Robert Garcia
DemocratU.S. Representative, CA-42| Age | 48 (b. 1977-12-02) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2023-01-03 (~3 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Hispanic/Latino (Peruvian American) |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Education | BA in Communication Studies, California State University Long Beach (2002); MA in Communication Management, University of Southern California (2005); EdD in Higher Education, California State University Long Beach (2010) |
| Prior occupation | Professor of public policy and communications (USC, CSULB, Long Beach City College); public information officer and communications director at Long Beach City College; founded Long Beach Post (online news site, 2007); communications director at Richard Nixon Presidential Library (early 2000s); worked as chief of staff for Republican Councilman Frank Colonna |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Lima, Peru (foreign-born) |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
| Marital status | divorced — Matthew Mendez (married 2018, divorced 2024) |
| Residence | Long Beach, California |
| Openly LGBTQ | yes |
Pending research: children · notable relatives.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2022 |
| Previous offices | Long Beach City Council, 1st District (2009–2014) · Vice Mayor of Long Beach (2012–2014) · Mayor of Long Beach (2014–2022) |
| Committees | House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Ranking Member, since June 2025) · House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
| Caucuses | Congressional Progressive Caucus · Congressional Hispanic Caucus · Congressional Equality Caucus (co-chair) · Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · Congressional PORTS Caucus (co-chair) · Congressional Peru Caucus (co-chair) · Congressional YIMBY Caucus (founding member, co-chair) · Congressional Popular Arts Caucus (founder) · Congressional Freethought Caucus |
| Leadership | Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (June 2025–present) |
| Party history | Registered Republican until 2007; founded Long Beach Young Republicans (2005); worked on George W. Bush 2000 campaign; switched to Democratic Party in 2007 |
| Ideology | Progressive Democrat; member of Congressional Progressive Caucus; GovTrack ideology score not published due to limited bill sponsorship data |
| Signature legislation | GAO Inspector General Parity Act (signed into law Nov. 2023) — strengthened GAO Inspector General independence · Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2023 — bipartisan bill to streamline government reporting, passed House · FLASH Act (Fast-Track Logistics for Acquiring Supplies in a Hurry Act of 2023) — HHS emergency procurement reform · H.R. 5300 (signed into law Nov. 25, 2024) · ICE Security Reform Act (introduced Oct. 2024) — proposed elevating Homeland Security Investigations to independent agency |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed –$465,000 (2025) · estimate
| California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) | other · $0–$250,000 · 2025 |
| California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) – additional | other · $0–$100,000 · 2025 |
| California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) | other · $0–$100,000 · 2025 |
| Chase Bank Account | other · $0–$15,000 · 2025 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.