Mayor Villaraigosa Visits a Block Party

From Woodland Hills to Little Tokyo, there were National Night Out block parties all around Los Angeles--and the country--on Tuesday Night. The event which encourages local community events like block parties is part of an effort to get neighbors and residents to get to know each other a little better, fight crime together and otherwise be a strong neighborhood that is in touch with one another and their local government and law enforcement.

Out in Studio City, there's been a movement afoot by the single-family home community southwest of the Coldwater Canyon and Ventura intersection. Not only are they working on developing and bringing to reality a community park that is supported by the city, but they have an extremely strong neighborhood watch program in place, one that some LAPD officials say is the best and most well organized within the city. It's caught the attention of local officials so much that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spent at least an hour there talking to residents and helping judge a chili cook-off. Here's a little of what happened...

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa chooses his favorite chilis in a neighborhood cook-off. Michael Moore, LAPD Deputy Chief in charge of the Valley Bureau, looks on from behind.