Who will be the next mayor of Los Angeles? Who will represent the 5th City Council District surrounding our campus and the 11th District that borders the university to the west? These are pivotal questions to UCLA's Office of Local Government and Community Relations (LG/CR) and should be of great concern to the campus because the outcomes will undoubtedly impact UCLA's future.

As the major public educational institution in this city, the university must engage with and support the work of local officials. In an era of term limits, relationships with local electeds are more important to us than ever as we watch city councilmembers like Jackie Goldberg and Richard Alarcon move on to hold state office where they will vote on UCLA's budget.

That is why the LG/CR staff will be working hard to develop relationships with candidates and newly elected officials this year. District No. 5 runoff candidates already have been invited to campus for special briefings by faculty on topics of the candidates' choice. In fact, long before there is an election, the staff is working to develop relationships with important community leaders who often become candidates in local elections.

But elections are not our only concern.

We are currently working with Administrative Vice Chancellor Pete Blackman and his staff on a request for a rollback on some past and future UCLA energy bills owed to the Department of Water and Power. The request requires city council approval.

LG/CR also helped Public Policy's Alan Toy, who had difficulty arranging a meeting with the mayor's office regarding a $100,000 budget request for Toy's new Web site that helps the disabled find resources. A quick phone call resulted in a successful meeting with the deputy mayor in charge of the budget.

City councilmembers who represent the area surrounding UCLA are particularly important to our staff.

Former Councilman Mike Feuer, for example, wrote a letter of support on behalf of UCLA that was read at a public hearing where the Geffen Playhouse was requesting a city permit to sell alcohol. Feuer's staff also rescheduled the closure of Sunset Boulevard for street repaving, previously set for commencement weekend. His staff also helped coordinate a crackdown on a nearby apartment complex where recovering substance abusers were harassing students.

Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski in the 11th District expedited the installation of a traffic signal on Sawtelle Boulevard near University Village family student housing when the application was stuck in the city's bureaucracy.

There are many other instances where local officials have intervened when neighborhood issues have surfaced.

Local elected officials can mold public opinion about our institution and offer assistance to us in support of university goals.

With that in mind, LC/GR will be working hard to make sure that the ties with Los Angeles government remain as strong and as positive as they can be.

Diana Brueggemann is executive director of the Office of Local Government and Community Relations.