Mayor Aims Message at Secessionists

Visiting the San Fernando Valley for the second time in as many days, Mayor Richard Riordan Thursday sought to quell persistent talk about secession by emphasizing how his latest budget benefits the Valley.

“From Northridge to North Hollywood, there will be much more done in the Valley,” he told a group of about 150 guests at a Northridge Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Riordan, who rode into office on a wave of Valley support in 1993 and hopes to do the same in his reelection bid next year, said he understands the dissatisfaction Valley residents have with City Hall and vowed to address that frustration.

“We have responded to the needs of the Valley but we know we have to do more to win your support,” he said.

For instance, he said his $4-billion budget includes funding to build a new library in Panorama City and expanding a library in Sunland-Tujunga. In fact, for the first time in recent memory, Riordan’s budget included an addendum that outlines all Valley spending.

The mayor also told the gathering that one-third of all his commission appointees have been from the Valley, which he said gives the area a higher representation on the panels than it has had in the past 20 years under former Mayor Tom Bradley.

Riordan’s comments and his Valley visits signal the mayor’s increased attention to secession talk spurred by Assemblywoman Paula Boland’s (R-Granada Hills) bill that would make it easier for the Valley to secede from the city of Los Angeles.

Riordan’s recent public schedule included a visit Wednesday to a Jewish Temple in North Hollywood. Thursday, he joined Councilwoman Laura Chick in unveiling a sign for a new community theater in Canoga Park, lunched with the Northridge Chamber of Commerce and later met with the academic decathlon team from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills.

The mayor’s staff members insisted he has not increased his visits to the Valley in light of the Boland bill but has simply notified the media more often about his community events outside City Hall.

Nonetheless, in an interview Riordan acknowledged that he has talked more about the secession movement in recent weeks as the Boland bill moves toward an Assembly vote.

But the mayor has repeatedly said he opposes the break-off, saying the city would lose most of its middle class if the Valley formed its own city. He has also said the Valley would suffer by losing out on the benefits of the city’s harbor, airports and marina.

“Those who like to break up the city, I believe in your democratic rights to make your own choice but breaking up is not in your best interest,” he said.

Colleen Hardman, president-elect of the Northridge Chamber of Commerce, said she needs more information before deciding whether she supports secession. But she said at the very least the movement has prompted Riordan to pay attention to the Valley.

“We really wanted to see more of him and we are,” she said. “I guess the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”