COP A PLEA: During her campaign to...

COP A PLEA: During her campaign to oust Joy Picus, Councilwoman Laura Chick promised to pay $100,000 from her council office budget to provide more police in her West Valley district. Now she’s reconsidering (B5). City money troubles cut her expected $700,000 office budget to $640,000, she said . . . but maybe a private fund-raising drive can make up the difference.

HOG WILD: Harley, said to be the world’s biggest pig, is only one of the attractions at the San Fernando Valley Fair, Thursday through July 10 at the Equestrian Center in Burbank. Billed as “Four Days of Yahoos,” it features everything from square-dancing to livestock auctions. See Valley Life, Page 3. . . . Plus a roundup of holiday fireworks displays around the Valley and elsewhere (Valley Life, Page 23).

NIGHT MOVES: Yes, the VCR and urban sprawl have taken a toll on the drive-in theater, the “passion pit” of ‘50s teen-agers. And yes, the Valley’s last two drive-ins, in Chatsworth and Van Nuys, rely partly on nostalgia and low prices. But they can still depend on that old-time appeal, says Etna McCoy, the Van Nuys Drive-In’s manager: “There’s always going to be kids. And . . . they’re not gonna want to sit at home with Mom and Dad, watching TV.” See Valley Life, Page 10.

CSUN DROPOUTS: Cal State Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson has made it a priority to improve the percentage of freshmen who graduate from the school within six years. The road looks long. New statistics say the rate has improved slightly to 31% (B4) . . . but it’s still among the worst in its class of colleges--well below the national average and the lowest for Cal State campuses in its category.