Alex P. Garcia (June 22, 1929 – April 10, 1999) was an American politician in the state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

from 1969 to 1974 and as a California State Senator from 1974 to 1982. He was a Democrat. He attended Los Angeles Schools, East Los Angeles Junior College, UCLA, and Southern California College of Business. He married Blanche Alvarez in 1948; his children are Alex, Jr., twins Daniel and Thomas, Cecilia and Catherine. He was a veteran of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Background

Garcia, from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, was the third Latino Democrat elected in 1968 to the Assembly. Peter R. Chacon, a Democrat from San Diego was elected in 1970. Together they formed the Chicano Legislative Caucus in 1973, along with three more Latinos, Joseph B. Montoya, Ray Gonzales, and

Richard Alatorre Richard Alatorre (May 15, 1943 – August 13, 2024) was an American politician who was a member of the California State Assembly from 1973 to 1985 and the Los Angeles City Council from 1985 to 1999, the second Latino to serve on the council in ...

, who elected to the State Assembly in 1972. The formation of the Caucus was a significant achievement for the Latino community in California. The Caucus worked to create, and implement laws that serve to extend, protect, and reserve the rights of Californian Latinos, a first in California legislative history.

References

1929 births 1999 deaths Politicians from El Paso, Texas Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in California Military personnel from Texas Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly University of California, Los Angeles alumni Democratic Party California state senators Politicians from Los Angeles 20th-century members of the California State Legislature {{California-politician-stub