How a farmworker’s son-turned politician is fighting “the serious crisis with Mother Earth”
Working with his parents harvesting produce in the 100-degree agricultural fields of southern California, Eduardo Garcia never imagined growing up and becoming a state assemblyman. But unlikely events led to a spark to make decisions for his community—and today, Garcia is the climate-change-fighting assemblyman representing California’s 56th District.
Fierce about saving California’s embattled ecosystems, Garcia authored a bill to allocate almost $4 billion to fight wildfires and drought. He talks with Yesh Pavlik Slenk about how he got here, what he’s fighting for, and why he still has to battle for basic rights to clean water and air.
Most people don’t think about running for office when pondering environmental careers. However, California Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia may change your mind.
In a state ravaged by air pollution and wildfires, Garcia has crafted policy that fights climate change. Recently, he introduced AB 1500, which helped inspire the Climate Resilience Bond. This allocates $3.7 billion of the state’s 2021-22 budget toward shoring up disadvantaged communities against “catastrophic wildfire, sea level rise, drought, extreme heat and flooding.” It also provides for infrastructure investments.
“The connection here to climate, the drought, the fires . . . is recognizing that we have a serious crisis with mother earth,” Garcia said. “We’ve got some work to do when it comes to not just building the infrastructure, but the conservation aspect of it is key for the first time.”
Garcia hardly followed a traditional “green” education and career path. He took time off after high school, then attended his local community college and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of California Riverside. His journey eventually led him to the Coachella City Council at 27. At 29, he became Coachella’s mayor, the youngest ever elected in that city. In 2014, Garcia became assemblyman.
Garcia believes that young people can help save the planet by serving others. “I never thought that going into public service would end up being a career,” he said. “When I came to realize that it is something that one can do to contribute to the betterment . . . of conditions in our communities, I kind of got married to the idea. I’ve been doing it since.”
Resources included in this episode:
- Ca.gov: Budget Summary A breakdown of how the Climate Resilience Bond will be used.
- Climate Candidates: https://climatecandidates.org/ To help people who want to run for office
Additional Information:
- Sierra Club: The Great Western Drought, Explained New solutions are required for water droughts caused by climate change.
- Ca.gov: Bill Text AB 1500 Safe Drinking Water… Details of the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparation, Flood Protection, Extreme Heat Mitigation, and Workforce Development Bond Act of 2022 that Garcia introduced February 19, 2021.
- Desert Sun: Eduardo Garcia Continues Momentum in Assembly 2015 profile of Garcia’s work in the CA Assembly.
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