Lemoore City Council appoints John Garza to the vacant District B seat

Garza is the father of two daughters and currently works as the assistant superintendent of educational services for the Coalinga-Huron School District.

“I had an interest in it when I was younger,” said Garza of running for office. “I’ve always had that interest. I threw my hat in (the ring) because the district was open.”

Garza, who resides in Lemoore’s District B, is a native of Huron. He attended West Hills College in Coalinga and graduated from Fresno State, and then entered the education field.

“I wanted to be that person (teacher) kids could come to and respect,” he said. “I want to be that person who exposes them to real-life experiences and the educational challenges they have.”

Garza told The Leader his goals as a newly appointed council member are simple. He said at the start he wanted to learn more about the council.

John Garza takes his seat on the Lemoore City Council dias.

Photo by Gary Feinstein

He said he was slightly overwhelmed after his appointment. “I was shocked. I knew that I would be the right person, but I think the other candidates would have been the same. We all had visions about what we wanted to do.”

Garza is a big believer in integrity. “I think one of the main things I wanted to put across is that integrity is great and important. I also wanted to articulate the community’s interests before mine.”

One of his main goals: “I just think I want to make our city more equitable and make sure citizens have resources and questions answered. I want to be transparent.”