Shifting Valley Map Changes Yet Again : Neighborhoods: Section of Granada Hills will join North Hills, becoming at least the sixth area to change its name since 1986.

A map of the San Fernando Valley is about as useful these days as last year’s fashion magazine.

Councilman Hal Bernson announced Friday that a portion of south Granada Hills will become part of recently created North Hills, adding to the growing list of community name changes that have drastically changed the map of the Valley.

It was at least the sixth such change in the Valley since the creation of West Hills in 1986 began the trend, and it was the second this week.

A portion of Van Nuys was added Wednesday to Sherman Oaks.

The newest addition to North Hills contains about 1,600 residents and is bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Lassen Street on the south, Balboa Boulevard on the west and Devonshire Street to the north, said Ali Sar, Bernson’s press secretary.

Bernson decided to grant the name change after organizers of a secession drive submitted a petition signed by 1,150 homeowners, more than the two-thirds he requested, Sar said.

“The councilman’s position was . . . if the constituents desire to rename the area and if the vast majority request it, he would go along with that,” Sar said.

“I think it’s great,” said Howard Cohen, organizer of the name-change campaign.

“I’m glad people got involved enough to do it. . . . The drive to expand North Hills is an example of citizen participation in an era of diminished interest in civic affairs.”

The current rash of name changes began when a portion of Canoga Park seceded to form West Hills after many residents complained that Canoga Park had acquired a shabby image that hurt the value of homes in its most expensive neighborhood.

Other areas have followed suit, either taking independent names--such as Valley Village, which seceded from North Hollywood in February--or by shifting to some adjacent locale with a classier reputation.

Van Nuys--stigmatized by industrial and run-down commercial sections--has lost two areas to its affluent southern neighbor, Sherman Oaks.

Opponents of the changes have accused supporters of being selfish elitists, trying to increase real estate values in good neighborhoods by cutting symbolic ties with poorer neighbors.

When Chandler Estates was moved to Sherman Oaks, real estate sources estimated the name change could increase values by 5% to 10%.

North Hills itself is a breakaway community, formed in May by Sepulveda residents who complained that crime and drug dealing in other parts of the community had given it a bad name.

The original boundaries were the San Diego Freeway on the east, Roscoe Boulevard on the south, Bull Creek Wash on the west and Lassen Street on the north.

By joining North Hills, Cohen said the former Granada Hills residents also hoped “to disassociate ourselves from the name Sepulveda.”

Even though the neighborhood was part of Granada Hills, it shares a ZIP code with Sepulveda, which Cohen said penalizes all residents of the area.

“The crime rate is higher on the other side of the freeway,” Cohen said. “When it comes to car insurance, we are paying for what is happening on the other side of the freeway.”

Cohen hopes the name change will provide more ammunition to press the post office for a new ZIP code.

“The final goal is still incomplete,” he said. “The total area of North Hills should have a ZIP code differentiating it from Sepulveda.”