By The Signal Editorial Board
When Mike Garcia first took office as the member of Congress representing the Santa Clarita Valley, he filled a vacancy that was created by his controversial predecessor’s midterm resignation in the face of a House Ethics Committee investigation.
In a time of turmoil — turmoil that continues in the nation today — the 25th Congressional District needed stable, even-handed leadership.
Garcia has provided that leadership, and then some. He’s an advocate and defender of the Constitution, and for what’s best not just for his district, but for the nation as a whole.
For all of the rhetoric his political opponents spew his way, you’d think he’s some far-right extremist. He’s not. The rhetoric from the left is patently unfair — and in fact, Garcia has demonstrated an ability to work across the aisle, finding common ground where it can be found with his Democratic colleagues.
We need more of that spirit: “We may disagree on X, Y and Z, but we agree on A and B. Let’s make some headway together on A and B.”
Examples include his legislation on behalf of veterans and their families, introduced with support from Democratic colleagues in Congress, such as his current bill to allow spouses of service members to transfer their professional licenses among states so they can stay employed when deployment orders change.
His positions on issues like crime and taxation are also consistent with ours. Garcia has led efforts to eliminate illegal marijuana grow operations In northern L.A. County, working hand in hand with L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva — a Democrat — to bring the operations to an end and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Garcia opposes wasteful government spending and has advocated for the elimination of the federal limit on the so-called “SALT” income tax deduction, which unfairly penalizes residents of high-tax states like California.
And, he’s an advocate for a secure border, something for which the Joe Biden administration has displayed a reckless, willful disregard. It bears noting that, when he speaks about border security, Garcia has a very specific perspective: He’s the son of an immigrant from Mexico, who came to the United States legally. Garcia recognizes that having a secure border is not an “anti-immigrant” goal. It’s about doing things the right way versus the wrong way, and protecting the nation from an unfettered inflow of drugs, criminals and excessive burdens on taxpayers.
Garcia is also one of the Santa Clarita Valley’s own: He’s a graduate of Saugus High School who still calls the SCV home. Now serving in Congress, he’s retired from previous careers as an aerospace executive and, before that, a fighter pilot for the U.S. Navy.
Ironically, his detractors often poke fun at Garcia’s campaign materials that highlight the fact that he was a fighter pilot. Really? Garcia served his country honorably in a highly demanding role that the vast majority of people — including those very detractors — would never be capable of filling, intellectually or physically.
Go ahead. Mock Garcia about reminding you that he’s a former fighter pilot. Frankly, if we had ever been fighter pilots in the greatest naval aviation organization the world has ever seen, we’d be proud of it, too.
And we are proud of Garcia and all that he has brought to the table representing us in Congress. The 25th Congressional District has been renumbered the 27th, and when we vote in the June primary, we will proudly vote for Garcia for a second full term in Congress.
He has earned our endorsement, and he’s earned a second full term in Congress.
