Elizabeth Pacheco
Hello neighbors, I would love the opportunity to give back to my community and be considered for the council seat member. I am a fast learner and been looking for a way to better serve the community in which I live. I have always been interested in giving back to the community, which you can see with almost 16 years of nonprofit work in the SFV. Especially to be able to participate and have a positive effect in this community. I have an organized nature and have excellent time management skills and feel able to communicate with all members of the community. I am bilingual (fluent in Spanish) and graduated with honors from CSUN with a BA in Psychology. In my experience as a supervisor, manager, instructor, and research assistant I have always valued confidentiality and my success depended on skills like responsibility and a high level of proficiency. I have made Winnetka my home since 2000 and I have lived in SFV my entire life.
Elizabeth Chapman
Hello Neighbors! I am excited to be running for Neighborhood Council, because I believe that we all can play a role in making our communities a better place. Every time I leave my home, I see the challenges all around us: Walking through Runnymede Park, I see neglected maintenance. In our streets and alleys, I see unhoused neighbors who need services & support. In our shopping centers, I see useful space sitting empty and going to waste. We can not solve such problems individually, but we can make great progress when we work together to directly meet the needs of our community, right here in Winnetka. I am a mother to 2 tweens, and have been a Girl Scout Leader for several years. Inspiring leadership and service with my Girl Scouts to our local communities is amazing. I am also a law student in my final year of studies. I have learned that there is much work that still needs to be done to promote equity and justice within our communities. I look forward to that work soon.
Eduardo “Eddie” Escobedo
Hello there my fellow Winnetka neighbors. Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Eddie. I have been living in Winnetka since ‘96. Local boy, was born in Granada Hills, attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills and then I studied business at Pierce College. I have a background in Banking and the Mortgage Industry. I’m happily married and have a one year old boy. I am looking to provide a voice for our community as well as bringing some great ideas to the table. I know this past year has been challenging to say the least so let’s grab the bull by the horns and take control of what we can and I promise I will help shape the next four years into a safer, better Winnetka we can all be proud of.
Jill Kline
I believe that government works best when constituents are engaged and their voices are heard–and the LA City Council needs to hear from Winnetka! My goal in serving on the Winnetka Neighborhood Council is to improve community outreach and increase stakeholder participation so that the Council’s work better reflects the values of our neighborhood. I was appointed to the WNC in 2019 and assumed the role of chair of the Outreach & Social Media Committee in November 2021. During my short tenure, I’ve led several initiatives including a complete website redesign, reviving WNC’s digital media strategy and social media channels, and relaunching the Council’s printed newsletter. I have a degree in Journalism and Strategic Communication. I spent six years in state government before leaving to found a GovTech startup aimed at helping nonprofits and advocacy organizations impact legislative action. I would be honored to represent you on the WNC. Thank you for your vote!
Jordan Dominguez
No Statement Submitted
Jon Mann
Happily living and owning a home in Winnetka for almost two years now. I would like to add myself to the list of candidates to put forth my best effort to make positive changes in our community and help protect those in our community which are in need. I frequent parks and trails within our city and know of some resources not being utilized to their full potential. I am confident that my contribution will make you proud to be a Winnetka Resident.
Joshua R. Engel
Hello neighbors! I believe WInnetka is about to experience a lot of growth and revitalization. When I look around this neighborhood, I see much potential but also much to be kept so that Winnetka maintains an identity and hopefully a destination for people to seek out in some form or another. I hope to be part of the growth/rejunivation of Winnetka, but also help the growing numbers of less fortunate persons I also see around the area. As an attorney, I hope to be able to bring my skills to the table and work both within the current framework and create new polices that will hopefully benefit all.
Jason Christopher Small
Hello friends and neighbors, I’m a 50 year old father, business owner, and longtime activist for social, racial, environmental, and economic justice. I’m a Member of both the Los Angeles Democratic County Central Committee and State Central Committee. I’m also a Member of the National Association of Parliamentarians and am studying to become a registered Parliamentarian. I was born in Goleta, Santa Barbara County and have lived in California most all of my life. My 24 yr. old Daughter got her bachelors from UCSD, in environmental science. I’ve lived in Winnetka, on Sherman Way, now for 10 years and plan on living out my days here. I’m a licensed General Contractor and my business, Sunray Builders Inc., was established here in the SFV. We, obviously, are facing some extremely difficult times as a society and nothing would please me more than to lend what experience and time I have, to find common ground solutions and address the local challenges we face. I believe in a life of service.
Victor Lerma
Our community needs a strong representation to bring to the City of Los Angeles problems our residents goes through. like safety, street cleaning, street maintenance and proper handle the homeless population
Melissa Pressman
Hello fellow neighbors! As a long time resident of Los Angeles, and a mother now raising her boys in Winnetka, I would be honored to represent you on the Neighborhood Council. This has been such a wonderful place to raise my three boys and I know that when we work together as a community, we have the opportunity to make this neighborhood even better. My long time work in activism has taught me that the best way to make change is at a local level. I believe Mutual Aid and more ways to connect with our community will allow us to get to know each other better and know how best to take care of our neighborhood and the people who live in it.
Mikhail Anthony Maniyan
My goal is to help our community to continue to grow, for the hard working residents & citizens of our beautiful city. To make a difference for all. Working hard for more positive change that will create even better opportunities & success for everyone. Raised in Winnetka since 2001, I’ve seen how much our city has developed. I see the potential for us as a community to continue this upward trend. I have extensive background experience in Real Estate, Insurance, & Business. I hope to impact our city & community positively for generations to come. I promise to hold this position with the upmost respect for our community members & neighbors. I’m ready to listen & lead Winnetka to a more prosperous future!
Christopher Persaud
I am a longtime resident of Winnetka, and proud of our community. As the former Treasurer of the Winnetka Neighborhood Council, I know a lot about the WNC’s procedures, and about how the WNC uses the money allocated to it, and I want to use this knowledge of the WNC’s resources to help create useful projects for the people of Winnetka. I also plan to network with people in other Neighborhood Councils to understand what they are doing in their communities, and to possibly start similar programs here in Winnetka. I have master’s degrees in analytics and business administration, and I also have a law degree, which will help me to understand the problems that Winnetka’s citizens face in this time of COVID, and to design potential solutions.
Diane Hilliard
I am a 20+ year owner and resident of Winnetka. I am a retired Director of Property Management for a large SFV Management Company. I am a volunteer at the LAPD Topanga Division. Since Covid, our City Officials and Police Officers have had their hands tied when it comes to enforcing the laws of our Neighborhood. Due to lack of funding our Topanga Station is on the list of those Stations being considered to be shut down! City Code Enforcement Inspectors are not allowed to physically follow up on Code Violations which is bringing down our property values. While Covid is real and precautions must be enforced, I want to be a part of the Council to see what we can do to help get our town and small business owners back on their feet. Thank you. FYI, I have had my Covid shots.
Samantha Ludwig
No Statement Submitted
Ajantha Sriramya
Background: Homeowner in Winnetka since 2012 and resident of the San Fernando Valley since 2000. I have served on the Winnetka Neighborhood Council since 2016 and have had hands-on experience in the implementation of several local projects for the benefit of the community while advocating for the future needs of this growing neighborhood. The following are some of the projects which I supported and/or helped to implement: Supported Red curb parking on McNaulty and 20600 Lull St to ease street congestion in residential neighborhoods;supported Amazon Warehouse construction in the San Fernando to help increase local employment; supported finding housing for homeless; supported funding for high school graduation ceremonies. Among future goals for Improving the Winnetka Neighborhood, I propose the following: short and long-term neighborhood beautification programs with support of homeowners; actively promote bulky trash removal programs to eliminate dumping of furniture, mattresses, etc.