Cristina Garcia (politician)
| Assemblymember Cristina Garcia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 58th district | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 3, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Calderon |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Bell Gardens, California |
Biography
Cristina Garcia is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. She is a Democrat representing the 58th district, encompassing parts of southeastern Los Angeles County. Prior to being elected to the state assembly, she was a teacher and a community activist involved in the City of Bell scandal.
Cristina Garcia was elected in November of 2012 to represent California’s 58th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Downey, Commerce, Pico Rivera, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Cerritos, Artesia, Montebello and a part of Norwalk. Prior to her election to the Assembly, Cristina Garcia taught statistics at the University of Southern California (USC), mathematics at Los Angeles City Community College, and has taught middle school and high school students through the Jaime Escalante Program at East Los Angeles Community College and Huntington Park High School.
In promoting ethical conduct in local and state government, Garcia firmly believes that doing the right thing is worth the effort and that hard work pays off. When the Bell corruption scandal broke and gained national attention, Bell residents turned to Garcia and asked her to clean up their local government. She worked with them to form BASTA -the Bell Association to Stop the Abuse, a local advocacy organization. BASTA’s efforts forced out Bell’s corrupt officials, and ushered in accountability and transparency for the first time in the city’s history. A new city council was elected and far-reaching reforms are now being implemented in Bell, giving citizens the good government they deserve.
Garcia was raised in the Southeast Los Angeles community of Bell Gardens and attended local schools. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree from Pomona College, a Masters Degree and a Secondary teaching credential from Claremont Graduate University and is presently a doctoral candidate at USC.
Last year, Cristina Garcia was recognized by California Forward with the distinguished California Forward Thinkers Award, Democrat of the Year and earned the Distinguished Woman of the Year Award from the California State Assembly.
