Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday he has appointed a Los Angeles-based communications consultant who has also worked in Washington, D.C., to be his spokeswoman.
Starting next week, Naomi Seligman will replace Yusef Robb, who announced last month that he was stepping down as Garcetti’s director of communications.
Garcetti said Robb “is one of the finest strategists I have ever known and I will continue to rely on him as a close adviser and friend.”
Seligman has been running a Los Angeles-based firm for the past several years and has two decades of communications strategy experience in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
“Naomi’s combination of experience and innovative thinking will ensure every Angeleno can connect with our work,” Garcetti said. “After a thorough search, I found Naomi’s rare blend of talents — including both a deep knowledge of the issues and today’s communications environment — to be an ideal match.”
Seligman’s clients have included the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Common Cause, Consumer Watchdog and Ms. Magazine, according to her firm’s website. She also heads The Gun Truth Project, which serves as a “watchdog” of the gun lobby; and acted as a spokeswoman for Valerie Plame after the CIA agent was outed as working undercover.
Garcetti also announced that Jeff Millman is leaving the communications team to serve as a senior adviser. Millman joined Garcetti’s administration after playing a key role in his 2013 mayoral election and previously worked for Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barbara Boxer, among others.
Millman will “provide our office with important strategic guidance to best advance our agenda for Los Angeles,” Garcetti said. “Jeff is someone who can work internally and externally to get the job done and move our city forward.”
— City News Service