To prepare for the upcoming March 8, 2011 elections, LAist has contacted each candidate on the City of L.A.'s Official Candidate List to participate in a Q&A. In this edition of "Meet the Candidates," we hear from Council District 12 candidate Mitch Englander. The San Fernando Valley district includes Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Granada Hills, Northridge, North Hills, Porter Ranch, Van Nuys and West Hills. more ›

To prepare for the upcoming March 8, 2011 elections, LAist has contacted each candidate on the City of L.A.'s Official Candidate List to participate in a Q&A. In this edition of "Meet the Candidates," we hear from Council District 12 candidate Navraj "Singh" Singh. The San Fernando Valley district includes Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Granada Hills, Northridge, North Hills, Porter Ranch, Van Nuys and West Hills. more ›

One way to get to know the ins and outs of City Hall politics is to become a City Councilman. And one way to share the insights gained in the process is to write a book. Such is the career path of West Valley-area Councilman Greig Smith (CD 12), who is closing out his term with an "anecdotal" tome published last month called If City Hall's Walls Could Talk, as written up today by Encino Patch. more ›

11 candidates are gearing up to duke it out to win the election to be the Council person in District 12, to succeed retiring Councilman Greig Smith, according to Chatsworth Patch. Saturday was the filing deadline for the 2011 Primary Election, which will take place on March 8. Next year, the seven "even-numbered City Council district seats are up for election." Among those on the primary are two businesswomen, three Neighborhood Council members, a policeman, and a restaurant owner, as well as other hopefuls. CD 12 covers the northwestern portion of the City. more ›

Yesterday, hundreds of Valley residents headed towards their front and backyard lawns, picking orange and grapefruit trees, lemon bushes and other juicy fruits in name of one of the largest single-day community food donation drives in the city. Around 20,000 pounds of citrus was gathered at Citrus Sunday, a project run by Councilman Greig Smith who represents the 12th district. Residents drop off the fruit to various Valley fire stations and it all ends up with the Valley Interfaith Council (VIC), who serve 80,000 people (not just meals, but individuals) a month. The amazing thing is, without Citrus Sunday, all the fruit may have just gone to waste. If you have fruit ready to be picked off your tree, VIC has food pantries around the Valley where you can drop it off (we recommend you call first). As for the fruit, all of it is being distributed to low-income families this week starting today. more ›