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Councilman Hal Bernson took seven council colleagues on a field trip through the north San Fernando Valley Thursday, showing them good, bad and controversial venues in his district.
The council members and several city department heads settled in big tour bus seats and listened to Bernson, with microphone in hand, explain his position on issues such as the Porter Ranch development area and the Bryant Street-Vanalden Avenue neighborhood redevelopment.
For several council members, the daylong tour was the first time they had seen the controversial projects, which they have either voted on in the past or will make critical decisions about in the future.
"No one's offered me a tour like this before," said Ruth Galanter, a first-term councilwoman who represents Westchester, Venice and Crenshaw communities. "This is important because we each represent districts that are so different, but the problems such as traffic and development are generic throughout the city."
One of the longest stops was at Porter Ranch, where a plan to develop the pristine rolling hills into a major $2-billion residential and commercial city center is...