Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
From attending homeowners’ association gatherings to community council meetings, Jennifer Rivera has stayed busy her first month on the job as Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl’s new field deputy. ‘It feels like six months already,’ she said in an interview. ‘It’s not a job where I can slow down.’ Since Rosendahl, who represents Council District 11, can’t be everywhere at once, Rivera is his liaison with the residents and organizations in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood and Santa Monica Canyon. So far, Rivera has helped organize a press conference in the Palisades to talk about the installation of new parking meters. She has worked with residents to alleviate parking problems during the golf tournament at the Riviera Country Club, and she spent one Sunday at the farmers market on Swarthmore Avenue handing out reusable grocery bags with the Girls Scouts to encourage environmental consciousness. ‘It really is 24-7, but I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t enjoy it,’ Rivera said as she handed out information packets about the new parking-lot meters at 15216 Sunset Blvd. last Thursday. Rivera, 25, replaces Andrea Epstein, who had worked as Rosendahl’s field deputy since his election in May 2005. Epstein has taken a job overseeing volunteer programs at the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks. Rosendahl said he is glad to have Rivera onboard. ‘Jennifer has a warm, inviting personality,’ he told the Palisadian-Post. ‘She listens, and she’s positive.’ He chose Rivera from the many applicants because of her inviting personality: ‘This is a people business we’re in. I look for someone who can get along with people.’ Fellow Councilperson Janice Hahn, who serves District 15, also recommended Rivera for the position. Rivera interned for Hahn for four months working on water conservation and affordable housing issues. ‘As an intern, Jennifer was highly motivated and showed great potential,’ said Hahn, who represents the San Pedro area. ‘She will serve Councilman Rosendahl and the people of the district well.’ Rivera thanked Hahn for preparing her for the job. ‘It’s been a really easy transition,’ she said. ‘They have a lot in common. They are really politicians for the people. I was happy to make the change.’ Rivera grew up in Cerritos, where she now lives with her parents, Sandra, a third grade teacher, and Raul, a partner of an aerospace aluminum casting foundry. She has plans to move to District 11, bringing her closer to work. Her 19-year-old brother, Chris, attends USC and studies fine arts. After attending an all-girls school, St. Joseph High in Lakewood, Rivera earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish literature from Loyola Marymount University in 2004. She then worked in immigration law for one year in Los Angeles at Bernard P. Wolfsdorf & Associates as a paralegal. She planned to apply to law school, but decided she wanted to take a different route in life. Her friends had attended colleges in the United Kingdom and their stories inspired her to study abroad. She was accepted to the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, where she earned a master’s degree in international relations. While living in the UK for 14 months, she managed to travel to 13 European countries. ‘I had an understanding of the U.S., and I wanted to learn how the world worked,’ Rivera said. When she returned from her travels, she decided she wanted to pursue a career in politics. She had traveled through impoverished areas and felt grateful for her life in the United States. She also felt inspired to continue to improve her country. ‘I wanted to make a change, so I figured, Why not start in my own city? I was born and raised here and will raise my family here. Why not make it better?’ Rivera hopes to learn as much as possible from Rosendahl and his 22-person staff. She is proud to represent him. ‘He really is a genuine politician who cares,’ she said. ‘He’s not the normal politician who talks the talk and doesn’t walk the walk. I’ve seen the compassion and passion he has for what he’s doing and it’s contagious.’ When asked if she may run for office someday herself, she shyly smiles and then giggles. ‘I would leave that possibility open.’
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