La Mirada City Council

MAYOR ED ENG
CITY OF LA MIRADA - DISTRICT 3

Mayor Ed Eng was elected to the La Mirada City Council in March 2015, and reelected in 2020 and 2024, and served as Mayor in 2017-2018, 2021-2022 and 2025. Mayor Eng is a bestselling author, business professor, Board advisor, and former senior executive at a Fortune 500 company. Mayor Eng holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, an MBA, an MS, and a BS in Engineering.

Mayor Eng has been a resident of La Mirada since 1990. His wife Cathy is a retired teacher in the ABC Unified School District. They have one son, Brandon, who graduated with a degree in Political Science from UC Berkeley and is currently the founder and CEO of a music group.

To contact the Mayor, please call (562) 943-0131 or email at eeng@cityoflamirada.org.

MAYOR PRO TEM ANTHONY OTERO
CITY OF LA MIRADA - DISTRICT 5

Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Otero was elected to the La Mirada City Council on March 3, 2020 and served as Mayor from 2022-2023. Mayor Pro Tem Otero has been a resident of La Mirada since 2007 and has been actively involved in this community since moving to La Mirada. He is the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 438, and is himself an Eagle Scout from Troop 941, which was based in his hometown parish of St. Marianne Catholic Church located in Pico Rivera.

Mayor Pro Tem Otero is currently a Police Captain-Commanding Officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. Otero joined the LAPD in 1996 and has served in various investigative, uniformed and administrative assignments. Through the course of his professional career, he has served in many assignments and received numerous awards for his service and professionalism.

After graduating from Don Bosco Tech in 1991, Mayor Pro Tem Otero attended Whittier College, and majored in Business Administration. As a working professional, he returned to school to earn a Masters Degree in Public Administration from National University, a Masters in Executive Leadership from the University of Southern California, and a Doctorate in Policy, Planning, and Development, also from the University of Southern California. Mayor Pro Tem Otero is a proud graduate from the Sherman Block Leadership Institute, and the Los Angeles Police Department (West Point) Leadership Academy, of which he is an adjunct instructor. He was honored to have served as a United States Marine, and was honorably discharged accordingly.

Mayor Pro Tem Otero lives in La Mirada with his wife and three children. He enjoys various outdoor activities and is an avid outdoorsman.

To contact the Mayor Pro Tem, please call (562) 943-0131 or email aotero@cityoflamirada.org.

COUNCILMEMBER MICHELLE VELASQUEZ BEAN
CITY OF LA MIRADA - DISTRICT 2

Elected in November 2024, La Mirada Councilmember Michelle Velasquez Bean is a tenured professor of English at Río Hondo College, bringing over 25 years of teaching experience in California’s community colleges and K-12 education system.

Councilmember Bean served on the Historical Preservation Advisory Committee from August 2023 to November 2024, where she held the position of vice chair in 2024. She also volunteers with La Mirada’s Meals on Wheels program. As an executive leader, she has served on the boards of various nonprofit organizations, including the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, Delta Kappa Gamma for women educators, and Trojan Youth Football and Cheer.

Councilmember Bean holds a master’s degree in English from California State University, Fullerton, a single-subject teaching credential in English from California State University, Long Beach, and a bachelor’s degree in English from the Whittier Scholars Program at Whittier College.

A long-time resident of La Mirada, she and her husband, James, have been married for over 30 years. They are proud parents of three adult sons and two dogs.

To contact the Councilmember, please call (562) 943-0131 or email mbean@cityoflamirada.org.

COUNCILMEMBER STEVE DE RUSE
CITY OF LA MIRADA - DISTRICT 4

Councilmember Steve De Ruse was elected to the La Mirada City Council on March 8, 2011, and re-elected in 2015, 2020 and 2024.  He works as the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Artesia and as Director for the Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association after serving nearly 13 years as a senior pastor at a church in La Mirada. He has been a small business owner, track coach at John Glenn High School, television program host, and radio guest commentator.

Councilmember De Ruse served on the City’s Community Services Commission from November 2006 to March 2011.  He served as Chairman of that commission from August 2008 through March 2010.  Councilmember De Ruse also served on the Citizen Task Force on City Finances and Operations from November 2009 to April 2010.

Councilmember De Ruse was a member of the La Mirada Clergy Council from 2001 to 2010, and served as president from 2001 to 2005.  He is a member of the La Mirada Rotary Club serving as president from 2010 to 2011.  Councilmember De Ruse served on the Southeast Area Social Services Funding Authority (SASSFA) Board of Directors from April 2011 to April 2015 and served as Chairperson from 2013-2015.  He has served as a board member of the I-5 Consortium Cities Joint Powers Authority since April 2015 and Sanitation District No. 18 since April 2013.  He represented the City on the Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council from 2018 to 2023.

Councilmember De Ruse holds a Master’s Degree in Theology and a Doctor of Ministry Degree, both from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. He has been a resident of La Mirada since 1976. He and his wife, Mary, have been married for more than 50 years and have two daughters, Adrienne and Elaine, and two granddaughters.

To contact the Councilmember please call (562) 943-0131 or email sderuse@cityoflamirada.org.

COUNCILMEMBER JOHN LEWIS
CITY OF LA MIRADA - DISTRICT 1

Councilmember John Lewis was elected to the La Mirada City Council on March 7, 2017 and re-elected on June 7, 2022. He previously served as Mayor from 2020-2021 and 2024-2025. He is the managing partner at the Law Office of Lewis & Lewis, APC. He is also the managing broker of Lewis Realty in La Mirada.

Councilmember Lewis was a member of the La Mirada Planning Commission from 2012-2017 and served as chairman from 2014-2015. He also served as vice-chairman of the La Mirada Charter City Commission and is a member of the La Mirada Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast Committee.  Councilmember Lewis is also a past president and member of the Rotary Club of La Mirada, a member of La Mirada Chamber of Commerce, and is on the board of directors for the Southeast Area Social Services Funding Authority (SASSFA).

Councilmember Lewis earned his Juris Doctorate of Law in 2000 from Whittier College School of Law, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Management from Biola University, an Associate in Arts Degree from Cerritos College in Administration of Justice in 1996, and Associate in Arts Degree from Golden West College in Business Administration in 1989. Councilmember Lewis is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, the California State Bar, the Florida State Bar, the United States District Court, Central District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit.

He has been a resident of La Mirada since 1990. He and his wife, Alitza, have one son, Zurich and a granddaughter.

To contact the Councilmember, please call (562) 943-0131 or email jlewis@cityoflamirada.org.

Updated: June 10, 2025