Jim Bates (born July 21, 1941) is a former American Democratic politician and a Marine.
After graduating high school in the Denver area, Bates joined the United States Marine Corps in 1959, and served in the Corps until 1963. Relocating to San Diego, Bates became a banker and later a businessman in the aerospace industry.
Bates was elected to the San Diego city council in 1971. While serving he obtained his masters degree from San Diego State University. He was elected chairman of the San Diego County board of supervisors in 1974, and held the position until 1982. At the time he was the youngest chairman of the Board.
Bates resigned from the board to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing California’s newly created 44th Congressional District. His district was created after the 1980 census round of redistricting as the most Democratic district in the San Diego area (it included much of the territory represented for 18 years by Lionel Van Deerlin before his defeat by Duncan Hunter). He was easily re-elected in 1984, 1986, and 1988.