Pixar, after two years of ho-hum new releases, to get its creative moviemaking juices flowing again and produce one of those smart, funny movies that work for both kids and parents. And without a "Toy Story 4," please.

Congress to hammer out a plan to overhaul the nation's dysfunctional immigration system that would provide a path to citizenship for the 11 million people who are already here illegally and also provide for enforcement of immigration laws at the workplace and along the border.

Julian Assange to finally leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he has been holed up for more than six months, so that the next stage in the drama that began with WikiLeaks' spectacular disclosure of hundreds of thousands of pages of U.S. military and diplomatic documents can unfold.

Every pothole in the city of Los Angeles to be fixed and every failing street to be repaved.

Bashar Assad to be driven from power in Syria — without first involving the United States in a costly ground war, and with a responsible, democratic group of successors waiting in the wings to take power.

Congress to treat problems as problems, rather than opportunities to push the nation to the brink. Enough with the "fiscal cliff" and debt-ceiling crises. How about some genuine commitment to solving problems?

Congress and the Food and Drug Administration to put serious limits on the use of antibiotics on livestock. There's well-established evidence that the overuse of antibiotics is leading to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could well affect human health.

L.A.'s homeless to have enough public toilets not to have to worry about where to go.

The return of "Arrested Development." Oh, wait, we're getting that one. Thanks, Netflix.

Democrats in the state Legislature to recognize that the need for fiscal discipline is just as great now as it was before voters approved Proposition 30. Until California's economy recovers its mojo, Sacramento simply won't have the wherewithal to undo the cuts lawmakers have made in recent years.

An end to congressional threats to defund Planned Parenthood.

Continued success of the experiment with openness in Los Angeles Dependency Court. In early 2012, the presiding judge of the Juvenile Court opened most dependency cases to the press. The result has been restrained and informative coverage without harm to children.

The successful implementation of the insurance exchanges created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, despite the relentless and misguided ideological opposition. Hey Republicans — enabling more people to buy coverage from private insurers is a good thing.

Congress to continue the march toward legal equality for gays and lesbians by approving the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is absurd that discrimination against gays is now forbidden in the armed services but still legal in the civilian sector.

The election of a school board that understands its obligations to students trump all others. Yes, the teachers union and reform advocates clash over how best to improve schools, but when their disputes interfere with children's education, they have to learn to yield.

The United States to embrace highly educated and skilled workers from around the world, rather than forcing them to leave the country as soon as they've earned their degrees.

Every animal in the city and county shelters to be adopted, making it unnecessary to euthanize any creature for reasons other than health or public safety.

A year without mass shootings, epic storms or months-long droughts.