Luis Garcia (California)

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Luis Garcia

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

East Bakersfield High School

Bachelor's

California State University, Bakersfield, 2010

Graduate

California State University, Bakersfield, 2015

Medical

California State University, Sacramento, 2016

Personal

Birthplace

Bakersfield, Calif.

Profession

Educator and administrator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Luis Garcia ran for election to the Bakersfield City Board of Education to represent Trustee Area 1 in California. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Garcia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Luis Garcia was born in Bakersfield, California. Garcia's career experience includes working as an educator and administrator. He earned a bachelor's degree from the California State University, Bakersfield in 2010, a graduate degree from the California State University, Bakersfield in 2015, and an M.D. from the California State University, Sacramento in 2016.

Elections

2024

See also: Bakersfield City School District, California, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Bakersfield City School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1

Michael Eggert defeated Luis Garcia, Emma De La Rosa, Brandon Holladay, and Johnny Aldana in the general election for Bakersfield City School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Michael Eggert (Nonpartisan)	29.3	4,346
		Luis Garcia (Nonpartisan)	27.3	4,044
	Submit photo	Emma De La Rosa (Nonpartisan)	23.0	3,401
	Submit photo	Brandon Holladay (Nonpartisan)	20.4	3,025
	Submit photo	Johnny Aldana (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.0	1

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,817
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Garcia in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Luis Garcia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Garcia's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have resided in East Bakersfield for over 25 years and I am a product of Bakersfield City School District. My experience as a mental health therapist and educational leader, has driven me to be a pioneer within our local school districts when it comes to behavior supports and mental health integration. From working with students individually, facilitating parenting classes, and providing professional development across Kern County, I have been in the front line of working to meet the needs of our community for over 15 years. I believe in empowerment through clear communication, skill building, and accountability.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The goal is to always improve student achievement. I will do this through ensuring staff, students, and families are equipped and have access to tools to improve overall wellness that will translate over to student achievement.
• A big focus will be around student attendance. I want to make sure students are in the classroom so they can engage and learn. Any barriers to their attendance, like mental health, family dynamics, being behind academically, or lack of feeling connected to the school need to be addressed through a multi-tiered system of support.
• The last big focus will be around supporting behavior and mental health. This starts with equipping our staff and specialty personnel to support the higher need of behavioral and mental health concerns. This needs to be done in a braided approach so staff do not feel overwhelmed with multiple initiatives and there needs an extension of this work towards the families and overall community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My candidacy to become the Bakersfield City School District Area 1 Trustee rises out of the belief that our students, staff, and community members deserve a champion who grew up in this area, who knows the neighborhoods’ needs and more importantly, has the tools and experience needed to navigate the educational system to better serve the students and families in Area 1 and BCSD overall. With my unique skill set of knowing how to bridge theory and practice, the goal is to unify core values from all community partners to produce better outcomes for our students and give way to a brighter future.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have K-16 experience within our local school districts, county office of education, and our local college and university. In addition, with my roots in mental health, I have served foster youth and children younger than 5 years old within a community mental health agency and continue to be active in private practice. I have carried the roles of Tutor & Advisor, Intervention Specialist, Behavioral Intervention Specialist, School Social Worker, District Coordinator, County Office of Education Coordinator, Region 8 State Leadership Member, Adjunct Professor, Field Instructor, and Mental Health Therapist.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job of a school board member is to maintain a student-centered agenda without having special interests weigh in on their decision making. Every decision should be made by taking into account the diverse needs of students and families and realizing that a one-size fits all approach is not realistic. There is a way to provide a framework or plan on a district level yet give autonomy to the school sites to carry out the plan based on their needs. This is especially true of a district that has close to 30k students and over 40 schools.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have a number of educators and community members endorsing me from: BCSD parents, BCSD Area 1 community members, teachers, principals, district administrators, county office of education administrators, school board members, superintendents, mental health therapists, and CSU Professors.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2024 Elections

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Candidate

Bakersfield City School District Board of Education Trustee Area 1

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