TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Liza Tamura, City Clerk
Martha Alvarez, Assistant City Clerk
Breana Contreras, Deputy City Clerk
SUBJECT:Title
2025 Annual Appointments to Boards and Commissions (No Budget Impact) (City Clerk Tamura).
(Estimated Time: 45 Mins.)
APPOINT
Body
_________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council appoint or reappoint to the following Boards and Commissions vacancies:
Cultural Arts Commission
• Two Members-At-Large and one Student Representative
Library Commission
• Two Members-At-Large and one Student Representative
Parks and Recreation Commission
• Two Members-At-Large and one Student Representative
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Funding for advertisement related to the Boards and Commissions interview and appointment process was budgeted for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 to support outreach efforts. This allocation ensures broad community awareness through strategic promotional initiatives, encouraging diverse participation.
BACKGROUND:
In preparation for the 2025 Annual Boards and Commissions Interview and Appointment Process, the City Clerk’s Office and staff liaisons have been in contact with current commissioners and applicants regarding upcoming vacancies.
To generate interest in serving on the City’s Boards and Commissions, the City Clerk’s Office has placed advertisements in The Beach Reporter every month since January 2025, with the final advertisement published on April 10, 2025. Additional outreach has included postings on the City website and bulletin boards, GovDelivery notifications, social media channels, and direct engagement with the Manhattan Beach Unified School District and the Chamber of Commerce.
The application deadline was Friday, April 11, 2025, at 4:00 PM. The City Council conducted interviews with interested applicants on April 22, 2025.
For the 2025 Annual Boards and Commissions Interview and Appointment Process, the City received 73 applications (44 adults and 29 students). Prior to the interview process, seven applicants withdrew their application.
The following 43 applicants participated in the interview process on April 22, 2025.
|
Ishaan Aggarwal |
Zoe Nichols |
|
Suzanne Karger |
Rita Crabtree-Kampe |
|
Ethan Kaufman |
Mia Pacourek |
|
Lucia Selipanov |
Edward Wolfman |
|
Monica Bodell |
Elissa Braitman |
|
Diane Levitt |
Lindsey Kartvedt |
|
Ellen Rosenberg |
Tara Khaleghian |
|
Tony Gonzales |
Lila Mokhtari |
|
Stella Pulos |
Sadie Kaplan |
|
Karen Tokashiki |
Jordan Malone |
|
William Foster |
Lida Sandera |
|
Catherine Oh |
Peyton Burke |
|
Kaiyan Patel |
Theo Kimble |
|
Kavita Patel |
Marje Schuetze-Coburn |
|
Nancy Arnold |
Kylie Cullen |
|
Isabel Boroch |
Alex Dickey |
|
Katya Horasz |
Grant Lang |
|
Tracey Windes |
Jill Schecter |
|
Juna Manabe |
Russ Allen |
|
Kathy Pace |
John Ankwicz |
|
Justin Hong |
Ashton Bendavid |
|
Michael McGinley |
|
The following four applicants were unable to participate in the interviews but still requested to be considered by the City Council for a Commission appointment.
Levi Haugen
Shane Mengel
Paul Mazurek
Tom Williams
The following five applicants who were scheduled to participate in the interviews and contacted the City Clerk’s Office during the interviews that they were unable to attend, confirmed that they still wished to be considered by the City Council for a Commission appointment.
Kate Bui
Isabella Jacobson
Heather Kim
Jade Arellano
Amy Ferris
Two applicants withdrew their application the day of the interviews and no longer seek appointment by the City Council.
DISCUSSION:
Below is a breakdown of each commission vacancy and the applicants that have expressed interest.
Parks and Recreation Commission
The Parks and Recreation Commission serves as an advisory body to the City Council regarding the recreational needs of all citizens and promotes supervised public recreation within the City.
The Commission consists of seven members: four at-large, one representative from the older adult community (ages 55 and older), one representative appointed by the Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees, and one student representative.
Seat No. 1 and Seat No. 6 - Members-At-Large
Seat No. 1 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently occupied by Russ Allen. Commissioner Allen’s term will expire May 31, 2025. He has reapplied and is eligible for reappointment.
Seat No. 6 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently occupied by Tracey Windes. Commissioner Windes’ term will expire May 31, 2025. She has reapplied and is eligible for reappointment.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in these two seats.
Interested Applicants:
Russ Allen (Incumbent)
John Ankwicz
Stefanie Bond
Rita Crabtree-Kampe
Anthony Ferguson
Amy Ferris
William Foster
Tony Gonzales
Justin Hong
Jake Jevitz
Lindsey Kartvedt
Ethan Kaufman
Heather Kim
Paul Mazurek
Michael McGinley
Tom Williams
Tracey Windes (Incumbent)
Seat No. 7 - Student Representative
Seat No. 7 is a Student Representative seat that is currently occupied by Isabella Jacobson. Commissioner Jacobson’s term will expire on May 31, 2025. The student representative has a one-year term.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in this seat.
Interested Applicants:
Ishaan Aggarwal
Jade Arellano
Ashton Bendavid
Isabel Boroch
Peyton Burke
Reece Gordon
Katya Horasz
Andrew Jang
Sadie Kaplan
Tara Khaleghian
Theo Kimble
Grant Lang
Jordan Malone
Bryce McIntyre
Lila Mokhtari
Zoe Nicols
Kaiyan Patel
Stella Pulos
Hunter Taylor
Cultural Arts Commission
The Cultural Arts Commission is responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of the City's master plan for cultural arts, as well as encouraging and supporting art education programs in the community and schools. Additionally, the Commission participates in the Art in Public Places selection process.
The Cultural Arts Commission consists of six members: four selected at-large, one representative with art experience, and one student representative.
Seat No. 2 and Seat No. 4 - Members-At-Large
Seat No. 2 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently occupied by Suzanne Karger. Commissioner Karger’s term will expire May 31, 2025. She has reapplied and is eligible for reappointment.
Seat No. 4 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently occupied by Karen Tokashiki. Commissioner Tokashiki’s term will expire May 31, 2025. She has reapplied and is eligible for reappointment.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in these two seats.
Interested Applicants:
John Ankwicz
Nancy Arnold
Monica Bodell
Anthony Ferguson
Amy Ferris
Tony Gonzales
Philip Guidry
Jake Jevitz
Suzanne Karger (Incumbent)
Lindsey Kartvedt
Heather Kim
Kavita Patel
Ellen Rosenberg
Lida Sandera
Jill Schecter
Kerry Thelen
Karen Tokashiki (Incumbent)
Debra Van Ness
Edward Wolfman
Seat No. 6 - Student Representative
Seat No. 6 is a Student Representative seat that is currently occupied by Anthony Padnos. Commissioner Padnos’ term will expire on May 31, 2025. The student representative has a one-year term.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in this seat.
Interested Applicants:
Ishaan Aggarwal
Jade Arellano
Isabel Boroch
Alex Dickey
Isabella Jacobson
Sadie Kaplan
Tara Khaleghian
Grant Lang
Jordan Malone
Juna Manabe
Lila Mokhtari
Mia Pacourek
Chase Peers
Stella Pulos
Lucia Selipanov
Library Commission
The Library Commission serves as an advisory body to the City Council regarding library services provided by the Los Angeles County Library System to the citizens of Manhattan Beach. It also acts as a liaison between the County, City, and public and private community groups that support library services.
The Commission consists of six members: five selected at-large and one student representative.
Seat No. 1 and Seat No. 2 - Members-At-Large
Seat No. 1 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently occupied by Stefanie Bond. Commissioner Bond’s term will expire May 31, 2025. She is not eligible for reappointment due to term limitations.
Seat No. 2 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently occupied by Diane Levitt. Commissioner Levitt’s term will expire May 31, 2025. She has reapplied and is eligible for reappointment.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in these two seats.
Interested Applicants:
Elissa Braitman
Rita Crabtree-Kampe
Anthony Ferguson
Amy Ferris
Levi Haugen
Jake Jevitz
Lindsey Kartvedt
Diane Levitt (Incumbent)
Shane Mengel
Catherine Oh
Marje Schuetze-Coburn
Kerry Thelen
Edward Wolfman
Seat No. 6 - Student Representative
Seat No. 6 is a Student Representative seat that is currently occupied by Sydney Huber. Commissioner Huber’s term will expire on May 31, 2025. The student representative has a one-year term.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in this seat.
Interested Applicants:
Ishaan Aggarwal
Ashton Bendavid
Isabel Boroch
Kate Bui
Peyton Burke
Kylie Cullen
Alex Dickey
Reece Gordon
Isabella Jacobson
Andrew Jang
Tara Khaleghian
Theo Kimble
Lila Mokhtari
Zoe Nicols
Mia Pacourek
Chase Peers
Stella Pulos
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council appoint or reappoint from the interested applicants described within the report.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The City Clerk’s Office conducted extensive outreach regarding the Boards and Commissions vacancies. Advertisements were placed in The Beach Reporter each month beginning in January 2025, with the final advertisement published on April 10, 2025.
Additional outreach included postings on the City website and bulletin boards, GovDelivery notifications, social media channels, and direct engagement with the Manhattan Beach Unified School District and the Chamber of Commerce.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Boards and Commissions Advertisement