Adrian Garcia, a native Houstonian and life-long resident of District H, began his elected public service career as City Council Member of District H in January 2004. Now in his second term, Council Member Garcia was appointed by Mayor Bill White to serve as Chair of the Minority/Women Business Enterprise and Small Contractor Development and Contract Compliance Committee, as well as to serve as the Vice Chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation Committee, and he continues to Chair the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. He also serves on nine other committees including the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee.
Council Member Garcia first began his public service career in 1980 as a Houston Police Officer. His 24yr police career began with patrolling the streets of Houston. He later worked in Organized Crime Squad of the Criminal Intelligence Division and he helped to develop HPD's Community Policing initiatives while working in the Community Services Division. In 1994 former Mayor Bob Lanier appointed him to be the Houston Police Department's Liaison to the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office, and in 1999 former Mayor Lee P. Brown appointed him to serve as the Director of the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office, a unique distinction for an HPD Officer. During his career he received numerous commendations from supervisors, citizens and Mayors, and in 1983 the Hispanic Ministers Against Crime recognized him as "Officer of the Year".
Successes during his first term include:
Shutting down more than 8 nuisance bars that have affected the quality of life of neighborhoods in his district. In response, he passed the 300ft. Alcohol-Free Zone ordinance that now provides qualifying Day Care Centers with a 300ft. alcohol-free zone. For his work to protect Day Cares, the Houston Area Association for the E ducation of Young Children recognized him as the "2005 Elected Official of the Year".
He continued his fight against violent criminal street gangs by creating the Criminal Street Gang Enforcement and Intelligence Division for HPD.
Council Member Garcia also formed the Near Northside Healthy Community Partnership , to coordinate service delivery between the city's Health Department and non-profit health care organizations. He also implemented the "Don't Wait Vaccinate - Viva La Vacuna" campaign to encourage early immunization of school-age children.
In April 2005, Council Member Garcia took action in his district against the problem of graffiti, weeded lots, and street flooding due to clogged gutters and culverts, by developing the "Community Alliance for Responsibility, Empowerment and Safety" program, which he refers to as "District H - CARES" . This program, unique to a council office, involves one employee to oversee low-level adult offenders who perform court-ordered community service. To date, this program has cut over 50-weeded lots; filled hundreds of 30-gallon size trash bags with garbage taken from gutters and ditches; and abated graffiti off of numerous sites of private and public property.
He developed plan and passed the ordinance that will help participating building owners of private buildings, such as high-rise buildings and malls, keep their structural plans from being accessed by domestic or international terrorists. This ordinance is being promoted nationally as a model to help private building owners fight possible terroristic attacks.
Council Member Garcia's goals for his second term include increasing the number of police officers patrolling the streets of Houston, improving emergency preparedness at the neighborhood level, increasing the amount of Homeland Security funding for our region, and he wants to build Houston's economy by giving large and small businesses in Houston priority for city contracts over out-of-town firms; this is his "Invest in Houston First!" initiative . If you are a business that contributes to our local economy then we should work to re-invest our tax dollars with Houstonians first!
