Garcia’s Fundraiser: A Full House of Donors, An Empty Shelf for Sun Valley

How many of these movers and shakers at Garcia’s political fundraiser stepped up to be her ‘heroes’ - we’ll know on January 15, 2026.

Mariluz Garcia just threw herself a fundraiser, and it was the who’s who of Northern Nevada’s usual suspects. The room was filled with people who like to look important—and for good reason. Many of them wrote checks as big as $5,000 to keep Garcia in office. Heroes, right?

There was Washoe County School Board Trustee Beth Smith, failed Reno Ward 1 candidate Frank Perez, Reno Councilmember Devon Reese (fresh off his latest appearance before the Ethics Commission), lobbyist Mike Alonso, Reno Councilmembers Miguel Martinez and Brandi Anderson, Sparks City Council candidate Hunter Rand, developer Bob Lissner, perennial donor John Krmpotic, Sparks Councilmember Don Abbott (Garcia’s biking buddy for streetlight complaints), Farrah Downey was in the crowd who has received a whole lot of money from Washoe County for her Emergency Eviction Prevention Program of Nevada, AKA EEPPN, and even former Reno Councilmember Oscar Delgado—Garcia’s once-denied, later-admitted “public/private” partner, who took the mic himself at the event.

So here’s the question: with all these “power players” in her corner, why doesn’t Garcia use her connections to do something useful—like bring a grocery store to Sun Valley? Sun Valley residents lost their only supermarket months ago. Garcia lives there, claims to represent them, and yet she let the shelves go bare without lifting a finger.

It’s not like she didn’t have time. The signs were obvious—empty shelves, rumors of closure, neighbors talking. But instead of rallying her influential friends to help keep the store open—or at least to line up a replacement—Garcia waited until it was too late. Now, with Sun Valley declared a food desert, she’s scrambling to play “town crier,” suddenly convening community chats and pretending to fight for a solution.

The truth? It’s easier to raise money than to raise a finger. Easier to collect checks than to collect commitments. Garcia’s fundraiser proves she has plenty of friends in high places, but Sun Valley residents don’t need her donor list—they need groceries.

It takes a village, sure. But in Garcia’s case, it looks like the village is only good for cutting checks to her campaign, not cutting ribbons on a new market. And that’s not leadership—that’s laziness wrapped in political ambition.