| Eduardo Garcia proudly represents California's 56th Assembly District, which includes cities and unincorporated communities in eastern Riverside County and Imperial County, including Blythe, Brawley, Bermuda Dunes, Calexico, Calipatria, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, El Centro, Holtville, Imperial, Indio, Mecca, Oasis, North Shore, Salton Sea, Thermal, Thousand Palms, and Westmorland.
Elected in 2014, Garcia is the current chair of Water, Parks and Wildlife. In this capacity he oversees some of the state's most pressing issues, such as drought conditions, and the implementation of the multi-billion dollar Proposition 1, Water Bond passed by voters in 2014.
Garcia also serves on the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Communications and Conveyance, Governmental Organization and Utilities and Energy.
In his first term, Garcia was appointed to chair the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy. As chair, Garcia was responsible for leading the Assembly's review of policies and legislation related to small business development, international trade, and other state and local economic development related issues to help create a more robust and inclusive economy.
In March of 2015 Garcia was appointed to chair the Select Committee on Renewable Energy Development and Restoration of the Salton Sea. As Chair of the select committee, Garcia will examine the opportunities and challenges surrounding development of renewable energy projects and the implementation of environmental restoration plans of the Salton Sea area. The Salton Sea remains one of the Assemblymember's top priorities. In his first term he was successful in securing $80.5 million in the State Budget to fund Salton Sea restoration and mitigation projects; such as dust suppression, wetland and habitat recovery.
In 2016, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia had well over two dozen bills and resolutions signed by Governor Brown. This is triumph is significant for the 56th District as he is the first freshman legislator to accomplish this feat. Garcia made a point to champion measures that would increase access to healthcare, bring environmental and economic relief to the areas of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys, such as the Salton Sea and New River, but also provide workforce training and financial assistance to small businesses in the district.
Included in this string of success was SB 32 and AB 197, the historic climate change package that established landmark state emission reduction mandate, boosted oversight and transparency of the Air Resources Board while constructing the framework to ensure future climate policies prioritize investments into disadvantaged communities that are most affected by pollution.
A graduate of local public schools, Garcia attended Coachella Valley High School and the University of California, Riverside. He also completed the "Senior Executives in State and Local Government" Public Administration program from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and earned a Master's Degree from the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning and Development.
Garcia was first elected to the Coachella City Council in November 2004. In 2006, at the age of 29, he became Coachella's first elected Mayor. Under his leadership, the City of Coachella flourished into an emerging economic and cultural center of the Coachella Valley.
He is a proud father, husband and life-long resident of the Coachella Valley. |