Joey Garcia is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights).
Joey has over 13 years of experience in local government serving in a wide variety of roles. Before joining the City of Los Angeles, he served as a Senior Analyst for the City of Torrance where he worked to ensure public services remained affordable and were more equitable in their Public Works Department. Previous organizations include The Association of California Cities, City of La Mirada, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ), and the City of Santa Maria.
His experience encompasses managing special projects, program development, community engagement, contract administration, procurement, strategic planning, financial planning, and employee development. Ensuring local government programs and policies are carried out in an equitable and inclusive manner has always been a priority while navigating institutional resistance. He has held key roles in professional organizations such as Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) and the Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC) where he helped develop goals and programming towards women, BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized groups to increase equity in local government representation.
Joey earned a Master's degree in Public Administration at California State University, Long Beach, a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with an emphasis on American Policies from University of California, Santa Barbara, and an Associate's degree from Allan Hancock College.