By Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia was elected to represent California’s 42nd district in Congress during Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Garcia ran against Republican opponent John Briscoe to represent the district, which covers Long Beach, Riverside County, Eastvale, Norco, Corona, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Wildomar, Murrieta, Temecula and Riverside.
Congressman-elect Garcia promised to fight for a national $15 minimum wage, a policy he proposed locally in 2016.
Garcia also expressed support for increasing the pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He said he wanted to expand on his work in Long Beach to provide legal support for families facing deportation and make the city a sanctuary city to protect undocumented residents.
The congressman-elect also promised to help repair the healthcare system and vote to pass Medicare for All. He pushed Long Beach to support the legislation, believing healthcare is a human right.
Garcia and his mother immigrated to the U.S. when he was 5 years old. He is a Long Beach State alumnus of 2002 where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.
After graduating from the University of Southern California in 2005 with a master’s degree in communication management, he founded the Long Beach Post in 2007.
Garcia was elected the youngest mayor of Long Beach in 2014, at 36 years old. He represented the 1st district on the Long Beach city council and was unanimously elected as vice mayor by the council.
He is set to take congressional office on Jan. 3, 2023.
