EDITORIAL : D-DAY IN VAN NUYS; RESIDENTS OFFER PLENTY OF SUGGESTIONS, GRIPES ABOUT COMMUNITY.

NEARLY 200 Van Nuys residents turned out to give Mayor Richard Riordan and Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski an earful, sounding off on everything from gang-member tenants to illegal dumping.

But the community meeting they co-sponsored at the Van Nuys Elementary School last Thursday also produced positive feedback on how the community wants to spend a $3 million federal block over the next three years.

The bottom line: Residents are willing to accept the mayor's challenge to organize themselves to stem the deterioration of Van Nuys.

The grant, part of the Targeted Neighborhood Initiative, is a small step - a very small step from the city of Los Angeles - to help the community get started.

The $1 million-a-year grant can help improve streets, fix up houses, improve parking, spiff up facades on commercial buildings, go toward neighborhood centers and help buy vacant lots for improvement.

The money must be spent for improvements in Van Nuys within the boundaries of Vanowen Street, Hazeltine Avenue, Calvert Street and Kester Avenue.

But money alone won't help revitalize Van Nuys anymore than billions of dollars in public money has brought vitality to downtown Los Angeles.

That will only happen when residents resolve to roll up their sleeves and fight back.

Riordan was quite right to encourage the community to organize itself. The community is only as good as it residents demand. And the residents who turned out last week showed they have the gumption to get going.

Observed Sherman Oaks resident Steve Meister, residents who spoke on how best to utilize the money gave ``well-considered and thoughtful contributions.'' The vast majority of nearly 100 people who spoke offered constructive ideas, ``which, if implemented, would benefit the entire area.''

Government can't meet everyone's needs all the time. But it can be a spark to revitalization.

It takes strong leadership and the participation of citizens who care about the quality of their community life.