Republican Activist Killed in Crash
A colorful Monterey County political figure was killed Friday when he was thrown from his car after it veered off California 1 near Big Sur.
Campaign consultant Angel Garcia, 51, a former correctional officer, was a Latino Republican activist who managed numerous political campaigns through his Salinas consulting firm.
He was the chief fund-raiser for the group fighting a Nov. 5 ballot measure intended to scrap the Salinas utility tax.
Garcia also ran unsuccessfully for the Assembly in 1988, and was the first Monterey County Latino to serve as a delegate to a national GOP convention -- in Houston in 1992.
California Highway Patrol officials said it is not clear what caused Garcia’s Volkswagen Beetle to swerve off the highway.
A witness reported seeing a motorcycle and two cars driving recklessly in the opposite direction moments before the accident, authorities said.
Investigators said Garcia was alone in the car and was not wearing a seat belt. The crash remains under investigation.
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