Dave Cortese

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American politician in California

title: "Dave Cortese" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1956-births", "living-people", "university-of-california,-davis-alumni", "lincoln-law-school-of-san-jose-alumni", "san-jose-city-council-members", "county-supervisors-in-california", "democratic-party-california-state-senators", "continental-basketball-association-executives", "bellarmine-college-preparatory-alumni", "21st-century-members-of-the-california-state-legislature"] description: "American politician in California" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Cortese" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician in California ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Dave Cortese
image	Dave Cortese 2020 Headshot.jpg
caption	Official portrait, 2020
state_senate	California State
district	15th
term_start	December 7, 2020
predecessor	Jim Beall
office2	Member of the
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
from the 3rd district
term_start2	2009
term_end2	2020
successor2	Otto Lee
birth_name	David Dominic Cortese
birth_date
birth_place	Monterey County, California, U.S.
party	Democratic
spouse	Patricia
children	4
website	https://sd15.senate.ca.gov
father	Dominic L. Cortese
education	University of California, Davis
Lincoln Law School
committees	- Senate Transportation Committee, Chair
title	Majority Whip
::

Senate Ethics Committee, Chair
Senate Agriculture Committee
Senate Education Committee
Senate Housing Committee
Senate Insurance Committee
Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee
Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture
Joint Committee on Rules | title = Majority Whip David Dominic Cortese (born June 3, 1956) is an elected official from San Jose, California. He is currently serving in the California State Senate, representing District 15, which encompasses a majority of Santa Clara County. Before being elected to the California State Senate, Cortese served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for 12 years, as a Councilmember and Vice Mayor for the City of San Jose for eight years, and for eight years as a trustee for the East Side Union High School District in San Jose. Cortese ran for mayor of San Jose and won the primary, losing the general election to District 3 councilmember Sam Liccardo.

Early life and education

Cortese was born on born June 3, 1956. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory high school (1970–1974). He received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis and graduated from Lincoln Law School (1991–1995).

Personal life

Cortese is the son of former Santa Clara County Supervisor and California Assembly member Dominic L. Cortese and Suzanne Cortese. Cortese's paternal grandfather, Vince Cortese Sr., was an immigrant farmer from Sicily who found success in agriculture and commercial development. His maternal grandfather, Ed Donovan, was a civic leader and executive of General Motors Credit Corp. who served as a Santa Clara City Councilman in 1949 and 1950. Dave Cortese and his wife, Pattie, who serves on the East Side Union High School District Board, have four children.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Cortese_creates_the_Silicon_Valley_Kids_Climate_Club_in_2009.jpg" caption="Cortese creates the Silicon Valley Kids Climate Club in 2009"] ::

Legal and business career

In 1986, following a successful tenure as a professional financial manager within a prominent corporation, Cortese assumed the role of general manager for a collection of enterprises in ranching and real estate. These enterprises have historical roots tracing back to their establishment in the Valley in 1917. His professional journey includes business endeavors involving the sale of agricultural produce, stewardship of a substantial multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio, construction, ownership of a dining establishments, and a private law practice.

Political career

Cortese’s leadership positions include serving as Vice Mayor of the City of San Jose, Board President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Board President of the East Side Union High School District Board, Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), President of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), President of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), President of the Santa Clara County Cities Association (SCCCA), Founder of the Joint Policy Collaborative for Economic Development, Chair of the California Senate Labor, Public Employment & Retirement Committee, President of the San Jose East-Evergreen Rotary Club, Board of Directors for the East Valley YMCA, The Tech Interactive, Parents Helping Parents, and several other nonprofits, as well as a Founding Member of East Valley Girls Softball.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Day_on_the_Bay_-_2014.jpg" caption="For over a decade, Cortese has hosted the Day on the Bay multicultural resource and health fair"] ::

Electoral history

San Jose City Council

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

San José Mayor

| title = 2014 San Jose mayoral election

California State Senate

References

"David Dominic Cortese Profile | Morgan Hill, CA Lawyer".
"Home".
"Home".
[http://www.sccgov.org/sites/scc/Pages/default.aspx Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters]
"JoinCalifornia - Dave Cortese".
(28 April 2014). "Dave Cortese's home base on San Jose's East Side".
(28 September 2014). "Herhold: How the Cortese family ascended on San Jose's East side".
(September 28, 2014). "Herhold: How the Cortese family ascended on San Jose's East side". San Jose Mercury News.
(May 18, 2006). "Full Biography for Dave Cortese. Dave Cortese Biography".
(May 18, 2006). "Full Biography for Dave Cortese. Dave Cortese Biography".
(May 10, 2000). "March 7, 2000, Presidential Primary Election Official Final Results".
"November 7, 2000, Presidential General Election Official Final Results".
(March 30, 2004). "March 2, 2004, Primary Election Official Final Results".
(June 25, 2008). "June 3, 2008, Primary Election Official Final Results".
(November 25, 2008). "November 4, 2008, Presidential Election Official Final Results".
(July 3, 2012). "June 5, 2012, Presidential Primary Election Official Final Results".
(June 30, 2016). "June 7, 2016, Presidential Primary Election Official Final Results".
(26 June 2006). "Santa Clara County June 6th Gubernatorial Primary Election 2006 June 6 2006 Official Final Results". Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
(June 30, 2014). "Santa Clara - Election Results". Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
(November 20, 2014). "Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters - Election Results, Mayor, City of San Jose".
(November 14, 2014). "No recount set in close San Jose mayor's race after speculation". San Jose Mercury News.
"March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator".
"November 3, 2020, General Election - State Senator".
"March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Senator".
"November 5, 2024, General Election - State Senator".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::