Baca, Joe, 1947-

Joseph Natalio Baca Sr. (born January 23, 1947) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably represented California's 42nd and 43rd congressional districts from 1999 to 2013.

Born in Belen, New Mexioco and raised in Barstow, California, he sshined shoes and delivered newspapers as a child before working as a laborer for the Santa Fe Railroad. Between 1966 and 1968, he served in the United States Army. Following military service, Baca attended Barstow Community College and went on to receive his bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Los Angeles. He worked for 15 years in community relations with General Telephone and Electric. In 1979, he was the first Latino elected to the board of trustees for the San Bernardino Valley College District. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1992, and to the State Senate in 1998.

After the death of Congressman George Brown, Jr., Baca won the Democratic primary and then the special election in a November runoff to fill the remainder of Brown’s unexpired term in the U.S. House during the 106th Congress. Baca’s working-class roots made him a champion both of organized labor and of the farmers throughout his district. His legislative interests have spanned everything from health care, to education, to transportation. Baca has used his position on the Agriculture Committee, to support the interests of low-income farmers and has worked to make Agriculture Department programs more accessible to minority growers. He used his seat on Natural Resources to help decontaminate groundwater throughout the Santa Anna River Watershed. As a member of the Financial Services Committee, Baca advocated for homeowners threatened by foreclosure. Baca was a member of numerous caucuses, including the Blue Dog Coalition and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). Regarded as one of the more influential Hispanic legislators, Baca moved to the top of the CHC, serving as vice chairman in 2005 and as chairman in 2007 and 2008.

In the 2012 general election, Baca faced Democrat Gloria Negrete McLeod and lost 56 to 44 percent. He retired from the House at the end of the 112th Congress in January 2013. In 2014, Baca ran unsuccessfully for both the Democratic primary for the 114th Congress (2015–2017) and for mayor of Fontana, California. In June 2015, Baca switched his affiliation to the Republican Party, citing his "core Christian" and pro-business beliefs. In January 2018, Baca switched his affiliation back to the Democratic Party, saying that "in my heart, I've always been a Democrat with a 100 percent voting record for labor."