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Robert Garcia (born December 2, 1977) is an Peruvian-American politician who is the current Mayor of Long Beach, California. He previously represented the First Council District, which includes large areas of downtown, parts of the Port of Long Beach, and some of the densest and most diverse urban areas in the nation.〔Downtown Long Beach Market Study Final Report, Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, April 17, 2009〕 When elected on April 13, 2009, to fill the seat vacated by Bonnie Lowenthal, Garcia became the youngest person, the first Latino male, and the first gay person of color ever elected to the Long Beach City Council. In 2014 Garcia ran for Mayor of Long Beach. He qualified for the runoff by finishing first in the primary election. He won the mayoral election on June 3, 2014 with 52.1% of the vote, defeating Damon Dunn, and becoming the youngest Mayor in Long Beach history, as well as its first gay mayor, first Latino Mayor, and first Mayor to be fluent in Spanish and English. == Biography == Garcia was born on December 2, 1977 in Lima, Peru.〔()〕 He immigrated to the United States with his mother at age 5. His mother and aunt worked in many jobs, including as housekeepers, to support the family.〔http://robertgarcia.com/robertgarcia.html〕 Garcia attended California State University, Long Beach, where he became President of the Associated Students, was an active member of the Delta Chi fraternity and graduated with a degree in Communications. He continued his education at the University of Southern California, where he received a Master's Degree, and later became Public Information Officer at Long Beach City College. Garcia received his Ed.D. in Educational Policy from California State University, Long Beach, in June 2010.〔 He has taught courses in Communications and Public Policy at the University of Southern California, California State University, Long Beach, and Long Beach City College. Garcia is fully bilingual, speaking, reading and writing both English and Spanish fluently. Originally a Republican, Garcia served as California Youth Coalition Coordinator for the 2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign while in college. In 2005, he founded〔 and was president of the Long Beach Young Republicans;〔 he also worked as chief of staff for Long Beach City Councilmember Frank Colonna〔 and ran Colonna's 2006 mayoral campaign. Garcia changed his party to Democratic around 2007.〔 In 2007, Garcia founded the Long Beach Post, a website devoted to local news and sports reporting. The site soon became popular with local political figures and community leaders and gave Garcia increased local prominence.〔“The Future of the Long Beach Post”, by Ryan ZumMallen, LBPOST.com, February 11, 2010.〕 Garcia, with other area residents, founded the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance in 2008 to advocate for the needs of downtown residents and businesses. This launched his political career in earnest.〔 In 2009, Garcia defeated six other candidates, including a former First District Councilmember, to win the seat vacated when Bonnie Lowenthal was elected to the California State Assembly in 2008. He was reelected in April 2010 by a margin of more than 40 percentage points.〔Los Angeles Registrar Recorder〕 In July 2012, he was unanimously elected to a two-year term as Vice Mayor by the City Council, becoming the first Latino Vice Mayor in Long Beach and the youngest in the City's history (Press Telegram, July 18, 2012). In January 2013, Garcia was appointed to the California Coastal Commission.〔“Long Beach City Councilman Robert Garcia appointed to California Coastal Commission," by Eric Bradley; San Jose Mercury News, January 9, 2013; ()〕 In July 2013, after Bob Foster announced he would not seek re-election, Garcia entered the race for Long Beach Mayor. Upon being installed as Mayor, Garcia had to leave the Coastal Commission, which does not allow charter Mayors to serve as members. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Robert Garcia (California politician)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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