Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia On Losing His Mother To COVID-19
![Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, pictured in 2016, says his mother "found" the American dream. She died of COVID-19 in July.](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/08/03/ap_812717694331_wide-269aa5660c194cfddb7f64546704dcd58fac1524.jpg?s=600)
Garcia's mother, Gaby O'Donnell, was a medical assistant for decades. Discussions about her experience in health care influenced Garcia's approach to mitigating the coronavirus in Long Beach, he says.
(Image credit: Carlos Delgado/AP Images for Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau)
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