2019 Phoenix Arizona City Council District 8

As your Phoenix City Council representative of District 8, Carlos Garcia will be committed to bringing the decision-making process of the City Council to the people, having an open door and actively organizing committees on issues and needs to better inform decisions being made at Phoenix City Council.

As a South Phoenix resident and advocate who works with thousands of people across the City of Phoenix, Carlos hears ongoing community concerns regarding policing, education, employment, housing, small business, and public transportation. For too long, many residents of the City of Phoenix have felt deeply disengaged and often ignored by City Hall.

Carlos will work tirelessly to represent a people’s agenda based on equity and dignity for people of all socioeconomic status, cultures, races, and gender identities. Carlos' candidacy is not a career move, but a community mandate spurred from sixteen years of building trust and shared work, side by side with his neighbors, co-workers, fellow advocates, community leaders, and countless Phoenix residents. With an entire community standing alongside him, Carlos has and will continue to lead with the concerns, ideals, and aspirations of our residents at the forefront to further develop our beautiful and diverse district.

I have worked, and will continue to work, each day to improve my hometown, and the district where I was born, so that everyone has the opportunities to succeed that Phoenix has afforded me.

I was born to parents who knew success would only happen through a combination of self-reliance, getting an education, and building a network of friends and family who would support you to get where you needed to go. My mom built her own small business, a daycare center, that served countless families throughout our community; my father was the President of the Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce. My parents taught me an important lesson that I still carry as an elected official today: those in leadership must share their own successes, and ensure their constituents have a real chance to succeed if they play by the rules, in a community that is safe, and with local leaders committed to address their concerns.

In my career, I’ve chosen to tackle some difficult challenges, working hard as a volunteer on the Roosevelt School Board to improve opportunities for kids, and, as a staff member in Mayor Stanton’s office, creating avenues to connect veterans and the disconnected to cutting-edge jobs. I’ve brought major investment into our neighborhood schools to double-down on concepts that work. I’ve worked to protect local workers from seeing their jobs privatized and their pay diminished.

Whatever opportunities I’ve been blessed to receive, I realize that nothing is guaranteed in the future for Phoenix without hard work. I recognize that I’m the product of a Phoenix that celebrates its diversity instead of its segregationist past. Just a few years ago, I helped update our anti-discrimination protections that were passed by a new Mayor and Council. I understand in my gut that being different is okay, hearing the ideas of others can pay off, and that ultimately what counts is making sure that we harness the strength of our diversity to propel Phoenix forward. I am just like many others whose families came to Phoenix to make their mark because the pioneering spirit of opportunity is still alive and welcome here.

Camaron Stevenson is a 30-year-old father, writer, activist, and Arizona native with a progressive vision for Phoenix that revolves around workers' rights, affordable housing, and safer communities.

As a writer, Camaron has worked with community leaders across the country to explore how they solved nationwide issues on a local level. Bringing these community-tested solutions for issues such as homelessness, gentrification and affordable housing to Phoenix will enable us to solve the complex problems we face with both the strength of our local expertise and the expertise of others who have addressed similar issues in their communities. Starting from this shared knowledge will provide council members more time to work one-on-one with community members to better plan for our future.