CHAMBER IN CHARGE CHATSWORTH/PORTER RANCH ORGANIZATION PRESSES AHEAD.

Byline: Mark Kellam Valley News Writer

It's not often residents get to see three state Assembly members together for an up-close and personal question-and-answer session.

But that's what the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce gave its members and local residents during its State of the Community Breakfast in December when Assembly members Lloyd E. Levine, D-Van Nuys; Cindy Montaez, D-Mission Hills; and Audra Strickland, R-Westlake Village, took part.

Ivy Weiss, CEO of the chamber - which was founded in 1914 and has 275 members - said about 150 people attended the event. In addition to the lawmakers, several other speakers, including Sheriff Lee Baca, Fire Chief William Bamattre, L.A. Unified School Board member John Lauritzen and Metro San Fernando Valley General Manager Richard Hunt addressed the gathering.

Weiss said she's proud to be able to present the event, which has been held the past six years. This year, the State of the Community Breakfast will be held Dec. 8 at the Odyssey Restaurant.

This past year, the chamber was very involved in planning the inaugural Mayor's Luncheon, which was held in November at the Woodland Hills Marriott and featured incoming L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The event, sponsored by the United Chambers of Commerce, was a huge success and the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber had more than 50 of its members in attendance, Weiss said.

The chamber's annual golf tournament was expanded last year to include a scholarship for area students, said Melissa Phillipp, who was recently installed as chamber president.

The girls' golf team from Chatsworth High School was the first recipient of a $500 scholarship, which will be used to pay for equipment for female golfers. Three members of the girls' golf team and their coach were sponsored by the chamber to play in the Oct. 31 event. One Chatsworth High golf team member, Antoinette Aniceto, hit the longest drive during the tournament, Phillipp said.

Local firefighters and police officers are sponsored to play in the tournament each year as part of a ``Thank A Hero'' program. The chamber pays for around 20 ``heroes'' from the community to enjoy a day of golf, Weiss said. This past year, the chamber made the ``Thank A Hero'' program available to its members and area residents - and an additional 15 firefighters and police officers were sponsored.

During her term as president, Phillipp said she wants to focus on re-connecting with chamber members to make sure they are being served as well as possible. She plans to go out in the community and meet with existing members and potential members to find out their needs.

Phillipp works for Insurance West Corp. in Simi Valley. Her family had an insurance business in Chatsworth for 15 years. Many of her clients still live here, so she remains active in the the local community.

The chamber works hard to make sure members know about upcoming events through e-mails and phone calls. Chamber administrative assistant Molly Sorkin calls all members twice a month to let them know what's going on with the chamber, Weiss said. Also, chamber board members mail about 120 personal thank-you notes a month to the organization's members.

Weiss said the chamber is working to create an alliance with four other chambers - Reseda, Winnetka, Woodland Hills and Canoga Park/West Hills. The five chambers plan to hold a joint business expo on Sept. 13. A venue has not yet been named, Weiss said.

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Melissa Phillipp, left, is the new president of the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce, and Ivy Weiss is the organization's CEO.

Mark Kellam/Valley News