THE TIMES POLL : Valley Voters Rate Crime as Top Issue in L.A. Mayoral Race

San Fernando Valley residents believe fighting crime should be the top priority of the next mayor of Los Angeles, and many think illegal immigrants are responsible for much of the city’s street crime and violence, according to a Los Angeles Times poll.

Valley residents also oppose giving resident aliens the right to vote and favor letting local police help federal authorities identify and deport illegal immigrants, the poll found.

In addition, the survey discovered that two-thirds of Valley parents favor creation of a separate school district in their area, contrasted with 43% citywide. And Valley residents strongly support a threatened teachers strike against the giant Los Angeles Unified School District.

From Jan. 28 to Feb. 2, the Times Poll sampled the opinions of 1,618 adults in Los Angeles, including 490 in the Valley. The margin for error in the Valley sample was plus or minus 5 percentage points.

In the crowded mayoral race, the survey found that City Councilmen Michael Woo and Joel Wachs are leading the pack in the Valley. But almost half of those polled--45%--were still undecided about the April 20 election.

Woo was backed by 13% of Valleys residents, compared to 10% for Wachs. Woo’s support in the area, however, was substantially lower than the 20% he received citywide, the poll showed. And because the Valley contains 40% of the city’s registered voters, it is expected to be a major battleground in the mayoral contest.

Buffeted by heavy job losses in the aerospace and auto industries, Valley residents are the most pessimistic in the city about the prospects of an economic upturn. Twenty-five percent of those polled believed the economy will deteriorate in the next three months, compared to 18% of those sampled in the Westside, the next most pessimistic area.

Thirty-three percent of Valley residents said reducing crime should be the next mayor’s highest priority, while 27% cited the economy as the No. 1 issue and 17% said education was most important.

Although only 6% cited immigration as the top problem for the incoming mayor, Valley residents had strong feelings on the issue, which emerged recently in the race.

Nearly two-thirds of Valley voters--64%--said they believed there are too many immigrants in Los Angeles, a sentiment expressed by a majority of those polled in all other areas of the city, as well.

In addition, 58% of Valley dwellers said they believe illegal immigrants are responsible for “a good amount” of the crime and street violence in Los Angeles. Thirty-five percent said “not too much” crime is the fault of illegal residents.

The survey indicated that 71% of Valley adults believe resident aliens--foreign nationals living and working legally in the United States--should not have the right to vote. Only 43% of those surveyed in Central Los Angeles and 46% of those in South-Central felt the same way. Eight in 10 Westsiders oppose voting rights for resident aliens.

On the other hand, 59% of Valley residents do not blame illegal immigrants for the city’s economic troubles, saying they have little or no responsibility. And 57% favor bilingual education in the public schools.

Sixty-six percent of Valley residents said they had an unfavorable impression of the Los Angeles school district’s administration, while 55% had a favorable impression of the United Teachers-Los Angeles union.

Although 42% of Valley residents believe their region has been shortchanged on city services, only 21% said it is important that the next mayor come from their geographic area.

In other poll findings, 62% of Valley residents approved of how the Los Angeles Police Department is doing its job--a slightly higher rating than that measured citywide.

However, more than half--55%--of Valley voters said they support an initiative on the June ballot to raise property taxes in order to hire 1,000 new police officers. The measure requires a two-thirds vote to pass. Citywide, the proposal has a 61% approval rating.