Robert Garcia is mayor of Long Beach, but not for long. With last week’s midterm victory, Garcia, 44, is headed to D.C. as congressman-elect of the 42nd district. He’ll be the first immigrant and openly LGBTQ+ representative in the House.
Also not in his current post for long? The vice-mayor of Long Beach, Rex Richardson.
Mayor-elect Richardson, 39, will be the first Black mayor to helm the port city when he is sworn in Dec. 20.
Democrat candidate Robert Garcia projected as winner of the 42nd Congressional District. Garcia becomes the first LGBTQ immigrant to serve in Congress.
It is almost fitting that Richardson would follow Garcia into the mayor’s office. They attended the same high school; Richardson enrolled at Covina High one year after Garcia’s graduation. Garcia was elected student body president at CSU Long Beach in 2000; five years later, Richardson held that post at CSU Dominguez Hills.
Garcia was elected mayor of Long Beach in 2014. He was sworn in by Vice-President Kamala Harris, then California attorney general. Richardson was also on the stage that day, sworn in, at 32, as the youngest-ever elected member to the Long Beach City Council. Garcia had previously been the youngest to hold that post when he was 36.
Richardson said it was second nature to embrace one thing he and Garcia had in common– their youth.
“On that day in 2014, the average age of our city council and mayorship dropped by a decade,” Richardson told NBCLA, in an exclusive interview, pre-election day.
“I think we began to create a modern city that communicates with its residents and acknowledges and leads with equity and makes, smart investments in the future. And that’s been good.”
Garcia was also in the council-elected position of vice mayorship, when he ran for mayor in 2014, on the endorsement of then-Mayor Bob Foster.
When he decided to back Richardson to succeed him as mayor, he noted their friendship and the similar vision they’d honed after eight years leading Long Beach.
“I think we’re both progressive and we both believe the role of government is to actually help people,” Garcia said.
Garcia was a big proponent of encouraging vaccinations among Long Beach residents during the pandemic. He lost his mom and stepdad to COVID.
Prior to the official results being released, Garcia said he was excited about the opportunity to help elect Long Beach’s first Black mayor.
“Personally, Rex is just an affable guy. You know, a nice guy, hard working and honest, just a really solid person. And those are things that are valuable to me.”
With both Long Beach officials now preparing for their next political challenge, they say being the first won’t be a distraction.
“Folks in the city have seen me grow up and develop my leadership and service to the city,” Richardson said.
Richardson says he’ll just continue to tap into the strong roots he’s laid in the…