Thoughtful Leadership
for Camarillo’s Future.
Meet Sylvia C. Garcia
Sylvia C. Garcia is a third-generation Camarillo resident, U.S. Army veteran, nonprofit director, and community advocate. She is running for Camarillo City Council District 2 to bring an independent, research-driven voice to City Hall and protect what makes Camarillo home.
Long before I ever thought about running for City Council, I was a kid growing up in Camarillo.
And to understand why this community means so much to me—and why I want to protect it—you have to go back to where my story began.
My family's story in Camarillo began in the 1950s, when my grandparents came here and made this community their home. They worked hard to raise seven children, all of whom attended Camarillo High School. My grandmother was a strong woman who loved her family—and loved making her legendary pancakes for all of us.
I grew up here and attended First Lutheran School on Arneill Road, where I was sponsored by Pastor Hiepler. Longtime Camarillo residents may remember the Scripture messages that appeared on the church's roadside sign on Arneill Road for decades.
I was raised through kinship adoption by the woman I have always known simply as my mom.
My mother adopted us as a single woman in the 1980s, when it was extremely difficult for a single parent to adopt. She advocated fiercely for us and, through her actions, taught me what it means to stand up for someone you love.
Years later, while I was serving in the Army and my grandmother developed Alzheimer's disease, I watched my mother become that advocate again.
Long before I ever thought of myself as an advocate, I had been raised by one.
I spent ten years in the U.S. Army, years I sometimes describe as the best of times and the worst of times. Military service was difficult, but it also gave me friendships I treasure, experiences I never would have had otherwise, and a greater appreciation for home.
In the military, your statehood becomes part of your identity. While stationed in North Carolina, I was proud to be from California. More than anything, I missed Camarillo.
And after years away, I understood home differently.
I came back to the place my grandparents had chosen for their family, where my mother raised me, and where I had spent so many years wanting to return.
Coming home changed the way I looked at Camarillo.
It wasn't simply the city where I happened to live. It was the place my grandparents chose for their family, the place where my mother raised me, and the place I had spent years away from wanting to return to.
I left Camarillo to serve my country. I came home understanding just how much this home was worth protecting.
