James Wiley Nielsen is an American politician from

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who served in the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

for the 4th district. A member of the Republican Party, Nielsen served on the Yolo County Republican Committee before first winning election to the

in 1978. Nielsen served in the State Senate until 1990, in the State Assembly from 2009 to 2012, and returned to the State Senate following a 2013 special election.

Early life and education

On July 31, 1944, Nielsen was born in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. Nielsen has a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business from

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

Career

1978 election

Nielsen was first elected to the Senate in 1978 by defeating 4th district incumbent

John Dunlap John Dunlap (1747 – 27 November 1812) was an early American printer who emigrated from Ireland and who printed the first copies of the United States Declaration of Independence and was one of the most successful Irish/American printers of his ...

, a freshman

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. Nielsen then went on to win easy reelections in 1982 and 1986.

State Senate

Nielsen served as Republican Leader in the Senate from 1983 until 1987. Nielsen established himself as a traditional tough-on-crime conservative who championed the cause for lower taxes, controlled government spending and gun rights for law-abiding citizens. He authored legislation to promote welfare reform and reduce

welfare fraud Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

, including the acclaimed GAIN program, and he authored and coauthored bills to promote agricultural exports.

1990 defeat

Nielsen was narrowly unseated by Democrat Mike Thompson, an aide to then Assemblywoman

Jackie Speier Karen Lorraine Jacqueline Speier ( ; born May 14, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving in Congress since 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 12th Distr ...

. Thompson benefited from ethics issues and verbal gaffes made by the incumbent, as well as changing demographics in the district.

Post-senatorial career

After leaving the legislature, Nielsen served on the Agriculture Labor Relations Board. In 1992, he was appointed to the Board of Parole and Prison Terms and served as its chairman from 1993 until 2000.

Residency questions

A question of residency eligibility arose during his bid for the Assembly in 2008, because Nielsen owns 2 homes, one in the district he represents and one near the capitol. Nielsen won the case and even received a judgment for court costs in the amount of $7,400 against Plaintiff Don Bird. Plaintiff appealed to the Secretary of State who then deferred to the State Attorney General. After reviewing the case, the Attorney General issued a letter on December 22, 2008, stating there was no evidence to warrant further investigation and the matter was closed.

Expenditures

Nielsen was also the largest taxpayer-funded gas card spender in the state legislature for 2010 costing $10,410.68

Personal life

Nielsen's wife is Marilyn. They have five children.

References

Additional sources

* Vassar, Alex; Shane Meyers (2007). "Jim Nielsen, Republican". JoinCalifornia.com. Retrieved on October 3, 2008 * ''California Journal'' Vol. XXI, No. 10 (October 1990) "Wilson vs. Feinstein". StateNet Publications, October 1990. * ''California Journal'' Vol. XXVI, No. 12 (December 1990) "Complete District By District Analysis". StateNet Publications, December 1990.

External links

*
JoinCalifornia
Election History for the State of California {{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Jim 1944 births Living people Ranchers from California California State University, Fresno alumni Republican Party California state senators Republican Party members of the California State Assembly People from Fresno, California 21st-century American politicians