Robert Garcia | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 42nd district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Ken Calvert (redistricted) |
28th Mayor of Long Beach | |
In office July 15, 2014 – December 20, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Bob Foster |
Succeeded by | Rex Richardson |
Vice Mayor of Long Beach | |
In office July 17, 2012 – July 15, 2014 | |
Preceded by | Suja Lowenthal |
Succeeded by | Suja Lowenthal |
Member of the Long Beach City Council from the 1st district | |
In office May 5, 2009 – July 15, 2014 | |
Preceded by | Bonnie Lowenthal |
Succeeded by | Lena Gonzalez |
Personal details | |
Born | Lima, Peru | December 2, 1977
Political party | Democratic (2007–present) |
Other political affiliations | Republican (before 2007) |
Spouse |
Matthew Mendez (m. 2018) |
Education | California State University, Long Beach (BA, EdD) University of Southern California (MA) |
Signature | |
Website | House website |
Robert Julio Garcia (born December 2, 1977)[1] is a Peruvian American politician and educator serving as the U.S. representative for California's 42nd congressional district since 2023.[2] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 28th mayor of Long Beach, California from 2014 to 2022.[3] He was both the city's youngest and first elected openly LGBT mayor, as well as the first Latino to hold the office.[4] He is the second person of color to be mayor of Long Beach, after Republican Eunice Sato, a Japanese-American who served from 1980 to 1982. A former member of the Long Beach City Council, he was vice mayor from 2012 to 2014.
Garcia was elected to the United States House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections. He is the first Peruvian-American to be elected to Congress, and was one of the leading figures in the expulsion of George Santos.[5][6]
Garcia, a Democrat from Long Beach, Calif., and a vocal comic book fan, was set to be sworn in Tuesday, but the ceremonies were postponed after House Republicans failed to elect a speaker.