Former Mayors in Culver City have, in the past, tended to head home and retire, taking their institutional experience and wisdom with them. But ‘termed out’ does not have to mean ‘game over.’ Meghan Sahli-Wells, who ended her eight years on the council in 2020 is now working with Los Angeles Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell as a consultant, helping to manage County commissions and boards, and consulting on policies including urban oil drilling and environmental concerns.
While she began her duties this April, she had been strategizing about what to do next during her final days on the City Council. While Mitchell was running for office, Sahli-Wells felt it was a good time to step forward. “It was a very long onboarding process, and of course, the pandemic added to that. But now that I’m on the job, it’s moving pretty quickly.”
The Second District Supervisor has Sahli-Wells managing commissions and boards, of which there are more than 200 to oversee. “There are seats that need to be filled, of course, and there are some commissioners that have been serving for decades. Some of what I’m doing is just looking at attendance records, to find out who is at these meetings. Being a commissioner [for the County of Los Angeles] is a nice title to have, but you also need to get the job done.”
There are also policy decisions on mobility, housing and environmental justice where Sahli-Wells long experience on the city council gives her an educated perspective to share with the Supervisor.
Asked if her famous bicycle commute now extends to the Expo Station, she noted that there are no ‘in-person’ meetings happening just yet, “everything is still online, we are just doing it all virtually.”
Sahli-Wells is pleased to be able to take her years of government experience and put them to practical use.
Every ending has the chance to be a new beginning; strategy helps.
Judith Martin-Straw
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