Valley, South L.A. Clash Again Over Quake Aid : Relief: Council members are at odds over how to split $2.2 million in federal funds earmarked for senior citizens. Action is expected Wednesday.

For the second time in as many months, San Fernando Valley lawmakers are closing ranks in a bid to increase earthquake repair funding for the Valley at the expense of South Los Angeles communities.

The simmering dispute is expected to come to a head Wednesday, when the City Council is scheduled to decide how to distribute $2.2 million in federal grants to help senior citizens recover from the Northridge quake.

The first sign of renewed conflict came last week when three Valley council members, acting as the Ad Hoc Committee on Earthquake Recovery, recommended increasing the allocation for senior programs in the Valley and slashing the amount proposed for seniors in South Los Angeles.

That move angered representatives from South Los Angeles, who said seniors in that area need help even though they did not suffer the heaviest quake damage.

“I get concerned when I see everybody talking about the earthquake in the Valley,” said Councilwoman Rita Walters, whose district stretches from Downtown to South-Central. “Well, the (quake-damaged) Coliseum is the best example I know to show that we had an earthquake in South-Central.”

Carolyn Webb de Macias, chief of staff for Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents parts of South Los Angeles, agreed. “There are needs in the southern part of the city and we should not subtract money from those areas,” she said.

Just last month Ridley-Thomas led a move to cut the Valley’s share of $47 million in housing funds and instead increase funding for housing citywide.

He engineered the switch when three Valley council members were absent. Later, after a long, contentious meeting, the council reversed itself and restored the full Valley allocation.

The latest controversy began when a council committee headed by Walters approved a plan for the $2.2 million that set aside a lion’s share for the Valley but also allotted $560,000 to four senior services centers in South Los Angeles.

When the proposal was forwarded to the Ad Hoc Committee on Earthquake Recovery, Valley council members Richard Alarcon, Hal Bernson and Laura Chick voted to increase by $120,000 the funding to Valley senior services agencies while slashing $195,000 from senior centers in South Los Angeles.

In an interview later, Alarcon, who represents parts of the northeast Valley, said he voted to cut the South Los Angeles funding because most quake damage was in the Valley, not in South Los Angeles.

“We felt it was warranted,” he said. “I don’t think there is anybody in Los Angeles who doesn’t know the hardest hit areas were in the Valley.”

The city Building and Safety Department estimated that about 75% of the $1.6 billion in quake damage to the city’s commercial and residential buildings was in the Valley and about 10% was in South Los Angeles areas.

Some City Hall officials say a clash can easily be avoided because there is an additional $1.8 million set aside for the second year of the program that could be used to increase the funding for both the Valley and South Los Angeles this year.

“There is no need to go one against the other,” said Councilman Joel Wachs, who represents parts of the northeast Valley. “There is still plenty there to spread around.”

The money is distributed to senior service centers to help relocate seniors from damaged homes, fund repairs and provide legal assistance, among other services.

Gary Franklin, director of the Theresa Lindsay Multipurpose Senior Center in South-Central, said he was shocked that the earthquake recovery panel recommended cutting the allocation to his agency from $140,000 to $75,000.

“That won’t allow me to deal with all the earthquake-related issues that some of my seniors have,” he said, adding that many senior citizens need to be relocated from their homes while cracked walls and broken windows are repaired.

Dennistine Lyle, director of the Bradley Multipurpose Senior Center in South-Central, agreed. The panel recommended the same cut for her agency. “Just because the buildings didn’t fall down doesn’t mean we don’t need assistance,” she said.