Palacio Podcast
Roberto Uranga: Seeking Reelection through Engagement
Long Beach City Councilmember Roberto Uranga, representing the Seventh District (includes the communities of Bixby Highlands, Bixby Knolls, Bixby Terrace, California Heights, West Long Beach, Windward Village, and Wrigley), has one word to describe himself, engaging.
“I like to engage people in conversation. I like to engage people by getting to know them better so they get to know me better.”
Throughout the interview at the Fox Coffee House on West Willow Street, Councilmember Uranga emphasized the importance of engagement; whether it was during his college days or his tenure on the Board of Trustees of the Long Beach Community College District.
“I’ve always had this expression, ‘You might not like what I do, you may not like decisions I’ve made but once you get to know me, you’ll love me.’”
Elected to the Long Beach City Council in 2014, Roberto Uranga will need all the love he can muster as he seeks re-election against a crowded field of four other opponents.
Seventh District Councilmember Roberto Uranga
The Engagement Roots of Roberto Uranga
Councilmember Uranga traces his community engagement back to his student days during the early seventies at California State University, Long Beach where he also was a bilingual tutor. He remembers working with disenfranchised students to ensure that they were successful. That work led to his becoming involved with student organizations which evolved into his joining the staff, after graduation, at CSULB.
“I had a corps of tutors and grad assistants and full-time counselors and I was management.”
The engagement experience was helpful for his next challenge recruiting police and firefighter candidates for the City of Long Beach where he had a 28-year long career before retiring.
“. . . Going to community meetings, going to the NAACP meetings, going to association meetings in neighborhoods.”
For Councilmember Roberto Uranga, all this community engagement led him to the next obvious step, considering public office.
If at first, you don’t succeed…
Councilmember Uranga ran for the Long Beach School Board in 1988.
“Out of six candidates, I came in fifth and the only reason that the guy came in behind me is that he died before the election.”
Undaunted, Roberto Uranga says he moved on. His wife, Tonia Reyes Uranga, also ran for public office several years later in 1994 and she also lost. (Ms. Uranga would later go on to serve as Councilperson for the Seventh District for two terms). But the pair took the losses in stride and told themselves that there are many ways to be engaged.
“Let’s just raise our kids, let’s stay engaged, we’ll stay in the community. . . We’ll still do everything we need to do and continue to live our lives.
Fast forward to 2000 and at the urging of a departing Long Beach City College Board Trustee, Roberto Uranga got his shot at elected office. This time, he won the seat to represent Area 2 residents. He served fourteen years having been reelected four times. He served as Chair of the American Community College Trustees, a nationally recognized advocate for community college education, becoming the first Latino to lead that group during his time in office.
Roberto Uranga was Minding His Own Business…
. . .when, out of the blue, he was encouraged to run for Long Beach City Council for the 2014 elections. Find out how and his review of his first four years representing the Seventh District by listening to the PalacioMagazine.com Podcast HERE. For more information on the Councilmember’s campaign, visit robertouranga.com.
