Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia wants to make the rest of the country more like Long Beach, California

Rep. Robert Garcia, a freshman Democrat from California, has embraced a bunch of titles, including Congress' first openly gay immigrant member and president of his congressional class. One title he's especially proud of is "urbanist," with his emphasis on making cities like his native Long Beach denser, more walkable, and better places to live.

The 45-year-old former Republican most recently served for eight years as the mayor of Long Beach. In that role, he became a vocal advocate for denser and more climate-friendly cities. He focused on boosting his district's housing supply — overseeing the construction of a "historic amount of housing units," he told Insider — and improving mass transit and bike infrastructure. 

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