Brian Garcia (politician)
Brian Garcia | |
|---|---|
Garcia in 2025 | |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 8th district | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2025 Serving with Janeen Connolly | |
| Preceded by | Deborah Nardozzi |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Arizona State University (BA, MLS, JD) |
Brian Garcia is an American politician. He serves as a Democratic member for the 8th district of the Arizona House of Representatives.[1]
Early life and education
Garcia was born to Ismael and Catalina Garcia, and grew up in Tempe, Ahwatukee, and Guadalupe. He graduated from McClintock High School in 2011, then earned a Bachelor of Arts in global studies from Arizona State University in 2015, as well as a Master of Legal Studies in 2017 and a Juris Doctor from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.[2]
Career
Garcia worked as an outreach coordinator for Kyrsten Sinema during her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives and served on the Tempe Union High School District. A member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, he worked as a law clerk for the tribe.[3]
He volunteered for Arizona Native Votes during the 2020 presidential election, where he witnessed voter intimidation when an impromptu rally of Trump supporters detered voters, mostly Native Americans, from entering a polling location in Guadalupe.[4]
Arizona House of Representatives
Garcia co-sponsored House Bill 2281, which would establish an alert system managed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety to be used when an Indigenous person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.[5][6] It passed the legislature with amendments in May 2025.[7]
Personal life
Garcia served as a legal guardian for his younger brother, Aaron.[2] He is an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.
References
- ^ "Brian Garcia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the LD18 Candidates: Brian Garcia". Ahwatukee Foothills News. September 11, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Riley, Kiera (December 6, 2024). "New Faces: Brian Garcia". Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Zoledziowski, Anya (November 12, 2020). "Native Americans Defied Voter Intimidation and Helped Biden Win Arizona". Vice. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Pietrorazio, Gabriel (January 23, 2025). "This bill would create a statewide missing Indigenous alert system in Arizona". KJZZ (FM). Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Clark, Brandelyn (March 31, 2025). "Arizona ranks 3rd for missing Indigenous people. New bill hopes to change that with emergency alert system". Indian Country Today. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Small, Jim (May 7, 2025). "Arizona Legislature unanimously approves Turquoise Alert System for missing Indigenous people". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved June 17, 2025.