Dave Cortese
Dave Cortese is one of the most seasoned and deeply rooted public servants in Silicon Valley — a third-generation Santa Clara Valley leader whose family name has been synonymous with local governance for over half a century. First elected to the State Senate in November 2020, he is building on successes in Santa Clara County to deliver innovative local policy approaches across California, focused on housing and homelessness, public safety, public education, workers' rights, and climate change.
Cortese was born on June 3, 1956, and is the son of former Santa Clara County Supervisor and California Assemblymember Dominic L. Cortese. He grew up on an orchard in the East Foothills of the Mt. Hamilton Range, where his love for the Santa Clara Valley took root. His family's ties to the region go back generations — his paternal grandfather, Vince Cortese Sr., was an immigrant farmer from Sicily who found success in agriculture and commercial development, while his maternal grandfather was a civic leader who served on the Santa Clara City Council in 1949 and 1950.
Cortese graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory, then earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of California, Davis, and his Juris Doctorate from Lincoln University Law School in San José. After completing his law degree, he worked as an attorney in private practice and served as general manager of a collection of family enterprises in ranching and real estate, with historical roots tracing back to their establishment in the Valley in 1917.
His path through elected office has been remarkably comprehensive. He served as a trustee for the East Side Union High School District for eight years, then as a San José City Councilmember for eight years, followed by over a decade on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors — accumulating nearly three decades of local elected experience before arriving in Sacramento. Along the way, he also served as Vice Mayor of San José, Board President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, President of the Valley Transportation Authority, and President of the Association of Bay Area Governments.
His policy record at the county level is formidable. He initiated a countywide housing task force whose recommendations led to the groundbreaking $950 million "Measure A" affordable housing bond, which he co-chaired, and the All the Way Home campaign that housed nearly 2,000 of Santa Clara County's veterans. On transportation, he fought to secure funding for the BART expansion into San José and secured improvements to Highway 101, Highway 85, and multiple major interchanges. He was also a major architect of School Linked Services, a program connecting students and families to county social services and counseling that has grown to serve about 200 schools countywide.
His Senate District 15 encompasses the cities of Cupertino, Los Gatos, Campbell, Saratoga, and Monte Sereno, as well as the San José communities of Willow Glen, Almaden, Evergreen, East San José, and Downtown San José. He won reelection to his Senate seat in November 2024, defeating Robert P. Howell. In Sacramento, he chairs the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee and has authored legislation on affordable housing, gun safety, criminal justice reform, building decarbonization, and gender-based violence prevention.
Cortese and his wife Pattie, who serves as a trustee on the East Side Union High School District Board, have four children. His career represents the rare combination of deep family legacy and hard-won personal achievement — a man who inherited a love of public service and has spent his entire adult life earning the trust that comes with it.