This year’s Westwood Neighborhood Council election will feature 24 candidates, including 14 council members up for re-election, according to the list of candidates released Thursday.
Westwood residents, business owners and UCLA students can vote in the election, which takes place every two years in June. The Westwood Neighborhood Council, created in 2010, acts as an advisory board to the Los Angeles City Council for issues pertaining to Westwood. It receives an annual budget of almost $40,000.
Fourteen council members are running for re-election, and 11 seats are uncontested. In 2014, 33 candidates ran, and five seats were uncontested.
Jerry Brown, current president of the neighborhood council, said he decided not to run for re-election because he has served on the council for six years, but still plans to attend council meetings and activities.
Angus Beverly, graduate student at the UCLA School of Law who currently serves as student director, and Eva Moc, a fourth-year physiological science student, are running for the student director seat. Moc said she is unsure whether she qualifies for the position because she plans to take a gap year beginning fall quarter.
Trent Jolly, a second-year economics student, and Ian Cocroft, who currently holds a resident seat, are running for resident positions. Cocroft also serves as the undergraduate student government facilities commissioner.
Reuben Ayala, regional director of development for UCLA, and Lisa Chapman, director of coordinated outpatient services at UCLA, are both running for the council’s staff or faculty seat. Chapman, vice president of the council, currently serves as the council’s faculty representative.
Voting will take place June 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Westwood Recreation Center on Sepulveda Boulevard south of Wilshire Boulevard.
A complete roster of candidates is listed below.
At large directors (2 seats available)
Laura Winikow
Naghmeh Makhani
Chantelle Eastman
Alexander Gura
Owner residential group directors (4 seats available)
Scott Whittle
Constance Boukidis
Sandy Brown
Stephen Resnick
Rental residential group directors (4 seats available)
Ian Cocroft
David Lorango
Eugene Tseng
Trent Jolly
Ken Cluskey
Business group directors (4 seats available)
Marcello Robinson
Mark Rogo
Roozbeh Farahanipour
Philip Gabriel
Student director
Angus Beverly
Eva Moc
Faculty or staff director
Lisa Chapman
Reuben Ayala
Educational community director
Caroline Conway
Nonprofit/arts/culture/recreational community director
Ann Hayman
Faith-based community director
Mitchell Keiter