Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC)

The Board of Neighborhood Commissioners ("Commission" or "Board") is comprised of seven members, each from a different background and a different part of the city. They are appointed by the Mayor, and confirmed by the City Council. The Commission is responsible for setting and overseeing policy. That includes approval of contracts, leases, and rules and regulations. The Commission holds regular public meetings every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, and may hold special meetings to conduct business.

To contact the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners or to obtain additional information, [Click Here].

Michele Siqueiros, President

Michele currently serves as the Executive Director for the Campaign for College Opportunity where she works to expand college opportunity to the next generation of California students by promoting policy solutions, working with the media, and engaging a broad based and bi-partisan coalition of Californians as advocates for college opportunity in this State. She is based in Los Angeles.
Prior to her position as Executive Director, she served as the Associate Director of the Campaign from 2004-08. Previously, she worked for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment in the City of Los Angeles where she facilitated the development and support of a citywide system of Neighborhood Councils that advise local policymakers on neighborhood priorities. Prior to that position she worked for two national non profit organizations, Public Allies and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO). Michele has taught Citizenship and English classes for adults in the Los Angeles Unified School District and worked as a community organizer on a variety of political campaigns in the Los Angeles area. In the fall of 2005, she was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the Board of Neighborhoods which oversees the City-wide system of Neighborhood Councils and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment where she is the Vice President of the Commission. She also serves as President of the PTA at her children’s school. In honor of Women’s History in March 2008, La Opinion newspaper named her one of Los Angeles’ Mujeres Destacadas – Outstanding Woman - for her leadership on education.

Michele graduated from Pitzer College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Studies and Honors in Chicano/a Studies. She received her Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Albert Abrams, Vice President

Albert Abrams is a PR, public affairs and marketing professional who specializes in providing high-level strategic consulting and advice for political candidates and ballot measures. He also provides PR and public affairs counsel to professional athletes, authors, celebrities and Fortune 500 companies specializing in consumer electronics, music and interactive digital entertainment.

In his political work spanning four decades, Al has worked on the broadcast media campaigns of Sen. Robert Kennedy of Massachusetts, Sen. Philip Hart of Michigan, Sen. Al Gore, Sr. of Tennessee, former Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, President Jimmy Carter of Georgia, and locally on behalf of candidates and ballot measures in the Los Angeles area, including Measure H in Agoura Hills and Measure Z in Westlake Village.

Al's corporate marketing work has been the subject of articles in the New York Times, Advertising Week, Corporate Communications Magazine and Games Business Magazine. Al lectures on innovative, cutting-edge uses of PR and new digital media and was a featured speaker for three consecutive years at E3, the Electronic Entertainment Exposition, held in Los Angeles.

Al was screenwriter for the 10-part PBS series, "Mechanical Universe", which has won multiple awards worldwide and was nominated for a Peabody Award for Broadcast Excellence. His creative TV work garnered a Gold Medal from the New York International Film Festival and an Addy Award for Broadcast Advertising.
Al graduated with a B.A. degree in Film and TV from the University of Maryland, did graduate work in Creative Writing and Film Studies at the American University in Washington, DC, and received his MFA degree in Film Directing from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

Al is dedicated to "giving back to his community" in the form of public service involving children's issues, early education, encouragement of diversity, arts funding, and working as a volunteer to help neighborhoods with local involvement and political issues. Al serves as an active community leader and spokesperson for issues regarding the quality of neighborhood development, beautification, city planning and the environment.

Al is Chair of the Government Action Committee of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council; a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mirman School for the Highly Gifted; Co-Chair of the 2008 Spirit of VIC Awards Dinner that helps feed over 85,000 people in the San Fernando Valley; and he provides pro bono consulting to various local charities and foundations. Al also served as Charter Board Member of the Tarzana Community and Cultural Center.

In 2008, Al was elected by representatives of Neighborhood Councils in the San Fernando Valley to represent them on the DWP Oversight Commission, where he testified and authored articles on the need for rate allowances for the Valley micro-climates. He was also elected to serve as South Valley Planning Commission Budget Representative during the Los Angeles City budget deliberations with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and staff.

Al resides in Tarzana with his wife Linda, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Valley Interfaith Council, and his two daughters, Annie and Elizabeth, who are professional TV and film actresses and performers.

Daniel Gatica

Daniel Gatica was born and raised in the City of Los Angeles. He has resided in the Northeast San Fernando Valley for the past 21 years. He attended Cal State University Northridge while working on his Bachelors of Science Degree in Kinesiology. Currently, he is the Site Director of Chrysalis in Pacoima, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities.

Prior to joining the staff at Chrysalis, he served for two years as Assistant Director of Pacoima Graffiti Busters, which is now one of the biggest Graffiti Removal Companies contracted by the City of Los Angeles. During this time he helped put together many community cleanups utilizing community stakeholders and was also responsible for all community outreach efforts. Daniel also worked as a High Risk Youth Program Coordinator for four years with the non-profit El Proyecto del Barrio. During this time he was responsible for facilitating “Impact Classes” at local high schools and also served as a member of the local Student Attendance Review Board (SARB). His dedication to working with special needs populations stems back to his five year tenure with the Los Angeles Unified School District working with Special Education students from pre-k to 12th grade.

Daniel currently sits on the Executives Boards for the following community organizations:

Pacoima Partners: an organization based in Pacoima whose main focus is to transform the Van Nuys corridor into a more attractive environment for both consumers and business owners.

Omeric Rehabilitation Inc.: Based in North Hills at the Veteran’s Hospital, Omeric Rehabilitation Inc. employs Veterans and helps reintegrate them into the working environment.

Pacoima Graffiti Busters: A non-profit graffiti removal company contracted by the City of Los Angeles to remove graffiti in the communities of Pacoima, Lake View Terrace, North Hollywood, Mission Hills, North Hills, Panorama City, Sunland and Tujunga.

Pacoima Chamber of Commerce: Where he has served as Secretary, 3rd Vice President and currently 1st Vice President. During this time he has been instrumental in helping with the Pacoima Holiday Parade.

John K. Kim

John Kim, the co-director of the Advancement Project and director of the Healthy City Project, was appointed to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC). Kim brings more than twelve years of experience in community development, organizational management and public policy to the BONC.

At the Advancement Project, Kim focuses his work on closing the opportunity gap for high-need communities of color. Kim has set agency-wide policy strategies on issues ranging from community engagement, multi-racial coalition building and place-based initiatives. He oversees all fundraising, new strategic initiatives and organizational development activities for the office.

As the director of the Healthy City Project, Kim has helped secure tens of million in private and public investments for high-need communities in Los Angeles by developing data-driven policy recommendations for elected officials and foundation leadership on issues ranging from homelessness, land use, resource allocation, and early education. The website HealthyCity.org, founded by Mr. Kim, is widely recognized as one of the most important public sector resources for the Los Angeles region and a nation-leading model.

Kim has previously served as the executive director of the Korean Community Center for the East Bay and a youth organizer for the AYPAL (Asian Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership). In honor of his community leadership and achievement, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown declared the "John K Kim Day" in the City of Oakland. Kim resides in Highland Park.

Linda Lucks

Linda Lucks is a former inner-city elementary school teacher working in Pacoima, where she was raised. She currently serves as the elected Vice President of the Venice Neighborhood Council. She consults with non-profit organizations on fundraising events. Host of a radio show on LA public radio station, KCRW-FM from 1978-1980, she also worked as a U.S. Senate campaign aide and as a Los Angeles City Council Deputy. During the 2004 elections, she and other activists founded SheVotes.org, an electronic portal to encourage women’s participation in the electoral process. During the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, she served as manager of public relations for the Olympic Torch Relay and directed the post Olympics Job Opportunity Program for employees.

Lucks’ public service includes appointments to the State of CA Health Professions Education Foundation Board of Trustees in 2006, previous service as a member of the Medical Board of California, Board of Dental Examiners, Board of Psychology and the Legal Service Trust Fund Commission of the State Bar of California. She served as the first woman president of the Los Angeles County Beach Commission.

A longtime community activist and 38 year Venice resident, Ms. Lucks served as Chair of the Venice Beach Area Police Advisory Committee and is a founder and co-chair of the annual Venice Garden and Home Tour, which benefits the Neighborhood Youth Association’s Las Doradas Children’s Center. She is a recipient of the annual “Spirit of Venice” award. In 2007 she received a "Women Leader" award from the National Women's Political Committee (NWPC), Westside chapter.

She currently serves as president of the board of directors of Families in New Directions (Crenshaw Consortium), and is a member of the Women’s Political Committee, The California List and the Friends of the Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women.

Ms. Lucks earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Karen Mack

Karen Mack is founder and Executive Director of LA Commons, an organization dedicated to promoting Los Angeles' diverse neighborhoods through locally based, interactive, artistic and cultural programming. LA Commons has implemented community art projects, tours and classes in communities throughout LA and in partnership with organizations such as the Central American Resource Center, the South Asian Network, Thai Community Development Center and UCLA. Prior to work with LA Commons, she served as a Public Service Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where she researched the role of culture in community building. Her appointment at Harvard followed work as the Vice President, Program Development and Planning at Community Partners, an organization that provides developmental support to start-up nonprofits throughout Los Angeles County. While on staff at Community Partners, she developed a wide-range of initiatives including the incubator services program and organizational partnerships with institutions such as the California Wellness Foundation and the California Endowment. She holds an MPA from Harvard University and an MBA from the John Anderson School of Management at UCLA. She is currently president of the board of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative and an appointed member to the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Cultural Plan for the City of Los Angeles.

Esther Cepeda-Hatch

Esther Cepeda was raised and lives in the Harbor area. Esther has served for six years as a governing board member on the Harbor City Neighborhood Council where she serves as co-chair on the Planning and Land Use committee as well as Outreach committee. She is also a member of the Port Community Advisory Committee (PCAC) in the Harbor area.

Esther was appointed by the Mayor and served as Commissioner for the historic Neighborhood Council Review Commission (NCRC), to improve the Neighborhood Council System. The NCRC final recommendations document was presented to the City Council for adoption on September 25, 2007.

Esther's work in management includes Decennial Census 2000 as Local Census Office Manager for the Torrance office and Decennial Census 2010 as Local Census Office Manager for the Downtown Los Angeles office. Esther's passion for organizing and empowering voters comes from her lineage. She is the daughter of the late Hector Cepeda, Vice-President, International Longshoreman Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 26. Her experience includes working and managing political campaigns, community organizing and fund-raising. She is also a well seasoned grassroots organizer having worked on several local and regional ballot initiative campaigns.

Esther currently resides in Harbor City with her husband William, and is a stay at home Mom to their 4 year old son William III.