Victor Garcia, a retired teacher and commercial fisherman who spent barely 16 months on Washington's Fish and Wildlife Commission, died this week, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday.
He earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Washington, then spent part of the 1990s as a commercial fisherman in the Bering Sea before starting a family pulled him back to shore.
Jay Inslee had appointed Ragen and a Ferry County pick, Lynn O'Connor, to the commission in mid-January 2025, just before leaving office.
Critics of Ferguson's move read it differently anyway: as a governor barely in office moving fast to reshape a body that had angered hunting and fishing interests with a series of restrictive votes.
Commission Chair Jim Anderson, who was appointed alongside Garcia and later elected chair, said in a statement Monday that "Commissioner Garcia loved this state, and cared deeply for fish and wildlife.
Victor Garcia, appointed to Washington's Fish and Wildlife Commission in a contested 2025 shake-up, has died. Gov. Bob Ferguson must now fill the seat on a commission still under investigation.