How To Vote In Tuesday's Neighborhood Council Elections

NORTHRIDGE, CA — On Tuesday, residents and stakeholders in Northridge and Porter Ranch will elect their next Neighborhood Councilmembers.

You are eligible to vote for the council in a neighborhood (boundaries listed below, with maps) where you either live, work or own a business, own property, or are involved with a community organization. Unfortunately, it is too late to request a mail-in ballot.

The two councils in Granada Hills were scheduled to hold elections, but the Granada Hills North NC did not get enough candidates, according to current Vice President Karen Waters, and the Granada Hills South NC had 17 candidates for 17 seats, according to President David Beauvais.

Granada Hills North will swear in its new board on July 6, and Granada Hills South will swear in new members during its July 1 meeting.

If you are unsure which district you live in, see this map. To learn more about the candidates running, visit here and select your neighborhood, or read the candidate statements below.

Ballots must be postmarked by April 27, or placed in a nearby drop box. Dropbox locations for any of the following Neighborhood Councils can be found at: Northridge Recreation Center, 1800 Lemarsh Street; Granada Hills Branch Library, 10640 Petit Ave.; Mid-Valley Regional Library, 16244 Nordhoff Street; Northridge Recreation Center, 10058 Reseda Blvd.; Porter Ranch Library, 11371 Tampa Ave.

Northridge West

Neighborhood boundaries: Nordhoff Way up to the 118 Freeway, between Corbin Avenue and Reseda Boulevard

Candidate info session: Candidate Info Session 1 - Zoom

Seats open: 6

Deadline to receive mail-in ballots (which must be postmarked by Election Day:) April 30

Candidate statements:

1. Bill Fox: It has been my pleasure to serve on the NWNC for the past 5 years. I believe Neighborhood Councils can and should strive to improve our area. Below is a partial list of important items we have accomplished. June 2016 $1000.00 for Neighborhood Watch signs. August 2016 Grant for Flagpole on Reseda. Sept 2016 First Aid CPR Training for teachers at Calahan School. Nov 2016 Drip system to save trees on Tampa median. Jan 2017 supported shut down of Aliso Canyon. March 2017 Sober Living Town Hall. May 2017 Neighborhood Watch materials for LAPD Senior Lead Officers. Sept 2017 created Homeless Committee. Dec 2017 Grant for Granada High School Robotics team. March 2019 Aliso Canyon Town Hall. 2020 3 Candidate Election Town Halls. We have done a number of Community Impact statements. We have done hundreds of community clean ups. I will continue to work on issues that improve the quality of our lives. Please support and vote for me on April 27 2021, vote by mail. Thank you
2. Joel Lowell: I am a current board member and Treasurer of Northridge West Neighborhood Council. I am a native Angelino and have lived in Northridge for over 20 years. I am now a retired researcher and marketing analyst and have served as an officer and board member of several non-profit organizations in the past. Before moving to Northridge I lived in the Hollywood Hills where I was an active board member of the Homeowners Association (pre Neighborhood councils) where I lived. I look forward to continuing serving on the Northridge West Neighborhood Council board.
3. Jorge Antonio Jimenez: Hi, I’m Jorge, and I am committed to helping our community be safer, cleaner, and sustainable. I’m a native Angeleno, and a military veteran. I'm grateful to have spent close to two decades in the San Fernando Valley as a business executive in the motion picture industry, and feel blessed my family and I call Northridge home. As your neighbor, if elected to represent our community, you can count on me to use my experience as an advocate for education, my professional and military experience to support employment and veterans' services, my love of the outdoors to flourish our green spaces and make them safer, and my lifelong calling to serve for a greater good to ensure our community continues to serve as a model of civic excellence, safety, and prosperity. As a member of Northridge West Neighborhood Council, I will serve with honor, courage, and commitment. Thank you for your consideration. To learn more about my campaign, please visit www.jorgefornwnc.org
4. Josh Stern: Josh Stern is a creative designer for the Greater Los Angeles area committed to providing solutions for residents, tenants and businesses for Northridge, the city Josh calls home. Josh has worked with companies like The Walt Disney Company and Apple, Inc. and is ready to take on the role of not only understanding citizen concerns, but delivering promises to make Northridge an incredible place to visit, shop and live!
5. Kathleen Edwards: I have lived in the Northridge and CD 12 areas most of my life. I have no personal or political agenda other than keeping our NC system non-partisan, and protecting and advocating for the individual voices and local concerns of residents living within our Northridge West Neighborhood Council boundaries. As a member of the Northridge West Neighborhood Council, I have served as Public Safety Chair, and on the Bylaws and Standing Rules, Homelessness and Beautification committees. I championed for reopening the West Valley Animal Shelter as a municipal animal shelter. I advocated for resident and business concerns, regarding the METRO/BRT dedicated Bus line along Nordhoff proposal, the City’s additionally proposed “street diets,” and concerns with sidewalk food vendors. I work to ensure our streets, street lights and and sidewalks are repaired in a timely fashion, and serve as your liaison with City departments on issues affecting our “quality of life,” issues. I’d appreciate your vote!
6. Michael Howard: I promise to be an advocate for, and accountable to the people of our great community, and be your voice in helping to build back Northridge West into a community of which we can all be proud. I am known for being very adept at bringing diverse factions together to solve difficult problems. My style is to be a problem solver and build consensus with a respectful, collaborative approach. I have been a resident of Northridge for 22 yrs., earned BA & MS degrees from CSUN, & earned an MBA from LMU. If elected I will bring a fresh prospective, new ideas, and promote better communication between government & the people of Northridge. For my Business Qualifications See: www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhow... Previous civic experience: H.S. class President., CSUN Graduate Class President, Student Member of the Faculty Senate Graduate Studies Committee, Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges & Universities. At LMU I served two terms as President of the EMBA Alumni Society.
7. Clark Thomas: I am a Northridge West native who is currently a third-year economics major at San Diego State University. I was born and raised in this town, so I hold this neighborhood very close to my heart. Since a young age, I have been volunteering my time to help nearby businesses and organizations such as L.A. Works, The Khalsa Care Foundation, Dynasty’s United Youth Association, and many more. I am running to be in this neighborhood’s council office in hopes that I can be a voice for our city's younger residents. I feel like we need someone who can better understand their needs and wants. Our community has been thriving for quite some time now thanks to our great community leaders and I wish to help them in sculpting their ideas for our future generations so that we may continue to thrive for years down the road. It would be an honor to continue to serve this community that we all love. Thank you
8. David Douglas: My name is David Douglas, and I am running to be your next neighborhood council representative. I have lived in Northridge West for over 10 years, and I have seen some things come and go, but I would like to make a permanent active change in my community. My main three priorities are neighborhood safety, beautification, and environmental energy savings. Neighborhood safety focuses on the safety of the Northridge West Area by reinstating the neighborhood watch team. I will gather volunteers for the neighborhood watch once I am elected to the neighborhood council. Neighborhood beautification focus on cleaning the streets of this neighborhood by directing funds to clean the streets regularly and have more trash cans placed on the street. Neighborhood environmental energy strategies focus on saving energy from electrical usage by using funds to buy clean saving light bulbs. If elected I will do my best to make a positive change to the Northridge West community.
9. Sebastian Toro: Currently we reside in a time of great polarization, which in turn leads to foundational issues not being properly dealt with. Personally, I want to to help in voicing the concerns and real world issues individuals of the Northridge-West area are being subjected to. Also to help in the building of a new platform where we deal with current issues and at the same time address future ones that may come. Humanity cannot escape a problem with the same thinking that got it there. This region has the potential to be the innovators to a new way of thinking that transcends and becomes a pillar for a new movement. Please allow me the privilege to represent this community and aid in getting over this static friction coefficient in order to move forward. Thank you
10. Sonny Liampetchakul: I started school at CSUN back in 1982 and got my bachelor degree in Civil Engineer and a master degree in Structural Engineer. I love our neighborhood and wanted to raise a family here. It is a safe place that I can take a walk alone late at night. We have a great public and private schools here, such as Nobel Charter Middle School, Chaminade College Preparatory, etc. We are a multicultural city with many different businesses and restaurants. I bought our first home, 4 months before the Northridge Earthquake, back in 1993. Both of my sons are attending CSUN. I would like to ask for your votes to be able to assist and be a part of a solution for our continuing to grow city. Some of my experiences are dealing with the city of Los Angeles building and Public Works departments on a regular basis, as an officer of a Corporation since 1996, and as a volunteer for both school and community. I will help us get through some of the up and coming challenges.
11. Angelica Robinson: I have lived and actively participated in this community for over 30 years. I grew up here: attending Topeka, Nobel, and Granada. I have participated in numerous community parades, local Car Shows in conjunction with LAPD, taught community group fitness/wellness classes at numerous health facilities including the Y (YMCA) in Porter Ranch & LA Fitness (Northridge), and I've attended Shepherd of the Hills Church (Porter Ranch) for over a decade. I attended Howard University in Washington, DC for my BFA and Chapman University in Orange, CA for my MFA, built my own business specializing in finance and project management and currently work from home. I have lived and travelled all over the globe; I've even summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, but I always find my way back to this beautiful patch of Northridge. I am apart of the fabric of this community; and I know as an NWNC Representative I will faithfully serve our community and its members well.
12. Brian Cathcart: I have loved living in Northridge, and raising our two boys in Devonshire Estates. The schools, neighborhoods, and open spaces are ideal for families. But, in the almost twenty three years that we've lived here, it hasn't been without need for community involvement. I've been active to help remove unhitched advertising trailers from our streets, fought against permanent film locations in our neighborhoods, and appeared at public works hearings to eliminate large cellphone towers that I thought were dangerously close to homes and busy streets. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, I would like our neighborhoods to focus on providing inviting, open spaces, parks, and walkways/bike paths to get people outside and drive traffic to our local business.
13. Victor Castro: I live in Northridge and want to make our neighborhood the safest area to live in by doing what I can based on my experience and training.
14. Louis John Dezseran Jr: I moved to Northridge in 1985 when I was seven years old. I went to Calahan Elementary School, Nobel Junior High School, and Chatsworth High School. I earned my bachelor's degree in philosophy, political science, and sociology from Pepperdine University, and my master's degree in social policy from Oxford University. I currently work for the Salvation Army in a job assisting the homeless, and I would like to be a member of the Northridge West Neighborhood Council so that I can serve the community while at the same time taking part in city politics.
15. Scott Lawry: CPA For Northridge West My vision for NW is to make it a fiscally & environmentally responsible community. Developing a framework to bring the neighborhood into a fiscal surplus using my acctg, finance and budgeting expertise, that I have gained over the past 15 yrs. By being an active CPA since 2013, I can assure you my conservative approach will give the future of the entire SFV a leg up in the greater LA area Being a millennial, I know how the new generations think and I am poised to use my tech savviness to put NW in a great pos for a very prosperous future. I have already cont. to the Community by being active in local churches and daycares. I moved to NW in the beginning of 2018 and have lived in SoCal since 2015. I am originally from FL and have a multicultural family which I believe would bring diversity to the Community. As recent unease in the political landscape has put everyone on edge, I want to act as a grassroots catalyst in NW for positivity and organic growth.

Northridge East

Neighborhood boundaries: Nordhoff Street to Devonshire Street between Reseda Boulevard and Devonshire Boulevard; Devonshire Boulevard to the 118 between Reseda Boulevard and Garden Grove Avenue; Nordhoff Street to Lassen Street between Reseda Boulevard and Woodley Ave, excluding the area south of Plummer Street and east of Gerald Avenue.

Seats open: 7

Deadline to receive mail-in ballots (which must be postmarked by Election Day:) April 30

Candidate statements:

1. Judy Diamond: I am a current Member at Large for Northridge East Neighborhood Council, serving as it’s Treasure. The committees I serve on are “Executive”, “Finance”, “Planning and Land Use”, “Elections”, and “Dearborn Park”. It has been my pleasure to serve this Northridge community I have resided in for over 37 years. I graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Political Science. Concerned with homelessness, I am a member of both “West Valley Alliance on Homelessness”, and “United Coalition to End Homelessness”. Some of my past commitments include, President and Treasurer of “West Valley Wolves Hockey Association”, Treasurer and Division Representatives of “AYSO Region 8”, Board Member “Northridge Little League”, Co-Chair of Fundraising at “CSUN Lab School”, and “Dearborn Elementary School.” I have also canvassed my neighborhood during the previous city council elections. Your vote would be appreciated, so I can continue this work on behalf of our neighborhood.
2. Stephanie Yu: Living in Northridge for over 10yrs I have come to really appreciate this city. I am motivated to commit more of my time to help any way I can to make Northridge and the surrounding areas better. I bring with me the experience of a former teacher, restaurant owner, and community volunteer. I am currently the president of the Korean Parent Association at Granada Hills High School and the Treasurer of Parkside Villa HOA. It gives me great joy to serve my community and help anyway I can. My humble attitude in serving others allow me to see beyond just the present but for our future. I would be truly honored to have the chance to serve my community in a more significant way. By being elected to the Neighborhood Council I know I can contribute my many acquired abilities and use it to better meet the needs of the community.
3. Ken Ross: Northridge East Neighborhood Council (ie NENC --- 2nd Vice President) NENC Executive Committee (Alternate) NENC Property Owner Seat (Incumbant). NENC Election Committee (Co-chair). NENC Public Safety Committee (Co-chair). NENC Outreach Committee (Member). NENC Animal Rights Liason. "United Coalition to End Homelessness" (ie UCEH --- 2nd Vice President). "West Valley Neighborhood Alliance on Homelessness" (ie WVNAH --- Member). "Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils" (VANC --- Member). "Northridge Vision" (Member). Decades long Northridge home owner and Burbank solo dental office owner (Retired). UCLA Dental School Dept. of Oral Radiology (Associate Professor --- Retired). San Fernando Valley Dental Society (ie SFV) Peer Review Committee (Member --- Retired) UCLA Dental School (Grad); US Grant High School (Grad) Activist Abstract Artist (Invented? "Multiperspectivism") with canvases on "Michael Vick Dog Fighting Victims", "Kiddie Cages Decried" (opposing child kidnapping)
4. Daphne Long: I am a current student enrolled at California State University Northridge majoring in Political Science with an emphasis in law and society and a minor in Business Law. I am very passionate about being educated when it comes to politics and the decisions that impact my community, and I want to use my education and passion to help better my neighborhood.
5. Sydney Thiroux: Hello! My name is Sydney (she/her), and I am a senior at Whittier College, double majoring in Chinese and Global & Cultural Studies with a minor in anthropology. I've lived in this community since I was eight years old. I am an alum of the Civic Youth Leadership Academy, which is where I was first exposed to the neighborhood council system. I want to serve on the Northridge East Neighborhood Council because I want to see this community become a safer, more sustainable, and more inclusive place for all of its residents.
6. Sean C. Laird: I would truly love to have the opportunity to serve this community and to learn more about how we can better our neighborhoods.
7. William Parnell (Youth Board Member): Hello! My name is William Parnell, and I am 15 years old and currently study at Granada Hills Charter High School, in the International Baccalaureate program. I also participate in Model United Nations at GHC, so I am familiar with the use of parliamentary procedure and understand how to act professionally and considerately to help further the goals of the Neighborhood Council. I have always loved history and take a keen interest in American politics, and hope to bring those interests to bear as a representative for our community, and am excited to learn more about our city and government as a whole. I hope to offer a professional yet realistic perspective on behalf of the Younger Citizens in our neighborhood, and I would enjoy the opportunity to work with this community to help it grow!

Porter Ranch

Neighborhood boundaries: North of the 118 Freeway to the base of Oat Mountain just north of Sesnon Boulevard, between Browns Canyon Road and Aliso Canyon Park

Seats open: 5

Deadline to receive mail-in ballots (which must be postmarked by Election Day:) April 30

Candidate statements:

1. Becky Leveque: I have lived in Porter for Ranch for over 40 years. My late husband, David and I, have 3 Sons and 8 Grandchildren. Our children all attended Castelbay Lane Elementary School at a time when we desperately needed another school. I and others worked in tandem for many years in making the dream of a new school a reality. I am proud to say our goals were achieved and the doors to the Porter Ranch Community School were opened to be enjoyed for many generations to come. I am a Neighborhood Watch/Community Policing Advocate and the Co-Founder Of Supporter of Law Enforcement in Devonshire. I believe it is important to be relevant to the community we serve. My goals are as Follows: To close down the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility; Open up the schools safely as soon as possible; continue to build and enhance safe communities for all of Porter Ranch.
2. Brandii Grace: Our community is still in danger from Aliso Canyon. Our city's subpar homelessness services continue to fail us. COVID continues to devastate our schools, our businesses, and far too many in people our community. We need to do better. We CAN do better! I'm running to continue my work to push for improvements in our city. I want everyone who lives, works, or visits Porter Ranch to feel comfortable in the knowledge that this is a safe, clean, and thriving community for ALL people!
3. Gabriel Khanlian: My name is Gabriel Khanlian. I am married to my lovely wife Aleeza and a proud dad of 3. I live in Porter Ranch and my pride and joy is Porter Ranch. I have served on the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council as Secretary for the past 5 years. I am 100% pro safety and am the co-chair of the safety committee. I am very active in many other Porter Ranch committees as I believe being an active participant keeps Porter Ranch safer, healthier, cleaner, and gives me the ability to have a much-needed say in bringing resources to the community to make it better. Through the years, I have learned to listen and fight for what the community wants and needs. I am also the chair of the Governing Board of Porter Ranch Community School as well as the President of my HOA. With my experience, I will continue to fight to improve the quality of life in our city as this is our home and our future. Strong leadership is what is needed to keep our city safe, clean, and preserve family and housing values.
4. Vas Singh: I live in Porter Ranch. Served on Board of Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council for 8 years (2006-2010 and 2010 – 2014). Served on Outreach Committee, Public Safety Committee, Go Green and Chair, Speakers’ Bureau, of Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. Served on Planning Committee of the Congress of Neighborhoods, Planning Committee of the First Valley Regional Congress. Neighborhood Council Plan Review and Reform Initiative Committee and, Mayor’s North Valley Budget Advocate. I have regularly attended Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) meetings, Mayoral Budget/other meetings and, City Liaison. I work for the City of Los Angeles. I have excellent relationships with various government offices, departments and agencies. If elected, I will work to raise the bar in Porter Ranch to make it a Better community to live in with quality growth, infrastructure, public safety and, to ensure that our Community gets its fair share of City’s Services.
5. Lloyd George Berriman Jr: As my wife and I take our morning walk through the neighborhood, we can only wonder why our son, who we raised here, does not want to stay. We love talking with the neighbors (and their dogs) we first met at IHOP, where we had all gathered seeking shelter, information, and hot coffee during the devastating fires that swept through our streets. As a retiring teacher, after 34 years with LAUSD, we celebrated the front yard signs announcing graduates of all ages and many different schools. We love chatting at our local markets (and eateries when they reopen). It is such a good place to live. This is, however, a changing world. Our national leaders engage in name-calling and power-bickering. Our state (the sixth largest economy in the world) is unresponsive and often counter-productive. We look around and realize it is only at the local level, the community level, that change is really possible. Let's work on cell coverage, storm drain debris, and dying trees, together.
6. Lillian Brik-Malinskiy: I’ve never seen myself getting involved in politics, but with nationwide and local events taking place, I feel, as a member of society, and the neighborhood in which I reside and have my kids go to school in, it is my obligation to advocate and grab the attention of City Council representatives that might be overlooking the needs of areas like Porter Ranch. We are a small, but significant population, and aligning our agenda to lobby the government for our needs and desires gives us a strong community. I would like to bring to the Neighborhood Council a new generation representation with ideas that align with the current times. Whether you vote me in or not, Neighborhood Council’s should include various age groups in order to bring in new members with new perspectives who can cause an immediate impact from the government. Ex: The Skid Row Neighborhood Council being endorsed and supported by the government. My agenda: homelessness and parked trailers, street racing, re-opening...
7. Cheri Derohanian: My name is Cheri Derohanian. I love Porter Ranch. I served on the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council for 4 years, from 2014 - 2017. My children attended elementary school at Castlebay and middle school at Porter Ranch Community School. I got very involved in both schools, volunteering on committees regarding the Local Control Funding Formula when both schools' discretionary funds disappeared and the new Common Core Curriculum was implemented in 2014. After the Aliso Canyon Blowout of 2015, I testified at Abatement hearings, at California Air Resources Board in Sacramento, AQMD meetings, and continue to advocate for a safer environment for our community. My true vision is to bring more Arts and Culture to Porter Ranch. Once COVID is under control, I envision organizing an Art Fair featuring local artists and having Concerts in the Park. Porter Ranch is the gem of the Valley. We need to keep our community safe, clean and beautiful. I love Porter Ranch.
8. Christine Demirtshian: My name is Christine Demirtshian and I am a proud resident and business owner within the Porter Ranch community. I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and my husband and I are happy to call Porter Ranch the home of our young and growing family. I want to personally make sure our community is thriving and can be the best it can be for each member of this community. The things I specifically want to tackle are reopening businesses safely and efficiently, homelessness coming into our community, RVs parked throughout our neighborhoods and overall keeping our Porter Ranch clean and safe. I look forward to serving each member of my district.
9. Asaad Alnajjar: Current PRNC Vice President, Chair of Safety, Bylaws, and Monitoring Systems committees. Engineer at the City of LA with 32 service years & many citywide projects designed. I have always worked for a 100% Green Porter Ranch starting with Solar Panels along Carbon & Porter Ranch Drive to enhanced parks for tree canopy. Once re-elected I will continue working for you for Aliso Canyon Closure, Gas Monitoring Systems, COVID-19 issues, Safety & Traffic, enhance LAUSD schools, improve the way of our living and bridge the gap to city service & maintenance issues. Since 2003, active within the Porter Ranch Community & CD 12 for many community services and projects to enhance our district as a whole in coordination with Mayor Garcetti's office many programs for Interfaith, Sustainability, Resilience, A Bridge Home, Vision Zero, EmpowerLA, Social Equity & other LA enhancements programs. Active member of LAFD CERT, LAPD C-PAB and the City Emergency EMD team along first responders to save lives.