Jim Nielsen

1978 election

Nielsen was first elected to the Senate in 1978 by defeating 4th district incumbent John Dunlap, a freshman Democrat. 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. Nielsen also authored legislation to promote welfare reform and reduce welfare fraud, including the acclaimed GAIN program, and he authored and coauthored bills to promote agricultural exports.

1990 defeat

Nielsen was unseated by Democrat Mike Thompson, an aide to then Assemblywoman Jackie Speier. Thompson benefited from ethics issues and verbal gaffes made by the incumbent, as well changing demographics in the district. He defeated Nielsen by less than 1 percent.

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, which is the custom of most legislators. 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. The Attorney General was Jerry Brown, a Democrat and former Governor of California.

Expenditures

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