Robert Garcia announced that he will be stepping down from the Metro board of directors. Garcia was elected Mayor of Long Beach in 2014, and re-elected in 2018. He is Long Beach’s first elected openly gay mayor and the city’s first person of color and first Latin American mayor. Garcia has served as the Gateway Cities representative on the Metro board since early 2017.
Garcia announced his intentions in a message to the Gateway Cities Council of Governments:
Friends and members of the Gateway COG,
Yesterday, Long Beach Councilmember Rex Richardson was elected by mayors across the region to serve on the AQMD. We are excited for Councilmember Richardson and his leadership for the Gateway COG.