CLOSE ENCOUNTER: A year ago, attorney Richard...

CLOSE ENCOUNTER: A year ago, attorney Richard Close was at odds with Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky over the appropriate role for the Community Redevelopment Agency in Sherman Oaks. It was quite the dispute. . . . Then, Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., surprised many by endorsing Zev’s wife, Barbara, for City Council. . . . Apparently, bygones are bygones: Zev just named Close to the county commission that handles boundary disputes.

OTHERS: Yaroslavsky named three other Valley residents to county commissions. Woodland Hills resident John M. Edelston of HealthPro Associates joins the Emergency Medical Services Commission. Pacoima resident Edward L. Kussman, a retired builder, was named to the Commission on Aging. . . . And Hidden Hills resident Leslie K. Gilbert-Lurie was appointed to the County Board of Education.

THE GOOD LIFE: It’s Kwanzaa week--the seven days between Christmas and New Year’s Day when African Americans celebrate life. . . . Tyra Washington, 10, above, lights a candle at a day-care center in Hubert Humphrey Park in honor of one of the holiday’s seven principles, Ujima--collective work and responsibility.

PARTY: We offer this lament from the highest paid woman screenwriter in Hollywood, CSUN grad Kathy McWorter. Work is swell, says McWorter, paid $1 million for “The Cheese Stands Alone.” Her problem, McWorter told a fellow alum, screenwriter Dale Launer, in “Northridge Alumni”: “How do you get invited to the ‘right’ parties. . . . I cannot get . . . invited to one Hollywood party.”

CRYSTAL BALL: Deposed Orange County Treasurer Robert Citron isn’t the only one who can consult a psychic. We checked to see what the fates have in store for next year (B1). . . . And guess what? One prognosticator sees Van Nuys becoming the hub of the Valley.