LOS ANGELES — U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (CA-42), who serves as ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, is endorsing former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon’s run for California Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“As the mayor of Long Beach, I worked closely with then-Speaker Anthony Rendon to secure investments in child care, K-12 education, and higher education that opened doors of opportunity for the communities we serve,” said Rep. Garcia, who served as the mayor of Long Beach from 2014 to 2022. “Now, I have a front-row seat in Congress to witness the damage Donald Trump is inflicting on California schools every single day. Our state needs a tested leader to protect our schools and fight for our students, and that's why I'm strongly endorsing Anthony to be California's next Superintendent of Public Instruction.”

Congressman Garcia joins a host of federal, state, and local elected officials and statewide unions that have endorsed Rendon in the SPI race.

About Anthony Rendon

Rendon spent two decades running preschool and early childhood education programs across the state. As executive director of Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services, he oversaw programs serving more than 2,300 children across 35 child development centers located throughout Los Angeles County, providing comprehensive early education, health, and family support services to underserved communities.

Later, Rendon pivoted to politics – motivated to run for the state legislature to reverse severe budget cuts to early childhood education programs imposed during Governor Schwarzenegger’s tenure. In 2012, he won a seat representing Southeast Los Angeles County in the Assembly and in 2016 was elected by his colleagues to serve as Speaker of the Assembly.

As Speaker from 2016 to 2023, Rendon led during a historic time for California’s schools. He negotiated state budgets that increased K-12 investments by 80%, shepherded groundbreaking legislation to strengthen transparency and accountability for charter schools, increased access to early childhood education by helping to create universal pre-k, and worked to maintain California’s role as a national leader in higher education. 

Rendon lives in Southeast Los Angeles County, where his daughter attends a local public school.

Learn more about Rendon’s campaign at anthonyrendon.org. 

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