A day after California voters handed Proposition 50, Rep. Robert Garcia, a Democrat from Lengthy Seaside whose district stands to achieve extra Republican voters than another Home member underneath the brand new congressional maps, pledged to signify all constituents in what will likely be California’s new forty second Congressional District if he’s reelected.
“No matter political events — I’ll signify everybody. And there’s nice folks and neighborhoods all throughout the brand new district,” Garcia wrote in a Nov. 5 social media submit.
The hoopla surrounding the forty second Congressional District isn’t simply that Garcia will likely be working in an space that may look vastly completely different from what it does right now.
It’s that the brazenly homosexual, progressive liberal who, up thus far, has represented a closely Democratic district in deep-blue Los Angeles County, could be the lawmaker for a few of Orange County’s most conservative coastal communities, together with Huntington Seaside and a part of Newport Seaside, if reelected.
In 2023, the Huntington Seaside Metropolis Council voted to permit solely authorities and numerous navy flags to fly on city-owned property. Critics considered the ban on non-government banners as a technique to preserve the Delight flag — an emblem for the LGBTQ+ group — from being displayed.
And the town, the place all seven Metropolis Council members are Republicans, can also be the place President Donald Trump acquired over 9,500 extra votes than former Vice President Kamala Harris throughout final yr’s presidential election, in line with the California secretary of state’s workplace.
Trump additionally gained in Newport Seaside, the place he acquired over 8,300 extra votes than Harris final yr. (Trump finally misplaced not solely California however additionally Orange County as a complete in 2024.)
Garcia, alternatively, has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration. Because the rating member on the Home Oversight Committee, he’s relentlessly pursued the complete launch of the Jeffrey Epstein information. And simply this week, he led a congressional listening to into alleged misconduct by federal immigration brokers finishing up Trump’s mass deportation coverage.
Though voters in Huntington Seaside and Newport Seaside are usually extra conservative than Lengthy Seaside, Garcia mentioned there are nonetheless loads of individuals who care about points that he additionally finds vital.
“Sure, there’s much more conservative of us right here,” Garcia acknowledged over a lunch of salmon fish tacos and iced tea at Duke’s restaurant in Huntington Seaside this week. “There’s additionally a ton of Democrats and progressives right here.”
“And,” Garcia continued, “there’s a ton of individuals which can be unbiased that oppose Donald Trump’s plan to open up the Huntington Seaside coast, the Newport (Seaside) coast, the Seal Seaside coast to new oil rigs. These are points that we’re going to hopefully discover frequent floor on.”
At the moment, the forty second Congressional District, which Garcia was first elected to signify in 2022, lies fully inside L.A. County. It stretches north from Lengthy Seaside and contains some communities in southeast L.A. County, together with Lakewood, Downey and Huntington Park.
However underneath the brand new map anticipated to take impact with subsequent yr’s midterm elections, the district would lose these communities in southeast L.A. County and as an alternative swing south, selecting up not less than parts of Seal Seaside, Huntington Seaside, Newport Seaside and Costa Mesa in Orange County.
The present forty second Congressional District contains 53% registered Democratic voters in addition to 18% Republican voters and 23% no social gathering desire or different. With subsequent yr’s modifications, the district will embrace 40% registered Democratic voters, 30% Republican and 28% no social gathering desire or different.
It’s not that the Orange County cities that will likely be folded into the forty second Congressional District haven’t been represented by a Democrat earlier than.
Their present congressmember, Rep. Dave Min of Irvine, is a Democrat. So was Katie Porter, who served earlier than Min.
However as Huntington Seaside Mayor Pat Burns places it: Porter and Min had been elected primarily based on a congressional map drawn by an unbiased redistricting fee and underneath a nonpartisan system that California voters beforehand accredited.
But that’s only one challenge Burns has about Huntington Seaside probably being represented by Garcia underneath the brand new map. He’s additionally frightened that Garcia’s concepts for the town gained’t align with what residents actually need.
Over the summer time, Gov. Gavin Newsom and different Democrats proposed a mid-decade redistricting effort to place California Democrats to choose up 5 further Home seats within the 2026 midterm elections as a counter to related gerrymandering efforts by GOP-led states.
That effort led to voters adopting new, gerrymandered maps for California in a particular election a couple of weeks in the past. The maps are being challenged in courtroom as unconstitutional by California Republicans and the U.S. Division of Justice.
Within the meantime, Republicans in a few of Orange County’s extra conservative, lower-density communities proceed to balk on the concept of being lumped into the identical district as Lengthy Seaside, a way more liberal, city group in L.A. County.
Garcia is nicely conscious that his political opinions and the views of a few of his doubtlessly new constituents gained’t at all times line up.
His technique is to seek out areas of frequent curiosity upon which he’d advocate for, comparable to coastal preservation, investments in infrastructure and assist for small native companies.
“We’re not at all times going to agree on each challenge, and that’s effective,” he mentioned.
However, Garcia mentioned, “I would like Huntington Seaside, Newport, Seal, communities on the coast to look again and say, ‘Rattling, Robert Garcia is bringing us extra federal sources to assist our budgets than anybody we’ve ever had,’” he mentioned.
Huntington Seaside Mayor Professional Tem Casey McKeon, who will likely be sworn in as mayor subsequent week, mentioned many residents within the metropolis stay skeptical about illustration underneath the brand new congressional maps.
He didn’t need to speculate who would win the forty second Congressional District race subsequent yr however mentioned he’s prepared to maintain an open thoughts ought to Garcia be elected to signify Huntington Seaside.
“It doesn’t matter who the consultant is,” mentioned McKeon. “We’d anticipate our congressional consultant to work on tasks that have an effect on Huntington Seaside.”
For instance, he hopes whoever is elected to signify the town after the midterm elections will advocate for federal funding for sand replenishment tasks.
“It shouldn’t matter (the) political strains,” he mentioned. “I hope to have a great relationship with our consultant in Congress.”
Burns, the outgoing mayor of Huntington Seaside, is cautious that being lumped into the identical congressional district as Lengthy Seaside will imply that voters there’ll overshadow these from smaller communities and sure elect somebody with a extra city mindset.
Lengthy Seaside is the seventh most populous metropolis in California, with some neighborhoods boasting mid-rise and high-rise flats and condos. That form of high-density dwelling is a stark distinction to Huntington Seaside, Burns mentioned.
“Lengthy Seaside is sort of completely different,” Burns mentioned. “Is he (Garcia) going to signify us in a Huntington Seaside method, or does he have his personal beliefs of what he thinks Huntington Seaside must be? We’re clearly extra conservative than he has proven. Hopefully, he will likely be respectful of these values and assist us dwell these values.”
Though Burns was an officer with the Lengthy Seaside Police Division when Garcia was mayor, it’s been a very long time for the reason that two have crossed paths, each males mentioned.
“We’ve got completely different political views, however I respect his service as a Lengthy Seaside police officer,” Garcia mentioned.
The congressmember additionally mentioned that a few of his school mates now dwell in Huntington Seaside, Newport Seaside and Costa Mesa, and he considers himself pretty acquainted with what would be the new forty second Congressional District.
As well as, he mentioned he’s been to the houses of some Huntington Seaside residents who invited him to fulfill with small enterprise homeowners and group members to listen to their views.
Having served on the Lengthy Seaside Metropolis Council and as mayor there for eight years earlier than being elected to Congress, Garcia mentioned he understands the fiscal challenges native municipalities face and that fundamental quality-of-life points like sidewalk upkeep nonetheless matter. He intends to advocate on such points, he mentioned.
Simply don’t anticipate the congressmember to drag a 180 on his political stances, whether or not it’s about LGBTQ+ rights or different core values.
“If individuals are being attacked, if communities are being marginalized, it’s my place to talk up. I’m not going to shy from that,” he mentioned.
Garcia mentioned if he’s reelected, he’d signify “some very rich communities,” but he continues to imagine billionaires and huge firms shouldn’t get tax breaks whereas common residents battle to pay their hire.
“I at all times vote what I imagine is the appropriate factor for the communities I signify, for our state and for what I imagine in,” Garcia mentioned.
On the similar time, he mentioned he respects the truth that not everybody shares his opinions. He’s spent his profession working with folks with differing views, he mentioned, and expects that to proceed even when he represents extra conservative communities.
“I’ve labored with Republicans my entire life,” he mentioned. “I’m really not frightened about it in any respect.”
