Film exec named to airport board
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has appointed Christine Essel, a veteran executive at Paramount Pictures Corp., to the Board of Airport Commissioners. If approved by the City Council, she will replace Sylvia Reyes-Patsaouras, who resigned in October.
Essel, 58, is a senior vice president responsible for government and community affairs, which includes public relations, legislative advocacy, handing the company’s philanthropic endeavors, and maintaining Paramount’s political relationships at all levels of government. She has worked for the film studio since 1978.
Essel served on the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency commission from 1992 to 1999. She chairs the Central City Assn., a business organization representing more than 450 companies, and is a member of the California Film Commission and California Workplace Investment Board.
The commission sets policy for Los Angeles World Airports, which operates LAX, Ontario International Airport, Palmdale Regional Airport and Van Nuys Airport. Villaraigosa, who notified the council of his selection earlier this month, plans to formally announce the appointment today.
-- Dan Weikel
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