Wasco City Councilman Alex Garcia has been elected as Mayor just a couple years after being removed from the position after being charged with alcohol-related reckless driving.
His return to city leadership also comes as he is running for a seat on the Kern County Board of Supervisors.
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The backstory: In 2021 Garcia had been arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
- But that charge was dropped after a Kern County Judge ruled that his blood-alcohol content at the time of the arrest did not exceed .08.
- Garcia went on to plead no contest to a charge of alcohol-related reckless driving.
- In response, his colleagues on the Wasco City Council removed him as Mayor.
The big picture: On Tuesday the Wasco City Council unanimously elected Garcia to serve as Mayor for 2024.
- In August Garcia launched a campaign to challenge David Couch in District 4 on the Kern County Board of Supervisors.
What they’re saying: “I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be Mayor for the greater city of Wasco this upcoming year after a unanimous vote of confidence from my council peers,” Garcia said in a statement. “Wasco has been growing rapidly over the last decade. We’ve brought back our police department and continue to invest record amounts into local infrastructure.”
