Jorge Garcia is a bilingual multimedia journalist for the Visalia Times-Delta in Visalia, California. He hails from Los Angeles, and his passion for storytelling and amplifying the voices of disenfranchised communities are several reasons why he pursued a journalism career. A graduate of California State University, Los Angeles, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Garcia has produced video, audio, text, and photojournalism work for various news outlets, including the University Times, Cal State’s student paper, and KQBH radio, and as an intern for EdSource and the Los Angeles Times. He enjoys playing soccer and collecting vintage vinyl records.
Beat: Tulare County
This reporter covers California's Central Valley South with a focus on Tulare county. Tulare is home to the World Ag Expo, former Congressman Devin Nunes and some 70,000 people – and its growth-minded leaders envision it spreading wider across some of the world's most important farmland. Tulare's elites are wealthy and powerful. Deep-rooted ag families have amassed fortunes. Yet more than one in five residents live at or below the poverty line. Just 11 percent of Tulare residents have a college degree. Sixty-one percent are Latino and 45 percent speak a language other than English. This reporter will focus heavily on local government accountability and water availability/issues related to growth, development and farming. Spanish skills preferred but not required.