Happy New Year to all.

I hope you will be able to come hear the City Council candidates at our January board meeting Wednesday night. This will be a chance to ask about issues that are of specific concern to our community.

The Neighborhood Council will also discuss our priorities and focus for 2011. We need your input and ideas. All board members are volunteers. We are here to help you with any issues related to Los Angeles city government and to try to improve Chatsworth.

Over the years, we have fought to remove and prohibit mobile advertising trailers on our streets; to save our open spaces and maintain smart development, and to preserve our equestrian properties and trails. We have worked to improve traffic flow by requesting street improvements and left-turn lights.

We have given financial support to our fire stations, our LAPD senior lead officer and the Devonshire Division, the public schools and parks within our boundaries, and countless other community organizations.

We notify the appropriate city departments of problems with pedestrian and equestrian crossings, clogged street drains, trees that need trimming or removal because of safety concerns, and missing street signs.

That's just a sampling of what we've done. If you have a connection to Chatsworth, there is a good chance that you or your family benefited from our actions.

If you have not participated in our activities before, I hope you will consider joining us this year. In addition to our monthly board meetings, we have six committees that deal with specific topics. Check our website for meeting times, agendas and information about the committees.

Judith Daniels

President

Chatsworth Neighborhood Council