The Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council received the top honor at the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils on Thursday, March 10, 2016 for Extraordinary Action in a Time of Environmental Disaster. VANC Chair Jill Banks Barad commended the PRNC for putting all business on hold to focus on keeping stakeholders informed through community meetings and communications and bringing to bear government officials in a coordinated manner. In accepting the award, President Paula Cracium shared that she hoped other councils would never have such a disaster, but if they did, then their stakeholders would have a great resource they could tap in their neighborhood councils.

The PRNC was also commended by Mayor Garcetti, City Attorney Mike Feuer, Public Works Chair Kevin James, Councilmember Mitchell Englander's Chief of Staff John Lee and Congressman Sherman's representative in their remarks. Controller Ron Galperin honored the PRNC and noted that he would be conducting an audit of the SoCal Gas franchise.

Other award winners included:

Woodland Hills/Warner Center Neighborhood Council for "Best of a Long-Term Planning Vision and Dedicated Effort." They met monthly over eight years to update their community specific plan and work with developers on the new costco and Village in Woodland Hills. They recommend that NCs never say no to developers, because that just takes the NC out of the picture. Their focus was to continually stay engaged and contend for what they want. They succeeded in getting a fabulous costco, which doesn't include the standard red stripe around it. In their experience by continuously working with a developer, they either get what they want, or the developer wears out and drops out.

Chatsworth Neighborhood Council

Chatsworth Neighborhood Council for "Best of Bringing the Community, LAPD, and Business Together to Promote Family Fun and Healthy Exercise." They have organized the COLT Bike Ride now for four years. Ride the COLT (Chatsworth Orange Line Tour) is a free bike rally and health walk on the west end of the valley, scheduled for June 12, 9am this year.

Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council for "Best of Mobilizing the Community to Fight Crime and Blight." They worked with LAPD and multiple organizations to clean up a blighted area and significantly impact prostitution in their community.,

Sylmar Neighborhood Council for "Best of Coordinating with City and County Officials to Provide the Homeless with Practical Items and Essential Services."  They identified 400 homeless people in their community in need of services and provided them with backpacks of essentials at an event where the homeless would have an opportunity to learn about resources available to them.

Neighborhood Council Presidents