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 [ NEIGHBORHOOD ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=327)

#  Good News in the Storm: Valley Volunteers Step Up as Tax Season Looms and City Challenges Mount

Written by Dennis Zine on February 26 2026.

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RANTZ &amp; RAVEZ - It’s about time for some Good News to cheer you up following the Torrential Rains and approaching Income Tax Reporting season for our 2025 expenditures. April 15 is approaching quickly for those of us who delay organizing our tax documents and calculating expenses for the annual Federal and California tax reporting. Many of us thought we just finished completing the Annual Returns a few months ago. Actually, it was a very short time ago for most of us who waited until the last minute to get our returns processed to the Federal and State Tax officials using the extra time allocated due to the tragic fires that destroyed homes and businesses and claimed innocent lives last year. With the calendar moving faster as each day passes, it is past time to get to work and crank out those returns that will haunt you into submission as each day passes from daylight to darkness as the countdown to April 15 approaches like a jet plane headed in for a landing. It is nice to have a smooth landing rather than a rough one. The longer you wait to add up those expenses will only cause you to rush more and miss some very important categories that are deductible which means more money in your pocket and fewer for the California and Federal government officials who know how to spend our dollars with little to no concern for our personal needs and those of our families.

More Good News to share with you. You may wonder why I am pushing Good News in this edition of RantZ and RaveZ. It appears there are some readers who have complained about my Ranting and Raving about various social and criminal issues. The issues range from the Cost of Living in California to the effectiveness of Law Enforcement in and around Los Angeles due to the lack of support from some elected local and state officials. I am attempting to see if I can help enlighten those who complain about the realities of living in the Los Angeles region of California. If they open their eyes to reality, I have done my job. More than that we will need divine intersession from the Heavens. I am hoping for the best as we move forward in 2026.

More Good News to report to you…. There is a valley resident I have known for many years. His name is Sean McCarthy, and he is a member of the West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce. Sean decided 38 years ago that he would venture out into the various San Fernando Valley community on Saturdays and clean up areas that were neglected by city crews and pick up trash to beautify the neglected neighborhoods. Seans success brought him volunteers from the community and members of the West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce have joined in. Sean and his crew has grown over time and they have reached effectiveness with the goal of beautifying the San Fernando Valley.

The core of volunteers includes young people and seniors residing in various neighborhoods around the valley. The schedule is divided into regions. Area 3 includes Council District 3. Reseda, Canoga Park, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, Bridge on Balboa and the L.A. River.

If you are interested in volunteering with Sean and his crew, you are invited to contact him at <sean@jacksonMcCarthy.com>.

Another group of Valley residents helping clean up the San Fernando is the Volunteers Cleaning Communities. VCC. The VCC is welcoming community members to join them in cleaning regions of the Valley. They can be contacted at…WWW.VCC.World.

POTHOLES EVERYWHERE…

Los Angeles has been running out of funds to maintain the streets throughout the city. The Los Angeles is now concentrating on filling Potholes, and the number is in the thousands. Street repaving has taken a back seat due to lack of funding. So, be careful when driving on Los Angeles streets. Many are unsafe so when you encounter a Pothole, notify 311.

The LAPD continues to shrink in size. This situation is not being helped by some of the current City Council members. If public safety is as important as many of us believe, you may want to express your concerns to your elected City Council Members. There are a growing number of Los Angeles City Councilmembers who care less about Public Safety in Los Angeles. You need to know who these members are. The one at the top has entered the race for Mayor of Los Angeles. Nithya Raman. If you are supporting councilmember Raman, you are not support(ing) Public Safety in Los Angeles.

While on the subject of Councilmember, Raman, she has a district office on Ventura Blvd and Valley Vista. It was noted that on Sunday February 22 at 11:45 am city crews were repairing the sidewalk in front of her district office. City crews working on Sunday are most likely receiving overtime pay. How many of you have reported broken sidewalks to the city with no response. Shall we call this situation interesting, or Do as I say rather than Do as I Do?

*(**Dennis P. Zine** is the author of RantZ and RaveZ. Dennis is a retired Police Sergeant and current Reserve Officer. Dennis served on the L.A. City Council for 12 years. Dennis is the Police Specialist for FOX 11 News, KTLA News, Spectrum News and KABC Radio and a regular contributor to CityWatchLA.com.)*

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