Christian Garcia is running for Palomar Community College Board Area 2 as the endorsed candidate of the Republican Party of San Diego County.
Born to an immigrant household in San Diego, Christian graduated high school and attended the University of California, Irvine, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations. He then served in the United States Peace Corps for two years, teaching English in Cambodia.
Christian eventually earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California. Afterwards, he spent several years working in the private sector in logistics and data analytics for companies involved in international trade.
Having made a successful career for himself from humble origins, Garcia quickly learned the important role that a strong education plays in pursuing a meaningful life. Christian has worked the past four years as a high school teacher with the goal of inspiring today’s youth to pursue their own ambitions.
Christian understands the significance of participating in one’s community, and has served dutifully as the elected president of his Homeowners Association and as member of the Latino American Political Association, among many other community groups.
The COVID-19 pandemic is among Christian’s chief concerns. He aims to expand Palomar College’s already existent system of distance learning, hoping to meet the growing demand for online learning. As a high school teacher, Christian already understands the current challenges that must be met and overcome to offer all students a quality education.
Christian understands that attending community college is often the best choice for many, especially for families who cannot afford to send their children to a four-year university immediately after high school. There are also those who do not wish to pursue a traditional career path, who are too often left out of consideration.
“Some students are better suited to go into the trades or careers that require technical skills as opposed to academic ones. Palomar should serve these students equally as their college bound counterparts,” Garcia explained. “As a Trustee, I will prioritize and fully fund technical education programs that allow students to graduate in two years with employable and valuable technical skills, whether that be in water infrastructure, law enforcement, construction, or any of the great programs offered at Palomar.”
Palomar’s deficit is another key issue that Christian plans to handle. Currently, there is an obvious lack of leadership at Palomar, with a board that has no experience in budgeting or governance, and there certainly is no plan in sight to do anything about the school’s approaching financial insolvency.
“Palomar College needs to establish an independent auditor to identify ways to optimize the budget, reevaluate the full management structure to better incentivize proper fiscal management, and completely overhaul enrollment and academic planning systems,” Garcia added. “Perhaps most important, we need a vigilant board to oversee spending and provide fiscal accountability.”
Poor decisions made by an ignominious leadership have become far too common. It will be Christian’s top priority to create real opportunity for the students of Palomar and for the families of North County.
For more information about Christian’s campaign, visit GarciaForPalomar.com.
