Candidate for
Council Member; City of Los Angeles; District 5

Adeena Bleich is a tireless advocate for uniting communities, protecting neighborhood character, and gaining equal access for all to City Hall services. Over the years she has called District 5 her home, having lived in Bel Air, Sherman Oaks, and now the Pico/Robertson area. Adeena's first experience with public service began as a young girl when she delivered meals to homebound seniors, and she continues to do so today with the Freda Mohr Center on Fairfax Boulevard. Adeena's lifetime commitment to community service and hands on experience working for the council office makes her an ideal Councilmember.

Adeena has a unique combination of government, non-profit, and community leadership experience. Upon graduation from Pitzer College, Adeena worked as an educator and administrator at the American Jewish University. She was then inspired by the mishaps of the 2000 Presidential election and decided to pursue a career in politics. Playing an active role in making the government more efficient is one of Adeena's most important goals. In order to achieve that goal, Adeena has worked for the 5th Council District for many years, serving the community as a pragmatic, out-of-the-box thinker who got the job done to improve the quality of life for the people of CD 5. As a City Council Deputy, Adeena focused on helping constituents who had previously experienced trouble accessing city services and getting results. Her years in the Council office have given her first-hand knowledge of the challenges and problems that individuals, neighborhoods, and businesses in the community face. She has also gained first-hand knowledge of the kinds of innovative programs and vision for balance that need to be put in place to make the council office better equipped to solve those problems. Some such changes include, more training for council staff especially in the area of Community Planning, greater usage of technology by the council office, and increased public/private partnerships. A dedicated community servant, Adeena finds satisfaction in both developing and implementing creative solutions to improve our neighborhoods and greater city.

In 2005 Adeena left the council office to help run the mayoral campaign of former Speaker of the California Assembly Bob Hertzberg. During her time on the campaign she gained valuable knowledge about the issues that affect and unite communities across the City of Los Angeles.

Although his campaign was unsuccessful, Adeena believes that Bob Hertzberg's core message of a responsive government that works for the people, not in spite of them, lives on. After the Hertzberg campaign, Adeena worked for an educational non-Profit called New Schools Better Neighborhoods, which works to improve the quality of our public schools. Most recently Adeena worked as the Los Angeles Director of AIPAC, where she managed the Los Angeles campaign and managed the Los Angeles team's community outreach and education programs.

Adeena decided to run for Los Angeles City Council because she believes that government does not have to be a slow, counterproductive bureaucracy. She believes that given the right leadership and hard work, City government can be proactive instead of reactive, and it can be effective rather than frustrating and inefficient. Adeena will lead City Hall with energy, integrity, and a visionary plan for constituent services and balanced development that matches with neighborhoods.