La Mesa attorney and community volunteer Genevieve Suzuki announced this week her plan to run for La Mesa City Council in the November 2024 election.
“La Mesa is a fabulous community with a unique identity. I’m running for City Council because I believe there is so much more we can do to make this city safe, prosperous, and welcoming for families, workers, and small business owners,” Suzuki said. “I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer with many friends and neighbors in La Mesa, and I’m eager to take my commitment to this community to the next level.”
Voters will elect two new members of the City Council in the Nov. 5 election.
Councilmember Jack Shu, whose term expires in December, announced that he would not seek re-election. Councilmember Colin Parent, whose term also expires this year, is running for State Assembly and is not seeking re-election to the City Council.
Both Shu and Parent have already endorsed Suzuki for City Council. Suzuki has also earned
endorsements from County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, La Mesa Mayor Dr. Mark
Arapostathis, La Mesa Councilmember Patricia Dillard, and La Mesa City Treasurer Matt Strabone.
Suzuki one of two Democrats announcing campaigns
Suzuki is one of two Democrats who have announced campaigns for City Council.
She is joined by Lauren Cazares, policy advisor at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, who announced her campaign in 2023. Cazares has expressed her support for Suzuki.
“Genevieve would be a fantastic member of the City Council – I’m excited to have her in the race,” Cazares said. “Genevieve and I have similar core values and priorities for La Mesa, and it would be an honor to serve our community together on the City Council.”
If elected, Suzuki would be the first Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) woman on the La Mesa City Council, while Cazares would be the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Council. Four out of five members of the City Council would be women.
Suzuki and her husband, Derek, have lived in La Mesa for 15 years and in the San Diego region for nearly 20 years. She has practiced law in La Mesa since 2010 and recently joined a larger law firm to lead a new San Diego office.
She has more than 10 years of service on the City of La Mesa Community Services Commission and on the Board of Directors of the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation. She has been the president of the Parent-Teacher Group of St. Martin of Tours Academy and is an active member of the St. Martin of Tours parish in La Mesa. Her daughter, Quinn, attended St. Martin of Tours Academy (SMA) from kindergarten through eighth grade and her son, Deacon, currently attends SMA.
Suzuki is a member of the San Diego Family Law Bar Association, San Diego County Bar Association, Lawyers Club (an organization that promotes women in the law), Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego, the Japanese American Bar Association, and the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego. She has also served on the board of the Family Law Bar Association.
She has been nominated as one of San Diego’s top young attorneys by the San Diego Daily Transcript and was named one of San Diego Metro Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40. She was also named to San Diego Business Journal’s Best of The Bar and received the Rising Star designation from Super Lawyers. She has also received the Wiley W. Manuel Award for her pro bono work with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program.
Suzuki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and earned her Juris Doctor degree at California Western School of Law in San Diego. Prior to becoming an attorney, Genevieve was a print journalist and editor in Honolulu and San Diego. She continues to use her journalistic skills as co-editor of San Diego Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the San Diego County Bar Association. Prior to fully committing to her law practice, Genevieve was the editor-in-chief of La Mesa Courier.
Suzuki’s work in journalism led her to write a children’s book, The Original Poi Cats on O’ahu, which was published by Mutual Publishing in 2005.
(Courtesy image)
