About Alan

Who am I

Hello, my name is Alan Garcia. I am 33 years old and a lifelong South Gate resident. I attended State Street Elementary, South Gate Middle School, graduated from South Gate High School, and my first job was at the McDonald's on Firestone and Otis.

Most of my career has been in healthcare. I started off as a patient transporter at St. John's Health Center. I worked as Team Lead for the patient transport department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I then pivoted to working as a Data Analyst for the LA County Department of Health Services and then the University of California Health System. Currently I am in school for nursing.

Outside of that I am an avid hiker and enjoy backpacking when I can. When the weather permits, I prefer to hike in the desert. I love reading. My favorite author is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. My current read is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. The place you can find me the most is the movie theater. I recently saw The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm and yes, it lives up to the hype. I also recently got into film photography and find it to be my favorite hobby outside of hiking.

If there's anything else you would like to know, please feel free to reach out and ask.

Why am I running for City Council

Truthfully I got tired of hearing myself complain and not doing anything about it.

Like many South Gate residents, I see the direction City Hall is taking us in and I am not happy with it. Yes I vote every election, both presidential and mid-term years, but it's always more of the same candidates doing more of the same thing over and over again.

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

So in 2024 I walked into city hall, spoke with the city clerk and asked what I needed to do to run for city council. Turns out it only takes 20 signatures of registered voters who reside within South Gate and a $25 filing fee and you're on the ballot. Back then there was a lot I didn't know, and I mostly ran my campaign through social media and word of mouth. Despite not winning the seat, I can proudly say I received 7,024 votes in that election.

Two years later, South Gate is still facing the same problems. So this time, I'm running a bigger campaign. Social media and word of mouth earned me those 7,024 votes. Now I'm adding the part that matters most: knocking on your door and hearing from you directly. And I'm running on the way I think. I have the skills of an analyst, so my instinct is to dig into the data, study what's already working in other cities, and bring the best of it home. You can see what that looks like all over this website. A budget you can read in five minutes and public charts that show where every dollar goes. Rent protections modeled on what Bell Gardens already passed. Fewer barriers for anyone trying to start a business, whether that's from their own kitchen, a cart, or a storefront on Tweedy. None of these are my inventions. They're proven ideas other cities are already using while South Gate waits.

Nothing changes if nothing changes. In 2024, I stopped complaining and got on the ballot. This time, I'm asking you to make the change with me.

Read the plan, or request a yard sign. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.