Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — City Councilwoman-elect Nithya Raman has announced the names of her transition advisory team, which includes a former chief of staff for Councilman David Ryu, who she defeated in the November election.
Raman’s transition team is set to begin work Dec. 14.
“I’m so thrilled to announce the members of my transition advisory team, who are generously donating their time and expertise to our office during this crucial moment,” Raman said in a prepared statement.
“Together they represent a wealth of knowledge, ranging from the inner workings of the city and county and how to get things done, to understanding intimately the most urgent needs of working Angelenos. They will be advising us into the first months of my tenure, and we are so grateful for them.”
Raman will represent Council District Four, which includes portions of Hollywood and the south San Fernando Valley.
Raman’s transition advisory team consists of:
• Sarah Dusseault, who has more than 20 years of public service experience as a policy expert and problem-solver, working in Los Angeles city government and numerous campaigns. She was Ryu’s chief of staff from 2015 to 2018. Dusseault also is a member of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission. Appointed by Supervisor Hilda Solis, she is the outgoing commission chair and chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform.
• Miguel A. Santana, who has more than 30 years of public service experience working in Los Angeles County and city government and the nonprofit sector. In 2021 Santana will start his new role as the president and CEO of the Weingart Foundation.
• Victor Narro, a nationally known expert on the workplace rights of immigrant workers who has been involved with immigrant rights and labor issues for many years, according to Raman. Narro is the project director for the UCLA Labor Center.
• David Abud, a senior organizer at the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, originally from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. A graduate of Columbia University, over the past 10 years he has worked on immigration issues, prison abolition, election campaigns and community organizing in New York, Tijuana, Mexico City, Guatemala, Honduras and Southern California, Raman said.
• And Jose Roberto Hernandez, chief of staff and organizing director for the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance which seeks to improve the lives of immigrant workers in low-wage industries in Koreatown and build a foundation for social change. Born in El Salvador, he has worked in the labor movement since 1992 as well as on immigration issues, international affairs, economic development and community organizing, Raman said.
