Mario came from Cuba at the age of 6 and was raised locally. After majoring in Economics in college he Co-Founded Scanlon-Guerra-Burke Insurance Brokers and is President of the firm. His firm was recently named the 15th largest brokerage firm in Southern California by the Los Angeles Business Journal. They were also named as one of the Top 100 Brokers in the United States. He obtained the Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA) designation in 1990.

He has been honored as" Agent of the Year” by several trade organizations and he also received a lifetime service award from his peers and Insurance Journal magazine for his commitment and dedication to his industry.

Mario is also an instructor and guest speaker on many insurance and business related issues. He is Past President for the Insurance Brokers and Agents Association and Past Chairman of The National Catastrophe Task Force for IIAA in Washington DC.

He was ordained a Deacon, a member of the clergy, in the Catholic Church by Cardinal Roger Mahony in 2002. He currently serves as Chaplain of the Downey Police Department and is a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains. He was called and served in New Orleans and Houston after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He has also served on the City of Downey Emergency Preparedness Committee.

He serves in ministry at Saint Raymond's Catholic Church in Downey and his ministries to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and Tijuana orphanage are among his favorite outreach projects. He and his wife Ann are co-founders of Angel Tree for Downey which this year served over 275 children whose parents were incarcerated during the holidays. They also founded the Diakonia Foundation which gives scholarships to local High School kids for community service and outreach to others.

Locally he is a proud member of Downey Rotary, Gangs Out Of Downey (G.O.O.D.), Knights of Columbus and has been with West Downey Little League for over 27 years. He is also a member of the Chairman's Circle and Board of Managers for the Downey Family YMCA and has served as Campaign Chairman. He serves on the board of TLC in partnership with our schools. He was asked to serve on Downey Unified School District's Character Counts Committee which he feels is vital to our entire City. He was proud to instigate our City becoming a Character Counts community.

As Mayor he started and currently serves as Chairman of Downey’s Green Task Force. He is proud to have promoted our city’s culture to bring economic development to Downey and last year Downey was one of the finalists for Most Business Friendly City. From Porto’s Bakery to restoring Bob’s Big Boy to many added new businesses, such as Fresh & Easy and BJ’s Restaurants, he has also promoted the revitalization and planning of Downtown Downey and serves on this vital sub-committee.

He was elected to the Downey City Council in the November 2006 California General election with 64% of the vote and his current term will expire in November 2010. He served as Mayor from 2008 to December 2009

He was also named Non-Partisan Elected Official of the Year by the Republican National Hispanic Assembly.

Mario, his wife Ann, and their five children have proudly made Downey their home for over 30 years.

Downey City Hall
Council Office
11111 Brookshire Avenue
Downey, CA 90241
(562) 904-7274
mguerra@downeyca.org