About Rep. Joe Baca

Born in Belen, New Mexico, in 1947, the youngest of 15 children in a house where little English was spoken, Joe Baca learned at an early age that education, hard work, and public service are the fundamental building blocks of success and empowerment.

The son of a railroad laborer, Joe and his family moved to Barstow, California when he was a young boy. To support his family and contribute to the household Joe worked shining shoes at age 10, delivered newspapers, and later, like his father, worked as a laborer for the Santa Fe Railroad. After graduating from Barstow High School In 1966, Joe was drafted to the U.S. Army where he served as a paratrooper with both the 101st and the 82nd Airborne Divisions from 1966-68.

While serving in the military, Baca never lost sight of his desire to pursue higher education and attend college. After he returned from military service he enrolled in the California State University – Los Angeles where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Baca worked with students early in his career as a counselor, mentor, and baseball coach while raising a family with his wife Barbara. Joe also worked as a community relations representative for General Telephone and Electric for more than 15 years, further strengthening his ties to the community and education.

In 1976 he founded the Youth Education and Motivation Program (YEMP), a program which strives to motivate students to stay in school and to inform them of career and work options. The organization is still operating in the Inland Empire in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

In 1979, Baca’s desire to close the higher education gap took him to the San Bernardino Valley College District where Baca served as the first Latino ever elected to the Board of Trustees. While serving as a Board of Trustees member, Baca initiated measures that continue to help students obtain scholarships and government funding while receiving vocational and technical training that has helped many students move into local jobs.

At the state and federal levels, Baca continues to leave his mark on education. First elected to the California State Assembly in 1992 and the California State Senate in 1998, and serving in Congress since 1999, Baca continually votes for measures that will improve our education system, make higher education affordable, lower tuition costs, and increase federal financial aid. Baca believes in fully funding Head Start Programs and opposes private school vouchers and tuition tax subsidies for private schools because he believes all children have a right to the best programs public school can afford.

Joe and his wife Barbara have four children – Joe Jr., Jeremy, Natalie, and Jennifer, and each of them, including his wife Barbara, have obtained higher education degrees from public institutions or initiated coursework in local community colleges.

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.

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, the Walter Kaitz Foundation Diversity Advocate Award, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Coalition of Minority Employees Award of Excellence. A 2009 report released by Latino Leaders Magazine, listed Rep. Baca as one of the top 100 most influential Hispanic leaders in American. In addition, Rep. Baca ranked twelfth on the list of the top 42 Hispanics on the “Who’s Hot” list. 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.

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