Eduardo Garcia
Eduardo Garcia is the Senior Advisor for Policy & Public Affairs at UCLA LPPI. He is responsible for leading strategy and capacity building to guide the institute in achieving long-range goals and programmatic activities on Latino policy issues ranging from civil rights, health access, housing, and climate change.
The Honorable Eduardo Garcia proudly represented California’s 36th Assembly District, which included Imperial County and cities and communities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. First elected in 2014, Garcia served as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, the Select Committee on California’s Lithium Economy, and the Select Committee on California-Mexico Bi-National Affairs. He also served as an Ex Officio Member of the California Air Resources Board and previously chaired the Assembly Committees on Utilities and Energy; Water, Parks, and Wildlife; and Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy.
During his tenure, Garcia successfully authored and passed legislation to increase access to healthcare, create new parks, support small businesses, invest in broadband infrastructure, improve air and water quality, expand affordable housing, provide workforce training, and bring economic relief to underserved areas, including those in his district.
He secured historic investments for regional priorities, including over $500 million for the Salton Sea, $78 million for the New River and Border Rivers, $60 million for local parks, $160 million to expand higher education opportunities in the region, and $250 million for affordable housing and vital infrastructure projects district-wide.
Garcia distinguished himself as a champion for climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice. He worked to ensure equity, improve public health, protect vulnerable communities from extreme heat, combat pollution, and create clean energy jobs.
In 2016, Garcia led Assembly efforts to pass SB 32 and AB 197, landmark climate change legislation that established California’s emission reduction mandate and prioritized climate investments for disadvantaged communities most impacted by pollution. Building on those efforts, in 2017, he authored AB 398 and AB 617, which developed a statewide climate action plan and the Community Air Protection Program, directing millions in air quality improvement grants. During his final year in the Legislature, Garcia championed a historic $10 billion climate resilience bond focused on protecting California’s most vulnerable populations. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recognized Garcia with a National Climate Leadership Award for his work.
In 2019, Garcia joint-authored SB 200, which created the Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) program, bringing critical water infrastructure investments to underserved areas statewide. His efforts on SB 5, the Prop 68 California Parks, Environment, and Water Bond Act of 2018, unlocked $4 billion in much-needed state resources.
Garcia’s district served as a natural hub for renewable energy development, including solar, wind, geothermal, and lithium recovery. He dedicated his advocacy efforts to securing innovation grants and expanding education and workforce training to meet green economy demands while uplifting one of the state’s most underserved regions. Recognizing the opportunity to create a domestic lithium supply chain in the Imperial Valley, Garcia established the Lithium Valley Commission to bring stakeholders, locals, and environmental advocates together. In 2022, he passed a Lithium Valley budget investment plan that included an equitable tax framework to ensure the community and the Salton Sea region benefitted directly from lithium revenues.
Before his time in the Assembly, Garcia served on the Coachella City Council and, at age 29, became Coachella’s first elected Mayor. His leadership transformed the city into a vibrant economic and cultural hub. A proud graduate of local public schools, Garcia attended the University of California, Riverside, and completed the “Senior Executives in State and Local Government” Public Administration program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Garcia is a devoted father, husband, and lifelong resident of the Coachella Valley.
