Jim Costa
| Jim Costa | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, California, District 16 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2005-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 8 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Cal Dooley (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2004 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $7,103,900 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| California State Senate | ||
| 1994-2002 | ||
| California State Assembly | ||
| 1978-1994 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | California State University, Fresno | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | April 13, 1952 | |
| Place of birth | Fresno, California | |
| Profession | Rancher | |
| Net worth | $3,814,503 | |
| Religion | Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Costa most recently won re-election in 2012. He defeated Brian Daniel Whelan (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[1] Costa's seat was redistricted to the 16th District.
Costa began his political career in the California State Assembly, where he served from 1978 to 1994. He went on to serve in the California State Senate as well, from 1994 to 2002.
Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Costa is a more moderate left of center Democratic party vote. As a result, he may break with the Democratic Party line more than his fellow members.
Biography
Costa was born in Fresno, California. He earned a B.A. from California State University, Fresno, in 1974.[2]
Career
Costa worked as a rancher before entering public service.
- 1978-1994: California State Assembly
- 1994-2002: California State Senate
- 2005-Present: U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Costa serves on the following committees:[3]
- Agriculture Committee
- Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
- Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture
- Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development and Credit (Ranking member)
- Natural Resources Committee
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
- Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
2011-2012
Costa served on the following committees:[4]
- Agriculture Committee
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry Ranking Member
- Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture, Ranking Member
- Natural Resources Committee
- Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
Issues
Specific votes
Rep. Costa voted for TARP.[5] According to a Gallup poll from September 13, 2010, 61% of Americans disapprove of TARP, while 37% approve.[6]
Costa also supported the stimulus bill.[7] According to polls, 57% of U.S. voters believe that the stimulus has either hurt the economy (36%) or had no impact (21%), while 38% believe the stimulus helped the economy. [8]
In addition, Rep. Costa voted for the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[9] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54% of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35% supported it.[10]
Rep. Costa supported the health care reform bill.[11] According to a poll, 57% of likely voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care reform bill, including 46% who strongly favor repeal. Additionally, 35% of likely voters oppose repeal. Finally, 51% of likely voters believe the health care reform bill will be bad for the country, while 36% believe it will be beneficial.[12]
Fiscal Cliff
Costa voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[13]
Elections
2012
Costa won re-election in 2012, in California's 16th congressional district following redistricting.[1] He and Brian Daniel Whelan (R) advanced past the June 5, 2012, blanket primary, defeating Loraine Goodwin (D), Mark Garcia (R), and Johnny Tacherra (R). Costa then defeated Whelan in the November 6, 2012, general election.[14][15]
| U.S. House, California, District 16 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jim Costa Incumbent |
57.4% | 84,649 | |
| Republican | Brian Daniel Whelan | 42.6% | 62,801 | |
| Total Votes | 147,450 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| U.S. House, California District 16 Open Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Jim Costa (D) Incumbent |
42.7% | 25,355 |
| Brian Daniel Whelan (R) |
25.3% | 15,053 |
| Johnny Tacherra (R) | 11.4% | 6,776 |
| Mark Garcia (R) | 11% | 6,529 |
| Loraine Goodwin (D) | 9.6% | 5,703 |
| Total Votes | 59,416 | |
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Jim Costa, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Costa is available dating back to 2004. Based on available campaign finance records, Costa raised a total of $7,103,900 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 22, 2013.[20]
| Jim Costa's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | US House (California, District 16) |  |
$1,483,125 | |
| 2010 | US House (California, District 20) | |
$1,795,156 | |
| 2008 | US House (California, District 20) | |
$1,026,588 | |
| 2006 | US House (California, District 20) | |
$885,524 | |
| 2004 | US House (California, District 20) | |
$1,913,507 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $7,103,900 | |||
2012
Costa won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Costa's campaign committee raised a total of $1,483,125 and spent $1,274,918.[21]
| U.S. House, California District 16, 2012 - Jim Costa Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,483,125 |
| Total Spent | $1,274,918 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $511,448 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $499,863 |
| Top contributors to Jim Costa's campaign committee | |
| ML Street Properties | $19,800 |
| Penstar Group | $15,000 |
| PG&E Corp | $14,000 |
| Plumbers/Pipefitters Union | $12,000 |
| American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees | $11,640 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Crop Production & Basic Processing | $191,346 |
| Oil & Gas | $79,750 |
| Health Professionals | $56,450 |
| Real Estate | $48,550 |
| Dairy | $45,799 |
2010
Costa won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that election cycle, Costa's campaign committee raised a total of $1,795,156 and spent $2,076,986.[22]
His top 5 contributors between 2009-2010 were:
| U.S. House, California District 20, 2010 - Jim Costa Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,795,156 |
| Total Spent | $2,076,986 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $897,504 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $891,826 |
| Top contributors to Jim Costa's campaign committee | |
| McCaffrey Group | $28,800 |
| Pachulski, Stang et al | $21,100 |
| ML Street Properties | $16,800 |
| American Crystal Sugar | $15,000 |
| American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees | $15,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Crop Production & Basic Processing | $145,812 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $85,084 |
| Oil & Gas | $69,650 |
| Leadership PACs | $68,700 |
| Candidate Committees | $68,240 |
Analysis
Ideology and leadership
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Costa is a "centrist Democrat" as of June 2013.[23]
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Costa missed 332 of 6,440 roll call votes from January 2005 to March 2013. This amounts to 5.2%, which is worse than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[24]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Costa paid his congressional staff a total of $1,005,163 in 2011. He ranked 77th on the list of the lowest paid Republican Representative Staff Salaries and he ranked 156th overall of the highest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, California ranked 5th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[25]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Costa's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $1,119,009 and $6,509,998. That averages to $3,814,503, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2011 of $7,859,232. His average net worth increased by 5.53% from 2010.[26]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Costa's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $869,009 and $6,359,998. That averages to $3,614,503.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2010 of $7,561,133.[27]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Costa ranked 171st in the liberal rankings in 2012.[28]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Costa ranked 178th in the liberal rankings.[29]
Voting with party
2013
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Jim Costa has voted with the Democratic Party 81.2% of the time, which ranked 197th among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[30]
Personal
Costa is single.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Jim + Costa + California + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Jim Costa News Feed
- The Buzz: California House members get briefed on Delta water plan - Modesto Bee
- Hispanic Dems 'cautiously optimistic' after meeting with Boehner - The Hill
- House sets up votes on cuts to farm subsidies, food stamp program - The Hill (blog)
- Community college professor allegedly tells students: support gay rights or else - Daily Caller
- California House members convene on Bay-Delta water plan - Sacramento Bee
- Analysis: Recent California newspaper editorials - Northwest News and Tribune
- Obama, Putin Tensions Signal Tough Times For US-Russian Relations - Huffington Post
- Obama Berlin Speech Renews Calls For Nuclear Reductions - Huffington Post
- Obama In Berlin: 'Our Work Is Not Yet Done' - Huffington Post
- Editorial: Fight House ploy on state's animal rights - San Bernardino Sun
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External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CNN "California Districts Race - 2012 Election Center"
- ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress "Jim Costa," Accessed November 6, 2011
- ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
- ↑ Jim Costa, Representing the 20th District of California "Committees"
- ↑ http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll681.xml
- ↑ Gallup "Among Recent Bills, Financial Reform a Lone Plus for Congress," September 13, 2010
- ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 46," January 28, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen "38% Say Stimulus Plan Helped Economy, 36% Say It Hurt," August 24, 2010
- ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 314," June 9, 2009
- ↑ Rasmussen "54% Oppose “Cash for Clunkers” Plan To Spur Purchase of Greener Cars," June 23, 2009
- ↑ US House Clerk "Roll Call 165," March 21, 2010
- ↑ Rasmussen "61% Favor Repeal of Health Care Law," September 20, 2010
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ California Secretary of State, Official candidate list
- ↑ Unofficial election results
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Jim Costa," Accessed March 22, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Jim Costa 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed February 20, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Jim Costa 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 6, 2011
- ↑ Gov Track "Jim Costa," Accessed June 7 2013
- ↑ GovTrack, "Jim Costa," Accessed April 2, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Jim Costa"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Costa, (D-California), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Costa, (D-California), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 21, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cal Dooley |
U.S. House of Representatives - California 2005-Present |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' |
California State Senate 1994-2002 |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' |
California State Assembly 1978-1994 |
Succeeded by ' |
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