Suely Saro, a Long Beach City commissioner and college professor, announced via a campaign email Wednesday, Feb. 20, that she is running for Long Beach City Council, specifically the 6th district.
The primary election is scheduled for March 3, 2020.
In announcing her campaign, Saro released the following statement:
“I’m running for city council to bring people together, to make positive changes happen in our community and to serve as a strong advocate inside City Hall,” she wrote. “I understand the importance of listening, working in partnerships and building consensus to ensure all voices are represented in decision making. I believe it is important that residents benefit from good policies that ensure a thriving local economy, healthy communities and a safe and clean environment. I am excited and ready for the campaign ahead and look forward to [working] with my fellow residents to create meaningful changes in Long Beach’s 6th district.”
Saro has experience working as a field representative for the office of former Sen. Ricardo Lara and as chair of Long Beach’s Citizen Police Complaint Commission. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the School of Social Work at California State University, Los Angeles.
Saro was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to parents who survived the genocide in Cambodia, her campaign email states. Her family eventually resettled in Southern California. She has earned a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has also earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach and a doctorate in Education (Ed.D) in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne.