A Close-Up Look At People Who Matter : Woman of the Year Walks a Friendly Beat

A veteran Los Angeles police officer cited for her close ties to residents and outstanding work following the Northridge earthquake has been chosen 1994 Woman of the Year for the 19th California Senate District.

Sally Barnes, a senior lead officer in the Devonshire Division, was named by state Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley).

“Officer Barnes richly deserves this distinction,” Wright said. “She has made many outstanding contributions to the community in her more than 25 years of service with the Los Angeles Police Department.”

Barnes, 47, of Northridge, is part of a community-based policing effort in the San Fernando Valley that joins officers with residents and businesses to reduce crime.

Barnes also established a Junior Watch program to give youngsters, ages 6 to 17, a sense of direction and self-respect. The program also teaches children about the Police Department.

As a result, Barnes said, “they run toward me instead of away from me.”

Barnes began her career with the LAPD 25 years ago in the Downtown area. She moved to Northridge 15 years ago, where she now conducts her community-policing program.

The relationships forged by neighborhood groups proved essential in the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake that devastated so much of the community. The 85 block captains in Barnes’ hard-hit area immediately began going door to door to check on neighbors and reported back to her.

Wright cited the earthquake response in her praise of Barnes.

“It’s a beautiful honor. It came at a nice time in my career. It’s an incentive to do more,” Barnes said. “There’s still a lot to be done and we’re so shorthanded here I don’t see retirement in the near future for me. I feel there’s still a need and I can still contribute.”

Rochelle Hoffman has been chosen to receive the 1994 Chai-ay Olam Torah Fund Award by the Sisterhood of Adat Ari El.

“She’s always thinking about somebody else,” said Shirley Moore, vice president in charge of the Torah fund. “If there’s somebody in need, somebody in bereavement, somebody who’s sick, she’s always the first to go give a special hug.”

In her role as co-chairwoman of the Noon Forum of the sisterhood’s Multi-Interest Day Program, Hoffman finds speakers to talk to the 250 women who show up weekly for the forum.

Hoffman of Valley Village is also co-chairwoman of the Art Council of Feingold’s Gallery on the Milken Campus of the Jewish Federation Council of the San Fernando Valley. She is a member of the executive board of the women’s division of the Jewish Federation Council and of the program committee of Adat Ari El.

A local soccer organization has won praise for a program that serves 1,100 children and teen-agers.

American Youth Soccer Organization Region 71, which serves Woodland Hills, Canoga Park and nearby communities, won two awards April 16 and 17 at an Anaheim convention of the Southern California American Youth Soccer Organization.

The volunteer-run group won the National AYSO World Class Club Award for attracting new players and the Gold Certificate of Merit for its programs, including its emphasis on sportsmanship.

“The emphasis in AYSO is not whether you win or lose, it’s that you let all the kids play. And we do,” said Commissioner Howard Greitzer.

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Sherman Oaks caterer Joann Roth-Oseary, who encourages clients to donate food left over after their events to missions and shelters, has received the Spirit of Life Award from the 500 Club for the City of Hope National Medical Center.

Proceeds from the awards dinner will establish the Joann Roth-Oseary Research Fellowship at the City of Hope in Duarte, which specializes in patient care, research and medical education relating to diseases such as leukemia, diabetes and AIDS.

Personal Best is a weekly profile of an ordinary person who does extraordinary things. Please address prospective candidates to Personal Best, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, 91311. Or fax them to (818) 772-3338.