| Congressman Robert Garcia is a career educator and former Mayor of Long Beach, currently serving his second term representing Long Beach to Southeast Los Angeles in Congress. Congressman Garcia was elected Caucus Leadership Representative by his Democratic colleagues, is Ranking Member of the National Security, Border and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Oversight Committee, and is a proud member of the Congressional Progressive, Hispanic and Equality Caucuses.
In his first term, Congressman Garcia championed the pro-housing movement in Congress to encourage the development of new housing units and bring down the cost of living across the nation. Congressman Garcia was instrumental in founding and launching the bipartisan Congressional Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) Caucus, aimed at promoting policies to increase the housing supply to address affordability and homelessness.
In the 118th Congress, two bills introduced by Congressman Garcia were signed by President Joe Biden into law. These bipartisan laws, aimed at improving government efficiency, will save taxpayer dollars and promote more accountable government operations.
As Caucus Leadership Representative, Congressman Garcia is a key figure in steering the direction and priorities of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. House. Congressman Garcia communicates between party leadership and newer members to ensure that the voices of Representatives across the party are heard and represented in legislation.
Congressman Garcia is also the co-chair of the Congressional Ports Opportunity, Renewal, Trade, and Security (PORTS) Caucus and Peru Caucus. The PORTS Caucus advocates for port infrastructure, secure and resilient supply chains, and for our nation's economy. The Peru Caucus aims to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Peruvian people by enhancing political dialogue and cooperation on shared values and principles.
Congressman Garcia was elected to represent California's 42nd Congressional District, including Long Beach and Southeast Los Angeles, in November 2022. Congressman Garcia previously served as the 28th Mayor of Long Beach from 2014 to 2022, and served on the City Council from 2009 to 2014.
Congressman Garcia believes in defending our democracy, leveling the playing field with progressive education policy, addressing the climate crisis, supporting working families with increasing wages, and fighting to expand and protect essential rights for women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community. In Congress, Congressman Garcia has championed legislation to tackle the affordable housing shortage, make our government run more efficiently, regulate ammunition sales to address our gun violence epidemic, reduce ocean shipping pollution, pandemic preparedness, and defend international human rights.
Congressman Garcia is proud to serve as the first openly LGBTQ immigrant in Congress. A self-admitted comic book nerd, Congressman Garcia credits comics with helping him learn to read and write English and has since channeled his love of popular culture into founding the Congressional Popular Arts Caucus, which celebrates the economic and cultural contributions of the popular arts.
Congressman Garcia immigrated from Peru to the United States as a young child and was raised in Southern California, and became a U.S. citizen in his 20's. He holds an M.A. from the University of Southern California and an Ed.D. in Higher Education from Cal State Long Beach, where he also earned his B.A. in Communications. |