Sacramento, California - Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) leads the California State Assembly delegation of legislators to the inauguration of Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The California State Assembly holds a productive working relationship with its southern neighbor and hopes this trip will enhance these ties and build a successful partnership with the incoming administration which will maintain power for the next six years.

Garcia, whose district directly spans the Mexicali border, understands the all too real impacts of border relations to the environmental, public health and economic prosperity of California communities and looks forward to furthering these binational policy conversations.

 “California and Mexican relations significantly impact issues of public health, water, the environment, and our economy; real issues that affect the everyday lives of families like mine growing up along the border,” stated Garcia.

“Our economies are intertwined. We need to be talking about border infrastructure investments to improve commerce and ports of entree. The consideration of shutting down the border would pose a serious threat to the United States and California industry sectors. Sectors like agriculture that heavily drives the Imperial Valley, Coachella Valley and Blythe areas I represent.”

"The New River, in my district, is one of the most highly polluted rivers in the nation, and it is a similar situation with pollution in San Diego with the Tijuana River. The air quality of our border region communities is severely impacted by long crossing wait times. Imperial County holds more than double the state's rate of asthma-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations for children. No wall is going to protect our families from the imminent health ramifications of bad air and water.”

“These are some of the issues California has championed and that my colleagues and I look forward to partnering with incoming President Obrador’s administration to address.”

The full Assembly delegation also consisted of Assemblymembers Eloise Gomez-Reyes, District 47 (Co-Lead); Wendy Carrillo, District 51; Cristina Garcia, District 58; Monique Limon, District 37; Luz Rivas, District 39; and Assemblymember-elect Robert Rivas, District 30.

They joined other state dignitaries such as Governor-elect Newsom; Attorney General Becerra; Insurance Commissioner-elect, Senator Lara and California Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus de Leon a few days prior to Saturday’s ceremony to conduct meetings on these topics of mutual importance.