Airport Official Who Resigned Is Appointed to Family Panel

The former Los Angeles airport commissioner, who quit her job two months ago when her views on affirmative action came under fire, was appointed by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to the county’s Commission for Children and Families.

Michelle E. Park-Steel of Tarzana was nominated by Supervisor Mike Antonovich and approved by the board on a 4-0 vote without discussion. Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was absent.

During a phone interview, Park-Steel conceded that she had little knowledge about the responsibilities of the commission, and said she expected her nomination to generate at least some controversy.

“Actually, they don’t know me, but I think they know I did a good job for the city,” she said.

Michael Bustamante, a spokesman for Supervisor Gloria Molina, said because the commission has only an advisory function, Park-Steel’s affirmative action views will probably not become an issue during her two-year term.

Park-Steel, 40, served on the city’s fire and airport commissions, appointed to both posts by Mayor Richard Riordan. In September, she resigned from the Airport Commission after several City Council members questioned her views on affirmative action.

Though Park-Steel told council members she supports the city’s affirmative action programs, her support among lawmakers was undercut when a spokesman for a proposed anti-affirmative action ballot measure claimed that Park-Steel had endorsed the measure.

Park-Steel said the spokesman who said she endorsed the California Civil Rights Initiative overstated her involvement with the measure. She has declined to say whether she supports the initiative, which seeks to roll back many affirmative action programs in the state.