Jim Costa Biography Quotes 25 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Jim Costa was born in 1952 in Fresno, California, into a Portuguese American family whose roots trace to the Azores. Raised in the San Joaquin Valley, he grew up around agriculture and the rhythms of dairies and fields that shaped the region's economy and culture. Those experiences formed a lasting connection to the concerns of growers, farmworkers, and small business owners. He studied political science at California State University, Fresno, earning a bachelor's degree and setting a course for a career in public service grounded in the needs of the Central Valley.

Entry Into Public Service
Costa won election to the California State Assembly in 1978, becoming one of the youngest legislators in Sacramento. During a long tenure in the Assembly, he developed a reputation as a pragmatic Democrat willing to build bipartisan coalitions on issues like transportation, public safety, water, and agriculture. He established relationships with Valley Democrats such as Cal Dooley, who would later become a key figure in Costa's move to Congress, and he learned to navigate the complexities of statewide budgets and infrastructure planning that directly affected the communities he represented.

California State Senate
After more than a decade in the Assembly, Costa was elected to the California State Senate in the mid-1990s. One of the most consequential and debated measures associated with his name from that era is the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, which he co-authored with Assemblyman Phil Hawkins and which was signed by Governor Pete Wilson. The law placed limits on local rent control, notably prohibiting vacancy control and exempting certain properties; it has remained a defining and controversial part of California housing policy ever since, a point of contention in later ballot campaigns seeking to alter or repeal its provisions.

In the Senate, Costa also became an early and vocal proponent of building a statewide high-speed rail system. He helped lay the legislative groundwork to place a high-speed rail bond before voters, creating a framework that would later underpin Proposition 1A. At the same time, he worked on water and environmental policy central to the San Joaquin Valley, cooperating with federal leaders like Senator Dianne Feinstein on Delta and drought-related efforts and working with successive governors, including Gray Davis, to secure investments in conveyance, storage, and ecosystem restoration.

Election to Congress and Evolving Districts
Costa entered the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2004 election, succeeding Cal Dooley. The race was competitive, and his narrow win over Republican Roy Ashburn underscored the swing nature of the Central Valley. Over subsequent cycles, redistricting repeatedly altered district lines and numbers, but Costa continued to represent Fresno- and Merced-area communities and surrounding agricultural counties. His reelection contests often drew national attention, including a tight 2010 race against Andy Vidak and another close contest in 2014 against Johnny Tacherra, both reflecting the region's political crosscurrents and the importance of late-counted ballots.

Committee Work and Caucuses
In Congress, Costa has been a senior member of the House Committee on Agriculture, where he has served in leadership roles on subcommittees, including work related to livestock and foreign agriculture. He has also served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, engaging on trade and regional diplomacy that directly affect agricultural exports and immigrant communities. Reflecting his own heritage and the Valley's diversity, he has helped lead the Congressional Portuguese Caucus, often working alongside fellow Californian David Valadao on cultural, trade, and immigration matters. A member of the Blue Dog Coalition, Costa is known for centrist, deal-oriented politics, collaborating with party leaders such as Nancy Pelosi while maintaining relationships across the aisle with figures like Devin Nunes and, on broader California issues, Kevin McCarthy.

Legislative Priorities and Policy Focus
Water has been a defining thread throughout Costa's career. He has championed investments in canals, groundwater recharge, and storage; advocated for drought relief packages; and supported efforts to balance the needs of farmers, cities, and ecosystems in the Delta. He frequently coordinated with Senators like Dianne Feinstein and with governors including Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom on state-federal projects, even when policy differences required painstaking negotiations. His role in successive Farm Bills has emphasized specialty crops, dairy, research, disaster aid, and export market access.

Transportation has been another pillar. Costa's steady advocacy for California high-speed rail has continued in Congress, where he worked to keep federal funding and oversight aligned with state plans, arguing that major mobility, air quality, and economic benefits would accrue to inland regions often left behind by coastal growth.

On immigration, Costa has pushed for practical reforms with particular attention to agriculture. He has supported bipartisan measures to stabilize the workforce that harvests and processes the Valley's crops, working with colleagues such as Zoe Lofgren to advance pathways for farmworkers and their families. On foreign affairs, he has focused on trade and diaspora ties important to Central Valley communities, supporting recognition and human rights initiatives and collaborating with members like Adam Schiff on issues of importance to Armenian Americans in California.

Key Relationships and Collaborations
Costa's long tenure has been marked by partnerships with a wide array of leaders. Within California, he has aligned with Dianne Feinstein on water and environmental pragmatism, and he has worked with governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom on rail and drought resilience. In the House, he has navigated leadership dynamics under Speakers Nancy Pelosi and others while maintaining an independent streak on issues like energy and regulatory impacts on agriculture. Regionally, he has cooperated with Republicans David Valadao and Devin Nunes when Valley-wide priorities demanded a united front. Across presidential administrations, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, Costa has sought federal attention for the Central Valley's infrastructure, farm economy, and immigration needs.

Constituency and Community
Representing a district with both deep rural roots and urban neighborhoods in places like Fresno and Merced, Costa has emphasized constituent services and coalition-building among growers, packers, small businesses, labor groups, and environmental stakeholders. He has worked with water districts, farm bureaus, community colleges, and university researchers to link policy to on-the-ground outcomes, and he has highlighted the intersecting challenges of poverty, air quality, and housing affordability. The legacy of the Costa-Hawkins law has continued to surface in local conversations about rents and growth, reflecting how state-level decisions reverberate in congressional districts.

Resilience in Competitive Politics
Costa's electoral history reads as a case study in Central Valley politics: close races, changing district maps, and a need to knit together diverse communities. His ability to prevail in tight contests against opponents like Andy Vidak and Johnny Tacherra reinforced his reputation as a persistent campaigner with deep local ties. Redistricting reshaped his constituency over time, but his platform, water security, farm and trade policy, transportation, and pragmatic immigration reform, remained anchored to the region's core concerns.

Legacy and Ongoing Work
Over decades in public life, Jim Costa has been a constant advocate for the San Joaquin Valley, bringing the language of irrigation canals, harvest schedules, and shipping logistics into legislative rooms in Sacramento and Washington. His imprint on California policy includes both celebrated efforts, like advancing high-speed rail and Valley water investments, and contentious ones, like the Costa-Hawkins Act's restraints on rent control. In Congress, his centrist approach and focus on agriculture and infrastructure have made him a go-to negotiator on issues that bridge partisan divides. Continuing to serve into the 118th Congress, he remains a prominent voice for the Central Valley, grounded in the pragmatic conviction that durable progress comes from coalition-building and steady, incremental gains.

Our collection contains 25 quotes who is written by Jim, under the main topics: Justice - Leadership - Freedom - Nature - Equality.