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 won re-election in 2012.[1] Costa's seat was redistricted to the 16th District.
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Costa is a "centrist Democrat".[2]
Biography
Costa was born in Fresno, California. He earned a B.A. from California State University, Fresno, in 1974.[3]
Career
Costa worked as a rancher before entering public service.
- 2005-Present: U.S. House of Representatives, California's 20th congressional district
- 1994-2002: California State Senate
- 1978-1994: California State Assembly
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Costa serves on the following committees:[4]
- 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:[5]
- 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.[6] According to a Gallup poll from September 13, 2010, 61% of Americans disapprove of TARP, while 37% approve.[7]
Costa also supported the stimulus bill.[8] 57% of U.S. voters believe that the stimulus has either hurt the economy (36%) or had no impact (21%). 38% believe the stimulus helped the economy. [9]
In addition, Rep. Costa voted for the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[10] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54% of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35% supported it.[11]
Finally, Rep. Costa supported the health care reform bill.[12] 57% of likely voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care reform bill, including 46% who strongly favor repeal. 35% of likely voters oppose repeal. 51% of likely voters believe the health care reform bill will be bad for the country, while 36% believe it will be beneficial.[13]
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.[14]
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). They faced off in the November 6, 2012, general election.[15][16]
| 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" | ||||
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.[21]
| 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.[22]
| 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.[23]
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
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]
Political positions
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Jim Costa voted with the Democratic Party 63.5% of the time, which ranked 187 among the 192 House Democratic members in 2011.[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
- Agriculture amendment breaks some eggs - Politico
- House and Senate Committees Each Approve Separate Farm Bills Taking ... - Ms. Magazine
- James Costa: Opening minds is teacher's true reward - Buffalo News
- Coalition pushes legislation to counter corn prices; what are your thoughts? - Farm Industry News (subscription) (blog)
- California, USA: Rep. Jim Costa Endorses Marriage Equality - Gayapolis
- Hoe, hoe, hoe! Christmas trees are back, in new farm bill - Fort Worth Star Telegram
- Opinion column: An all-of-the-above strategy to reduce energy prices - The Business Farmer
- 'The Office': How it ended - Inside Bay Area
- Scott rejects Amazon.com deal, but door remains open for development project - Jacksonville Daily Record
- Celanese Backs Domestic Alternative Fuels Act - Analyst Blog - NASDAQ.com - NASDAQ
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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"
- ↑ Gov Track "Costa" Accessed May 18, 2012
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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, District 16 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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