John Russo Fmr Oakland, Alameda, Riverside, Irvine Official, On Zohran Mandani As New York Mayor John Russo Fmr Oakland, Alameda, Riverside, Irvine Official, On Zohran Mandani As New York Mayor What are we to think of the stunning turn of events? I turned to my good friend John Russo to ask that question. But who’s John Russo? Russo was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and is the son of Italian immigrants. His father, a construction worker, and his mother, a dressmaker, moved to the United States from London in 1958 five months before he was born. Russo graduated cum laude from Yale University and earned his Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. He worked two years at a legal aid office in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Oakland in 1987, where he worked as a private attorney until 2000. Russo has been Riverside’s City Manager since May 4, 2015, with the council citing Russo’s legislative and executive management experience as well as his commitment to fiscal ...