Valley Wields New Clout, Analyst Says

Veteran political analyst Joe Cerrell told representatives of Valley hotel and tourism industries Thursday that after years of struggling to make itself heard and respected, the Valley has finally traded its “Valley girl” image for serious political, economic and social clout.

“From the CityWalk at Universal to the Warner Center, this is a place to be given due respect and attention,” Cerrell said to about 70 members of the San Fernando Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau at a monthly luncheon meeting at the Sportsman’s Lodge Hotel in Studio City.

Cerrell, who predicted long before the mayoral primary that the Valley would play a major role in the race, said Richard Riordan’s victory is evidence of the Valley’s political power.

Cerrell cited several other factors--the reapportionment of City Council districts, which put a majority of Valley representatives on the council, and the presence of three Valley members on the board of the Metropolitan Transit Authority--as examples of the region’s new clout.

But Cerrell tempered his ebullient speech with a few words of caution.

“Your obvious political, economic and social power scare some folks who in the past have had differences with the Valley,” he said.

Using the current battle over the breakup of the Los Angeles Unified School District as an example, Cerrell said that the Valley must tailor its local ambitions to benefit the larger community of Los Angeles County.