While it took several weeks for the final numbers to come in, the two newest members of the La Mesa Council are now known.

Lauren Cazares and Genevieve Suzuki will take their respective places on the council next Tuesday evening when they are sworn in for four-year terms. In doing so, they will be part of a council that features predominantly women. Four women in total will serve on council going into 2025.

With four people running for two seats on council in last month’s election, Cazares and Suzuki came away as the top two vote getters. When the final numbers were in, it looked as follows:

Lauren Cazares – 12,587 votes

Genevieve Suzuki – 11,984 votes

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Kristine C. Alessio – 11,238 votes

Shawn Townsend – 3,253 votes

Cazares, who finished with more than 12,500 votes, said winning a seat on council was the biggest honor of her life.

“Going into election night, I knew I had done everything I was able to do – knock on doors, make calls, send texts, ads, signs – so whatever the outcome was, I was going to be proud of myself and my team,” Cazares remarked. “I am absolutely thrilled that my fellow La Mesans have entrusted me to improve their day to day lives.”

When looking at some of her priorities once she takes office, Cazares noted safe streets are one of them.

“In February, my dog was hit by a car while we were crossing the street at Collier Park then in November I was hit by a drunk driver on Jackson Drive,” Cazares stated. “This year we also saw a Helix High School student get hit and severely injured while riding his bicycle to school. These are just three instances of many that I want to ensure aren’t regularly occurring – we need to design safer streets and focus on accessibility and mobility for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.”

Cazares said she also wants to finalize the proposed residential beekeeping ordinance and work with the Village Association and La Mesa Chamber on continued storefront improvements and entrepreneurial activities.

Given the national political landscape has shown in recent years how divisive things can be, multiple council members working as a team is imperative.

“I think the best way for City Councils to operate is as a team – each person brings their own unique experience, skills, and expertise but we’re all on the same team, trying to keep La Mesa a thriving community,” Cazares said. “While we won’t see eye to eye on everything, I think it’s important that we understand that we really do all have similar goals for our City.”

For Suzuki, who was in a close race for second place with Kristine C. Alessio, getting one of the two council seats left her feeling surreal.

“After hitting the ground running in June, I felt really happy to have a great ending to my first campaign,” Suzuki stated. “I was also surpirsed by my children’s reactions. They had been fairly calm during the campaign, but they were ecstatic when we finally got the final count. My son even yelled, ‘Yes!’ which made it feel more like I actually won.”

Suzuki said she was also hit by an intense feeling of gratitude for friends and family who backed her through this entire effort.

“If you want to know who really loves you, run for public office,” Suzuki continued. “That said, I also am thankful to my fellow candidates for running positive campaigns during this cycle. I think our local election proved you can run a successful political campaign without attacking your opponents.”

When it comes to focusing on La Mesa projects in 2025 and beyond, Suzuki said she’d like to be involved in the expansion of the local library among other things. “I also want to look into several issues I learned about when I was canvassing our neighborhoods, such as speeding and the need for ramps from sidewalks to the streets.”

Being part of the council moving ahead, Suzuki added it will be vital for everyone on council to work together for La Mesans.

“We all have diverse backgrounds, which will help inform our views and allow us to tackle issues from all sides,” Suzuki said. “I am excited to get to know my fellow councilmembers and our wonderful mayor, Mark Arapostathis, and to cooperate with them to ensure La Mesa retains its reputation as the Jewel of the Hills.”

(Courtesy photos)