Each week, we'll take you on a journey from the San Fernando Valley past to the present in a new feature we are calling Living History. In each issue of the CD2 News, we will pair one picture of the Valley with its present day location scouring as many public resources as we can find including archives from the L.A. Public Library, CSUN, UCLA, USC and beyond. We will also gladly take submissions via email.

Here's today's post:

Caption brought to us from the L.A. Public Library, where we found this picture: "In 1927, View of Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, looking south from Chandler Blvd. Various small retail shops are seen, with cars parked out front. At left is a sign advising that the Lankershim Branch of Los Angeles Public Library is to the left."

The bottom picture is the approximate same location in 2013, 87 years later, from Google Maps. 

We started with this picture because of its proximity to our North Hollywood office, which today is located on the east side of Lankershim past the trees in the 1927 picture. Close observers will also notice the current location of the Federal Bar across the street and the parking congestion that already existed nearly nine decades ago! We would love to hear what else you can find and invite your comments to [email protected].

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LOS ANGELES - Do you want to make a difference in your community? Here's your chance: The filing period is now open to register as candidates in the upcoming neighborhood council elections to be held March 20 in the Southeast San Fernando Valley.

Prospective candidates who live or work in the neighborhoods of Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Valley Glen, Valley Village, Studio City, North Hollywood (in the North East, West and Mid-Town sections) can visit Empowerla.org/south-east-valley for more information.

On the website, prospective candidates can select the neighborhood council in which they would like to run and select "2014 Elections" to find information on open seats, qualifications to run and qualifications to vote in the election. Stakeholders must submit their candidate forms before the Feb. 3 filing deadline.

Candidates can file online, download the .pdf application to submit by email, fax or mail, or file in person at the City Clerk's office. Candidates must also provide supporting documentation, where necessary, to verify their eligibility as a stakeholders.

The neighborhood council network is part of the city's Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which aims to increase civic engagement. Neighborhood council members participate in community planning, neighborhood safety, park and street improvements while working to support local schools and emergency planning and organize community events. 

Last month, Councilmember Krekorian and his colleagues on the City Council worked to strengthen the neighborhood council democratic process by revising the definition of a stakeholder, allowing residents a greater voice in their community. The action now encompasses "everyone who lives, works or owns real property in the neighborhood and also to those who declare a stake in the neighborhood as a community interest stakeholder" through their vested participation within the neighborhood council's boundaries. To read more about the new changes, click here.

For additional information regarding other elections in different neighborhood council regions, as well as guidelines, dates, FAQs and other resources, visit the EmpowerLA website.

Front page of the L.A. Times the day after the disaster. | Photo via latimes.com

On Jan. 17, 1994, at 4:30 in the morning, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Northridge, jolting Angelenos from their sleep, causing $20 billion in damage and affecting the lives of millions. It was the first earthquake since 1933 to strike an urban area of the United States and the most costly.

Collapsed section of the freeway following the earthquake. | Photo via wikimedia

According to the Southern California Earthquake Center, the 10 to 20 seconds of strong shaking from the quake resulted in the damage of 114,000 buildings, the crumbling and closure of major freeway infrastructures, deaths of nearly 60 people, while 22,000 were left homeless and the lives of millions in the city were disrupted.

This Friday, Jan. 17 at 8:30 a.m., in remembrance of one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, the Valley Economic Alliance in conjunction with California State University, Northridge is slated to host five free preparedness workshops that will highlight the latest advances in technology, emergency management, financing, communications, and transportation. For more information about the event, visit http://www.thevalley.net/event/valley-of-the-stars-reaching-new-heights.