SIMI VALLEY : Name Change to ‘Santa Susana’ Urged

Saying that Simi Valley’s reputation has been ruined by the Rodney G. King beating trial and the rioting that it ignited, a local physician has urged that the community’s name be changed to Santa Susana.

Caesar Julian, a family practitioner and a resident for 23 years, said Wednesday that he has received calls from many people who agree that the city needs a new name. “I think that the association will always be there--Simi Valley, the Rodney King beating trial and the L. A. riots,” he said.

Julian said many residents have removed their Simi Valley license plate holders and have stopped wearing Simi Valley sports team shirts because of concerns about their safety during trips to Los Angeles.

He suggested that the name be changed to Santa Susana, one of the communities that became part of Simi Valley when the city incorporated in 1969. Local voters chose Simi Valley over Santa Susana at that time.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, Julian urged that a committee be set up to discuss a name change. Councilwoman Sandi Webb volunteered to serve on a panel to discuss the matter.

The council took no action on the proposal after Mayor Greg Stratton said it was premature to talk about changing Simi Valley’s name because the tarnished image is probably temporary.

“Six months from now, if we’re still having that problem, we may want to look at it,” the mayor said Monday.

In an interview Wednesday, Stratton added, “I don’t think there’s going to be a permanent stigma. I think we’ve been pretty successful in countering the initial misinformation.

“We tried to change the name of a street once,” Stratton said. “And that was a horrendous mess.”