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((cover page))
Senator Joe Baca
Congressional Profile Essay
Jessica Brown
First hour
March 12, 2008
((Essay))
Born in Belen, New Mexico, on January 23, 1947, Joe came into the world the youngest of 15 children. Joe's father worked as a railroad laborer before the family moved to Barstow, California. By the age of 10 the young boy held a position as a local shoe shinner and paperboy. Later he followed in his father's foot steps, becoming a railroad laborer for the Santa Fe Railroad until 1966; at which time he was drafted. Joes served as a paratrooper in Viet Nam from 1966-68.
Military service, however, did not hinder Joe's education. Baca earned his Bachelor's degree in Sociology from California State University in Los Angeles. For 15 years he worked as a community communications officer with General Telephone and Electric. In 1979, Joe was the first Latino elected to the board of Trustees, and in 1992 he was elected to the State Assembly as the first Latino speaker Pro Tempore. Before his election to Congress, Joe served in the California State Legislature for seven years. Joe Baca became a part of the State Senate in 1998.
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's son, Joe Jr. , won his father's old seat in the California State Assembly in 2004.
Joe and his wife, Barbra, becan an Interstate World Travel business of their own in San Bernardino in 1989. Together they had four children: Joe Jr., Jeremy, Natalie, and Jennifer. Joe Jr.'s recent completion in the state assembly made the first time a father and son served alongside from the same district; California's 62nd District.
Beyond committee work, Rep. Baca also serves as Whip of Region One on the Democratic Steering Committee and as a floor whip. He is an active member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where he serves as Caucus Whip. Republican Baca also serves on the House Army Caucus; the Native American Caucus; the Congressional Diabetes Caucus; the Education Caucus; the Courthouse Caucus, the Meth Lab Caucus, and the Law Enforcement Caucus. In addition, republican. Baca is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a consensus-building group of 33 moderate-to-conservative lawmakers dedicated to finding common sense solutions on public policy issues. For the Blue Dogs, he is the co-chair of the Education Task Force.
 lollipop-heart-stab · Wed Mar 12, 2008 @ 05:01am · 0 Comments |
