GIGA GRANADA HILLS

Today's installment of the CD 12 candidate interview series features Kelly Lord. L.A. politics blog Mayor Sam says of the CD 12 race, "Lord and Englander are the main attractions here," and with Brad Smith out of the race, that certainly seems to be the case. Update 1/19/11: Brad Smith is back in the race. Click here for story.

First Ole' Blue Eyes , then the Lizard King. The picture at right, taken by one "Lana," (the blonde adult) is of Jim Morrison enjoying the suburban comforts of dinner in a Granada Hills kitchen ca. 1969. Lana is selling a series of photos online, which include some shots of Lana and Jim dipping into what appears to be chocolate fondue, and playing baseball on a street that may -- or may not -- be just off Swinton Avenue. The site explains: Lana met Jim Morrison at the famous Whisky-a-Go-Go in 1969. One day, after Jim had wrecked his car and had no way home, Lana took him to her Hollywood bungalow above Sunset Blvd. The next morning, Jim invited himself along to dinner with her family in Granada Hills. She was embarrassed and wanted to go alone, but he insisted on coming along. At this point in time, Jim was on the Ten-O-Clock News almost every night for the pending Miami exposure charges. Lana's parents knew nothing of their daughter's friendship with ...

This morning, City Council Candidate Brad Smith withdrew from the campaign, sending the following letter: All - Thank you for your support and encouragement in this effort. It has been truly rewarding to see so much support from my hometown, a community that Maria and I love. However, it is with deep regret that I am announcing I am withdrawing from the race. For very real personal and financial issues, I will not be able to devote the time and energy necessary to this campaign. Although it appears at this point my name will remain on the ballot, I will not be actively campaigning, fundraising, advertising, or endorsing any other candidate. This is a personal decision arrived at after much thought. We will, of course, be paying our campaign bills and returning as much as we can to our donors. Again, thank you again for your kindnesses and encouragement; I truly appreciate it. Very respectfully, Brad Smith Although City Councilman is a nonpartisan post , it bears mentioning that Sm...

In today's installment of GigaGranadaHills' candidate interview series, meet Dinesh "Danny" Lakhanpal, the most imaginative of all the candidates I interviewed. Danny's ambitions for CD 12 include building more tourist attractions in the area, getting everyone on electric bikes, and building a monorail along Balboa Boulevard -- "like Disneyland."

Giga Granada Hills is pleased to present the following interview with Brad Smith, candiate for the City Council seat about to be vacated by Greig Smith. Smith has recently won the endorsement of the San Fernando Valley Democratic party, which places him as a serious challenger to presumptive front runner Mitchell Englander. The election is on March 8, 2011.

Giga Granada Hills is pleased to present the following video as the first installment in a series of introductory interviews with candidates for the City Council seat about to be vacated by Greig Smith. The election is on March 8, 2011.

Belly dancers, delicious food, live drummers -- if the rain scared you off, you missed it all. Fortunately, lots of people in the GH possess umbrellas and a sense of adventure. Let's do it again soon... March or April, I should think. Photos courtesy of my neighbor Rick