Former County Supervisor Toru Miyoshi Passes Away

Source: County of Santa Barbara

It is with great sadness that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors learned of the passing of former Supervisor Toru Miyoshi.

Mr. Miyoshi served on the Santa Maria City Council from 1978 to 1982 before he was elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in 1982 where he served two terms. He returned to the City Council in 1992 and served until 2000. During his political career, he was appointed to the Coastal Commission, Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Authority, county Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Tri-Counties Oil Committee and the Area Agency on Aging.

Steve Lavagnino, who currently serves the Fifth District, said this about Mr. Miyoshi, “What impressed me the most about Toru Miyoshi was the fact that he honorably served his country during the Korean War even though his family had been forced into a concentration camp during World War II. He was a true leader and will be greatly missed.”

Toru was born in Guadalupe, Calif., in 1928 and moved to Santa Maria in 1933. He attended local schools and graduated from Butte High School while incarcerated at Gila River Concentration Camp in 1945. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1946 and was recalled to the Korean Conflict in 1950. Toru graduated Cum Laude from the University of Southern California in 1955.

Former Supervisor Miyoshi will be missed by all those who worked with him and those he served. Supervisors and County staff alike send thoughts and deepest sympathies to his family at this time.