Eduardo Garcia won’t seek another Assembly term, endorses CVUSD member to replace him

Longtime Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, a Coachella Democrat whose political career in the valley has spanned the past two decades, won’t seek re-election in his district next year, leaving the door open for newcomers to the Legislature — including a candidate he’s already endorsed.

Garcia, who was first elected to the California Legislature in 2014, did not complete paperwork with the county registrar to run for re-election by a Dec. 8 deadline for incumbents.

Because the incumbent didn’t file for the election, the filing deadline for others to run in Assembly District 36 has been extended until Wednesday, per the California Secretary of State’s office.

A representative for Garcia did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Desert Sun on Monday, but a press release sent Monday morning shows Garcia has already endorsed a potential replacement for the seat: Coachella Valley Unified School District board member Joey Acuña.

“I believe that Joey is the best candidate to succeed me in the State Assembly and continue the fights to address climate change, build affordable housing, expand access to higher education, and improve mental healthcare infrastructure,” Garcia said in a prepared statement. “I’m proud to endorse Joey Acuña, and I look forward to playing an active role in his campaign.”

Acuña, who qualified for the ballot Friday, thanked Garcia for his nine-plus years of legislative service in his campaign announcement.

“I hope to carry on his legacy of delivering results for our district and effectively advocating for our most vulnerable neighbors,” Acuña said.

In addition to Acuña, Republican Jeff Gonzalez turned in voter signatures to get his name on the ballot Friday, but he had not yet qualified for the ballot. Another person, Indio City Councilman Waymond Fermon, had signaled his intent to run, but did not appear to have filed the necessary paperwork as of Monday afternoon.

Two other people, Kalin Morse and Eric Rodriguez, filed paperwork with the Imperial County registrar of voters in recent weeks to run for the seat.

Given he’s already served five two-year terms, Garcia was only eligible to run for one more term under state rules on term limits. In California, a person may serve no more than 12 years total in the state Legislature.

Since his election to the California Assembly in 2014, Garcia has gradually risen to leadership positions on committees, with a focus on issues such as lithium development in the Salton Sea and infrastructure funding in the eastern Coachella Valley. He’s recently served as chair of the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee, and this year he’s led the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.

Garcia’s political career began as a member of the Coachella City Council in 2004. Two years later, he became the city’s first elected mayor at age 29, serving several terms in the position.

In late 2021, after the state’s latest redistricting process, Garcia considered a run for Congress in a redrawn district now represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz.

But Garcia ultimately decided to seek another term in the redrawn Assembly District 36, which includes Coachella, Indio, all of Imperial County and a sliver of eastern San Bernardino County. He won re-election against Republican Ian Weeks with 53.4% of the vote.

With Garcia departing from the Democrat-dominated Legislature, it’s unclear how many candidates might join the fray and vie for the vacant seat. Acuña announced his campaign Monday with several endorsements, including Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, but other candidates could still emerge before the Wednesday deadline.

The primary election in next year’s race is set for March 5.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella's Eduardo Garcia won’t seek new term in California Assembly