Meet Doug Otto
Member of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education 

Doug Otto is:

  • A product of Long Beach public schools from Kindergarten through graduation.
  • An award-winning educational policy maker, well known locally and in Sacramento.
  • An adjunct professor for 16 years at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles.
  • A leader in developing the Long Beach College promise bringing together CSULB, LBCC, LBUSD, The City of Long Beach, and Port of Long Beach to help students identify and achieve their educational goals.
  • A leader in three successful statewide bond measures to fund improvements in school facilities.

Doug Otto is Vice President of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education and is serving his first term on the School Board representing District 4.  Prior to his service on the school board, Doug was a member of the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees for 16 years being elected to office four times.  Doug has a wealth of experience and expertise in educational policy and student success, both at the state and local levels. Doug served as board member and Chair of the California Community College Trustees Association and Chair of the Community Colleges League of CEOs. Last year he was voted one of the top 5 lawyers in Long Beach. 

Doug is a product of Long Beach Schools from kindergarten through graduation and was student body president at Millikan High School. He earned a B.A from Stanford University; an M.A. jointly from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a J.D. from the University of Chicago.

Professionally, Doug Otto is an attorney in private practice in Long Beach where he has worked for more than 30 years. He is well-respected in the legal profession and has served as the President of the Long Beach Bar Association.  He was named Lawyer of the Year in Long Beach in 2005 and was named the Small Firm Lawyer of the Year by the California State Bar Association.

 In addition to Doug’s love of education, he is a founding member of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach where he serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Planning and Implementation and Governance Committees. Doug sees the Aquarium as an educational institution for the greater Long Beach community that focuses the attention of the public on education and conservation issues and instills an appreciation for the Pacific Ocean.  To Doug, his commitment to the Aquarium and its educational programs dovetails perfectly with his commitment to the students and families of the Long Beach Unified School District.  For both, the future depends on an educated citizenry.

Doug is married to Dr. Freda Hinsche Otto and the two have five children and nine grandchildren, two of whom are students at Long Beach Wilson High School. They have lived in their home on the Long Beach Peninsula for nearly 30 years and have sent children and grandchildren through the Long Beach Unified School District.  Doug is an avid reader and hiker, and the Ottos can regularly be seen walking along the bike path in the early morning.

Grandpa Doug with his granddaughters, Kate and Blake