West Los Angeles NC 2014 Elections

FINAL OFFICIAL CANVASS OF VOTES


North East District Representative	ZANA GLISOVIC
South West District Representative	JEAN SHIGEMATSU
North West District Representative	XOCHITL GONZALEZ
South East District Representative	THOMAS M. DONOVAN
Large Business Representative	MOE MOSTASHARI
Small Business Representatives	JOHN BARBERA AL CASAS
Organizational Representatives	JACK FUJIMOTO JAY HANDAL
At-Large Representatives	JERONIMO GARCIA KIRK M WATANABE LARRY A. TAYLOR DAVID LEVITUS ROSIE KATO GREG ERICKSEN

Click here to download Final Canvass of Votes (pdf)

Open Board Seats 2014 – West Los Angeles NC

BOARD POSITION	# OF SEATS	ELECTED OR APPOINTED?	QUALIFICATIONS TO RUN FOR THE SEAT	QUALIFICATIONS TO VOTE FOR THE SEAT
North East District Representative Term: 4 Years	1	Elected	Stakeholder in the North East District who is 18 years or older.	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older
CANDIDATE FILED:
Rachel Wells – I am proud to be a resident of such a vibrant, multicultural area, and I hope to serve the residents as a neighborhood council representative. I’d like to focus on traffic issues, increasing public transit and biking access, and continuing to have a wonderful community that’s safe and fun for all.
Zana Glisovic – Three years ago I walked into the WLANC office, after months of asking police for help with the noise and unmanageable living conditions that I and my neighbors were surrounded with. WLANC seemed to be my last option. The noise is still here. Noise Ordinance is still non-enforceable. However, I realized that alone, it is difficult to make a difference but as group, our voices are better heard. I was nominated to serve as North-East Representative and Treasurer and I would like to have an opportunity to serve an additional term and help improve WLA. Getting involved with WLANC and people from our neighborhood inspires me today even more than before. I would like to see our neighborhood develop in a way that encourages people to walk more and drive less. I would like to see projects and developments that benefit not investors only, but WLA residents as well.
South West District Representative Term: 4 Years	1	Elected	Stakeholder in the South West District who is 18 years or older.	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older.
CANDIDATE FILED:
Jean Shigematsu – I have been serving the West L.A. Community for many years with participation in WLA Japanese American Citizens, a local branch of a civil rights organization. I have operated a local small business (Grocery store) for more than 30 years and am active in the community police advisory board since its inception. I would like to continue to contribute through my participation in council also I am a board member of the Japanese Institute of Sawtelle and Community Center.
North West District Representative Term: 4 Years	1	Elected	Stakeholder in the North West District who is 18 years or older.	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older.
CANDIDATE FILED:
Felipe Arballo – I am excited about the opportunity to be involved with and support the community of West Los Angeles. I am originally from Southern California, but spent the majority of my adult life in the Central Valley, graduating from Cal State University Fresno (MA) and University of Phoenix (MPA). I’ve been back in L.A. for almost 2 years and have successfully assimilated myself and my family into the community of West Los Angeles. My public interest service includes substitute teaching, participating as a Parks and Recreation Committee member, and as a member of my political party’s Central Committee. As your Northwest District Representative I promise to do my best in addressing every question, comment and concern from my fellow neighbors and businesses, as well as, work to improve my understanding of this community’s strengths. Thank you for your time and vote; I look forward to serving you.
Xochitl Gonzalez – One of my greatest concerns as a resident of West Los Angeles is the quality of life and one of the greatest impacts on our lives here is the on-going development. We suffer from tremendous traffic impacts and we all know how dangerous it can be to even cross the street here. This is why it is important to ensure that development enhances the area, rather than detracts. This improves the desirability of the area both to work and to live in. We also need a city government that understands we as a community want intelligent, thoughtful development and the infrastructure that goes along with that. The Neighborhood Council impacts the projects that go into our community, which is why I have been an elected member of the Council for the last four years and the reason I am running again.
South East District Representatives Term: 4 Years	1	Elected	Stakeholder in the South East District who is 18 years or older.	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older.
CANDIDATE FILED:
Katherine Anne Chrisman – Owning a home in West Los Angeles is a dream …….come true I have enjoyed many years of blessing personally and professionally and its time to give back.
Thomas M. Donovan – I have lived in the WLA-Sawtelle area with my family for over 30 years.In 1984, I co-founded the Westside Residents Assoc., the first residents association in our Sawtelle neighborhood.I was elected to the WLA Neighborhood Council in 2007 and I presently serve as its Vice-Chair. I chaired the WLANC Planning & Land Use Committee from 2007 to 2009.In 2009 I was appointed by Mayor Villagairosa to the WLA Area Planning Commission. In 2014 I was re-appointed to the WLA APC by Mayor Garcetti.The Council Office (CD-11) has appointed me to serve on various neighborhood committees, including the WLA Traffic Calming Project which oversees funds generated by developments in our neighborhood.If I am re-elected to the Board of our Niehgborhood Council, I will continue working to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood.
Large Business Representative Term: 4 Years	1	Elected	Stakeholder who owns or operates a business with 20 or more employees and is 18 years or older	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older.
CANDIDATE FILED:
Moe Mostashari – My priorities are to make the WestLANC more accessible and accountable. I am deeply committed to increasing the diversity among the WestLANC members, making more information available in a meaningful and timely fashion, and expanding opportunities for public input and engagement. Together we can make our community a better place to live for all people.
Small Business Representatives Term: 4 Years	2	Elected	Stakeholders who own or operate a business with 19 or fewer employees and are 18 years or older.	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older.
CANDIDATE FILED:
John Barbera – Dear Community Residents: I am currently a WLANC board member and a PLUM committee member and have been for almost two years. In addition, I have been a resident and small business owner in the community for over ten years. I am a strong community advocate for our neighborhood. I feel I can continue to represent the best future interests of our community by continuing my involvement in neighborhood outreach. With your support, I look forward to continuing my commitment to our neighborhood. Sincerely, John Barbera
Al Casas – I have lived in Wla more than 50 years and owned a business in this community for 37 years. I am a current Board member and Chair of PLUM. My only goal is to improve the quality of life in this community for all who live & work here. Keeping the character of this community by controlling the type of growth that will impact the residents.
Organizational Representatives Term: 4 Years	2	Elected	Stakeholders who belong to an organization and are 18 years old or older.	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older.
CANDIDATE FILED:
Melinda Andrea Tsapatsaris – I was a founding faculty member of Wildwood School’s middle and upper school. I am a mom of two and have served as a teacher and administrator for 12 years. I feel connected and grateful for our West L.A. neighborhood, and I have experienced much joy as part of the community: cheering on volleyball teams at the Stoner Park Gym, visiting students at local internship and volunteer sites, and taking my creative writing classes on walks in the neighborhood for writing activities. I feel a part of the neighborhood, and I’m proud of it. I want to be an even more active member in serving the common good of our West L.A. Community and all of the folks who live and work here.
Jay Handal – This campaign is about putting West L.A. 1st. We face challenges of affordable housing and traffic. We are challenged to make decisions on how to allocate our City’s diminished resources while the needs of our residents continues to increase.I am committed to protecting and improving the community that we live in.West L.A. 1st.means putting the people in our community first. Putting West L.A. 1st.means transcending personal bias and relegating personal interest in favor of the greater good. Putting West L.A. 1st.requires that we set aside personal differences to attend to the service of the residents.I will continue communicating with and responding to our residents and businesses . Listening to and understanding their needs. I will constructively propose good solutions to the challenges we face. I will continue to engage in the planning process, to ensure that we avoid problems before they affect our quality of life.
Jack Fujimoto – priorities include open space green areas, neighbor friendly environment, calming traffic alternatives, and owner/developer neighborhood approvals.
At Large Representatives Term: 4 Years	6	Elected	Stakeholders who are 18 years or older.	Stakeholder who is 18 years or older.
CANDIDATE FILED:
Larry Taylor – I have lived in West Los Angeles now for ten years. I am a tenant in an apartment, and I have participated in these issues: graffiti, and public transportation. As a member of the Outreach and Community Input committee and web master for WLANC, I have helped plan our events. I write the weekly newsletter, supplying copy, articles and photos. I have coordinated and posted to our Facebook and Nextdoor web sites. Our neighborhood is notable for its Native American, Hispanic, Japanese and other Asian American heritages. I live in the Gardens District, and appreciate the many gardens and older buildings, many of which I have photographed and uploaded. We are a mixture of creative types who work in Hollywood or Santa Monica, retirees and UCLA students.
Nate Donahoe – I have faithfully served my West Los Angeles community for the past 4 years as Board Member, Secretary and Chair of Medical Cannabis Committee. During this time, I have had many successes including: -Helped LA City and CD11 identify illegal cannabis collectives -Networked and built relationships with city, county departments, prominent local organizations including Children’s Hospital, UCLA and USC -Created meaningful dialogue and fostered solutions between developers and neighbors I LOVE West Los Angeles! 🙂 Goals For My Next 4 Years -Protect and maintain our residential community plan from overzealous and out of scale development -Identify stakeholders whose voices are not being heard; particularly the autism and special ed community -Make politics and civic service a more fun and joyous experience for the community. We need 100’s of people at our Board Meetings, NOT dozens. Will you help me?
Jeronimo Garcia – My name is Jeronimo Garcia, it would be a privilege to serve as your board member. I have been living in the neighborhood since 1996 and I am a proud graduated from University High School. As a board member, my priorities will be to stand in favor of any development projects that are consistent and in line with the character of the neighborhood. Ensure that the community is heard before making any recommendation on proposed development projects. West Los Angeles is a diverse community just like any other part of the city, as we move forward it is necessary to tackle the issues that affects all in a collective manner. My experience with the immigrant community of West Los Angeles will facilitate the outreach efforts as we integrate this sector into the decision making process.
David Levitus – I’m running to serve on our Neighborhood Council because I love this place and I believe it can become even greater. I’ve lived in West LA since 2009 and I’ve enjoyed walking through the beautiful streets and seeing the amazing diversity of people, buildings, and businesses. I’m impressed with the new Sawtelle restaurants and I’m eagerly awaiting the Expo Line. But we face some major challenges that I’m eager to tackle. * Ensure that new development works with new transit and doesn’t add to our awful traffic. * Turn the courthouse-area into a thriving public space that is welcoming from all sides. * Improve our local Farmers Market. * Prevent new development from driving out current residents. * Create opportunities for people to meet their neighbors. I currently work at a small cultural nonprofit. My professional background includes teaching history and advocating for young people’s and working families’ economic advancement.
Rosie Kato – I was born and raised in WLA and feel that I will add value to our WLA neighborhood/community.
Kirk M Watanabe – This wonderful district of ours has a rich history, from its time as a tourist stop en route to the Ocean and near coup d’etat false-start entry into Los Angeles, to its legacy of farming and once abundant nurseries. Today, we are a vibrant multicultural community with much to gain by working together, and much to lose by letting this land go to those who do not respect her past. My family has owned property here for over fifty years, and I remember this place as a quieter, closer-knit community, before it became one big side-street for traffic. If you want West LA to recapture its dormant beauty, be protected from over-development and outright neglect from Downtown; if you want to live, work and play in a neighborhood you can be proud of, please join me. Ours is a beautiful community, and I intend to keep it that way.
Aric Gregson One of my greatest concerns as a resident of West Los Angeles is the quality of life and one of the greatest impacts on our lives here is the on-going development. We suffer from tremendous traffic impacts and we all know how dangerous it can be to even cross the street here. This is why it is important to ensure that development enhances the area, rather than detracts. This improves the desirability of the area both to work and to live in. We also need a city government that understands we as a community want intelligent, thoughtful development and the infrastructure that goes along with that. The Neighborhood Council impacts the projects that go into our community, which is why I have been an elected member of the Council for the last four years and the reason I am running again.
Tina Gruen – I have been a resident of West LA for the past ten years. As a public school teacher and active community advocate, I work with local youth and families to create safe and healthy home and work environments. I have served as an at-large board member on the WLANC for nearly 2 years and look forward to representing the best interests of community stakeholders.
Greg Ericksen – I am a 5-year resident of West LA and have been a public servant for 11 years, which includes providing disaster relief services with the American Red Cross and developing programs through the federal government to serve California’s most impoverished communities. I’d like to continue to serve our community as representative of the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council by focusing on these goals: 1. Advocate for your rights and amplify your concerns to our city representatives 2. Increase community engagement by re-introducing a summer concert/movie series, creating a community garden, and increasing volunteerism through neighborhood beautification projects and serving those in need. 3. Improve the quality of the farmers market and provide free, family workshops and activities 4. Provide disaster preparedness and safety training 5. Attract more small businesses –specifically on Santa Monica Blvd–to make West LA a more vibrant and walkable/bikeable neighborhood. Learn more about me: www.linkedin.com/in/gregericksen/