Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia is joining a group of other Californian leaders to be on a Latino Leadership Committee formed by the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, campaign officials announced today.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis has been named co-chair of the committee.The other Californians on the committee are Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Los Angeles, along with Secretary of State Alex Padilla and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger.

Solis, who was U.S. Secretary of Labor from 2009-13 under the Barack Obama administration, will work with co-chair Ken Salazar of Colorado, who wasObama’s interior secretary from 2009-13.

“As the nation falls further into unrest, unemployment soars, and COVID-19 cases spike, we need a leader at the helm who has the experience, moral fortitude, and compassion to not only guide this nation out of this crisis, but help the country heal,” Solis said.  “With the Latino community being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 both economically and health-wise, it will be critical to have an ally in the White House. That ally is Joe Biden, and I’m honored to be leading the charge in mobilizing my Latino brothers and sisters to ensure that Donald Trump is a one-term president.”

Garcia tweeted about his excitement in joining the group that plans to provide input on policy initiatives, among other things.

“I am running to build an America that works for everyone, and giving Latinos a shot at the American dream is a core part of my vision for this nation,” Biden said. “I am honored to have such a strong group of elected leaders on this committee—many who I have known for a very long time—that embody the diversity of the Latino community and I know that their insights will prove invaluable in supporting my campaign’s Latino outreach efforts across the United States. And with my good friends Hilda and Ken leading the charge, I know that the committee will ensure that Latinos have a voice on my campaign.”

In a message to Hispanic Americans released last week by his re-election campaign, Trump said, “You never had better numbers than you had as you know prior to the Chinese virus coming over. Your employment numbers were the best ever, your home ownership was the best ever. Everything was No. 1 by far in the history of our country.

“We’re building up the economy. It’s my No. 1 thing right now. I’m building it back. By next year, it will be as strong as it was, if not stronger, because we have great stimulus coming in from Congress. We’ve got tremendous money coming in from stimulus and Hispanic Americans are getting a lot of that money. Your businesses are getting back. Your jobs are getting back. By next year, you’re going to be stronger than ever before.”