July 20, 2016 | The Press Telegram

Councilman Rex Richardson was elected vice mayor of Long Beach by his peers on the City Council Tuesday night during a reorganization of the council after Suja Lowenthal’s departure.

At 32, the councilman is the youngest person in city history to hold the position (Mayor Robert Garcia was the youngest in city history when he was elected to the vice mayor position in 2012, when he was 34). He is the second black male to serve as vice mayor (The late James Wilson was the first African American elected to the position in 1980 and again in 1984; Doris Topsy-Elvord was elected to the position as the first black woman in 1992) .

“I am honored to have my colleagues’ confidence to serve as our city’s vice mayor,” Richardson said in a written statement. “I accept this as a recognition of our entire community’s progress since taking office two years ago. I look forward to working with Mayor Garcia and each of my fellow council members as we continue to build a better Long Beach.”

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