CA-21: David Valadao (R)
PROFILE
About Valadao:
David Valadao was born and raised in Hanford, Calif. As a lifelong resident of the Central Valley, he has been active in agriculture and dairy industry groups, as well as many local charities.
The Valadao family emigrated from the Azores Islands of Portugal to the United States in 1969. After settling in the Central Valley, Valadao’s father started a small dairy farm in the Central Valley in 1973. Valadao was born on April 14, 1977.
Valadao attended local schools, graduating from Hanford High School in 1995 and later attended the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. Valadao married his high school sweetheart, Terra, in 1999. Together, they have three children.
Valadao works on the family farm which consists of two dairies as well as farmland in Kings County, on which they grow alfalfa, almonds, corn, and wheat.
Valadao has taken on leadership roles within the California Milk Advisory Board, Western States Dairy Trade Association, and served as the regional leadership council chairman for Land O’ Lakes, Inc.
In 2010, Valadao was elected to represent California’s 30th State Assembly District. Valadao served on several California Assembly Committees including the Agriculture Committee, where he held the position of committee vice-chair.
Valadao served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing California’s 21st Congressional District which includes Kings County and portions of Fresno, Kern, and Tulare Counties from 2013 to 2019. During his time in the House of Representatives, Valadao served on the House Appropriations Committee, which is the committee responsible for funding the federal government and determining where American tax dollars are spent.