Adventures of the Coconut Caucus

I was surprised to find out that Joe Baca has a whole entry on Wikipedia, that can only mean one thing: every member of Congress does.

Name: Joe Baca

Place of Birth: Belen, New Mexico, in 1947, the youngest of 15 children in a house where little English was spoken

Childhood Trauma: Shining shoes at the age of 10 (but what can you expect with 14 siblings)

Sueño Americano: A date with Loretta Sánchez.

Random Quote: “Many Inland residents depend on Omnitrans for convenient transportation around our region. The Access Service is especially important because it makes it possible for disabled passengers to get to work, to school, to the doctor’s office, to go shopping or eat out – wherever they need to go. By providing reliable and comfortable transportation, the new Access minibuses will make a big difference,” said Rep. Baca.

Claim to fame: Won award as “Zestiest Lawmaker” after downing 47 chile peppers to beat by a mile all the other legislators competing to see who could eat the most in record time.

La Familia in politics: His son Joe Baca, Jr (super original name) is a state assemblyman for California’s 62nd district

Was the First Latino to… be elected to the Board of Trustees for the San Bernardino Valley College District.

Totally Random Factoid: Is a member of Congressional Diabetes Caucus (How does he find the time!)

Random Award: Farmers Union Presidential Award for Leadership.

Spreading the Name: Two local parks named after him: the Joe Baca Senior Field at the Empire Center in Fontana and the Joe Baca Field at the Rialto Boys and Girls Club

Random link to official website: California’s 43rd

Legislation he has sponsored or cosponsored: Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the founding of Las Vegas, Nevada

And yeah, the voting record