July 1, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl Announces Incoming Staff Appointments:

L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl (Third District) today announcedher incoming policy and constituent services staff appointments as she officially assumed office following her formal swearing-in Monday by her sister, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Jerilyn Borack.

“I’m extremely proud and pleased to introduce the people who will be joining my staff at the County Hall of Administration,” Kuehl said.

“It’s a wonderfully experienced group, able to hit the ground running from the first day.

“Supervisor Yaroslavsky has been an amazing representative for the entire Third District over the past 20 years, and my team and I look forward to continuing his great work.”

Kuehl won election on Nov. 4 to succeed Zev Yaroslavsky, who is retiring due to term limits after representing the two million constituents of the Third District since 1994.

The District includes much of the mid-city, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley and Westside portions of the City of Los Angeles, as well as the cities of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, West Hollywood, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, San Fernando and Westlake Village, unincorporated Topanga and other communities in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Kuehl’s policy and constituent services staff will include:

DOWNTOWN

Lisa Mandel, Chief Deputy – Previously Deputy for Children’s Services for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Legal Director, Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles, children’s dependency attorney and public defender

Torie Osborn, Principal Deputy for Strategy and Policy – Previously a Deputy Mayor under

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the Liberty Hill Foundation

Joel Bellman, Deputy for Media Relations – Previously Press Deputy for County Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Edmund D. Edelman, and former print and broadcast editorial writer, documentary producer and columnist in Los Angeles

Maria Chong-Castillo, Deputy for Public Works – Previously Assistant Chief Deputy and Public Works Deputy for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, and Capital Projects and Field Deputy for then-Councilmember Zev Yaroslavsky

Genie Chough, Deputy for Children’s Services – Previously Director of Finance for First 5 LA, Budget Deputy for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Assistant Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, and Assistant Director of the Domestic Policy Council for the White House

David Colgan, Deputy – Assisting with justice and transportation, previously Assistant Deputy for Transportation and web writer for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, legal intern for Basta, Los Angeles-based non-profit tenants’ rights advocacy organization

Nicole Englund, Deputy for Planning and Transportation – Previously Director for Land Use and Transportation and Senior Legislative Deputy for Supervisor Gloria Molina

Genethia Hudley-Hayes, Deputy for Education and Social Services  – Former President and member of the Los Angeles Board of Education, school principal, educator, and Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference/Los Angeles

Sylvia Drew Ivie, Deputy for Mental Health Services and Clinic Health Services – Previously Executive Liaison to the Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Senior Deputy for Human Services for Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Chief Executive Director of the non-profit T.H.E. (To Help Everyone) Clinic, Inc., and Executive Director of the National Health Law Program

Kieu-Anh King, Deputy for Budget and Finance – Previously Budget Deputy for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, legislative analyst for the Seattle City Council, finance analyst in the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Public Policy and Finance

Madeleine Moore, Deputy for Special Projects – Previously Campaign Manager for Kuehl for Supervisor and state legislative candidates and ballot measures, research associate for California State University Northridge Consulting Center

Molly Rysman, Deputy for Housing and Homelessness Services (as of mid-January 2015) – Los Angeles Director for the Corporation for Supportive Housing and former External Affairs Director for Skid Row Housing Trust

Nik Swiatek, Deputy for Technology and Social Media – Previously Founder and Principal of political consulting firm Rex for President, Creative Director for Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and Field Director, Field Organizer and Deputy Campaign Manager for local, state and federal campaigns

Elan Shultz, Deputy for Public Health Services and Health Services Financing – Previously Deputy for Health and Public Health Services for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Assistant to the Director of the Department of Public Health, and staff member for New York-based international non-profit health agency EngenderHealth

Gilbert Valle, Caseworker/Office Manager – former Intermediate Board Specialist for Executive Office of Board of Supervisors

Katy Young, Deputy for Arts and the Environment (as of June 2015) – General Counsel & Director of Government Affairs with Climate Action Reserve, former Southern California Coro Foundation Fellow and Associate Attorney in Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins LLP

FIELD OFFICES

Van Nuys

Angelica Ayala, Field Deputy (as of March, 2015) – California Leadership Education and Action Pathways (LEAP) Director, Youthbuild USA, former East Valley Area Director/Labor Liaison and Outreach Director for Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Moses Ledesma, Field Deputy/Caseworker – previously Senior Board Specialist and intake specialist for Executive Office of Board of Supervisors

West Hollywood

Felicia Park-Rogers, Senior Field Deputy – former Executive Director of Beth Chayim Chadashim, world’s first LGBT synagogue, and COLAGE, Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere

Rachel Katya Zaiden, Field Deputy/Caseworker – former Constituent Services Manager and caseworker for Rep. Henry A. Waxman

West Valley/Mountain Communities

Susan Nissman, Senior Field Deputy – former Senior Field Deputy for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and lead deputy for watershed management, water quality and waste management issues

Timothy Lippman, Field Deputy – previously District Director for Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, Senior Assistant for Assemblymembers Julia Brownley and Fran Pavley, and legislative assistant for Assemblymembers Patricia Wiggins and Susan Davis

Lourdes Arevalo, Caseworker – previously caseworker for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky

in News
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