NORTHRIDGE EAST NC ELECTIONS

FINAL CANVASS OF VOTES


At-Large Representatives	GLENN BAILEY STEVEN RAMIREZ
Business Owner / Employee Representatives	STEVE PATEL ALICE McCAIN
Property Owner Representatives	NESTOR FANTINI LUCILLE MEEHAN
Residents and / either Property Owner, Renter, Business Owner / Employee Representatives	KELLY LORD DON DWIGGINS YJ DRAIMAN
Property Owner, Renter, or Business Owner / Employee Representative	SPENCER SCHMERLING ANKUR PATEL *
Youth Representative	AHMER QURESHI *

* Ankur Patel filed for Property Owner, Renter, or Business Owner/Employee Representatives. He was moved to the appropriate category and seated.* Ahmer Qureshi was elcted to an appointed seat, which requires Board Affirmation.

Click here to download the Final Canvass of Votes (pdf)

Open Board Seats 2012 – Northridge East NC

BOARD POSITION	# OF SEATS	ELECTED OR APPOINTED?	QUALIFICATIONS TO RUN FOR THE SEAT	QUALIFICATIONS TO VOTE FOR THE SEAT
At-Large Representatives Term: 2 Years	2	Elected	Stakeholders who live, work, or own property in the neighborhood or declare a stake in the neighborhood and affirm a factual basis for it and who are 18 years or older.	Stakeholders who live, work, or own property in the neighborhood or declare a stake in the neighborhood and affirm a factual basis for it and who are 18 years or older.
CANDIDATES FILED:
Steven Ramirez As a current member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council,(NENC)I have served on the board for a two year term and previously served as the youth representative for NENC for an additional two year term. I am currently a student here at CSUN with a dedicated committment to helping make Northridge East a better community by continuing my volunteer efforts. As a member, I have participated in charity events as Citrus Sunday, The Valley Greek Festival, NENC Education Forum, PALS Holiday Toy Drive for local youth and established a local recycling program. In addition, my volunteer efforts also include completion of a 3 year student medical training volunteer program at Valley Pres. Hospital where I have volunteered for the past three years. It has been an honor to serve the Northridge East community and it is my goal to continue to make a significant difference here. Thank-you.
Glenn Bailey For 24 years I was employed as staff at California State University, Northridge serving as a program coordinator in the College of Education. I currently serve on the Transportation Working Group of the CSUN Institute of Sustainability. During the past several years, I actively opposed the speed limit increase on Zelzah Avenue north of Nordhoff Street within the NENC boundaries. I have also advocated for bicycle lanes on Reseda Boulevard, Devonshire Street, and Plummer Streets (all have been installed). The current pending project is Zelzah Avenue between Devonshire and Lassen streets. I have also proposed bicycle lanes on Lassen Street adjacent to CSUN student housing between Zelzah and Lindley avenues. I would like to assist the NENC with outreach to the community and CSUN, and to support the improvement and patronage of the business district along Reseda Boulevard.
Lisa Zahler I have lived in the city of Northridge for over 34 years – it’s home. I am a graduate of CSUN and would like to be a voice that represents this beautiful neighborhood. I want to ensure that our streets stay safe and the local businesses thrive. I would like to implement programs to give back to Northridge by supporting local businesses and to beautify the Northridge neighborhoods. I would like to increase neighborhood awareness, build positive relationships within Northridge, strengthen Northridge pride and ensure that our community steadily improves. I am a business professional and have co-founded a non-profit organization. I have been involved in many local events which has enabled me to be the “voice” and represent the Northridge community. I look forward to being a part of the Neighborhood Council for Northridge East.
Christopher Dyer
Business Owner/Employee Representatives Term: 2 Years	2	Elected	Owners or employees (not including students) of a business within the boundaries of the Council and who are 18 years or older.	Stakeholders who live, work, or own property in the neighborhood or declare a stake in the neighborhood and affirm a factual basis for it and who are 18 years or older.
CANDIDATES FILED:
Alice McCain I have worked and cared for this Northridge Community for over 25 years. I work tirelessly to keep the neighborhoods a wonderful place for people to want to live, work and play.
Steve Patel Steve Patel serves as current President and was elected to the board in 2005 and has been an active board member since. He lives and works within the NENC area along with his wife and two children. Steve is Vice President of First City Real Estate Corp.-Hotel Group, a real estate services firm. He is a graduate of the USC Entrepreneur Program and attended the Northrop University Aerospace Engineering Program. Steve is an active representative of the community and plays a leading role in: 1. Co-Founder and Chair of Northridge Vision Committee 2. Chair of Valley Disaster Preparedness Event Committee 3. Representative of CD12 Service Cabinet 4. Congress of Neighborhoods Annual Meeting 5. Past Representative of Mayor’s Budget Committee 6. Working with local stakeholder for economic and quality of life enhancements “I look forward to continue working with fellow community members in an effort to make Northridge a better place to Live, Work, Play and Learn.”
Property Owner Representatives Term: 2 Years	3	Elected	Owners of property, and residents, within the boundaries of the Council and who are 18 years or older.	Stakeholders who live, work, or own property in the neighborhood or declare a stake in the neighborhood and affirm a factual basis for it and who are 18 years or older.
CANDIDATES FILED:
Nestor Fantini As a teacher who proudly claims Northridge as his home, I know the struggles that we are enduring. During these challenging times, I am running for reelection to continue my efforts to strengthen the economic, health, education and environmental security of our community through a clear record of hard work and innovative leadership. As past Chairman of the Council’s Land Use Committee, I was involved in challenging environmentally harmful developments that are changing the character of our community. Similarly, as current Chairman of the Education Committee, I helped allocate grants to fund programs at several public and private schools, and organized an Education Forum that brought together teachers, small business owners and local representatives to develop a plan to support and strengthen our local schools. If given the opportunity to continue serving our community, I will work hard to ensure a bright future for Northridge’s families and small businesses.
Lucille Meehan My name is Lucille Meehan and I have lived on Babbitt Avenue since 1988 and watched all the contiguous streets being resurfaced while our streets were left in utter disrepair. We called and wrote letters to our local council offices and street resurfacing before we were successful in getting a volunteer for each street who went door to door collecting emails and telephone numbers. We used this to fill Andasol School auditorium to standing room only.
Residents and either Property Owner, Renter, Business Owner/Employee Representatives Term: 2 Years	3	Elected	Owners of property, and residents, within the boundaries of the Council and who are 18 years or older.	Stakeholders who live, work, or own property in the neighborhood or declare a stake in the neighborhood and affirm a factual basis for it and who are 18 years or older.
CANDIDATES FILED:
YJ Draiman YJ Draiman is an elected member of NorthridgeEast Neighborhood Council, (NENC) Los Angeles in April 2010. YJ Draiman who is part of the executive committee of the NENC brings a unique combination of government, business and community leadership experience to the NENC office. YJ is also a member of the NorthridgeVision Committee. YJ has over 20 years experience in Energy Efficiency & Utilities. YJ is a former Real Estate developer, YJ has worked extensively in gentrifying neighborhoods. YJ background includes a position as a healthcare administrator, managed the building of a 5 star hotel, an Alternative Energy & Efficiency expert, owned and operated a chain of electronic retail stores which included an electronics wholesale division. YJ is currently working on his PHD in Energy Conservation. YJ has been working and implementing his expertise in the Energy and the Utility markets for over 20 years.
Roland Faucher
Kelly Lord
Don Dwiggins I’ve been on the NENC board since it was certified; I’ve acted as 1st VP and Treasurer, as well as chairing committees: election, land use, and environment. I’m passionate about neighborhood empowerment and the revitalization of the local economy, society, and sense of community. With governments at all levels struggling with declining budgets and increasing challenges, it’s urgent that local communities themselves create resilient local economies and other networks of mutual support. I believe that the NC system can help this process, since each NC is responsible primarily to its stakeholders. To do this, however, we need more involvement from the stakeholders. I believe that a NC is just as strong as the number of stakeholders who take an active part in its efforts. I’d like your vote, but more importantly, I want you to help make NENC a powerful force for good in Northridge.
Ankur Patel As a graduate student at California State University Northridge, a producer at KPFK Radio, an entrepreneur, and a general activist — I am interested in connecting different aspects of the local community through the Neighborhood Council.
Patricia Rodriguez I am a full time student at Cal State University, Northridge, as well as a mother of two children. As a member of the Northridge community, I feel the need to become involved, with my specific interest and focus on improving local food systems, community Nutrition, and concern for public health.
Property Owner, Renter, or Business Owner/Employee Representatives Term: 2 Years	2	Elected	Owners of property or renters, or business owners or employees (not including students) within the boundaries of the Council; may be nonresidents who are 18 years or older.	Stakeholders who live, work, or own property in the neighborhood or declare a stake in the neighborhood and affirm a factual basis for it and who are 18 years or older.
CANDIDATES FILED:
Spencer Schmerling I have lived in and/or been a part of the Northridge East Community for 44 years and I want to do my part to ensure that it continues to be a wonderful place to live and work.
Youth Representative Term: 2 years	1	Elected	Stakeholder who lives, works, or owns property or declares a stake in the neighborhood and affirms a factual basis for it and who is between 16 and 18 years of age.	N/A
CANDIDATES FILED:
Ahmer Qureshi Growing up and going to school in Northridge for most of my life has provided me with lots of experience and knowledge about what the youth of Northridge need. With a very close community relationship, I am very active in what goes on in the community as well as take part in the activities of the community. I have played basketball at the Northridge Park for 5 years and have expanded my group of community there. With the experience of being a leader for the youth, I want to bring the youth’s voice to life, and I want to allow the youth to be more proactive in our community. Even with the hard times we face right now, there are many opportunities for the youth to get involved and make a difference, and I want to accomplish that.