After leaving elective office, Ms. Sato remained active in civic affairs. In 1996, she spoke at a U.S. Navy hearing on City Hall's "re-use plan" for the LB Naval Station. City Hall officialdom planned to hand the federal facility to the Port for demolition and use as a container yard. Ms. Sato, who'd represented part of WLB on the City Council, knew that the Naval Station included historic buildings, recreational facilities, a gymnasium and swimming pool and high rise housing, all built with U.S. taxpayer dollars. PressTelegram reporter Bill Hillburg wrote a story describing the facilities, which reached KCET's Huell Howser who brought a TV crew to the site and showed what LB officialdom proposed to tear down. Over 1,500 people turned out for the Terrace Theater hearing.

Mayor Sato filled out a speaker card and sat quietly (alongside grassroots taxpayers including Ann Cantrell) as then-LB officials spoke first. Eventually, her name was called and the former Mayor came to the microphone. Speaking (again without script or notes) -- and in full view of then-Mayor Beverly O'Neill and then-city management -- Mayor Sato verbally demolished City Hall's demolition plan. Her remarks received a standing ovation. The remarks of some LB officials received boos.

When we hear some today complain about a lack of housing for LB's homeless, we recall the millions of dollars in taxpayer facilities done to dust for cargo containers.

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In fall 2008, Mayor Sato took part in a taxpayer rally at Wardlow Park opposing a parcel property tax (Measure I) supported by then-Mayor Bob Foster. In 2006, Mayor Sato (a Republican) had endorsed candidate Foster (a Democrat) over Councilman Frank Colonna (a Republican). In her remarks opposing the tax measure, Mayor Sato showed no animus toward Mayor Foster; she just didn't like the tax measure on its merits...and she said so.

During her tenure as Mayor, LB lawyer Mel Nutter was a CA Coastal Commissioner, Mayor Sato took part in a ceremony in front of City Hall in which Commissioner Nutter returned the "Keys to the City" after the Coastal Commission certified the City's protective Local Coastal Program (1980.). Several years ago, Mr. Nutter came across photos of that day and shared them with us. We share them with our readers below.

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On Sept. 6, 2016, a large crowd assembled at the former Hill Middle School (1100 Iroquois Avenue) to dedicate the campus as the "Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science" (grades 9 through 12.)

Principal Mona Merlo conducted the event, which featured remarks by LBUSD Superintendent Christopher Steinhauser, Long Beach School Board President Jon Meyer and Mr. Douglas Sato, Mayor Sato's son, who spoke on behalf of the Sato family for his mother. LBREPORT.com covered the event with extended VIDEO (on-demand below.)

The event program included the following text: :

[Event program text] Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science is the first school in the district to be named for an Asian American. Sato, now 95 years old, was born in Livingston, near Modesto. The daughter of Japanese immigrants, her family farmed vegetables in California's Central Valley.

Eunice got her A.A. at Modesto Jr. College and subsequently enrolled in San Jose State College until WWII broke out. Sato was forced to flee to Colorado with her parents and siblings to avoid being interned by the U.S. government. Her father, Bunsaku Noda, had already been jailed as a Japanese American community leader.

She later graduated from the University of Northern Colorado, and earned a master's degree in education from Columbia University in New York City. Sato subsequently taught school in Michigan and Yokohama, Japan before returning to California.

In 1950, she married Thomas Takahashi Sato, and the couple moved with their three children to Long Beach in 1956. The four-foot, 10-inch wife and mother was a natural leader and quickly became a force in school and church organizations and the local Republican Party.

In 1975, she was elected to the Long Beach City Council, serving until 1986. Sato recalled in an interview with the Long Beach Press Telegram that "Long Beach was really at rock bottom" during her tenure as mayor from 1980-82.

According to Sato, she and her fellow council members managed to put in policies and plans that resulted in the turnaround of a city plagued with budget shortfalls and local economic depression.

After leaving city politics, Sato served as president of the California Conference for Equality and Justice and on three state commissions as well as the National Advisory Council on Educational Research.

"I try to work wherever needed and to do my best to serve society," Sato said. "And when you do that, you have no regrets."

Some have noted Ms. Sato's diminutive physical stature. We consider her a towering figure.

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