Chatsworth Neighborhood Council Elects New President

The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council has a new leader. André van der Valk, a founding member of the board, was unanimously elected president of  the 21-member community group Wednesday evening. He replaces Judith Daniels, who stepped down after holding the office for the past five years.

Daniels said she wanted to give someone else a chance to take over the top spot. Board members then elected her vice president. She was rewarded with a standing ovation for her efforts, which included the voluntary donation of 12,000 hours of council work, according to her estimate. "I had a wonderful time and I hope I did a good job representing you," she said. She is also a founding member, serving on the board since 2003, and was vice president for a year before becoming president.

Van der Valk, Daniels and Carol Lucas, chosen for another term as council secretary, faced no opposition in the annual election of officers. Vicki Briskman was re-elected treasurer. She was challenged for the post by board member Diana Dixon-Davis.

The election followed remarks by City Councilman Greig Smith, who will leave office on July 1. Smith, who received a warm reception and a personalized cake, highlighted some of his accomplishments for Chatsworth during the eight years he represented the 12th District. He emphasized his campaign commitment to retain and encourage horsekeeping and large residential lots north of Chatsworth Street and west of De Soto Avenue, an area peppered with horse ranches and stables amid mostly minimum half-acre lots. In addition, he worked to stave off high-density housing and preserve the equestrian heritage of the area.

Smith also touted his partnership with the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council in buying Stoney Point Ranch, at the southern base of Stoney Point, to preserve as city parkland and as an equestrian facility in perpetuity. During his two terms, Chatsworth also got a new library that reflected the architecture the community wanted rather than what the architect originally proposed. The Chatsworth train depot is becoming a transportation hub with heavy community input on the design.

Within the 12th District, there have also been a new fire station, new police station and the addition of about 40 acres of new parkland. The retiring councilman also said that his district has had more money for road and sidewalk repairs than any other part of the city.

When he first took office, Smith said, he "wasn't the most popular person in Chatsworth." However, he continued, his philosophy has always been, "I'm here to work with you and serve you."

In answer to a question, Smith said news reports have exaggerated  the city's failure to collect money owed to it from parking tickets, ambulance services and other debts. He said that about two-thirds of the $300 million owed to Los Angeles was incurred by homeless people, illegal immigrants or others who have concealed their identity and are not going to pay for the city services they have received.

Members of the council approved 11 motions, nearly all of them for various civic projects within Chatsworth. Among the expenditures:

• $5,500 for an Adopt-a-Street cleanup project. An ad hoc committee is considering which streets to include as well as finding a company to perform the ongoing work.
• Up to $2,000 for supplies that will enable students at Chatsworth Hills Academy to paint a mural under the direction of art teacher Shelley Bloom. The mural is part of Save Chatsworth's improvements at Chatsworth Trails Park, on the north side of the 118 freeway at Canoga Avenue. The 8-foot by 25-foot mural will be painted on panels that will allow it to be moved to other locations within Chatsworth.
• Two items for the Chatsworth Library: About $800 to buy children's books and $1,000 for purchase and installation of a projector that will be used for planned movie nights.
• Two items for the LAPD Devonshire Division's new simulator training facility: $1,350 for construction of ramps and stairs and about $800 for other requested supplies and equipment.
• $500 for smaller clean-up projects in multiple locations, $850 for various promotional items, and up to $500 for portable lighting at Lawrence Middle School, to be used in the parking lot when the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council holds its monthly meetings there.

The council got a presentation on the new police firing range simulator from Mike Judge, assistant training coordinator for the Devonshire Division and a 21-year veteran of the LAPD. Judge said the facility will train police officers to make fast accurate decisions in crucial moments. He said the state now requires this training of all police officers.

Each of the 100 neighborhood councils within the city received $45,000 in tax dollars to spend within their boundaries this fiscal year, which ends June 30.