Joe Baca

Joe Baca, a Democrat, has represented the 43rd District of California in the United States House of Representatives since 1999.

Iraq War
Baca voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Alleged name-calling
Baca allegedly called Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) a "whore", prompting her to quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Five more Representatives threatened to quit the caucus if Baca did not apologize.

On April 12, 2007, Loretta Sanchez's sister, Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), also quit the Hispanic Caucus.

Possible removal as Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Internal strife among members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus continued, with some members ready to overthrow Chairman Baca. This effort comes after months of turmoil over Baca's alleged name-calling of Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) and allocations to election campaigns involving Baca's sons.

Biography
Baca was born January 23, 1947, in Belen, New Mexico, the youngest of 15 children. He served in the United States Army in Viet Nam as a paratrooper from 1966-68. Following his military service, Rep. Baca earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University - Los Angeles, and was a corporate public relations officer for 15 years with General Telephone and Electric. In 1989, he started his own travel agency in San Bernardino. Baca's son, Joe, Jr., won his father's old seat in the California State Assembly in 2004.

Before his election to Congress, "Baca served in the California State Legislature for seven years. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1992, where he became the first Latino Speaker pro Tempore. From January through December 1998, he was the third-ranking leader of the Assembly, serving as Assistant Speaker pro Tempore and the Speaker's Federal Government Liaison... He was elected to the California State Senate on November 3, 1998."[]

Baca was first elected to Congress in a November 1999 special election.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Republicans nominated Scott Lloyd Folkens to face Baca in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Baca retained his seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Department Operations Oversight Dairy Nutrition and Forestry - Chair
 * Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
 * House Committee on Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Water & Power

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Department Operations Oversight Dairy Nutrition and Forestry - Ranking Minority Member
 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
 * Subcommittee on Capital Markets Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Democratic Caucus Task Force on Homeland Security
 * Democratic Caucus Task Force on Immigration, Vice Chair
 * Congressional Hispanic Caucus, First Vice Chair
 * Congressional Sex and Violence in the Media Caucus, founder and Co-Chair

More Background Data

 * 2006 California CD 43 Candidate List from VIS

Resources

 * Official Website
 * Technorati Search: Joe Baca
 * Google News Search: Joe Baca
 * Yahoo! News Search: Joe Baca
 * Power Trips: How much does Joe Baca travel?
 * GovTrack Statistics: Joe Baca
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Tiger Beat: Music, Culture, and Politics

Articles

 * Josephine Hearn, "CHC Members Quit PAC Over Money Sent to Family Members," The Hill, March 15, 2006.
 * Susan Crabtree, "Miller helped free land for a business partner," The Hill, March 30, 2006.
 * Walter Pincus, "Democrats Who Opposed War Move Into Key Positions. New Committee Chairmen Had Warned of Postwar Disorder," Washington Post, December 4, 2006.
 * Jonathan E. Kaplan, |"Hispanic Democrats set to oust Baca as CHC Chairman", The Hill, March 1, 2007.