A Taste of #ELGL18 with Joey Garcia, City of Torrance, CA

Posted on March 28, 2018


Know before you go… Meet other #ELGL18 attendees before you head to Golden, Colorado. Continue the conversation in the #ELGL18 Facebook Group or by following the #ELGL18 Twitter List.


Joey Garcia


City of Torrance, California – Administrative Analyst
Connect: LinkedInTwitter


My favorite adventure in life was…. getting lost in Barcelona even though I speak fluent Spanish. Turns out not everyone is all that into being a part of Spain and their imperialistic Spanish language. But in all seriousness, I was a little stressed out that I didn’t have google maps available and ended up buying a portable battery pack. Life saver. I 100% recommend going to Barcelena for a few days. I ended up walking about 12 miles each day. I also had the most amazing Churros and Chocolate I have ever had.
What is the most local government thing you have done on vacation? I’ve used vacation time to attend a local government conference. #noshame
The most important decision that I’ve made in life was… joining ELGL (duh) and attending graduate school. My decision to do an MPA led to a cascading series of events and more decisions that led to even more life changes…. and now I work in government. Yay!
If I was booking the guests for the GovLove podcast, I would book… Donald Trump and Barack Obama, together. Also, Costa Mesa Assistant City Manager Tammy Letourneau and author of “Mastering the Art: A Step by Step Guide to Writing a Quality Staff Report.”
If I couldn’t work in my current position, I would… probably be in Community Services. If I didn’t stay in local government, I would probably work for, or start my own, non-profit aimed at helping disadvantaged communities have access to affordable recreational activities. #buildmoreparks,
The book on your bookshelf that you intend to read but haven’t is… White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America.  So. Many. Books.
Blue or black ink? Blue for signatures, black for notes. Only in G2 gel pens or F-301 Zebra Pens. Yes, I’m serious about my pens.
What is your recent personal and professional accomplishment? I recently completed my first two utility rate studies and subsequent increases. It was a long process to balance two enterprise funds and go through the public noticing/council process, but it got done and I’m really proud of keeping increases low and having full support from council.
I’ll know that I made the right choice to attend #ELGL18 if… I come back to my organization with new skills and information that will push how comfortable my organization is with the status quo.
If I was writing the questions for the feature, I would have asked… What do you hope to accomplish in the next five-years professionally and personally?


#ELGL18

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