A Westwood Village official resigned Monday to join an animal rights group, after serving the community for two years.
Sheila Kouhkan, who worked as deputy director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, also known as the BID, will become the manager of No-Kill Los Angeles, a Best Friends Animal Society initiative intended to ensure no cats or dogs will be killed in animal shelters by 2017.
“Working full time to save animal lives while utilizing my background in policy and community relations is a dream come true,” Kouhkan said.
As deputy director, Kouhkan met with Westwood community members and helped implement their ideas. She also updated the Westwood Neighborhood Council, which takes stances on Westwood issues, on the status of planned renovations.
During her time with the BID, Kouhkan worked to replace unused loading zone parking spots in Westwood with metered parking. She also worked with city and state officials to differentiate between people who need disabled placards and those who use them illegally to park for the whole day.
Andrew Thomas, executive director of the BID, said he thinks Kouhkan was an asset to Westwood, as a UCLA alumna and Westwood homeowner who previously worked for L.A. City Council member Paul Koretz.
Jerry Brown, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Council, said Kouhkan’s tenure as deputy director has furthered Westwood’s development. He added he is sad to see Kouhkan leave.
In her last project, Kouhkan added decorative vinyl paper to utility boxes throughout Westwood Village, including the one outside Starbucks.
Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council, said he believes Kouhkan focused on trivial matters rather than what he considered to be more significant issues, such as aiding the homeless population in Westwood.
Thomas said the BID has not begun to search for Kouhkan’s successor and thinks it will be difficult to find someone as qualified for the position.
A very nice article saying thank you and good luck to Sheila for
all her hard work in the Westwood Village. I wish her well in her future
endeavors, and with her hard work ethic I’m sure she will succeed! Then the article
places a unfounded quote from Steve Sann in the article to diminish her work in
the Westwood Village as “Trivial”, Sheila as a UCLA Alumni gave her heart &
soul to the Village and UCLA! Before printing unfounded and baseless statements
the Daily Bruin should do a far better job of investigating them! If they
wanted to see Sheila’s work with the Homeless population in the Village they
could have joined her on her many, MANY homeless sleeping counts that begun as
early as 2:30 am! Where were you Mr. Sann?
I see the King of C.A.V.E.’s comment is gone! Thank you Bruin for making this story what it should have been from the beginning !
Anyone else getting weird vibes from this article? Goodbyes are usually congratulatory…
Yes they are John, the question is why did the Bruin require a statement from Steve at all??
Why is it that every quote from Steve Sann is always negative when it comes to Westwood, entities that want to do business in the area, and the people working to make this place better? Is it no surprise he’s become the Debbie Downer -or in the spirit of the season- our very own Grinch and Scrooge of this place!
Good job, Sheila! We at least know she worked to make Westwood better! Thank goodness for the Westwood BID!
Steve’s quote was made with malice, his continuous attempts
to undermine the WVIA are so grossly blatant. He then stoops so low to take a
parting shot at Shelia who did nothing but strive to make the Village a
brighter, cleaner and safer place. The question to Steve should be “what
have you done to help the Village?” Appeal every business that is opening?
Appeal every attempt to improve infrastructure? Appeal every business that
attempts to expand? Steve is a non stakeholder that
drives business away, and delays new business opening, just ask Panera Bread!
Steve Sann is the king of C.A.V.E Citizens Against Virtually Everything…
Congratulations to Sheila, someone who worked tirelessly on all the issues affecting Westwood Village. She’s a resident of Westwood (more than can be said about others), and understood the issues. Now, she’s off to do work in an area that is near and dear to her.
As for the last quote, I’d suggest that Jonathan brush up on his AP Style Book’s section on Media Law as that quote seems to cross the line. Or I question where Sam or Angie where to let such a paragraph get through copyediting.