Felix Garcia

• Name: Felix Garcia

• Age: 53

• Family: Wife, Orfa; daughters, Bonnie and Margie; son, Felix Jr.

• City of residence/years in area: Yuba City, three years

• Employer: Napa Auto Parts, 318 Garden Highway, Yuba City

• How long have you worked in the automotive industry? Since 1988

• What skills do you need to be successful at the parts counter? You’ve got to keep up with the technology. It changes every year and every day, so you’ve got to stay on top of it.

• Where do you see the industry going in the future? The hybrid technology will continue to get better.

• What is the biggest problem facing the automotive industry today? Getting the right information and gaining the knowledge. If you’re going to work in the parts business, you have to be informed on what you’re selling. You need to know what you’re looking at, much like a mechanic.

• What is the hardest part of your job? I love it all.

• What would you change about the way today’s cars are manufactured? I would make the vehicles lighter by using lighter materials. Lighter vehicles mean better fuel economy.

• In recent years, what has been the biggest change in the industry? The manufacturers are using better alloys and the manufacturing of parts has improved a lot. Better, more reliable parts mean a lot to customers because they don’t have to come back to us with a faulty one.

• Hobbies/interests: Fishing

• What brought you to the area? My family. I moved here from Corpus Christi, Texas, to be with them - and I like the climate.

• Where is your favorite place to go in the Yuba-Sutter area? I like to cruise, just get in my car and sight see. I enjoy driving in the Sutter Buttes.

• What was the first job you had? Working as a firefighter and an MP in the U.S. Navy

• What was the first car you owned and how did you afford it? A 1963 Buick that I got for $300 when I was 16 or 17 years old. I had to work at a restaurant washing dishes to afford it.

• If you could have any car of any year, what would it be? A 2007 Cadillac Escalade - a hybrid one if it were available

• Whom do you admire most and why? My father for teaching me to follow my goals and dreams. I’m where I’m at because of him.

• What is the closest you’ve been to a famous person? I got to shake hands with Clint Eastwood at Circus Circus in Reno, Nev.

• What was your biggest life-changing experience? Knowing that I’m going to be a grandfather - my daughter is due in two weeks.

• Favorite sports team: San Antonio Spurs

• Favorite television show: “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”

• Favorite movie: “Ghost”

• Favorite food: American food - pizza, hamburgers and hot dogs

• Favorite subject in school: History

• Least favorite: Science

• If you were in charge, what would you change about the community? I would do something about the gang violence and try to get more involvement from the community. Where I came from, gangs didn’t exist, and I think the public should be more educated.