User:Dbrezenoff/Robert Garcia, politician

Robert Garcia (born December 12, 1977) is a City Council member in the City of Long Beach, California. He represents the First Councilmanic District, which includes large areas of downtown, parts of the Port of Long Beach, and some of the densest and most diverse urban areas in the nation. .

When elected on April 13, 2009, to fill the seat vacated by Bonnie Lowenthal, Garcia became the youngest person, the first Latino male, and the first openly gay person of color ever elected to the Long Beach City Council.

Garcia is known for his outspoken support of LGBT rights, his ability to forge nontraditional coalitions of supporters (for example, the Sierra Club, the International Longshore Workers' Union, and the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce), his fundraising ability, his advocacy in favor of studying Breakwater reconfiguration, his support for using digital technology to increase government efficiency, and his attention to quality of life issues, such as park space, code enforcement, and arts and culture.

Biography
Garcia was born on December 2, 1977 in Peru. He immigrated to the United States with his mother at age 5. His mother and aunt worked as housekeepers and the family lived in public housing for much of Garcia's childhood.

Garcia attended Long Beach State University, where he became President of the Student Association and graduated with honors with a degree in Communications. He continued his education at The University of Southern California, where he received a Master's Degree, and later became Public Information Officer at Long Beach City College. Garcia received hisEDD in Educational Policy from Long Beach State in June 2010.

Garcia is fully bilingual, speaking, reading and writing both English and Spanish fluently.

In 2007, Garcia founded the Long Beach Post, a website devoted to local news and sports reporting. The site soon became popular with local political figures and community leaders, and gave Garcia increased local prominence.

Garcia, with other area residents, founded the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance in 2008 to advocate for the needs of downtown residents and businesses. This launched his political career in earnest.

In 2009, Garcia defeated 6 other candidates, including a former First District Councilmember, to win the seat vacated when Bonnie Lowenthal was elected to the California State Assembly in 2008. He was reelected in April 2010 by a margin of more than 40 percentage points.

Career highlights
Garcia's time in office has been marked by socially progressive and economically moderate legislation. He has authored or cosponsored more than 20 pieces of legislation, including the City's first Equal Benefits Ordinance, a ban on smoking at busstops and at farmers' markets, a proposal to extend increased preferences to veterans in civil service hiring, and a broad-ranging arts initiative that eliminated restrictions on street performances, lowered the business license tax for artists and other home-based businesses, and created a Blue Ribbon Arts Commission to explore ways Long Beach can support the arts.

Garcia has shown support for labor unions, voting to support a Project Labor Agreement at the Long Beach Airport, and expressing support for a PLA at the Port of Long Beach. He has also shown interest in government reform and fiscal accountability, supporting the [City Manager]'s efforts to consolidate departments, and introducting legislation to consider reducing the number of times the full City Council meets each month.

Garcia arranged the leasing of City land to a local charter school for use as a working educational farm. He also arranged the painting of a huge mural by local artists on the façade of the vacant Press-Telegram lofts in downtown Long Beach.

Garcia initiated the first Latin-American Parade and Festival in Long Beach in 2009. The second is scheduled for October 2010.

Garcia has received some national attention for his socially progressive views and the culturally diverse communities he represents, being young, Latino and gay. Garcia was featured in [CNN]'s 2009 special "Latino in America," and was named to the "40 under 40 list" by the national gay news magazine The Advocate.