Jim Costa
DemocratU.S. Representative, CA-21| Age | 74 (b. 1952-04-13) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2005-01-04 (~21 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White; Portuguese-American (Azorean descent) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | Graduated San Joaquin Memorial High School, Fresno (1970); B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Fresno (1974) |
| Prior occupation | Third-generation dairy/family farmer; legislative aide and chief of staff before elected office |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Fresno, California |
| Languages | English; Portuguese (parents' first language) |
| Marital status | Not married |
| Residence | Fresno, California |
Pending research: children · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2004 |
| Previous offices | California State Assembly (1978-1994) · California State Senate, 16th district (1994-2002) · U.S. House of Representatives, California's 20th district (2005-2013) · U.S. House of Representatives, California's 16th district (2013-2023) |
| Committees | House Committee on Agriculture - Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry (Ranking Member) · House Committee on Agriculture - Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture · House Committee on Foreign Affairs - Subcommittee on Europe |
| Caucuses | Blue Dog Coalition (former chair) · New Democrat Coalition · Problem Solvers Caucus · Congressional Hispanic Caucus · Congressional Equality Caucus · Congressional Taiwan Caucus · Congressional Portuguese Caucus (co-chair) · Congressional Ukraine Caucus · Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus (co-chair and co-founder) |
| Leadership | Chair, Blue Dog Coalition for Communications (2015-2017) · Chair, Blue Dog Coalition for Administration (2017-2019) · Chair, Blue Dog Coalition for Policy (2023) · Majority Caucus Chair, California State Assembly · President, National Conference of State Legislatures (2000-2001) |
| Ideology | Moderate/conservative Democrat; longtime member and former leader of the Blue Dog Coalition (fiscally conservative Democratic caucus) and member of the New Democrat Coalition |
| Signature legislation | Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act (California, signed 1995) - prohibits rent control on single-family homes and condos built after February 1995 · Farm Workforce Modernization Act (co-author; pathway to legal status for undocumented farmworkers) · American Dream and Promise Act (original co-sponsor) · Legislation allowing Hmong and Laotian-American veterans burial in U.S. national cemeteries (enacted 2018) |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
| James M. Costa Farms (sole proprietorship, crop production / family farm) | business_owned · $1,000,001–$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| Rental home (real estate) | real_estate · $1,000,001–$5,000,000 · 2018 |
Top donors: American Pistachio Growers Pistachio PAC ($76,000 across 52 contributions since 2004)
Top industries: Agribusiness (crop production, dairy, livestock)
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved - pleaded no contest — 1986 prostitution solicitation arrest and no-contest plea
On August 29, 1986, while a 34-year-old California State Assemblyman, Costa was arrested in Sacramento after police said he and a 19-year-old woman approached an undercover officer posing as a prostitute and agreed to pay $50 for a sexual encounter. Costa publicly apologized, pleaded no contest, and was sentenced to three years of probation and a $160 fine. He won re-election shortly afterward.