Serena Oberstein was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Serena is a public servant, mom, and nonprofit leader, and has always believed that for the government to work for people, our leaders need to set an example of integrity. That is why Serena was honored to serve as the President and Vice President of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission from 2014-2018. As our next City Councilmember, Serena will always lead with integrity and fight to keep our communities safe, address our homelessness emergency with a renewed sense of urgency, and persistently address our housing affordability crisis.

A second generation Angeleno, Serena attended public school in the San Fernando Valley through high school. Her parents were both LAUSD public school teachers, working for the district for 30 years after having met at CSUN while getting their teaching credentials. 

Currently, Serena serves as the Executive Director of Jewish World Watch, an anti-genocide and mass atrocities nonprofit. In her role, she passed federal, state and local policy by cultivating bipartisan coalitions and building alliances across faith and other communities around the world facing targeted persecution. 

Previously, Serena was the Chief Operating Officer for Vision to Learn, a national nonprofit that provides free eye exams and eyeglasses to students in need. She also served as a Policy Analyst and Neighborhood Liaison in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, developing tangible goals to measure broad policy initiatives. Her portfolio included education equity, redevelopment, and efficient allocation of resources. 

Serena and her husband live in Northridge with their young daughters and dog, Huck.