John Vincent Garza, was born on March 13, 1955 in Herlong

Herlong, California

Herlong is a census-designated place in Lassen County, California. It is located north of Doyle, at an elevation of 4114 feet . Herlong is located in southern Lassen County near the southeast edge of Honey Lake about north of Reno, Nevada, and about south of Susanville. The community is...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Garza currently serves as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 state representative

Texas House of Representatives

The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...

 representing District 117 in Bexar County, Texas

Bexar County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...

. Rep. Garza has worked in affordable housing development and sales for over 25 years. Garza was named "Freshman Legislator of the Year" by the Hispanic Republican Conference for the 82nd Legislature.

Background

John V. Garza was born into a military family and traveled extensively in his early years. The family returned to their Westside San Antonio home in 1967. He was raised by his parents retired USAF S/SGT Arthur and Maria D. Garza. Rep. Garza graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1973 in the Edgewood Independent School District

Edgewood Independent School District

Edgewood Independent School District can refer to:* Edgewood Independent School District * Edgewood Independent School District...

. He attended the University of Denver

University of Denver

The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....

 where he received his Bachelor's of Arts and Science degree in Mass Communication in 1977. He married Debra A. Garza in 1980 and has raised five children John Zachariah, Jacqueline, Isaiah, Rebekah and Hannah.

Garza has had a lengthy career in housing and real estate; he has held several executive positions in his business and sales career which now spans over twenty five years. John has been active in leadership training in both the business and private sector.

District 117

Garza's District 117 is among the most rapidly growing parts of Bexar County. It encompasses the far west and southwest portions of Bexar County, Texas

Bexar County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...

 including the cities of San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

, Helotes

Helotes, Texas

Helotes is a city in Bexar County, Texas, United States. It is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,285 at the 2000 census; the July 1, 2009 Census estimate, however, showed the population had grown to 7,960.-History:According to...

, Von Ormy

Von Ormy, Texas

Von Ormy is a city located in southwest Bexar County, Texas, United States. It has been known as Von Ormy since the late 1880s. Prior to 1880, the community was known as Mann's Crossing, Garza's Crossing, Medina Crossing, and Paso de las Garzas. The former settlements of Kirk, Texas and Bexar,...

, Lytle

Lytle, Texas

Lytle is a city in Atascosa, Bexar, and Medina counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,383 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Lytle is located at...

 and the unincorporated community of Macdona

Macdona, Texas

Macdona is an unincorporated community in Bexar County, Texas, United States. Macdona lies along the Union Pacific rail line near Loop 1604 in southwest Bexar County. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

. It also includes Lackland Air Force Base

Lackland Air Force Base

Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located west-southwest of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....

, University of Texas at San Antonio

University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...

, Texas A&M University–San Antonio

Texas A&M University–San Antonio

Texas A&M University–San Antonio is a public university located in San Antonio, Texas, USA that was established on May 23, 2009, and held its first classes as a stand-alone university on August 20, 2009...

 and Palo Alto College

Palo Alto College

Palo Alto College is a community college located in the San Antonio, Texas area. It is a member of the Alamo Community College District.-History:...

.

Election history

82nd Texas Legislature

Garza is one of forty freshmen legislators in the 82nd Texas Legislature

Eighty-second Texas Legislature

The 82nd Texas Legislature will begin meeting in January 2011. All members of the House and sixteen of the thirty-one members of the Senate were elected in the general election held on November 2, 2010.-Senate:-House of Representatives:-Senate:...

. He is one of six Hispanic

Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

 Republicans currently serving in the Texas Legislature

Eighty-second Texas Legislature

The 82nd Texas Legislature will begin meeting in January 2011. All members of the House and sixteen of the thirty-one members of the Senate were elected in the general election held on November 2, 2010.-Senate:-House of Representatives:-Senate:...

 and a founding member of the Hispanic Republican Conference

Garza currently serves on the House Business and Industry Committee and House Land and Resource Management Committee.

Garza has authored or co-authored over thirty five bills dealing primarily with property tax reform, rural and suburban water rights, election integrity, greater accountability in government, and home owner association reform.

Garza was named "Freshman Legislator of the Year" by the Hispanic Republican Conference on May 26, 2011.