Candidate for
Mayor; City of Long Beach

When he was 6 months old, Doug and his twin brother, Don, were adopted by Lura and Don Otto, a Long Beach couple. As a youth, he attended Marshall Junior High and Milikan High schools where he excelled in the classroom as Student Body President, and on the field as a member of the football and track teams.

Doug's call to serve people was awakened in college. After a year at Long Beach City College, he earned a full scholarship to Stanford University where he graduated with a B.A. in Human Communications. The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 was a call to action for Doug. He arranged for an independent study from Stanford and hitchhiked to Washington, DC where he worked as an organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Doug studied at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University in New York City, earning his Masters Degree in Religion, and later his law degree at the University of Chicago. During his time in New York, Doug served as an Urban Fellow in the John Lindsay administration where he discovered his passion: learning how cities and local governments function.

When Doug returned to his hometown, he made a commitment to make Long Beach a livable, thriving community. Doug has been a leader in Long Beach for over three decades. His record of service to this city speaks for itself.

A BUSINESS LEADER.

After law school, Doug returned to Long Beach to start his business. As a local business owner for over 30 years, Doug understands the importance of small businesses in Long Beach.

A COMMUNITY LEADER.

Doug has over 30 years of volunteer service to Long Beach. He is a co-founder of Long Beach Heritage, and a founding board member of the Aquarium of the Pacific and the architect of its award-winning campus master plan. Doug also served eight years on and chaired the Long Beach Planning Commission, and in 2000 he chaired the Long Beach Strategic Plan 2010.

AN EDUCATION LEADER.

As a Long Beach City College Trustee, Doug has changed the focus from just access to higher education to making sure students succeed. In 2010, he co-chaired the State Commission on the Future of Community Colleges. He knows how important education is to the future of Long Beach.