to defend our nation and keep Americans safe. Valadao worked hard to ensure Naval Air Station Lemoore was named the location for the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet of the F-35C aircraft. Valadao is also dedicated to keeping our promises to our nation’s veterans by making sure those who served our country are taken care of in their retirement years and receive the best quality healthcare available.
