Four Portuguese American Congressmen from California  in Washington D. C. The Portuguese-Americans of the Atlantic cost, in more than 200 years, have NOT yet elected ONE of their own to the U. S. Congress! - Why is this? U. S. Congressmen credit Portuguese roots for  sowing seed of success!
	Published  by the  “Portuguese American Chronicle Newspaper”,  Tracy ,  California,  October 14, 2005

 

Like all members of the House of Representatives, Congressman Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, has an official Web site. Like every Web site, his features an official biography page.  Unlike most, however, Nunes' site includes a biography written in Portuguese, so that, if one can read the native tongue of his heritage, one can learn that "Devin e a sua mulher Elizabeth  uma professora de profissão  vivem em Visalia ,"  Devin and his wife, Elizabeth  a school teacher  live in Visalia .

"I am proud of my Azorean heritage," Nunes said. "My grandparents immi­grated to America and brought with them a strong work ethic that has served me well in Congress."

Indeed it has. Nunes is one of four Portuguese congressmen who represent California's fertile Central Valley, the once pastoral heartland of America 's most populous state where so many Portuguese immigrants settled and thrived.

Nunes has twice won election to the House of Representatives and serves on the powerful Committee on Ways and Means. In addition to that and other committee assignments, he serves as an Assistant Majority Whip, a leadership position within the Republican Party.        

Congressman Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, is another second-term representative of Portuguese descent who represents a piece of the sprawling Central Valley . Cardoza serves both the Committee on Resource and the Committee on Agriculture, which his aides call "arguably the two most critical committees for the Central Valley ." He also serves as a Senior Whip for his party.

Cardoza's grandparents emigrated from Portugal in the early 1900s. They worked the soil in Merced County , raising dairy cattle, sweet potatoes, almonds, watermelons, wheat, oats and alfalfa.  "My Portuguese heritage has had a profound influence on my career and how I have lived my life," Cardoza said.

"My grandparents were hard-working Portuguese immigrants. I learned from them the value of a strong work ethic. Much of the success I have had in life. I credit to the determination and drive I learned from them."  He also credits his family for a com­modity that many believe is lacking in the nation's Capitol.

"They also taught me a respect for the truth," he said. "My grandmother always told me that the truth may not be comfortable or convenient, but you will be a stronger and better person in the long run if you have integrity. I believe she was right— and I try to live up to her example."

Congressman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, is the longest-serving and most prominent of Central California 's Portuguese politicians, a larger-than-life figure at home and on Capitol Hill who has garnered national news in recent weeks for his attempts to revise the Endangered Species Act.

Pombo, who began his seventh term in the House this year, serves as chairman of the House Resources   Committee, a position of power that has given him the status to make headway in his long-frustrated quest to change the federal rules on endangered species that have been so vexing to large landowners in the West.

In addition to that influential post, Pombo is co-chair of both the House Energy Action Team and the Task Force on Affordable Natural Gas, a role that will take on even more significance as the nation struggles with supply shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Pombo co-founded the Portuguese Caucus, a coalition dedicated to the promotion of positive Portuguese-American relations.  Pombo was awarded The Grand Order of Infante D. Henrique, the highest civilian honor that is bestowed by the Portuguese government, in recognition of his efforts to * improve relations between the two nations.

The chairman is a fourth-generation Californian, whose family regularly participates in Portuguese cultural events. When asked recently about his heritage, Pombo pointed to the fact the many Portuguese parades featured his daughter, a festa princess. "We're all very proud of that," he said.

Congressman Jim Costa, D-Hanford, sworn in to his first term this January, became the fourth Portuguese member of the House.  Like the others, he comes from a family with deep roots in the Central Valley . He is a third-generation farmer and the descendent of Azorean immigrants..

Costa, like Pombo, is determined to change the Endangered Species Act, to ensure liability relief for farmers and ranchers responsible for the accidental death of endangered species in the course of everyday agricultural activity." Costa built his reputation as a politi­cian during a 24-year career as a California state legislator, one of the last of Sacramento ’s tenured, pre-term limits lawmakers. Among his long list of accomplish­ments in the state house, Costa points proudly to his efforts in 1998 and 1999 that expanded incentives to protect farmland and slow urban sprawl and over-development.

Costa, Pombo, Cardoza and Nunes can all list their many accomplishments, and can all point to their hearty forbearers from the Azores who came to California 's rich Central Valley and planted seeds that yielded wealth, - social status and political ascension.