Francine Oschin

Saying it is an important symbol of the San Fernando Valley's rebound after the Northridge earthquake, Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson toasted the reopening of a large apartment building on Balboa Boulevard Monday. "He said that each time one of these buildings is reopened, it is a sign to everyone else that they should have confidence in the San Fernando Valley," said Francine Oschin, Bernson's deputy chief of staff.

A pedestrian tunnel in Mission Hills that has become a congregating area for vagrants and gang members was targeted for closure in a motion introduced Tuesday by Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson. The tunnel under the San Diego Freeway at Stranwood Avenue, between San Fernando Mission Boulevard and Rinaldi Street has been the site of "crime, encampments and graffiti," according to the motion submitted by Bernson.

It was a good week for wildlife in the San Fernando Valley. The Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners voted--finally--to safeguard the entire 1,300-acre Chatsworth Reservoir as a nature preserve. And the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy acquired five acres north of the Ventura Freeway's Liberty Canyon Road exit as a wildlife corridor.

The long-running battle between the Los Angeles Ethics Commission and City Councilman Hal Bernson has escalated with the commission ordering Bernson to justify his use of political officeholder funds to buy tickets to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Greig Smith, Bernson's chief of staff, said Saturday that the commission sent Bernson a letter two weeks ago challenging his use of the funds, which come from contributions by political supporters for non-campaign activities.

The crosswalk button set high up on the new signal light at De Soto Avenue and Rinaldi Street may look like a mistake or leftover prop from "Land of the Giants." But it's actually made for the many equestrian riders in the area. Dedicated Tuesday morning by Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, the "equestrian button"--set about 5 feet up on the pole--was installed to allow riders to activate the new light without getting down from their horses.

Seeking to increase transit options in the San Fernando Valley, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority agreed Thursday to study the possibility of running trains between Chatsworth and Warner Center and North Hollywood and Glendale. New MTA board member Hal Bernson asked that the agency explore the idea of working with Metrolink to provide rail service along already existing tracks connecting the Chatsworth Metrolink station with Warner Center in Woodland Hills.

The Los Angeles Ethics Commission rejected a request by Councilman Hal Bernson to let his staff use Hollywood Bowl tickets that were intended for poor and disabled constituents. Bernson's office said it sought to give the tickets to staff members after about 100 of them were left unused because residents who had asked for the complimentary passes never claimed them.

In response to Scott Harris' Feb. 1 and 4 columns: No Mr. Harris, it is not "Rilly OK to Be a Val" or to hold 1.3 million people up to ridicule. San Fernando Valley residents are sick and tired of rhetoric that belittles us. We have a right to be treated better by Harris, The Times, the state and the rest of the city. We have been paying the lion's share of taxes for years and have not gotten a representative share of benefits. The bill introduced by Assemblywoman Paula Boland may lead us to revisit many of the same issues that were raised by the Committee Investigating Valley Independent City / County (CIVICC)

Re "Tensions rising on Ventura Blvd.," March 30 Thank you for a thoughtful and informative report concerning residential development on Ventura Boulevard. However, The Times mentions but does not interpret a major problem facing neighborhoods. As attributed to city planner Tom Glick, projects are considered individually. That translates into a complete lack of accounting for the cumulative effect of development. Each project can be said to have slight if any impact, but small effects add up. One car does not create a traffic problem.

Motorists heading north or south in the west San Fernando Valley will get some relief if a proposal by City Councilman Hal Bernson gains the support of transit officials. Bernson, who represents the northwest Valley, introduced a motion Wednesday that asks the City Council to direct the city Department of Transportation to secure approval for a railroad crossing on Mason Avenue. The crossing would connect two dead-end segments of Mason Avenue between Plummer and Nordhoff streets.