Photo Gallery

Albums 1 - 50 out of 50

	Porter Ranch Sign Beautification 4 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 44 - May 14, 2011 17 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 45 - May 21, 2011 30 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 47 - June 4, 2011 21 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 42 - April 30, 2011 THANK YOU! to last Saturday’s Clean Team for a job Well Done! These volunteers rocked the north side of Chatsworth clean with a clean sweep that generated another 30 bags of debris removed and disposed of. I’d like to thank Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman, Coach Dick Rippey, New Comer Stephanie Ortiz Joe Oswald, Teacher/Engineer Ski, Windy City Resident Sammy J, Edward Scissor Hands Craig Byers, Get it Done Now Chris Williams, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bunion Ron & Marlene Wengler, The Incredible Hulk Craig Michayluk, Energizer Bunny Sumeko Mukasa Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock, For Ever Young Martha Wilson and her two rock star performing sons Glen and Robert, for making Saturday’s event a success. Thank you for your ambition, talent and support to help make Northridge Safe, Secure and Clean. 17 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 43 - May 7, 2011 THANK YOU to last Saturday’s Dream Team for a fantastic job burning calories while cleaning up a half a ton of debris blighting Devonshire Street. Your efforts rocked the neighborhood and demonstrated that participation in community efforts have a positive impact for all of Northridge and the City of Los Angeles. I’d like to thank Coach Dick Rippey, Bspice Johnson, Teacher/Engineer Ski, Get it Done Now Chris Williams, Paul Bunion Ron Wengler, Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock, Fashion Super Model JoAnn Phillips who kicked Butt in not only cleaning up Devonshire but preparing it for a facelift of improvements designed to improve the area while reducing maintenance. Your ambition, talent and support are what help make Northridge Safe, Secure and Clean. We are Proud of you! 36 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 41 - April 23, 2011 A GREAT BIG THANK YOU! to last Saturday’s clean up team for a job Well Done! These volunteers smacked the ball out of the park with over 120 bags of debris removed and disposed of. Here is what one stakeholder described the efforts: “I just wanted to thank all of the volunteered who cleaned up on Plummer Street, West of Tampa and East of Shirley last weekend! My family and I were so surprised to see all the volunteers working so hard and the street / hedge has never looked so good!” I’d like to thank Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman, Coach Dick Rippey, Clipper Joe Oswald, Teacher/Engineer Ski, Windy City Resident Sammy J, Edward Scissor Hands Craig Byers, Late Nights B-Spice, Get it Done Now Chris Williams, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bunion Ron & Marlene Wengler, Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock, For Ever Young Martha Wilson and her two rock star performing sons Glen and Robert, for making Saturday’s event a success. Thank you for your ambition, talent and support to help make Northridge Safe, Secure and Clean. We are proud of you! Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council 36 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 40 - April 16, 2011 You are all invited this Saturday 4/23/11 (7AM to 10AM) to join Northridge West Neighborhood Councils sponsored Operation Clean Sweep along the North side of Plummer Street from Shirley to Tampa Street in Northridge. Take the plunge for some fun – come and join us! This week’s goal will be to reach the east side of Tampa Ave where the weeds are approaching 2 feet in height just west of Vanalden Avenue. Come join us as we work to improve the streets of Northridge. You will meet a team of dedicated volunteers committed to having fun, meeting new people and making Northridge a cleaner, greener and safer community to live, learn, work and play. Park in the Northridge Mall parking lot where near the Firestone Tire Store. We will be starting around 7AM and meeting on the north-east corner of Plummer & Shirley Streets to review the work plan under the NWNC big top tent while sipping hot chocolate & coffee, over fresh baked donuts and bagels. Please contact me if you have any questions or need directions. Don’t forget our Mid-Week Clean-Up Efforts in Northridge... To learn more or to sign up, contact Jo Ann Philips at (818) 304-4989 or Japhillips1@yahoo.com With your help we are uniting a community while stamping out unsightly areas within our neighborhoods. So come join us as we continue to clean up and make Northridge shine. Thank you for your help in keeping Los Angeles and America beautiful! PS: A GREAT BIG THANK YOU! to last Saturday’s clean up team for pulling together to improve our community. These volunteers are truly an A Team that rocks the charts. I’d like to thank the Energizer Bunny Sumeko Mukasa, Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman, Trend Busting Fashion Designer JoAnn Phillips, Coach Dick Rippey, Clipper Shark Joe Oswald, Get it Done Now Chris Williams, Mr & Mrs. Paul Bunion Ron & Marlene Wengler, Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock for making Saturday’s event a success. Thank you for your generously donating their ambition and talent to help make Northridge Safe, Secure and Clean. We are Proud of you! Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council 9 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 39 - April 9, 2011 This past Saturday was fantastic on three separate fronts. First - Beckford Elementary School held its 2011Family Fun Day with hundreds of fun seekers. Second – Role Model Middle-school student Sam Dobry and his friends along with board members and stakeholders from Porter Ranch and Northridge West Neighborhood Council worked with Councilman Greig Smith cleaning up Limekiln Canyon exposing its beauty. Lastly Operation Clean Sweep completed the cleansing along the north side of Plummer Street from Shirley to Corbin Ave. Beckford Elementary Rocks! Principal Shelly Brower, along with Kelly Mattenson and the entire Beckford ES staff held an Awesome Family Fun Day. Northridge West’s Engineer/Inventor Charles Gonsowski – A.K.A. Ski had the students and parents lined up at the NWNC booth in an attempt to conquer Ski’s Steady Hand Luke challenge. Of the approximately fifty (50) plus challengers only three (3) individuals made it into the Masters Program by demonstrating they were able to meet the challenge by crossing the 12” bare rod without setting off the alarm. One student spent hours circling and probing the device until she excitedly conquered the challenge with an ear to ear smile that captured the audience’s attention in addition to with high fives and shouts of “I Did It”. One parent had the right stuff from the beginning exhibiting the patience and skills with a steady hand and eye for accuracy. The third individual to conquer Ski’s marvel brain teaser was a student from Beckford with approximately 2 hours of analyzing and practicing her skills to move within the “I Did It” circle. The shine of her eyes and a smile from ear to ear told the story of success. Limekiln Canyon shines on! Porter Ranch and Northridge West Councils came out in support of Role Model Sam Dobry to clean up the trash and debris finding it way into the Limekiln Canyon Park. The effort lead by this young man demonstrates that pride of ownership isn’t just an adult concern but one of a community concern of all ages. This type of support and commitment by Sam Dobry and the numerous volunteers reflects the growing trend by stakeholders to get actively involved in their community’s efforts to push back the blighted areas dotting our neighborhoods. A Great big shout out to Sam Dobry, Greig Smith and his staff, Dick Rippey, JoAnn Phillips, and Teri Grossman and all the other volunteers that turned out to lend a helping hand. Operation Clean Sweep tackles Plummer Street! Thanks to the fantastic volunteers of Northridge Operation Clean Sweep was able to complete the sweep along the north side of Plummer Street from Shirley to Corbin Saturday. After three attempts I am happy to report that the area littered with broken bottles, discarded solvent cans, curtains rods, wooden fencing, concrete and masonry has now been swept clean. This area has long been an eye sore for the community not to mention the hazard presented by the broken glass, abandon wood fence and masonry blocking the sidewalks. It is with great pleasure to report the area is now clean, green and safe to walk. I’d like to thank our newest volunteer Cristina who joined Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bunion Ron & Marlene Wengler, Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman, Coach Dick Rippey, Clipper Shark Joe Oswald, the Wilson Clan lead by For Ever Young Martha Wilson and her two rock star performing sons Glen and Robert, Get it Done Now Chris Williams, Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock, Reciprocating Saw JoAnn Phillips, the Three Beckford ES Graduates Bspice Johnson, Kayley Varga, Kelsey Gonzales, along with Mr. Dependable Robert Graf , Incredible Hulk Craig Michayluk and to a Mighty Fine Craftsmen/Inventor/Engineer Charles Gonsowski, a.k.a. Ski for participating in making Saturday’s events successful and most importantly Fun. With the help of these volunteers and that of our newcomers who are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are making our best attempt to meet the challenge to stem the tide and push back the blighted streets of this great city. These volunteers are demonstrating that giving back to your community can be fun; promotes pride of ownership while developing and building new and existing friendships. These efforts exhibit a community coming together to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A special Thank you to Thursday’s Dream Team for their efforts along Wilbur Street just north of Chatsworth Street. And to the group of individuals that were responsible for the clean up along the north side of Devonshire Street between Melvin and Corbin. Great job! Please come join our Thursday Dream Team on April 14, 2011 at 9am along the west side of Wilbur Avenue south of Chatsworth Street as they transform the area back to the glitter and sparkle it once was for all the residents and daily commuters to see and enjoy. Park on Wilbur. See how you can become involved in helping to improve your neighborhood by going to our web site NorthridgeWest.org for all upcoming events. Thank you and have a great week Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: Northridge West Neighborhood Council is preparing to conduct a CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) for all stakeholders of Northridge West. This training will educate you about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact our community. It will train you in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. If you are interested in signing up for this free training please send an email to president@northridgewest.org 63 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 38 - April 2, 2011 To all Northridge Stakeholders: Spic & Span was the theme that swept Plummer last Saturday! Thanks to the volunteers of Northridge the west portion of Plummer Street just east of Corbin has been deemed spotless - immaculately clean. The broken down fencing, overhanging Bougainvillea and trees along with the piles of debris were swept clean Saturday. An area once described as a “rats nest” is cleaning up nicely due to the hard work and dedication of the volunteers stepping outside the box to help keep Northridge shining. I’d like to thank the Energizer Bunny Sumeko Mukasa, Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman, Coach Dick Rippey, Yellow Croc Trotting Freddie Rymond, Clipper Shark Joe Oswald, the Wilson Clan lead by For Ever Young Martha Wilson and her two rock star performing sons Glen and Robert, Get it Done Now Chris Williams, Mr & Mrs. Paul Bunion Ron & Marlene Wengler for making Saturday’s event a success. Although this week we put a time limit on the mighty and proud Paul Bunion we were still able to get a large portion of the area trimmed up and looking spotless before noon. With the help of these volunteers and that of our newcomers who are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are making our best attempt to meet the challenge to stem the tide and push back the blighted streets of this great city. These volunteers are demonstrating that giving back to your community can be fun; promotes pride of ownership while developing and building new and existing friendships. These efforts exhibit a community coming together to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A special Thank you to Thursday’s Dream Team for their efforts along Wilbur Street just south of Devonshire Street. Their hard work and attention to detail has really improved the appearance and demonstrates what accomplishments are being made to make Northridge residents proud of their community. I want to Thank all the stakeholders that are keeping their parkways, sidewalks, gutters clean. Your efforts and commitment to your community is greatly appreciated. See how you can become involved in helping to improve your neighborhood by going to our web site NorthridgeWest.org for all upcoming events. Thank you and have a great week Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: Please come and join Northridge West Neighborhood Council at Beckford Elementary School at 19130 Tulsa Street in Northridge on April 9th between 10am to 4pm for Family Fun Day. Meet and greet your board members and stakeholders that have been instrumental in setting and accomplishing goals that are designed to improve your community to make it a better and safer place to live, learn, work, and play. Also on April 9th Middle-School Student Sam Dobry and several of his Limekiln Canyon in an effort to keep the area beautiful. The event will be held Saturday, April 9 8:30 am - 11:00 am. Volunteers will meet up at the Korean Church at 19514 Rinaldi St. in Porter Ranch All are welcome, and no RSVP is necessary. Just show up, and bring gloves if you have them, water, sunscreen, and clothes and shoes suitable for painting. Free coffee and pastries generously donated by the Porter Ranch Wal-Mart for the event kick off in the morning, and a delicious free lunch for participants at 11:30 am donated by Outback Steakhouse in Northridge. For more information, call (818) 756-8501. 31 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 37 - March 26, 2011 Success on two fronts! Northridge West Neighborhood Council forged ahead on two fronts last Saturday. Operation Clean Sweep spearheaded by Paul Bunion, the Incredible Hulk Michayluk, his son, Edward Scissorhands Craig Byers, For Ever Young Martha Wilson & her sons Robert & Glen, along with the Energizer Bunny Sumeko Mukasa Joe (Good to see Ya!) Perez made substantial progress cleaning up the piles of debris along the north side of Plummer Street between Corbin & Shirley Streets. The Bougainvillea again proved a challenge to tackle without shedding a drop of blood. Fortunately under the watchful eye of For Ever Young Martha Wilson the mission was accomplished leaving a section of the area sparkling clean. A thank you to all the volunteers that of Operation Clean Sweep Team for manning and forging forward along Plummer Street where portions of fallen walls and large Bougainvillea plants and trees were obstructing the pathways. Please come and join these volunteers as we continue to make Northridge a cleaner, greener and safer community to live, work, learn and play in. The Second front was held at Calahan Elementary School where 42 individuals were provided free First Aid/CPR training by Disaster Specialists Stacy Gerlich. Each student was taught the skills necessary to possibly one day save the life of a family member, co-worker, relative or friend. The students were provided hands on training in performing proper chest compressions, clearing of obstructed airways, rescue breathing, choking procedures (Heimlich Maneuver), along with recognizing & treating heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and standard first aid training such as dressing/treating/splitting wounds . As one student described the class “. It was the best training I have ever had.” A special thank you to Captain Stacy Gerlich for providing a Great First Aid/CPR training seminar, to Calahan Elementary School Pricipal Liane Jacob, Jennifer Cieslak and staff for hosting the First Aid/CPR training class, NWNC Board Member Gerry Malais for his assistance in setting up and training, to Sher Hogan for organizing and setting up the training and Pet Emergency Preparedness class and to our NWNC Outreach Chairwomen Juativa Spurlock for organizing, scheduling, planning the event and delious food that captured everyones attention. Please come join our Thursday Dream TeamMarch 31 at 9am along Wilbur Avenue between Devonshire and Mayall as they transform the area back to the glitter and sparkle it once was for all the residents and daily commuters to see and enjoy Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: On April 9th Middle-School Student Sam Dobry and several of his Limekiln Canyon in an effort to keep the area beautiful. The event will be held Saturday, April 9 8:30 am - 11:00 am. Volunteers will meet up at the Korean Church at 19514 Rinaldi St. in Porter Ranch All are welcome, and no RSVP is necessary. Just show up, and bring gloves if you have them, water, sunscreen, and clothes and shoes suitable for painting. Free coffee and pastries generously donated by the Porter Ranch Wal-Mart for the event kick off in the morning, and a delicious free lunch for participants at 11:30 am donated by Outback Steakhouse in Northridge. 35 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 36 - March 19, 2011 To all Northridge Stakeholders: Hope Worldwide teams up with NWNC to Complete the Mission along Corbin Avenue! Corbin Avenue (East side) from Devonshire to Plummer Street is now officially Swept Clean (East side), Completed, Done! All the over grown trees, bushes, debris and graffiti that was present has been removed. This milestone is another accomplishment of what Northridge West Neighborhood Council is doing to improve your community and bring stakeholders together. I’d like to congratulate Coach Dick Rippey who just completed his 36 week apprenticeship program in tree trimming under the watchful eye of Paul Bunion (Ron Wengler) to become a NWNC journeymen tree trimmer. Mr. Rippey and his Wingman Robert Wilson wasted no time in demonstrating their skills Saturday by trimming back all the over grown trees and shrubs hanging into the path of travel. Their efforts were complimented by an awesome ground crew of helpers lead by Vanessa Davie, Berdine Sims, Humberto Ramos, Inventor/Engineer Charles Gonsowski, Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman, For Ever Young Martha Wilson, Yellow Croc Freddie Rymond & Mrs. Paul Bunion Marlene Wengler. North of these operations was VP Glen Wilson performing his own sculptural work trimming back over grown trees than jumping over to Plummer Street to put his magical touch on the overhanging Bougainville at the corner of Plummer & Corbin. Leading point on the mission was Hassan Hoke, Roy Ramirez, Greg Dunbar, Mike Gilbert from Hope Worldwide whose mission was to remove all the weeds and piles of debris stacked up on the sidewalks and gutters south of Superior to Plummer Street. Coming in as clean up was the Driver of the Street Sweeper that noticed our efforts and made a few passes with the street sweeper to put the final touches to the operations. In addition to the above efforts Get it done Chris Williams was busy mowing the 2’ tall grass along Tampa Avenue knocking down another blighted area. As we reach another milestone in cleaning up Northridge I want thank all the dedicated Volunteers, Hope Worldwide, Northridge Christian Church, the Children & Parents of Beckford elementary School, Troop 911, Girl scout Troop 150-6, Councilman Smith and his Great staff as well as the fokes at LA Sanitation, LA Parks & Rec, and the board members of NWNC that have contributed so much in making NWNC Operation Clean Sweep a success. Their contributions were recognized by Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils which awarded NWNC the Best of Community Beautification & Pride Award on March 10, 2011. The above volunteers demonstrated thru their actions that in order to maintain a clean and safe community everyone needs to get involved if we want our neighborhoods to be clean and safe. A special Thank you to Thursday’s Dream Team for their efforts along Lassen Street. Their hard work and attention to detail is transforming the Lassen medians back to the glitter and sparkle they once were for all the residents and daily commuters to see and enjoy Come and join them this Thursday March 3 at 9am on the north side of Lassen Street west of Tampa Avenue. A Thank you to Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer as well as all stakeholders that are keeping their parkways, sidewalks, gutters clean. It is greatly appreciated. Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: There are still a few more seats for the First Aid/CPR training class on March 26, 2011 from 8AM to 12PM @ Calahan Elementary School on 18722 Knapp Street Northridge 91324. Email Tom Johnson at: tjohnson@northridgewest.org Wilbur Road Diet: On behalf of the NWNC board I want to thank everyone that attended the LADOT Revised Wilbur Road Diet plan on March 15, 2011 at Nobel Middle School. LADOT’s plan failed to secure a majority of votes to approve the plan as submitted. 31 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 35 - March 12, 2011 Chatsworth Neighborhood Council joins Northridge West in tackling the last stretches of Corbin Street while Paul Bunion takes on the Grapefruit trees. Last Saturday Chatsworth Neighborhood Council board members Carol Lucas & Jelena Csanyi joined NWNC in cleaning up the remaining stretches of Corbin Street. The combination of councils working together is an attempt to combat blighted areas within our communities as well as reaching out to the Stakeholders of each neighborhood. These joint efforts allow us to share valuable methods of operation and procedures in starting up and maintaining an all volunteer beautification team within our communities. Saturday’s efforts resulted in a clean sweep of Corbin between Lassen and Superior Streets that netted over 75 bags of debris being swept up and removed from Corbin Street. These efforts were lead by our Coach/ Right Hand Man Dick Rippey. The plan was to trim the Grapefruit trees along with the Bougainville’s back to the property lines clearing the path of travel for pedestrian traffic. What seemed as a quick 100 yard touchdown turned into a long 5 hour touchdown with Paul Bunion leading the charge. The first defensive line crossed were the Grapefruit trees that were shedding Grapefruits the size of miniature basketballs. It took no time for VP Glen Wilson and his Brother Robert to fill up several City issued trash bags for carting off to one of the local food banks. Back from a few week layover was Edward Scissorhands Craig Byers removing the shooters from the Crape Myrtle Trees and clearing out the weeds along the edges of the sidewalks. For Ever Young (82+ years young) Martha Wilson provided valuable logistic in addition to sweeping the gutters removing the piles of car parts and debris that had accumulated over the years. Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock dominated her time with scouting out, loading up and returning nearby green trash bins offered by the neighbors. This in addition to working diligently with VP Wilson on drafting the new NWNC By-Laws for submission to DONE. Reciprocating Saw JoAnn Phillips spearheaded the clipping crew made up of Teacher/Engineer Ski Gonsowski & Incredible Hulk Craig Michayluk since Clipper Joe Oswald ditched us for a late sleep in – Double Duty for Clipper Joe this weekendJ!. Proud & Daring Board Members from Chatsworth Neighborhood Council Carol Lucas & Jelena Csanyi took up raking and photographing the event in preparations of a possible Chatsworth clean Sweep operation. The above volunteers like so many others continue to demonstrate that a community isn’t built by one individual but by many. By getting involved and giving back to your community is a valuable method in promoting unity and pride of ownership, while building and developing new friendships that would never had materialized without neighbors willing to lend a hand to accomplish a shared interest. Come join us as we work together as neighbors and friends to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A special Thank you to Thursday’s Dream Team for their efforts along Lassen Street. Their hard work and attention to detail is transforming the Lassen medians back to the glitter and sparkle they once were for all the residents and daily commuters to see and enjoy. Come and join them this Thursday March 16th at 9am on the north side of Lassen Street as they continue west towards Corbin Street A Thank you to Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer as well as all stakeholders that are keeping their parkways, sidewalks, gutters clean. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: Thank you to all those stakeholders that attended Tuesday night’s LADOT presentation of the revised Wilbur Striping plan at Nobel Middle School. The final vote count was 9 Yes, 3 No, 7 Abstentions – failing to secure a majority for implementing LADOT latest revised striping plan. For those NWNC stakeholders seeking free First Aid/CPR training on March 26, 2011 @ Calahan Elementary School from 8am to 12pm seating is limited to first come first serve & filling up fast. Don’t wait email me with your name and telephone number ASAP! 45 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 34 - March 5, 2011 Bougainvillea Takes on Northridge Operation Clean Sweep – round one. Saturday morning started out great as we wolfed down some warm fresh donuts, brownies over hot chocolate and coffee. The game plan was established where – Paul Bunion and Right Hand Man Dick Rippey (without the L) would set up and trim back the huge monstrous bougainvillea blocking the path of travel located a hundred yards or so south of Vintage Street. Two teams of volunteers (one south and one north) were set up on either side of the bougainvillea and they would focus on the outer edges working their way towards the monstrous bougainvillea. Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman, Get it done Chris Williams & Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock took up the north side cleaning up the stretch from Vintage to the bougainvillea. Reciprocating Saw JoAnn Phillips, For Ever Young Martha Wilson, Son Robert, BSpice Johnson, New Comer Andrew, Proud & Daring Board Member from Sister Northridge South Neighborhood Council Nick Franchino took up clearing the path of travel from the south – north of Lassen Street. Both teams then met up at the bougainvillea to Bunion and Right Hand Man Rippey to put the final touches on the bougainvillea. WRONG! The final touches were more like the final fight between man and bougainvillea. Not one arm or leg went unscathed! Not even leather gloves were a match for this creature of a bush. The thorns were the Bougainvillea’s last line of defense in its protest against being tamed to co-habitat with us mere mortals. Pants, gloves, skin were no match for the attacking thorns which left each one of us with torn and scratched. In addition to the battle of the Bougainvillea we are also proud to announce that we made slight progress removing the unsightly graffiti on the light poles along Corbin. This was no easy task! The consensus from the team is that the City/County/State need to enact laws requiring Taggers be sentenced to removing graffiti (including their own), paying for the materials and reimbursing the tax payers for all costs incurred for apprehending and prosecuting these criminals. They put it on they need to be held accountable for taking it off! The above volunteers like so many others continue to demonstrate that a community isn’t built by one individual but by many. That giving back to your community is a valuable method in promoting unity and pride of ownership, and provides a means to build and develop new friendships that would never had materialized without neighbors willing to lend a hand to accomplish a shared interest. A community of individuals working together to achieve a goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A special Thank you to Thursday’s Dream Team for their efforts along Lassen Street. Their hard work and attention to detail is transforming the Lassen medians back to the glitter and sparkle they once were for all the residents and daily commuters to see and enjoy. Come and join them this Thursday March 9th at 9am on the north side of Lassen Street as they continue west towards Corbin Street A Thank you to Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer as well as all stakeholders that are keeping their parkways, sidewalks, gutters clean. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: Two important events tentatively scheduled for March that you cannot miss – the first – March 15th Consideration of the revised LADOT road diet footprint for Wilbur Avenue at Nobel Middle School 9950 Tampa Ave between 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The second event is a NWNC sponsored 1st Aid/CPR training class scheduled for March 26, 2011 from 8AM to 12PM at Calahan Elementary School 18722 Knapp Street. This training will certify you in both 1st Aid and CPR – seating is limited to first come first served – Do wait sign up NOW! 40 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 33 - February 26, 2011 They’re BACK! Paul Bunion and his beautiful Wife Marlene returned to Operation Clean Sweep and the difference showed! After a slow start the crew was back to strength clearing the over grown trees blocking the sidewalks and obstructing vital street signage. Bunion and his Right Hand Man Dick Rippley took no time clearing the path on the corner of Corbin and Vintage where a discovery of a stop and street sign were uncovered. There the crew continued north pruning the Crape Myrtles and clearing the debris from their bases while clearing broken glass, weeds, and cleaning graffiti. Clipper Joe Oswald and Marlene Bunion stood in for Edward Scissor Hands clipping big branches into small disposable one’s while Get it done Chris Williams and Coffee Connoisseur Juativa Spurlock were busy filling and shuttling green recyclable containers from neighbors homes to the work areas. Ever Young Martha Wilson kept up her active pace of sweeping while her son Robert was right behind her trying to keep up with the pace – both doing an outstanding job. Brother Glen Wilson was intently focused on pruning the Crape Myrtles ensuring their full bloom this spring. Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman leading the charge north along Corbin broke out from the rigorous duties of raking and shoveling to assist in raising the Northridge West Big Top Tent along with High Tech Signs & Banners Dick Ashnault. The above volunteers like so many others continue to demonstrate that a community isn’t built by one individual but by many. That giving back to your community is a valuable method in promoting unity and pride of ownership, and provides a mean to build new friendships that would never had materialized without neighbors willing to extend a hand to accomplish a shared interest. Northridge is a community of neighbors working together to achieve a goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A special Thank you to Thursday’s Dream Team for their efforts along Lassen Street. Their hard work and attention to detail is transforming the Lassen medians back to the glitter and sparkle they once were for all the residents and daily commuters to see and enjoy Come and join them this Thursday March 3 at 9am on the north side of Lassen Street west of Tunney Avenue. Park on Tunney Avenue A great BIG thank you to JoAnn Phillips and her Awesome neighbor for the refurbished Devonshire Country Estates sign that we installed along Devonshire Street just west of Tampa Ave – Great Job! A Thank you to Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer as well as all stakeholders that are keeping their parkways, sidewalks, gutters clean. It is greatly appreciated. Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: E-Waste Collection Event Sunday February27TH 10 am until 3 pm @ Chabad of Northridge 17142 Devonshire Street Northridge, CA 91325 (Drop off in the back alley) “A Fundraiser for Smile on Seniors & Chabad of Northridge” Donate Your Electronic Waste It’s to Help Seniors Bring All of your Plastic & Glass Bottles & Aluminum Cans, Also! Help Us Collect 1,000 TV’s & Monitors, We Recycle Printers, Cartridges, Cell Phones, Batteries & Computers, Bring Your Plastic & Glass Bottles & Aluminum Cans Call Kenneth – 818-324-5828 – Post Event Pick-up/Drop-off 36 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 32 - February 19, 2011 Neither the threat of rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor possible sunny skies was able to keep Northridge West from their appointed schedule for cleaning up Corbin Street this past Saturday. With the gracious support of the numerous volunteers and neighbors we were able to chip away at the blighted areas populating portions of Corbin restoring it back to its natural beauty once bestowed upon it. Gerald Kilroy filling the shoes of Paul Bunion this week did a fantastic job trimming back the numerous branches extending into the path of travel along Corbin. His first task was to set the record straight with the cutters and trees being trimmed at who was the boss. Once that was established there was no stopping his attention to detail and willingness to getting the job done. Reciprocating Saw Joann Phillips & Get it done Chris Williams filled the spot of Edward Scissor Hands cleaning and trimming up the bushes inundating the walls along the south-east corner of May all & Corbin. Northridge Rockabilly Teri Grossman placed a big smile on the teams face with her unique findings that included a bright yellow Happy Face Smile similar to the one she inspires us with everyday. Croc-toting Freddie Mac came to the event dressed for success providing the much needed moral support for the team while planning Operation Clean Sweep’s return to Tampa Avenue in June. Our Plus 80 and young as ever Martha Wilson smiling from ear to ear minded the store making sure everyone signed in while her son’s Robert & Glen tackled the logistics’ of spotting the ladders and making sure the area’s were trimmed and clensed to perfection. Engineer/Teacher Ski did a GREAT job cutting and edging the grass along the parkway north of Mayall Street punctuating the importance to detail that has become a trade mark of the volunteers of Operation Clean Sweep. Rounding out the A Team was Dick the Donut Man Rippley who was instrumental in pushing the team over the goal line by assisting and securing the machinery to complete the day’s operation, spotting Paul Bunion’s look-a-like, gathering, hauling and stock piling the bags of debris, scooping up piles of unknown kryptonite and ensuring all the tools, equipment and safety devices were picked up prior to leaving the site. 28 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 31 - February 12, 2011 A special thank you to all the volunteers that turned out for Saturday’s Operation Clean Sweep along Corbin Street. Saturday’s mission provided a clear path of travel free from the overhanging Orange and Fig trees that were responsible for portion of the debris removed from the sidewalks and gutters. The Crape myrtle’s were given a check up and a clean bill of health with the shooters cut off, the trash and debris removed from the bases to allow their attractive fall foliage to blossom. The day was a text book operation with Paul Bunion (Ron Wengler) and his wing man Dick the Donut Man (Dick Rippley) jumping right into action trimming the trees blocking the path of travel while the supporting staff followed closely behind like a freight train following the locomotive. Northridge Rocks (Teri Grossmen), the Energizer Bunny Sumeko Mukasa along with the Wilson Brother’s Glen & Robert stayed on point compiling and cutting up all the branches downed by Bunion and his wing man while Variable Speed Reciprocating Saw JoAnn Phillips sawed off and compiled all the fruit from the orange trees into containers for extracting orange juice for the Thursday Clean Sweep volunteers. Engineer Ski stayed ahead of the pack testing out his latest invention for holding open trash bags while scooping up debris with a custom snow shovel. Another attempt at improving the operations means & methods for working more efficiently to cover more territory. Creativity in motion – Keep them coming Ski! Freddie Mac came out in style with his Magic quarter (Bent behind your ear), glowing hair cut (check out the picture) and Yellow Croc shoes to compliment BSpice and her Pink Croc shoes as they swept the sidewalks and gutters clean. Our newest volunteer to join the effort was Dumpster Dancing Christine Inez whom was so energized that capturing her on film was blurred. You go Christine! In rounding out the team was Get it Done Chris Williams with her whacky weed whacker and Mrs. Bunion Marlene Wrengler who was dressed for success with a smile and charm that warmed the hearts of everyone. This weekend’s operations is the beginning of a clean sweep operation that will transform one of Northridge West’s most neglected streets littered with 2’ high weeds, fallen & rotten fruit, trash, graffiti into a gleaming clean street of Northridge. These volunteers demonstrated with commitment and sacrifices that giving back to their community promotes unity and pride of ownership, and builds new friendships that would never had materialized without neighbors coming together to accomplish a mission. A community of individuals that come together to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A Thank you to all the stakeholders that are going the extra mile to keep their parkways, sidewalks, gutters clean. Your contributions to making our community great truly appreciated. I would also like to thank Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer. A Big Thank you to the Thursday Clean Up Group lead by JoAnn Phillips. Per Mrs. Phillips: Wednesday the team mowed, pruned and swept Devonshire from Vanalden to Tampa to the tune of approximately 30 bags of debris. Thursday the team mowed, pruned and swept Wilbur just north of Devonshire and also cleaned south of Wilbur with another 10 bags of debris collected on Wilbur near Blackhawk. Per JoAnn Thursday’s Clean Up Group will be held Thursday February 17 @ 9am on the south side of Lassen Street. We will clean from Tunney to Tampa. Park on Tunney which is first street west of Tampa See how you can become involved in helping to improve your neighborhood by going to our web site NorthridgeWest.org for all upcoming events. Thank you Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council 31 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 30 - February 5, 2011 The Girl Scouts from Troop 150-6 along with all the other young and shining stars that came out for Saturday’s Operation Clean Sweep were AWESOME! Their hard work was the driving force that cleaned the entire south side of Devonshire Street from Tunney to Tampa Avenue. With a little guidance and allot of encouragement from our in-house Teacher Ski and an awesome group of parents these girls along with the other amazingly talented individuals a fantastic job was accomplished making Northridge shine J. A special thank you to Kelly Mattinson, Jenna Mattinson, Rob Reeves, Sarah Reeves, Camille Tolentino, Marvin Tolentino, Tal Ankori, Adi Ankori, Merave Perry Ankori, Laruen Steinmetz, Jeannine Steinmetz, Merane Jillian Mervis, Diana Hill, Jessica Chalfin Juliana Chalfin, Rick Mervis, and Jillian Mervis you were AWESOME! To compliment Saturday’s efforts was the Stump Stomping Brown Family who took on the extremely difficult task of removing the dead and dying bushes and stumps along Devonshire. Not an easy task by any means – Great Job! Then there was Edward Scissor Hands Craig Byers Shucking shooters from the base of the pine tree along the north side of Devonshire Street then collecting bags with BSpice. Repeat Champion Joe Perez was back at it sweeping the gutters to a near polish while Clipper Joe Oswald was cutting grass with a smile from ear to ear. Our Northridge Rocks Teri Grossmen was busy paying attention to details and signs, while Ryobi Variable Speed Reciprocating Saw JoAnn Phillips and Mrs. Bunion Marlene Wrengler were busy giving the over grown bushes a crew cut to ensure a clear path of travel. Paul Bunion traded in his chain saw for a leaf blower. Paul made sure every morsel and spec of dirt including any loose aggregate was blown off the beaten path. Get It Done Chris Williams was whacking weeds (Righty Tighty/Lefty Lousie) and trimming bushes after she and BSpice spiffed up the corner of Tunney & Devonshire. And rounding out the dynamic team of volunteers was Coffee Guru Juativa Spurlock Juativa and her son Malik who were busy beavers gathering and disposing the piles of pine needles ahead of the volunteer train. While our Forever Young Martha Wilson kept the spirit up with her smile and charm while her sons Glen & Robert were busy dialing in the overgrown bushes and tree branches along the east end of Devonshire Street. A special thank you to Dick Rippley for coming out & picking up and delivering the donuts for the entire staff of volunteers. They were delicious! With the help of Girl Scout Troop 150-6, the young and inspiring and the new volunteers, in addition to the dedicated regular volunteers who stepped up and joined Operation Clean Sweep we chalked up another accomplishment in stemming the tide of blighted streets of Northridge. These volunteers demonstrated with commitment that giving back to their community is fun, promotes unity and pride of ownership while also building new and existing friendships. These efforts exhibit a community of individuals that come together to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. 47 photos
	Miscellaneous NWNC Photos Miscellaneous NWNC Photos 12 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 29 - January 29, 2011 Saturday’s Clean Sweep along Devonshire Street can only be described as Educational and inspiring for the young and seasoned volunteers. This weekend was a great opportunity for the younger generation to absorb the teaching of the seasoned veterans. At one end of the project we had our Teacher/Engineer Ski working with one of our two star performing helpers (Sean & Malik) cleaning up the flood control entrance along the south side of Devonshire Street east of Melvin. Ski, his little helper Sean and his Mother Kathleen did a fantastic job removing all the junk and debris littering the flood control entrance. Their efforts were responsible for turning an eye sore into a spotless entrance that we were proud of. At the other end of the project we were honored to have the presence of Juativa and her son Malik sweeping and disposing all the debris on the sidewalks and gutters from Melvin to Tunney Ave. Their efforts were fast paced and furious leaving no speck of dirt to be found and transformed dirty weed infested sidewalks and gutters into immaculate paths of travel. These young individuals are part of our raising stars that will carry our legacy into the future. Saturday’s efforts started off with Newbie Craig Byers Shucking shooters from the base of all the pine trees from Melvin all the way to Tampa Ave single handed. Watch out Edward scissor hands Byers is taking the lead. Northridge Rocks Teri Grossmen, Mrs. Bunion Marlene Wengler, and Delicate Glen Wilson were busy trimming up all the low hanging branches along Devonshire to ensure clear headway for those taller forks. While along Corbin we had Get it Done Yesterday Chris Williams & BSpice Johnson (minus her side kick Sammy J) packing mountains of dead leaves, branches, and debris into bag after bag of trash leaving Corbin just south of Devonshire one thousand percent cleaner and brighter. The Incredible Hulk Craig Michayluk and Dick the Donut Man Rippley both turned in an impressive showing carting close to 100 bags of trash into one staging area that grew the length of a football field. Our Energizer Bunny Sumeko Musasa maintained her going, going, going reputation along with our Ryobi Variable Speed Reciprocating Saw touting JoAnn Phillips in cleaning up the junipers east of Tunney Ave where years of debris was removed and disposed of. Tending to the big and tough to get shooters along the base of the pine trees was our very own Rick Mervis who the Craftsman he is found the right combination of appearance and style in trimming the pine trees in style and grace. Our Forever Young Martha Wilson put in an impressive showing sweeping sidewalks and gutters while son Robert tended to stock piling the large number of trash bags stacking up along Devonshire Street. Rounding out the team was Paul Bunion (Ron Wengler) who after rebuilding all our equipment placed the finishing touches on Devonshire and Corbin with his mean blasting leaf blowing machine leaving no morsel of dirt to be found. This weekend thrusted us into the world of graffiti like we never encountered before. The bus benches, sidewalks, traffic light cabinets all exhibited the marks of taggers which is one of our biggest concerns. These senseless acts of vandalism are proving extremely challenging in attempting to remove. If anyone has the tried and true graffiti remover please forward us the name of the product or products so we can remove these unsightly appearances from our streets. With the help of our newcomers, the young and inspiring and the dedicated regular volunteers that are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are making our best attempt to meet the challenges facing our community while trying to stem the tide of blighted streets of Northridge. These volunteers are demonstrating that giving back to your community is fun, promotes unity and pride of ownership while also building new and existing friendships. These efforts exhibit a community coming together to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A special thank you to those unknown individuals that were responsible for cleaning up the east side of Wilbur north of Chatsworth and along Rinaldi. And for those forks responsible for cutting the grass along Tampa Avenue. These acts of kindness are commendable and reflect the pride of ownership that we take within our neighborhoods that make this city great. A thank you to Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer. A thank you to the retirement volunteer group on Thursday lead by JoAnn Phillips the hardworking volunteers were amazing as usual. Everyone worked so hard, and now Lassen Street looks fantastic from Wilbur to Vanalden on both sides! We were spread out all over the place. Newcomer Jerry Sitko whom I've known since our kids were on Stingrays Swim Team together, helped me paint the two rusted trash cans on Lassen just east of Vanalden, now they are bright and white. Jerry, thank you for joining us. Upon completing the painting project, Jerry and I joined Patti, Sumeko and the 3 Wilsons pruning 40-year old overgrown shrubs on the south side of Lassen while Ski, Ron, and Teri completed work on the north side pruning overgrown vegetation, sweeping, etc.. Ron put the finishing touch on the project with the leaf blower. Lassen has never looked so good. Yeah team!!! Today was NWNC's first painting project and it went very well. I bought white paint made for metal, so keep your eyes open for ugly rusted trash cans as we spruce up Northridge. These trash cans were not attached to the sidewalk so we moved them to little Lassen median for painting and drying. NWNC, please buy disposable sponge brushes and inexpensive regular brushes -- or ask LA City to give us these items. See how you can become involved in helping to improve your neighborhood by going to our web site NorthridgeWest.org for all upcoming events. Thank you Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: Frank Estrada of Safety 101 will be offering a great CPR and First Aid Class on Saturday, February 5th at the Flyaway Bus Terminal on the 2nd Floor in the Community Meeting Room. Please see the attached flyer. Frank is a great teacher, you'll learn to save lives in many kinds of emergencies, and have a lot of fun in the process. Be Ready -- Sign up now -- Go and enjoy! TJ 19 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 28 - January 22, 2011 Thank you to all the volunteers that came out Saturday in support of Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Avenue. Saturday's operations complimented the efforts to clean up Tampa Avenue of the overhanging trees and broken irrigation systems within the medians of Tampa Avenue. Yesterday's efforts seen Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bunion (Ron/Marlene Wengler) along with Bunion's side kick Dick Rippley, Joey the shark (Joe Oswald), Energizer Bunny (Sumeko Mukasa), New Kids on the Block (Joey Lopez & Andrew Cotreel) trimming up the overhanging trees along the west side of Tampa Ave while Northridge Rocks Teri Grossman, Get it Done Chris Williams, Martha, Robert & Glen Wilson, Engineer Ski and New Kid on the Block Craig Byers cutting grass, trimming bushes, along the east side of Tampa Ave while our own Irrigation Specialist Rick Mervis worked on exposing the broken irrigation lines within the Tampa median. With the help of these volunteers and that of our newcomers who are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are making our best attempt to meet the challenge to stem the tide and push back the blighted streets of this great city. These volunteers are demonstrating that giving back to your community can be fun; promotes pride of ownership while developing and building new and existing friendships. These efforts exhibit a community coming together to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. A special thank you to those unknown individual young men that were spotted cleaning up the north side of Chatsworth Street between Vanalden and Tampa last week, along with those individuals that were responsible for cleaning up the east side of Corbin Street south of Plummer Street. These acts of kindness are commendable and reflect the pride of ownership that our community exhibits everyday to make this city great. A thank you to Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer. A thank you to the volunteer group on Thursday per JoAnn Phillips, who said "Thank you to all that turned out for a very successful cleanup effort along Lassen between Vanalden and Wilbur. It looks fantastic now." These combined acts of community participation are examples of what is being done to preserve and improve a community one block at a time. 22 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 27 - January 15, 2011 AWESOME! Northridge Rocked this weekend with the help of over 100 volunteers ranging from infancy to 80+ years young. I want to thank all the volunteers that showed up Saturday for an outstanding job in helping make the event a success as we remember the late Dr. Martin Luther King. Your efforts, sacrifices and hard work are seen as an inspiration to so many individuals of what accomplishments can be achieved when you roll up your sleeves and work together as a team to improve a community. Scorecard: The Ravens & Eagles came on field kicking field goals as thou it was a basketball game scoring double digit points on both sides. The Colts and Jets suited up for battle only to encounter difficult field conditions due to the dense concentration of lumbering trees blocking the goal posts which in the end proved no match for Paul Bunion and the Jets. The Saints and Seahawks just couldn’t be stopped blowing right thru the goal posts @ Melvin & Devonshire to end up @ Corbin & Devonshire. In the mean time the Falcons and Green Bay Packers were busy dueling it out along Devonshire Street pulling out inner tubes, sheets of wood from under the Astroturf while attempting to reach the goal posts. During the final minutes the special teams from both organizations were called out to drop back to the 50 yard line for the blitz to the field goal. Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots went into overtime driving past the goal posts on Tampa & Tunney up Germain then north on Tampa. What a game - the Patriots & Steelers collided on the north-east corner of Tampa & Tunney to tackle the Astroturf blocking the storm drain just below the goal post. The Kansas City Chiefs went un-contested literally creating their very own football field. If you look hard enough you can envision a nice little dog park designed and built with drought tolerant plants, stone, a few trees – just a suggestion in case any corporate sponsor is reading or willing to help out. In all it was a wonderful turn out of great players (volunteers) that made Saturday’s Super Bowl Kick off a great success. Without each and every one of them/you the accomplishments achieved would not have materialized and the conditions would have been considered tolerable. You proved Saturday that the conditions were not acceptable and confronted them with the mind set and tenacity that there is no goal post to tall that prevents us from kicking field goals as a community. You demonstrated Saturday that giving back to your community is like playing a game where you can have fun while building and developing new and existing friendships that draws a community together. On behalf of the Northridge West Neighborhood Council it was an honor and privilege to have met and worked alongside each of you as a volunteer working to keeping America beautiful. I would also like to thank the Thursday Clean Sweep Team for their hard work and commitment in cleaning up Devonshire Street between Tampa to Tunney Thursday morning in preparation of Saturday’s Super Bowl Clean Sweep. And for Ron Wengler who single handed cleaned up the north side of Chatsworth Street west of Vanalden by placing all the debris neatly into a dozen trash bags and stacking them perfectly level with the one below it. A special thank you goes out Councilman Greig Smith and his entire office staff for helping organize Saturday’s event. A great BIG thank you to Hope Worldwide and all their members and sponsors that came out for Saturday’s event. And a thank you to LA City Parks & Recreation and Public Works for supplying all the tools and picking up all the collected debris. And most importantly a big thank you to Northridge West Neighborhood Council for funding the event. For additional photographs of the event go to : http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_17108145 37 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 26 - January 8, 2011 I want to thank all the volunteers that came out Saturday in support of Operation Clean Sweep along Devonshire, Tampa and Tunney Avenues. Saturday's operations laid the foundation for the Grand Kickoff Cleanup Sweep Operation scheduled for next Saturday (1/15/11) where Councilman Smith and Hope Worldwide will be joining our efforts to clean up the graffiti, trash, and debris plugging up our storm drains, gutters, sidewalks and parkways along Tunney, Tampa, Devonshire streets in an effort to improve Northridge Yesterday's efforts seen Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bunion (Ron/Marlene Wengler), Northridge Rocks (Teri Grossman), Joey (Joe Oswald), Energizer Bunny (Sumeko Mukasa), the Johnson Sisters BSpice & Sammy J taking on lumbering sections of dead and over hanging tree branches along Tampa where some of the branches fought back just about taking Paul off his feet. While on the corner of Tampa & Devonshire the plugged up storm drain and weed infested corner lot took its toll on the strength and perseverance of our Engineer Ski, Ex Pres (Dennis De Young), Robert the Bull Wilson, Newcomer’s (Sue Mattison & Stacy McKinley), and Freddie Mack (Freddie Rymond). The actions along Tunney were tackled by Mr. Clean (Robert Graf), Back draft Fighter Gerry Malais, CD 12 Candidate Navrai Singh, Incredible Hulk Craig Machayluk, Martha & Glen Wilson where they were busy clipping shooters, brushing off graffiti and pulling weeds. In rounding out the effort along Devonshire Street and an inspiration to all our young stakeholders of Northridge were our youngest members Brandon, Laney, Shane, Spencer lead by Chris & Allen Williams. With the help of these volunteers and that of our newcomers who are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are making our best attempt to meet the challenge to stem the tide and push back the blighted streets of this great city. These volunteers are demonstrating that giving back to your community can be fun, helps build and develop new and existing friendships and pulls a community together to achieve a shared goal of having a cleaner, greener and safer community where we can live, work, learn and play. I would also like to thank Joann Phillips, Teri Grossman, Ron & Marlene Wengler Ski, Martha, Robert, Glen Wilson, Sumeko Mukasa for their hard work and commitment in cleaning up Devonshire Street between Vanalden to Tampa on Thursday mornings. The efforts of Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for all their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Plummer. These combined acts of community participation are examples of what can be done to preserve and improve a community one block at a time. See how volunteering can improve your community and expand your friendship within the neighborhood by joining us on any given Saturday. Visit our web site NorthridgeWest.org for all upcoming events. Thank you Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council 10 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 25 - December 18, 2010 Happy Holiday and a Merry Christmas to you and your families. I want to thank all of you that have come out during these last twenty five weeks to help make Northridge a nicer place to live, work, play and learn. Your efforts were instrumental in collecting and disposing of more than 1,000 bags of trash covering approximately 6.8 miles. You are shining examples of how a group of individuals working together can make a positive change to improve the quality of life in a community one block at a time. I would also like to thank the dedicated volunteers that came out Saturday in the pouring rain in support of Operation Clean Sweep along Devonshire, Tunney and Tampa Avenue. The unrelenting storm and piles of debris in front of the catch basins diverted our mission from a survey/planning observation to a Repaid Response Team thrusted into cleaning out numerous catch basins along Tunney and Devonshire Streets. All the catch basins we encountered yesterday were so badly clogged with plastic bottles, cans, pine cones, pine needles, weeds, vegetation and debris that much of the water flowing towards the catch basins flowed out into the oncoming vehicle traffic creating safety hazards for passing motorist. After the planning phase and the mission defined Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) Wengler, Encino Council Member Glenn Bailey and Northridge Rocks author Teri Grossman began exploring the depths of the unknown within the catch basins pulling out clumps of weeds, bottles, pine cones, pine needles blocking the entrances to the storm drains along Tunney and Devonshire Streets while Leaf Blowing Operator Joann Phillips, Dick The Donut Man Rippey and The Incredible Hulk Craig Michayluk worked clearing the streets and gutters of the pine needles and debris along Tunney and Devonshire Streets. These individuals went beyond the commitment of neighborhood pride and participation by braving the pouring rain to ensure the safety and public welfare of the community was adequately maintained by removing the debris clogging the catch basins. These acts of community involvement can only be characterized as Honorary Community Activists dedicated to keeping our community clean and green while demonstrating that as a united community we can build a safer environment in which to live, work, play and learn. I would also like to thank all our past and present men and women in uniform as well as their families for their sacrifices to protect and maintain our freedoms and security. On behalf of the Northridge West Neighborhood Council we wish you and your families the blessings of warmth and good cheer this holiday season Happy Holidays. 14 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 24 - December 11, 2010 Happy Holidays! I want to thank all the elves that came out Saturday in support of the Operation Khris Kringle Clean Sweep along Wilbur Avenue. The mission accomplished the first phase of a partial clearing of debris that has accumulated along Wilbur Avenue for the scheduled arrival of Santa Claus for his annual December 24, 2010 visit to our Great City. The plan is to give Mr. Claus a clear runway to deliver all his good will throughout the Valley. Saturday’s event was marked by some very curious bystanders intent on giving us a day of "Where do it go" syndrome. It first started out with a missing jacket followed by where did the camera go. After a good hour of searching the jacket was found without a sign of the camera. A little after 2pm I received a telephone call from a very nice lady stating that her husband had just found my camera with all the day’s pictures in it along with the two culprits who were trying to use it. It turns out the culprits were the two Irish Setter puppies wanting to join in on the fun by jumping up the side of a masonry wall looking to get a glimpse of Operation Clean Sweep. The clever antics of these two jokesters highlights just some of the events that are encountered during Operation Clean Sweep events where community improvements are mixed with fun, laughter, mystery and accomplishments A huge thank you to our newest elves Sher Hogan, Joe Oswald, Charles Gonsowski, the Energizer Bunny Sumeko Mukasa, I’ll Meet You There Rick Mervis, Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) & Majestic Marlene Wengler, Paul Bunion’s Right Hand Man Dick Rippey, Leaf Blower Operator Joann Phillips, Ah Yea Robert & Glen Wilson, along with their Beautiful Mother Martha Wilson, Northridge Rocks author Teri Grossman, Where’s my Big Sis Bspice Johnson, Outreach Chair Juativa & Traffic Controller Mike (a.k.a Warren) Spurlock, and that unknow young buck who's names I did not get that showed up to clear the path from the North Pole to Northridge. These individuals are your neighbors and friends who are stepping up to the challenges of helping another neighbor in joining hands to make the difference in improving our community one block at a time. Please come and join us in making Northridge a safer, cleaner, better community to live, work, play and learn. I would also like to announce a Thursday addition to Operation Clean Sweep. If you are wondering why Devonshire Street is looking better? For several months a group of dedicated neighbors have been cleaning the parkways and sidewalks along Devonshire Street every Thursday. This supplements Northridge West Neighborhood Council's amazing Operation Clean Sweep Saturday accomplishments. Please join the Thursday effort. We will be meeting 9 am this Thursday December 16 on the north-west corner of Devonshire & Vanalden Streets to review the work plan. Contact Jo Ann Phillips at japhillips1@yahoo.com if you have any questions or need directions. Note the start time is 9 am so you can sleep in. A special thank you to Sumeko Mukasa, Joann Phillips, Teri Grossman, Ron & Marlene Wengler, Dick Rippey, Charles Gonsowski, Glen, Robert, Martha Wilson for their hard work and commitment in cleaning up Devonshire Street on Thursday morning. I also want to thank Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for all their hard work and commitment to cleaning up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Dearborn as well as their food drive efforts to stamp out hunger. With your help and that of the new volunteers that have been increasingly stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are beginning to redefine the saying "It will never get done" with "When do you want it done" to improve our community. Come join us in our efforts to lead by example of what can be done having fun while building a close knit neighborhood committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of while bringing neighbors closer together. Thank you. 10 photos
	NWNC at the Northridge Hawaii Festival -- June 5, 2010 5 photos
	NWNC Clean Sweep presented with a certificate from CD12 -- Sept. 14, 2010 1 photos
	Chris Williams joins the Northridge West Neighborhood Council -- Oct. 12, 2010 1 photos
	North Valley Emergency Fair -- Oct. 2, 2010 3 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 22 - November 27, 2010 Tampa Avenue between the 118 Freeway to Plummer Street along the East and West sides have been swept clean. This milestone could not have been accomplished without the hard work and commitment of the gracious individual volunteers that came out in support of Operation Clean Sweep. Their efforts helped remove well over 600 bags of trash as well as car bumpers, fenders, batteries, license plates, social security cards, telephone bills, telephones, coils, newspapers, Styrofoam cups, shopping carts, abandon garage sale signs, fish tanks, shoes, and clothing that littered one of Northridge’s main thoroughfares. The trees and bushes blocking the paths of travel were trimmed, the storm drains clogged with plastic bags, pine needles, pine cones, leaves, and garbage bags were cleaned, new friendships were born while others were expanded. The efforts and camaraderie exhibited by all the volunteers throughout these last twenty-two (22) weeks has been great and demonstrates that by working together we can bring our community together while having fun and building friendships one block at a time. A huge thank you to Get it Done Rick Mervis, Energizer Bunny Sumiko Mukasa, to Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) & Marlene Wengler, Dick The Donut Man Rippey (Paul Bunion #2), The Engineer Ski Gonsowski, Awesome Teri Grossman, the Help my dad Sisters Bspice & Sammie J, Coffee Girl Juativa, Mike (a.k.a. Warren) Spurlock, the Young and Restless Martha, Glen, Robert Wilson, The Leaf Blowing Operator JoAnn Phillips I would also like to thank Joann Phillips, Teri Grossman, and Dick Rippey for their hard work and commitment in cleaning up Wilbur Ave between Devonshire and Tuba Streets on Thursday morning. The efforts of the unknown individuals that cleaned up Chatsworth Street between Crebs & Wilbur Avenue in Northridge. With your help and that of the new volunteers that have been increasingly stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of this great city by demonstrating actions speak louder than words and that volunteering time and energy is fun and helps build a close knit neighborhood committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of. 8 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 21 - November 20, 2010 Short story! Around 7AM fearing that volunteers may not have received the email this morning canceling today's scheduled Operation Clean Sweep I drove to Chatsworth and Tampa Avenue planning to inform those that arrived that the event was canceled due to the rain. Well sure enough the first volunteer (Dick Rippey) with hot coffee and donuts showed up to kick off a UCLA tail gate breakfast in the rain. Within a few minutes another volunteer Teri Grossman showed up and joined us for breakfast only to observe the storm drain on Tampa Ave just north of Chatsworth Street was plugged up creating a safety hazard for traffic traveling south along Tampa. Given Teri's distinctiveness for safety she immediately began reaching down past her elbow into the murky waters pulling up chucks of debris that was clogging up the storm drain. Not to be thought of as slackers Dick and I immediately pulled up our sleeves and joined Mrs. Grossman in clearing out all the debris so the water on Tampa could drain into the storm drain thereby preventing a possible accident. Once that mission was completed and now dressed up in custom tailored plastic bag rain suits Teri and Dick proceeded north along Tampa Avenue picking up car parts, plastic bottles, cans, pine needles, tree bark, etc. blocking the gutters and sidewalks. As the dynamic duo continued filling trash bag after trash bag three additional volunteers (Glen Wilson, Chris and Allen Williams) arrived and jumped right into action picking up the trash bags lining Tampa and stacking them along Chatsworth Street. The Unbelievably and Incredible dedication and commitment exhibited by these and so many other volunteers, stakeholders and city staff workers who have joined Operation Clean Sweep make me proud and thankful to have met and worked with so many great individuals. You have demonstrated by your actions that Northridge is a great place to live, work, play and learn. That by joining hands and working together we are having fun, making new friends, meeting new neighbors and improving the safety and beauty of our community one block at a time. On behalf of Northridge West Neighborhood Council I want to wish all the volunteers, stakeholders, Councilman Smith, his entire staff, LA City Sanitation and our sister Neighborhood Councils, the staff, students and parents of Beckford Elementary School, Club Scout Pack 911, DONE a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday. Tom Johnson President, Northridge West Neighborhood Council 5 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 20 - November 13, 2010 A Great big thank you to all the volunteers (Specially those young bucks that showed up in force with all their energy) that came out this past weekend in support of Operation Clean Sweep. With your help we were able to clean sweep the entire east side of Tampa from Nashville Street to the 118 Freeway in addition to trimming the huge tree hanging over the sidewalk just south of Nashville street thanks to Paul Bunion. The challenge was to get the area around the Freeway on ramp swept clean before traffic became too congested and to complete the trimming of the giant tree south of Nashville that was over hanging the sidewalk. The efforts exhibited by these volunteers are greatly appreciated and demonstrates that by working together we are having fun while improving our community one block at a time. A huge thank you to Takeo Mukasa, Charles Gonsowski, Rick Mervis, Bob Graf, Andrew Cottreil, Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) & Marlene Wengler, Dick Rippey, Allen, Nathan, Johnny, Cameron, Chris Williams, Joann Phillips, Robert, Glen, Martha Wilson, Teri Grossman, Bspice & Sammie J Johnson, Gerry Malais who showed up to help us tackled the mission of clearing a path from Nashville Street to the 118 Freeway along the east side of Tampa Ave where the over growth of trees, piles of pine needles, weeds and dirt impeded the path of travel while creating a safety hazard. I would also like to thank Joann Phillips, Teri Grossman, Ron & Marlene Wengler and Dick Rippey for their hard work and commitment in cleaning up Devonshire Street between Wilbur and Vanalden on Thursday mornings. The efforts of Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for all their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Dearborn. And the efforts of those unknown individuals responsible for cleaning up the debris along Wilbur street between Tribune & Kenya Streets in Northridge. With your help and that of the new volunteers that have been increasingly stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of this great city by demonstrating actions speak louder than words and that volunteering time and energy is fun and helps build a close knit neighborhood committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of. 11 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 19 - November 6, 2010 With the help of Beckford Elementary Students, Parents, Club Scout Pack 911 and the awesome group of stakeholder volunteers that volunteered for Operation Clean Sweep we were able to sweep clean both sides of Chatsworth Street between Vanalden to Tampa, the north side of Los Alimos Street between Vanalden to Beckford and west side of Vanalden Street between Los Alimos to Tulsa (South and East sides of Beckford Elementary School). One individual summed up this weekend's events with - "Northridge Rocks"! The dedication and hard work of these exceptional students, cub scouts, parents, and stakeholder volunteers produced over 120 bags of debris being swept up and removed from these streets exposing the beauty of Northridge and the individual stakeholders that make up Northridge. The excitement and hard work exhibited by the Beckford students in the morning and cub scouts in the afternoon along with the leadership and support of their parents and stakeholder volunteers was fantastic. The energy of the Beckford students was such that they blew right past our milestone of reaching Vanalden along Chatsworth and proceeded to head towards Wilbur Ave until they were instructed to turn around. While in the afternoon the Cub Scouts made it priority #1 to complimented the morning’s efforts with cleaning up all the debris around the south and east sides of Beckford Elementary School. Their efforts contributed another 12 bags of debris being swept up and bagged. The dedication and commitment of these individuals is exceptional and inspired several individuals walking and driving by to stop inquire and join the operation. We also were honored to have several new stakeholders join Operation Clean Sweep this weekend stating they had seen us during prior events and wanted to contribute to the efforts of beautifying and unifying Northridge. An AWESOME thank you goes out to all the Students and Parents of Beckford Elementary School, to Diane Segismundo & Fay Moss for all their efforts arranging and organizing the students and parents at Beckford, to Kelly Mattenson for ensuring the safety of the children, to Master Chef's Steve Davies & Scott Goldman for their awesome single and double burger flipping skills, to the Energizer Bunny Sumiko Mukasa, to Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) & Marlene Wengler, Dick The Donut Man Rippey (Paul Bunion #2), dynamic duo Allen & Chris Williams, , Awesome Teri Grossman, the Help my dad Sisters Bspice & Sammie J Johnson, Coffee Girl Juativa,, Mike (a.k.a. Warren) Spurlock and their lovely children, the Young and Restless Martha, Glen, Robert Wilson, the Incredible Hulk (a.k.a Craig Michayluk) and his two lovely kids, Gary, Laura Kuykendall and their lovely children, Mike & Graham Kope and Kathleen (Sorry I didn't get the last name) who were instrumental in making this weekend’s clean swept a success. Their efforts cleared clogged up storm drain, sidewalks and gutters littered with pines needles, pine cones, branches, leaves, shoots, bamboo, broken glass, etc. impeding the path of travel and creating safety hazards. I would also like to thank Teri Grossman, JoAnn Phillips, Ron & Marlene for their dedicated commitment and hard work in cleaning up Devonshire Street between Wilbur and Vanalden on Thursday mornings. The efforts of Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to beautify Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Dearborn. A special note of thank you to those individuals behind the scene helping to support Operation Clean Sweep - Councilman Greig Smith and his entire staff along with LA City Department of Sanitation for supplying the trash bags and picking up the piles of debris each weekend. With your help and that of the new volunteers that are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of this great city by demonstrating actions speak louder than words and that volunteering time and energy is fun and helps build a close knit neighborhood committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of. 13 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 18 - October 30, 2010 Fantastic! The only word to describe the overwhelming turn out of volunteers that showed up for Saturday’s Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Avenue & Chatsworth Streets. The parents and students of Beckford Elementary School along with our dedicated volunteers turned out in force and swept the streets of Northridge sparkling clean. The dedication and hard work of these superb students, parents, and stakeholders produced so much debris being collected that we ran out of trash bags to confine it all. The energy exhibited by the students of Beckford Elementary School was unbelievable as was the ambitions, support and leadership of the parents. Their willingness to come out Saturday was inspiring and reflected their commitment to helping keep their community and the surrounding environment around Beckford Elementary School clean, green and safe. A great BIG huge thank you goes out to all the Students and Parents of Beckford Elementary School, to Diane Segismundo for all her efforts arranging and organizing the students and parents at Beckford, to Kelly Mattenson for ensuring the safety of the children, to Master Chef's Steve Davies & Scott Goldman for their awesome burger flipping skills, to Detail Man Freddie Rymond, to the Energizer Bunny Sumiko Mukasa, to the Let's get it done Yesterday dynamic duo Allen & Chris Williams, Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) & Marlene Wengler, Dick The Donut Man Rippey, Awesome Teri Grossman, the Help my dad Sisters Bspice & Sammie J Johnson, Coffee Girl Juativa & Mike (a.k.a. Warren) Spurlock, the Young and Restless Martha & Glen Wilson, the Incredible Hulk (a.k.a Craig Michayluk) and his two lovely kids, the new comer Kayley I finally made it Varga who showed up. Their efforts helped clear the debris accumulated along the east side of Tampa Ave and along the north side of Chatsworth Street where over grown trees, weeds, pine needles, pine cones, bumpers, license plates, hub caps, broken bottles, graffiti, industrial equipment littered the sidewalks, storm drains, gutters and medians impeding the path of travel while creating a safety hazards. I would also like to thank Teri Grossman for her dedicated commitment and hard work in cleaning up Devonshire Street between Wilbur and Vanalden on Thursday morning single handed. The efforts of Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for their efforts to beautify Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Dearborn as well as their food drive to help those in hunger. With your help and that of the new volunteers that are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of this great city by demonstrating actions speak louder than words and that volunteering time and energy is fun and helps build a close knit neighborhood committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of. 9 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 17 - October 23, 2010 Awesome turn out and a great big thank you to all the volunteers that came out this past weekend in support of Operation Clean Sweep in spite of the early rain. What started out as a 2 man operation showered with sprinkles of rain rapidly exploded into a twenty plus party of dedicated warriors bent on having fun while cleaning up and improving our community? The efforts exhibited by these volunteers are greatly appreciated and demonstrates that by working together we are improving our community one block at a time. A huge thank you to Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) & Marlene Wengler, Dick Rippey, Sumiko Mukasa, the Incredible Hulk (a.k.a Craig Michayluk), Allen, Nathan, Johnny, Cameron, Chris Williams, Freddie Rymond, Danny & Joann Phillips, Robert, Glen Wilson, Teri Grossman, Bspice & Sammie J Johnson, Juativa Spurlock, and a special thank you to our sister North Hills Neighborhood Council Board Members Ellie Hill Reese, Dawn & her beautiful daughter Hanna Ailetcher who showed up to help us tackled the mission of clearing a path from Germain to Chatsworth Street along the east side of Tampa Ave where the over growth of trees, pine needles, car parts and dirt impeded the path of travel while creating a safety hazard. I would also like to thank Joann Phillips, Teri Grossman, and Ron Wengler for their hard work and commitment in cleaning up Devonshire Street between Wilbur and Vanalden on Thursday mornings. The efforts of Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for all their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Dearborn. And the efforts of those unknown individuals responsible for cleaning up the debris along Devonshire street between Corbin & Oakdale Ave in Chatsworth. With your help and that of the new volunteers that are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of this great city by demonstrating actions speak louder than words and that volunteering time and energy is fun and helps build a close knit neighborhood committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of. 8 photos
	Community Budget Day - L.A. City Hall - October 16, 2010 2 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 16 - October 16, 2010 Excellent job to all the volunteers that came out this past weekend in support of Operation Clean Sweep. The challenge was great given all the debris obstructing and clogging up the sidewalk, street and gutters. Your efforts not only met the challenge of cleaning up the debris between Germain towards Atlanta Streets but you helped extend our reach to the 118 Freeway. A special thank you to Sumiko Mukasa, Dick Rippey, the Incredible Hulk (a.k.a Craig Michayluk), the Can-Do Team of Allen & Chris Williams, Joann Phillips, Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) Wengler, Robert, Glen, Martha Wilson, Teri Grossman who tackled the mission of clearing a path from Germain to almost Atlanta Street along the East side of Tampa Ave where the over growth of trees, brush and dirt impeded the path of travel and created a safety hazard. I would also like to thank Joann Phillips, Teri Grossman, Chris Williams, Marlene and Ron Wengler for their hard work and commitment in cleaning up Devonshire Street between Wilbur and Vanalden on Thursday mornings. And Jamie and Sherry Ramstead for all their efforts to clean up the east side of Wilbur Street between Nordhoff and Dearborn. With your help and that of the new volunteers that are stepping up and joining Operation Clean Sweep we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of Northridge by demonstrating actions speak louder than words and that volunteering time and energy is fun and helps build a close knit neighborhood committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of. 6 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 15 - October 9, 2010 To all Northridge Stakeholders: A Great Weekend turn out with excellent progress last Saturday! Pastor Steve Cook and all the parishioners from Northridge Christian Church along with Councilmen Smith's volunteers joined forces with Operation Clean Sweeps Dream Team of volunteers that brought the pine needles raining down during this weekend’s clean up operations. Close to 100 bags of fire fuel (pine needles) were raked up and bagged for disposal making this portion of Northridge cleaner and safer for all those stakeholders living within the immediate area. I would like to thank Greig Smith and his staff for organizing this event and for all the support his entire staff provides us each and every day and weekend. Secondly I'd like to thank Pastor Steve Cook and all the parishioners of Northridge Christian Church that gave up their Saturday to come out in support of this past weekend’s Operation Clean Sweep. These angels of kindness were shining examples of a gifted congregation committed to connecting with the community in a lasting and spiritual way. Their determination and commitment gives us the faith and encouragement to continue working together as a community united in making Northridge a cleaner, greener and safer places to live, learn, work and play. A special thank you to Sumiko Mukasa, Dick the Donut Man Rippey (Excellent Donuts), Juativa and Warren (a.k.a.Mike) Spurlock, Glen, Robert, Martha Wilson, Dynamite Debbie Penman, Chris and Allen Williams, The Johnson Sisters, Kelly Lord from our sister Northridge East Neighborhood Council, Power Tool Crazy Joann Phillips, the Honorable Teri Grossmen, Incredible Hulk Craig Michayluk and his two beautiful children. It is with your continued commitment and dedication each and every Saturday that demonstrates to the entire City that stepping up to the plate means tackling problems with actions not complaints and gives true meaning that actions speak louder than words. I am honored and proud to be amongst your ranks of wanting to be the best of the best. Thank you. This upcoming Saturday’s (10/16/10) Clean Sweep Operation will put us back on the east side of Tampa Avenue between Germain and Atlanta Streets where we will continue cleaning up operations in our quest to reach the 118 Freeway. I will be sending out Saturday’s announcement tomorrow. In closing, I would like to thank all of the Stakeholders, Board Members, Candidates for Office, Representatives of those in Office, and anyone that I didn't mention for attending last night’s Northridge West Neighborhood Council Meeting. It was a well atteded and constructive meeting touching on front and foremost issues facing Northridge West community and the Neighborhood Council. Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council 12 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 14 - October 2, 2010 To all Northridge Stakeholders: Many thanks to all the volunteers that came out this past weekend in support of Operation Clean Sweep. You not only met the challenge of cleaning up the debris between Devonshire and Blackhawk Streets but you extended our reach up to Germaine where the Incredible Hulk (a.k.a Craig Michayluk), Constant Casey (a.k.a Glen Wilson), Warren (Alias Mike) Spurlock, Can-Do Allen Williams, Newcomer Nick Varvais, Go-Get-Em Joann Phillps, Dynamite Debbie Penman and Sammy J tackled the mission of clearing a path between Blackhawk and Germain Streets East side of Tampa Ave where the over growth of trees and bush impeded the path of travel. This weekend also brought us back to the West side of Tampa Ave between Devonshire and Tunney Streets for a tidy up mission where Get-It-Done Williams, Ozzy Osbourne Grossmen and Slim Shady Brookster slammed the door on the reoccurring debris. With your help and that of the new volunteers that are stepping up and joining us we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of Northridge by demonstrating that volunteering time and energy builds a close knit of neighbors committed to a cleaner, greener and safer community that we all can be proud of. Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: Saturday’s free Earthquake Preparedness Fair and luncheon was a fantastic event with numerous free gifts and excellent food prepared by the two Best Chef's West of the 405 Freeway Dennis DeYoung and Mitch Englander. TJ 5 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 13 - September 25, 2010 To all Northridge Stakeholders: Great Job to the volunteers of Operation Clean Sweep this past weekend! You demonstrate that when the heat is on you are there ready, willing, and determined to meet the challenge of making Northridge a Cleaner and Greener community to live and work in. This weekend’s operations complete another step in our goal of cleaning up Tampa Avenue from 118 Freeway to Plummer Streets. A special thank you to Sumiko Mukasa, Ron (a.k.a Paul Bunion) & Marlene Wengler, Gerry Malais, Dick Rippey, Craig Michayluk, Juativa & Warren (Alias Mike) Spurlock, Martha, Glen, Robert Wilson, Chris & Allen Williams and the Johnson Sisters. With your help we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets of Northridge by demonstrating that volunteering time and energy builds a close knit of neighbors committed to a cleaner and greener community that we all can be proud of. Tom Johnson President Northridge West Neighborhood Council PS: Next Saturday’s (October 2, 2010) Clean Sweep Operation along Tampa Avenue will be followed up by a free Earthquake Preparedness Fair and luncheon (Honorary Chef's Dennis DeYoung and Mitch Englander will be battling it out for bragging rights to Who is the Best Chef west of the 405 Freeway) sponsored by Northridge West, Northridge East, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills North, Granada Hills South, Lake Balboa, and Chatsworth Neighborhood Councils along with Councilmen Greig Smith. This event along with the Rotary Club of Granada Hills Blood Drive and Health Expo are joint community events intended to help bring awareness to being better prepared for emergencies and disasters. TJ 6 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 12 - September 18, 2010 Amazing!!! That's the only way I can describe Saturday's 9/18/10 Clean Sweep Operation along Tampa Avenue. The entire length of Tampa (East side) from Lassen to Superior Streets were cut, trimmed, swept and blown clean. The Hornets nest at the corner of Tampa & Superior Streets was completely swept clear of all the overgrowth and debris (See before & after photographs - amazing) that had accumulated over several years. This effort would have been impossible if not for the mighty help of Marlene Wengler, Dick Rippey, Juativa & Warren (Alias Mike) Spurlock, Martha, Glen, Robert Wilson, Teri Grossmen, Jo Ann Phillips, Takeo & Sumiko Mukasa, the Johnson Sisters, Alice Baker, Candidate for California 40th State Assembly District Dennis DeYoung, Ron Wengler a.k.a Paul Bunion. From the very start Ron a.k.a Paul Bunion stood out as a force to be reckoned. Ron Jumped right into the thick jungle at Tampa & Superior whacking any branch in his way didn't stop until every branch was either on the ground or in a trash container. This operation was our biggest challenge to our resources and efforts to date and was accomplished with all volunteer community stakeholders’ involvement that is helping to make Northridge a Cleaner, Greener and Safer place to live and work. In addition to the operations along Tampa Saturday, the Reseda median just south of Lassen Street has improved. There is still some slight grading, tree trimming and weed removal that we hope to have accomplished within the next few weeks. 10 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 11 - September 11, 2010 A special tribute to all the volunteers that came out on Saturday 9/11/10 in support of Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Avenue. We honored this special day with Ole Glory in remembrance of those that perished on 9/11/01 along with all the brave men and women in uniform that made the ultimate sacrifices and those that continue to sacrifice so much to defend our freedoms that make our operations possible. Our hearts and prayers are with them. A Red, White and Blue thank you to Ron & Marlene Wengler, Dick Rippey, Juativa & Warren (Alias Mike) Spurlock, Martha, Glen, and Robert Wilson, Teri Grossmen, Jo Ann Phillips, Debbie and Don Penman, and Chris Williams with Remax Realty for sharing this special day of remembrance with us in preserving the Northridge heritage as a great place to live and work. In addition to the operations along Tampa Saturday, the Reseda median just south of Lassen Street continues to improve. The irrigation systems are now on programmed timers providing much needed regulated water to many plants that were near extinction. On another front the medians along Tampa Avenue between Devonshire and the 118 Freeway were surveyed this weekend and found to be in similar need of restoration as those on Reseda Blvd. The medians are in a dust bowl (See attached pictures) state over taking the little patches of grass that are left due to the lack of water from the broken irrigation lines, control valves, timers that are in desperate need of repair. A further update will be posted as to how the medians will be improved. With your help we are meeting the challenge to push back the blighted streets and medians of Northridge by demonstrating that volunteering time and energy builds a close knit of neighbors and a cleaner and greener community that we all can be proud of. 13 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 10 - September 4, 2010 Milestone Accomplished! On Saturday 9/04/10 NWNC and all the volunteers present reached the milestone goal of cleaning the entire west side of Tampa Avenue from Chatsworth to Plummer Streets and then began the march north along the east side of Tampa from Plummer to Halsted Street. A special thank you to Rusty Fever, Shannon & Michelle Camacho, Juativa & Mike Spurlock, Martha, Glen, and Robert Wilson, Teri Grossmen, Jo Ann Phillips, the Johnson Sisters and Chris Williams with Remax Realty for your dedication and commitment to preserving Northridge as a great place to live and work. Because of your commitment and those of the many other volunteers that have sacrificed their Saturday mornings to attend our weekly Clean Sweep Operations I am proud to say that the west side of Tampa Avenue is now free of weeds two to four feet in height, broken car parts, bottles, glass, discarded plastic/Styrofoam cups, food containers, abandoned pipes, lumber, newspapers, social security cards, etc. that littered the sidewalks, gutters and blocked storm drains. Your efforts not only helped beautify Northridge but also assisted in preserving the safety of drivers along Tampa Avenue that have encountered flooding caused by cluttered debris within the storm drains during heavy rain storms. In addition to the operations along Tampa Saturday, the operations along Reseda median just south of Lassen Street continues to improve as the attached Before and After pictures show that the sky high weeds, beer/wine bottles, hub caps, etc. are being replaced by the sight of green vegetation. These efforts will continue until the entire median is a bird of paradise for all those to see and appreciate. Thank you for all your help these last ten weeks - together you demonstrated by your sweat and hard work that a community can make a difference when stakeholders step out and lend a helping hand to assist another neighbor. 8 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 8 - August 21, 2010 Excellent job to all the volunteers that came out for Saturday's Northridge West Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Avenue. This weekend’s operation was challenging given the heat and hard work involved to reach Superior Street in our march to Plummer Street. I would like to thank Martha, Glen and Robert Wilson, Teri Grossmen, Jo Ann Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Matthew Baird, Zack Williams, Juativa Spurlock, Robert Torosian, the Johnson Sisters and Chris Williams with Remax Realty for your unyielding commitment and endurance through the high temperatures to cleaning up one of Northridge's main thoroughfares. With your help we are making a difference in the way Northridge looks by demonstrating that with stakeholder participation we make Northridge a cleaner & greener place to live and work. A special thank you to Sonia & Nickolas Mendoza for their gracious support in providing all the volunteers with ice cold water and inspiration that kept us going. In addition to the operations along Tampa Saturday, Northridge South Neighborhood Council Board Member Scott Sterling provided us assistance in our our quest to clean up the median along Reseda Blvd just south of Lassen. With water now back on, several of the bird of paradise plants are showing signs of life again. Though there is still much work to be performed to make the median representative of Northridge, we are proving that with a little sweat and hard work a planted median is a better alternative to a concrete or asphalt median. Thank you for all your help together we will continue to make Northridge a cleaner and greener place to live and work. 8 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 7 - August 14, 2010 A Special Thank you goes out to all the volunteers and Stakeholders that came out in support of Saturday's Northridge West Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Avenue. With all your help and support we were able to reach Lassen Street as we work towards achieving our milestone of reaching the Northridge Mall located on Plummer Street by the end of August. I would like to thank Jeff Cohen and his great sense of humor along with Glen, Robert and Martha Wilson, Gerry Malais, Steve Harris, Jo Ann Phillips, the Johnson Sisters, Chris Williams with Remax Realty, Bruce Russell with Pinnacle Estate, Art and the boyz with Saffari Automotive for the equipment and all the surrounding neighbors that volunteered the use of their green trash bins. A great big thank you goes out to Betty and Fred Rymond as well as Debbie and Don Penman that were like the energizer bunnies that kept going and going and going. Your persistence, determination and commitment to volunteer your Saturday mornings to helping make Northridge a clean and green place to live and work is greatly appreciated. Two important updates for the Reseda Blvd median south of Lassen Street - First I am happy to report that the irrigation system in the median is repaired and operational. This is a major accomplishment in our efforts to turn the brown weeds into green plants that is reflective of how Northridge should and will look. The Second accomplishment is that Northridge West Neighborhood Council Board Members voted unanimously to an interim sponsorship of this particular median until a long term sponsorship can be arranged with the help of Northridge East and South Neighborhood Councils and Councilmen Greg Smith. These milestones could not have been achieved without the help of Northridge West, East, South Councils and Councilmen Greg Smith’s Staff. Together good things are happening and are coming that will make Northridge a cleaner and greener community for all. With all your help we will continue to make Northridge a cleaner and greener place to live and work. Thank you. 6 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 6 - August 7, 2010 Fantastic job to all the volunteers that came out for Saturday’s Northridge West Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Blvd. This weekend’s operation was our largest event with the greatest challenges to date with weeds the size of small tree stumps. With all your help and support we are on our way to achieving our milestone of reaching Plummer by the end of August. I would like to thank Martha and Robert Wilson, Terri Grossmen, Fred Rymond, Kerry Gordon, Sammy J, Debbie and Don Penman, Jo Ann Phillips, Sarah Yang and all the Boys and Girls from the Hwarang Valley Leo Club who came out bright and early to help us fill over 100 trash bags and 8 full size Green City trash Containers with trash and debris picked up along Tampa Avenue. I would like to give a special thank you to all the parents that woke up early on Saturday to bring their children to Northridge and joined in the cleanup operations to make Northridge a Clean and Green place to live and work. A special thank you to Vic Rotella and his wife for their gracious support in providing all the volunteers with fruit, soda, and inspiration to keep the operations going. In addition to the operations along Tampa Saturday we were able to continue the efforts to clean up the median along Reseda Blvd just south of Lessen. We will continue to divert resources to this area as they become available. With all your help we will continue to make Northridge a cleaner and greener place to live and work. Thank you. 10 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 5 - July 31, 2010 Excellent job to all the volunteers that came out for Saturday’s Northridge West Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Blvd. With all your help and support we are on our way to achieving our milestone of reaching the Northridge Mall located on Plummer St by August 29, 2010. At which time we will flip over to the East side of Tampa and head north back up to the 118. I would like to thank Glen Wilson, Terri Grossmen, Fred Rymond, Robert Wilson, Zack Williams, the Johnson Sisters, Chris Williams with Remax Realty, Bruce Russell with Pinnacle Estate and a special thanks to the steady guidance and inspiration of Martha Wilson. Your persistence, determination and commitment to volunteer your Saturday mornings to helping make Northridge a clean and green place to live and work is greatly appreciated. In addition to the operations along Tampa today we also continued the efforts to clean up the south portion of the median along Reseda Blvd just south of Lassen that is blanketed by weeds and debris. Efforts will be diverted to this area as resources become available. With all your help we will make Northridge a cleaner and greener place to live and work. Thank you. 8 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 4 - July 24, 2010 Fantastic! That’s the only way to describe Saturday’s Northridge West Operation Clean Sweep along Tampa Blvd. I would like to thank Jo Ann Phillips, Juative Spurlock, Glen Wilson, Terri Grossmen, Andrea Alvarado, the Johnson Sisters, Dennis DeYoung, Chris Williams with Remax Realty, Bruce Russell with Pinnacle Estate and a special thanks to Martha Wilson who is 81 years young. Her persistence, determination and crafty ability in handling a broom and shovel, which ensured that every inch of concrete was clean prior to us leaving, was a great inspiration. In addition to the operations along Tampa we were also able to expose the Northridge Oasis sign along Reseda Blvd just south of Lessen that was covered by weeds. Efforts will be diverted to these areas as the resources become available. With all your help we will make Northridge a cleaner and greener place to live and work. Thank you. 7 photos
	Northridge Clean Sweep, Week 3 - July 17, 2010 I want to thank Chris Williams with Remax, Board Members Glen Wilson, Gerry Malais, Jo Ann Phillips, and Pam Bolin’s husband Scott Bolin for volunteering their time and energy on July 17 to cleaning up the west side of Tampa Blvd from Atlanta to approximately Tunney Avenue. Your efforts and commitment are greatly appreciated. I’d also like to thank Art & Bobby over at Saffari’s Automotive for supplying the brooms, shovels, rakes, and trash containers used for the clean up efforts. We were short in short supply and they stepped up on short notice to fill the gap. We look forward to next week’s efforts that we hope will take us from Tunney Ave to Devonshire Blvd. Again thank you for all your efforts and hard work. Together we can and will make a difference that reflects our commitment to our community and stakeholders welfare. 11 photos
	Northridge West Volunteer Day 2010 These are Before and After” photos of the NWNC members and volunteers that performed a mighty fine job of cleaning up Merridy Street north of Nobel Middle School in an effort to make the community a great place to live. 3 photos

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