DATELINE: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
The pit bull terrier was overwhelmingly chosen by voters yesterday as Canoga Park’s Official Pet at the Canoga Park Friendly Neighborhood Council biennial Vote! For Candidates! 2016!, destroying rival candidate the little yappy dog and relegating its metaphorical carcass into the organic matter green bin of also-rans.
“Canoga Park voters have spoken,” says a pleased Dawn Haberlind, who spearheaded the campaign. Haberlind, the founder of private organization Pitbulls Are Really Gentle Animals, or PARGA, was on hand outside the polling site today with her beloved ‘pittie,’ Marauder, who occupied himself by gnawing on the base of a flagpole. “People with those little yappy dogs aren’t particularly civic-minded,” declared Haberlind who said she noticed a number of people approaching the polling place with their smaller dogs but “then deciding they couldn’t bother to vote and hurried right on by. Right on by!”
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Little Yappy Dogs party said they were proud to have run a positive if high-strung and annoying race, and were disappointed by the "completely unprovoked attacks by the [pit bull] campaign."
 |
| The pit bull's legendary tenacity helped the breed, already very popular in Canoga Park, grab and hold onto an early lead in the polls and tear through the campaign without letting go. File photo. |
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Little Yappy Dogs party said they were proud to have run a positive if high-strung and annoying race, and were disappointed by the "completely unprovoked attacks by the [pit bull] campaign."
 |
| Staff photo. |
The vote for Official Community Pet was just one of many of the races residents headed to the polls yesterday to decide at the Canoga Park Community Center in downtown Canoga Park. The elections were held in conjunction with Empower LA, a municipal organization that promotes increased citizen participation in local government and the distribution of tiny oval stickers.
 |
| Beef 'N Cheddar from Arbys, left, trailed in the polls to one of those tortas from El Gallo Giro, at right, ultimately losing its seat as Official Sandwich to the challenger. Photos: Arbys, Quilt staff. |
Surprising Upset for Incumbent Sandwich
Pundits anticipated an easy win for Arby’s Beef ‘N Cheddar Classic, the well-liked and respected menu offering who has held the title of Official Sandwich of Canoga Park for twelve years. But few if any predicted a stunning victory by unassuming underdog, one of those tortas from El Gallo Giro, which was carried into office on a landslide of queso panela and goodwill.
 |
| Photo courtesy VoteDAИK2016.org |
Tagger Laureate
Judging by the sheer volume of campaign signs throughout Canoga Park bearing the candidates’ names, there was no harder-fought race than that of Official Tagger Laureate of Canoga Park. In the end, however, ubiquitous tagger LOER ended up the loser and magnanimously accepted defeat to relative newcomer DAИK. “Man, f_ck dat shit, you know?” announced LOER in a heartfelt concession speech. Meanwhile, DAИK graciously accepted LOER's well wishes and mentioned his rival in his inaugural tag.
 |
DAИK warmly references his opponent in his first official act as Tagger Laureate. Staff photo.
|
Dem-Taco-cracy at Work
In an effort to get more residents interested in the election process, the Canoga Park Friendly Neighborhood Council took a page from the Bernie Sanders Campaign Book by offering free stuff to those who came to cast their ballot — in this case, food.
Unlike Senator Sanders, however, the Council actually has the ability to make good on their promise, and registered voters enjoyed the delicious and exotic 'taco' — a foodstuff comprised of corn shells, or tortillas, filled with spicy meat and a variety of vegetables — in a festively-decorated area located outside the polling place.
In an effort to get more residents interested in the election process, the Canoga Park Friendly Neighborhood Council took a page from the Bernie Sanders Campaign Book by offering free stuff to those who came to cast their ballot — in this case, food.
 |
| All who built up an appetite exercising their right to vote were given a ticket, redeemable for a delicious free taco, just as Thomas Jefferson himself had suggested over 200 years ago. Staff photo. |
Poll workers at the Canoga Park Friendly Neighborhood Council Headquarters, located on the ground floor of the Canoga Park Municipal Building at 7248 Owensmouth Avenue, called the entire election a success and noted proudly that voter turnout was up more than 100% over last year when no election was held.
For a complete list of winning candidates, go to either EmpowerLA or the Canoga Park Friendly Neighborhood Council and eventually, the results of the elections — which we all took part in, on a Sunday, when we could have been doing other things we needed to do, but we voted, because it's our civic duty — will probably be posted.
