Van Nuys Area Seeks to Regain Its Old Identity : Communities: Some residents of the upscale neighborhood claim that old property records list their homes with a Sherman Oaks address.

It’s a plaint that’s beginning to sound familiar. . . .

A group of homeowners living on the southern fringe of Van Nuys wants to have its neighborhood recognized as Sherman Oaks--a community designation they say they once had, but lost decades ago when postal boundaries were drawn.

Residents of the upscale Chandler Estates neighborhood, several of whom claim old property records list their homes with a Sherman Oaks address, said they were mistakenly made part of Van Nuys when the U.S. Postal Service introduced ZIP codes in 1962.

Before then, residents said, they were considered Sherman Oaks residents and many still think of themselves as such, putting a Sherman Oaks address on their mail and telling people that’s where they live.

Longtime residents said they have nothing against Van Nuys, and are not trying to divorce themselves from the many problems affecting that community. They said they are not like residents of North Hills--who recently seceded from Sepulveda--because they are trying to regain a name lost and not change their identity completely.

“We’d just like to be put back to what we were originally,” said Helene Vitagliano, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1946 and has a property deed that lists her home with a Sherman Oaks address. “I have nothing against Van Nuys.”

And plenty of residents have the same aim as Vitagliano, although many purchased their homes long after the area became part of Van Nuys. The same residents tried several years ago to divorce themselves from Van Nuys--one proposal was to call the neighborhood Van Oaks--but failed because the effort was not well organized, said Sol Taylor, a real estate agent coordinating the campaign who also lives in the area.

Although Taylor and others deny that the move is motivated by a desire to raise property values, Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., said there was “no question” that the plan is financially inspired.

“The only rational reason is to increase the value of property,” he said.

About 2,000 signatures--representing about 90% of the residents in the area--have been submitted to Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky asking that the Sherman Oaks community boundaries be redrawn to include their neighborhood.

The northern boundary of Sherman Oaks currently is Magnolia Boulevard, but organizers of the drive want it to be Burbank Boulevard between Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard.

Katharine Macdonald, Yaroslavsky’s press deputy, said the councilman is considering the request, but had no idea when or if the name change would be approved. She said Yaroslavsky wanted first to hear from members of the community to make sure it would not become a “divisive issue.”

But few people outside the area even knew about the drive until Tuesday--including the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.’s Close. He said he hoped the issue would be considered in public hearings before the final decision is made.

“We don’t want to start another border war and they seem to be erupting around the Valley,” he said.

In addition to the North Hills secession, residents in a section of Canoga Park four years ago changed their name to West Hills and a North Hollywood neighborhood was renamed Valley Village this year.

Taylor said leaders of the movement intentionally have tried to keep a low profile because they do not want residents from other neighborhoods trying to stop them.

“We have a right to call the community whatever we want,” Taylor said. “This is not a separatist movement.”

Others disagree.

Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., said residents of the area are running away from the problems that plague Van Nuys instead of working to clean up the community.

“Whatever the reason, what it really boils down to is that it’s a group of elitists trying to get a Sherman Oaks designation in a Van Nuys neighborhood,” he said.