FAMILY MATTERS: Owning your own business is...

FAMILY MATTERS: Owning your own business is part of the American Dream. But running that business with family can be a nightmare. . . . “It’s like a bad marriage,” said Todd Dillmann of his relationship with his brother, who co-owns a Canoga Park auto shop. But here’s a family secret: If you stick it out, some family businesses can be profitable. See Valley Business, Page 10.

HORSE SENSE: Even as actor Christopher Reeve underwent surgery for his injured neck Monday (A10), the Valley equestrian community was dealing with the backlash. . . . “In the first couple of days after Reeve’s accident, parents were saying, ‘No way. We’re done [with lessons],’ ” said Victoria Stone, a Burbank equestrian judge. Now people are coming back, she said, “realizing that you can also get hurt at an ATM withdrawing money.”

STINKY IDEA: When Anthony Raissen, above left, came home with pickles on his breath, wife Lauren Raissen, above front, told him to do something about it. Or else. So he did. . . . With a $50,000 investment, marketing guru Craig Shandler, right, and a product named BreathAsure, the couple’s Calabasas company is reeking with profits. See Valley Business, Page 3.

HONORED: What do Miami Dolphin Coach Don Shula and local car dealer Herbert F. (Bert) Boeckmann II have in common? They’ve both won this year’s Horatio Alger Award for successful individuals. Boeckmann joined Galpin Ford in 1953 as a salesman and was promoted to general manager four years later at age 27. In 1968, he bought the Van Nuys company, which is now among the nation’s leading Ford dealerships. The Alger awards will be televised June 16 on CBS.

ELECTION DAY: Valley residents can cast their ballots today in the runoff between Barbara Yaroslavsky and Mike Feuer for the 5th District City Council seat, as well as decide school-related elections. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Call (310) 462-2748 for polling places.