LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced six new commission appointments: Esther Cepeda to the Board of Neighborhood Ccommissioners; Dave Sickler to the Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners; Marc Little to the Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families; Fredric Horowitz to the Employee Relations Board; Susan Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Convention and Exhibition Center Authority; and David Damian Figueroa to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Esther Cepeda – Board of Neighborhood Commissioners

Esther Cepeda was appointed to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. Cepeda has served as member of the Harbor City Neighborhood Council since 2003. From 2006 to 2007, Cepeda served on the Neighborhood Council Review Commission and represented the Harbor area in efforts to improve the Neighborhood Council System, holding community workshops within each planning area of the City, gathering public input and presenting recommendations to City Council. Additionally, Cepeda has worked as a campaign organizer, working closely with United Farm Workers, the California Teachers Association and United Teachers Los Angeles. In 2000, Cepeda managed the operations of the local census office in Torrance for the United States Bureau of the Census. Cepeda is a resident of Harbor City.

Dave Sickler – Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners

Dave Sickler was appointed to the Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners. Sickler, a senior labor advisor to Mayor Villaraigosa and formerly the executive director of Employment Relations for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), will join the UCLA Labor Center as the director of Workforce Development, focusing on best practices for recruitment into construction apprenticeships and health and safety issues within the construction industry. Prior to his time with LADWP, Sickler served on the Board of Public Works Commission. Sickler has served as chair of the Speaker’s Commission on Labor Education, promoting labor education in public schools and universities in California and as a commissioner for the California State Senate Commission on Literacy in the Work Place.

Marc Little – Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families

Marc Little was appointed to the Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families. Little is president of his private practice law firm, specializing in music and sports-related transactions. Since the fall of 2002, Little has been the chief operating officer and general counsel for the Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood. Little also serves in a leadership role with the Faithful Central Bible Church Community Development Corporation, which focuses on retail and residential development opportunities in the inner city. In 1987 Little faced personal tragedy after an encounter with gang violence, falling victim to an attempted robbery in which gun shot wounds led to the amputation of his right leg. Inspired by his experience, Little founded Fight The Good Fight, a non-profit dedicated to encouraging inner-city youth. Little also devotes his time in service as chairman of the board of directors of Faithful Central Bible Church, member of the board of directors for Forum Enterprises, Focus on the Word, Inc., and Pacific Coast Ford, as well as sitting on the board of trustees for Savannah College of Art and Design. Little earned a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and a J.D. from the University of Southern California and is currently pursuing a Masters in Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Fredric Horowitz – Employee Relations Board

Fredric Horowitz was appointed to the Employee Relations Board. He has been a full-time arbitrator and mediator for 20 years and is experienced in public and private sector labor. As an arbitrator and mediator he has served as an independent outside ombudsman for various government contractors pursuant to arrangements with agencies of the Department of Defense. Previously, Horowitz was corporate 1987. He also served as a staff attorney with the Air Line Pilots Association where he represented airline pilots and flight attendants in labor relations, arbitrations and air safety proceedings. Horowitz received a degree in Political Science with honors at the University of California, Berkeley and holds a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Susan Rodriguez – Los Angeles Convention and Exhibition Center Authority

Susan Rodriguez was appointed to the Los Angeles Convention and Exhibition Center Authority. Rodriguez, a certified Temporary Judge, has served at the Los Angeles Superior Court in Pomona, Compton, San Pedro and Central branches. Rodriguez has worked for various law firms in Los Angeles since 1990 where she has practiced employment law within state and federal courts as well as federal administrative agencies, including Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Equal Employment Department and the U.S. Department of Labor. Rodriguez previously worked as a law clerk at the Office of the State Public Defender in Los Angeles and at the State Appellate Defender’s Office in Detroit, Michigan. Rodriquez received her B.A. from Yale University and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.

David Damian Figueroa – Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

David Damian Figueroa was appointed to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Figueroa is the associate state director of Los Angeles County for AARP, where he oversees the implementation of social campaigns, membership development and member values. Figueroa is special/celebrity editor for AARP’s Segunda Juventud Magazine and was the acting manager in 2004 for Hispanic/Latino Membership for AARP national. Figueroa also served as director of Public Relations/Creative Marketing at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) where he developed and implemented national fundraising events and benefits for the organization. Figueroa sits on the board of directors for the Getty House Foundation and was a former board member of Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero and Familia Unida Living with Multiple Sclerosis.