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Possible Health Effects of Gas Leak, Town Hall Meeting

Northridge West Neighborhood Council (NWNC) is pleased to announce a town hall meeting with Northridge East Neighborhood Council (NENC) regarding the possible health effects of the Aliso Canyon Gas Leak. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Jeffrey Nordella. The meeting is scheduled for March 29 at the Northridge Park Recreation Center Gym.

Dr. Nordella is the Porter Ranch physician who used his own money to test hair and urine samples from his patients looking for chemicals that might explain why they were presenting with similar complaints. These symptoms included bleeding noses, headaches, listlessness, irritability, memory loss, vertigo, to name a few.

The results that came back were shocking to Dr. Nordella. The findings caused concern community-wide. Patients tested positive for styrene (also known as ethylbenzene), lithium, acrolein, and uranium. Styrene and acrolein are known carcinogens. Patients in the Aliso Canyon area also tested higher for uranium than Californians as a whole. Water generated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) tested positive for lithium, while the drug was not detected in water from non-LADWP sources. Lithium can cause adverse health effects.

Our goal is purely informational. Dr. Nordella and other public agencies such as the Air Quality Management District (AQMD), Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathyrn Barger’s staff, and others will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. The purpose of this meeting is not to castigate SoCal Gas or any other public agency.

Northridge West Neighborhood Council Wins Cash Award

NWNC is pleased to report that in partnership with Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council and the Northridge Beautification Foundation, it has won a $1000 award in the prestigious LA Clean Streets Challenge for use in its Tampa Avenue Median topiary project. The council will receive the money this month. We are still awaiting approval from the City Office of Community Beautification.

Pothole and Street Repair

In other Northridge West news, we have turned in a list of locations for the small asphalt repair truck to do repairs. Many of the more traveled intersections such as Tampa and Devonshire, Tampa and Plummer, and some residential streets are on the list. If you would like to have a pothole on your street listed, please contact us for the next round that will likely take place in October.

Upcoming Neighborhood Purpose Grant Applications

Next month the board will vote on a recommendation by the Executive Committee to fund the Oakridge Estate Foundation’s request for $1000 for the planting of a new oak tree to replace those that died from the drought. They have installed a drip system to make sure that the tree receives adequate water.

NWNC Board Positions

There are no longer any openings on the board. If anyone is interested in serving on the board, please sign up to be on the waiting list. The waiting list is the fastest and easiest way to get on the board when there is an opening. To get your name on the list, please contact me at

As always, we welcome your views and suggestions whether favorable or not on how the board is doing.

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