Rising Star in the FF City Council Race

Printed on: Thu, Sep 27, 2007

Garcia: A young but determined candidate

The first time I read that 21-year-old lifelong Fairfield resident Matt Garcia was running for City Council, I thought either this guy is a wide-eyed optimist or a masochist. In fact, the first time I spoke with him, which was after a column I wrote on youth crime, I told him flatly that the young candidates don't win.

We recently talked over ginormous roast beef sandwiches at Joe's Buffet downtown.

He tore into the issue of youth crime. He explained that Fairfield has the highest percentage of Section 8 housing in the county and too often families moving here from the Bay Area have brought problems with them. Plus, they've moved to a city that's been giving lip service to a boys and girls club for years, has no bowling alley and no skating rink. Kids need things to do to keep busy.

Garcia explained how he wanted to get colleges to come to the schools and promote education.

And he wants more students who don't plan on going to college to be aware of trade schools like Golden Hills.

His life since high school has been spent coaching youth sports and talking to young people to deter them from crime and gangs.

He knows he could've gone down that path. But while he wanted to be a voice for young people on the council, he made it clear that he would represent all of Fairfield. He spoke a lot about our senior citizens and how he wanted a safer community for them.

He spoke about the fact that we have a lot of Baby Boomers set to retire with a senior center that needs expansion to accommodate them.

While we were talking there seemed to be a constant stream of supporters and well-wishers coming by the table. And at one point, Garcia took a phone call from Councilman John Mraz.

After the call, I asked him if he would simply be a vote for Mraz or a vote for a developer if he was on the council. He said while he admired Mraz and others who have given him advice, he stressed that he was independent, a nonpartisan and he would not accept contributions from anyone who wanted him to do something against his conscience.

Garcia isn't shy about wanting to grow Fairfield saying, "The city is going to grow regardless. I want to help shape it. I want to make the decisions to make Fairfield better. And I and my future children will live with the results of those decisions."

He decried red tape and city ordinances that make businesses leapfrog Fairfield for Vacaville. He wants to remove those impediments so businesses will locate here. He's tired of seeing vacant buildings along North Texas Street while seeing motel after motel that caters to prostitution and drugs.

Garcia comes across as driven. He's no masochist and is only slightly quixotic. When he tells you he was homecoming king, prom king, senior class vice president and voted "most spirited" in his senior class, you're not surprised. Confidence and a vision beyond his years are evident when you speak with him.

"I tell people all the time that if you want Fairfield to stay the same, don't vote for me."

I wouldn't count him out.

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NOTES: I don't tread easily into City Council races anymore. You never really know how a candidate is going to be once in office. You can look at their qualifications, the issues they care about, their endorsements and plans, but once they're in office, they can be a new animal. In the past, candidates I've endorsed have went on to disappoint. So I'm wary when any politician approaches me.

Garcia is an interesting hybrid of someone who could very well be street. He could be mixed up in a gang. But he's obviously someone who was raised right and has strong values. His stepfather is the Program Director for Mission Solano which does excellent work with the homeless and poor. His passion is palpable. You can tell, though he's focused on the City Council right now, he's not stopping there. He's aiming high.

Why not give the young guy a chance? I'm speaking in general. Too often when we see someone young running for office, we immediately dismiss them. I've done it. I've looked at a person's age and immediately thought they weren't qualified. One of the candidates in this race is 70 years old. No doubt he has more experience than Matt Garcia but his age doesn't tell me if he has more wisdom than Matt Garcia. Is that 70 year old guy going to be in sync with the needs of teenagers in Fairfield? There are unique qualities that Garcia brings to the table.

Some might ask why I'm so impressed with this guy. Because he's the underdog in this race. He's the dark horse. He's the candidate most likely to be flat out written off by voters. And he deserves as much as a chance, as much as a look aas the rest of the pack.

As an interesting aside, my brother is planning on spoofing me in his column this week. It should be funny but the gist of the joke is that I can be bought by a ginormous sandwich. Like I said, it's funny but I told him my concerns about people getting the wrong idea. It's a small point but I paid for lunch with Garcia. I'm not a part of his campaign. I've contributed no money to his campaign.

I just think he ought to be heard.