Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Should Valley Secede From City of L.A.?

Although the San Fernando Valley began as a collection of independent small towns, by the 1920s and 1930s most of those communities chose to join the city of Los Angeles to share resources, chiefly water.

While the idea of separating from the rest of the city over the hill is still on the minds of many, it is little more than wishful thinking because of a state law that prohibits secession movements when the city government objects.

However, earlier this year, state Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) sponsored a bill that would exempt cities of more than 2 million people from being able to block a secession movement. As the bill wends its way through the Legislature, an old debate has been reawakened.

Should the Valley secede from Los Angeles?

State Assemblywoman Paula Boland, R-Granada Hills:

“I think it’s a good idea. . . . The San Fernando Valley would be the seventh-largest city in the country, and the people there would be able to determine their own fate. They are not getting the best representation for their dollar. . . . It’s probably long overdue. . . . I believe in preserving marriages. But there are some cases when divorce is good. This is one of those cases. . . . Valley voices are not always listened to. Our representatives here are way outnumbered on the City Council.”

Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer:

“I recognize that there is legitimate frustration in the San Fernando Valley among residents who feel the city gives them short shrift. The appropriate response for me as a City Council member is to work as hard as I can to deliver the services that Valley residents have every right to expect from the city. The answer is not, in my view, to promote the breaking up of a city. We ought to be doing all we can as city leaders to accentuate the links that unify our city. . . . I view the Boland proposal as motivated by one thing and one thing only, the motivation of a political career.”

Gary Barr, president, Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce:

“There’s a negative side to it, but I think overall it’s a good idea. . . . It would give us more local control over resources, where to place the police, to decide to have more money for police. . . . I think whenever you have more local control over something you have more opportunity to get better services. . . . Splitting up the city might have a negative effect on the reputation of the city, but when people think of Los Angeles, they don’t think of the city. They think of the generalized area. . . . I hear a lot of people talking about it. I think people really want to try it.”

Bob Scott, chairman of the local issues committee for the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn.:

“The issue is something that has been debated for an awful long time, since the aqueduct came in and water was needed to come into the San Fernando Valley. It’s hard to get the sense you have any local government or local control when you are lost in council districts.”

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