Long Beach lost a big part of its history this year with the deaths of three former councilmembers, a state Assemblywoman and Senator, and others who made a big impact on the city: a leader in the Cambodian community, a longtime strawberry farmer, a Filipina chef, the owner of a shoeshine stand and a former gang detective.
OBITUARY: Eunice Sato, 99; First Female Mayor of Long Beach
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Eunice Sato, the first Asian American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city, was first elected to the Long Beach City Council in 1975, eventually serving two years as mayor.
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LONG BEACH Eunice N. Sato, the first Asian American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city, passed away of cardio-pulmonary arrest on Feb. 12. She was 99.
Sato served as mayor of Long Beach for two years in the early 1980s, the first woman to lead the city, guiding it through a period of economic turmoil. She was also a member of the Long Beach City Council, representing the 7th District, from 1975-1986. After leaving office, she continued to be active in the community for many years.
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When Long Beach Mayor Eunice Sato learned that a house shook whenever a city transit bus drove by, she invited herself into that home to experience it for herself.
It turned out the homeowner wasn’t exaggerating.
“He called every city department and nobody paid attention,” said Marynelle Evans, who served as Sato’s legislative assistant beginning in 1977. “He had had it and he wanted to talk to the mayor.”
Sato asked Public Works to investigate and they later learned it was a sinkhole in the making that could’ve caved in at any moment. They filled up the hole and solved the homeowner’s problem.