Robert Garcia (California congressman) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Garcia
Official portrait, 2023
Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office June 24, 2025
Preceded by	Stephen Lynch (acting)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 42nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Lucille Roybal-Allard (40th district) Alan Lowenthal (47th district)
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	Robert Julio Garcia (1977-12-02) December 2, 1977 (age 47) Lima, Peru
Political party	Democratic (2007–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (before 2007)
Spouse	Matthew Mendez ​ ​ (m. 2018; div. 2024)​
Education	California State University, Long Beach (BA, EdD) University of Southern California (MA)
Signature
Website

Robert Julio Garcia (born December 2, 1977) is an American politician and teacher. Since 2023, he has been the U.S. representative for California's 42nd congressional district. A congressional district is an area of a state that elects someone to represent them in the U.S. government.

As a member of the Democratic Party, Garcia was the 28th mayor of Long Beach, California, from 2014 to 2022. He was the city's youngest mayor and the first openly LGBT person elected to the office. He was also the first Latino mayor of Long Beach.

In 2022, Garcia was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He is the first person of Peruvian descent to be elected to Congress. He was one of the main people who worked to remove Representative George Santos from Congress.

Early Life and Education

Robert Julio Garcia was born in Lima, Peru, on December 2, 1977. He moved to the United States with his mother when he was five years old. His mother and aunt worked hard at many jobs, including as housekeepers, to support their family.

Garcia went to Covina High School and graduated in 1995. He then attended California State University, Long Beach. There, he became president of the Associated Students, which is a student government group. He earned a degree in communication studies.

After college, Garcia earned a master's degree from the University of Southern California. He later received a Doctor of Education degree from California State University, Long Beach. He has taught classes at several colleges, including USC and Long Beach City College.

Career Before Politics

In 2007, Garcia started the Long Beach Post. It was a website with local news and sports. The site became popular and helped Garcia become well-known in the community. He sold the website before he was elected mayor.

While teaching, Garcia was also part of the public policy and communications staff at the University of Southern California.

Long Beach City Council

In 2009, Garcia won an election to join the Long Beach City Council. He represented the city's 1st district. He was reelected in 2010.

In 2012, the City Council chose him to be the Vice Mayor. This made him the first Latino Vice Mayor in Long Beach's history.

As a councilmember, Garcia helped create over 20 new laws. These included a ban on smoking at bus stops and an arts plan that made it easier for artists to perform on the street. He also supported projects to improve the Port of Long Beach and build a new bridge.

Mayor of Long Beach

Mayor Robert Garcia at a signing event for the East San Pedro Bay study in 2016.

In 2013, Garcia announced he would run for mayor of Long Beach. He won the election in June 2014 and became mayor on July 15. He was reelected in 2018 with about 80% of the vote.

As mayor, Garcia focused on education, creating jobs, and protecting the environment. He started a program to give every child access to preschool. He also worked to get a $3 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to support new ideas in the city.

Garcia also focused on workers' rights. He supported agreements that gave local workers jobs on city construction projects. He also supported raising the minimum wage for workers in Long Beach.

Protecting the Environment

In 2015, Garcia joined the Global Covenant of Mayors. This is a group of city leaders from around the world who work to fight climate change.

Under his leadership, Long Beach created its first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. The city also banned items that harm the environment, like Styrofoam and plastic bags.

National Politics

Garcia with Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021.

Garcia has been active in national politics. In 2019, he was a state co-chair for Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. In 2020, he was one of 17 speakers who gave the main speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

In August 2020, some people started a petition to remove Garcia as mayor. They were unhappy with his leadership. The effort was canceled a few months later.

U.S. House of Representatives

In December 2021, Garcia announced he would run for the U.S. House of Representatives. He won the election in 2022 for California's 42nd congressional district.

When he was sworn into office, Garcia used a copy of the U.S. Constitution, a photo of his parents, and a rare comic book. The comic was the first one to feature Superman.

Work in Congress

Robert Garcia
@RobertGarcia

We did it. We expelled George Santos.

December 1, 2023

Garcia was a leader in the effort to remove Representative George Santos from the House. An expulsion is when a member is forced to leave their position. The final vote to remove Santos was 311 to 114.

In April 2024, Garcia voted to send military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

Committee Assignments

For the 119th United States Congress, Garcia serves on several committees:

• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (as the ranking member, or leader of the minority party)
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Caucus Memberships

A caucus is a group of members of Congress who share a common interest. Garcia is a member of several caucuses, including:

• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Equality Caucus (co-chair)
• Congressional Freethought Caucus

Personal Life

On December 22, 2018, Garcia married his longtime partner, Matthew Mendez, a professor at California State University, Long Beach. They have since divorced.

Garcia is Catholic.

Electoral History

City Council

Mayor

U.S. House of Representatives

See also

• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
• List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States
• List of Democratic National Convention keynote speakers