Wistful Movement in the Valley

These seem unusual times for talk of the San Fernando Valley seceding from Los Angeles. The Times opposes the idea, and we’re hard-pressed to understand its still-unmeasured appeal, given recent political developments and certain other realities.

Granted, secession proposals are no longer anathema these days. In Orange County, for example, some communities formerly under county jurisdiction have become independent cities because of a desire for local control and a perceived lack of county-level political clout. A current movement would incorporate 10 communities governed by the county into one sprawling city.

But the San Fernando Valley’s electoral clout has hardly ever been stronger. Valley residents hold one-third of the seats on Mayor Richard Riordan’s influential City Hall commissions. That’s up from a little more than a tenth of those seats in the past.

Concern about the strength of the Los Angeles Police Department in the Valley has been voiced. Well, the LAPD has grown by about 1,250 officers and the Valley has received many. New police programs on domestic violence and the use of computers got their start in the Valley, which has also gained a training center and would have added a new police station had the voters concurred. The LAPD’s refurbished 911 system has also benefited Valley communities.

Just two years after the Northridge earthquake, have people forgotten that the nation’s quickest, most comprehensive and most generous disaster response to date (gained with considerable help from state and local officials) primarily benefited the Valley?

Does the Valley have the ear of the city’s mayor? It certainly seems that way, given the fact that Riordan’s 1996-97 budget proposal for a cash-strapped city is quite generous to the Valley: expanded library services, the lion’s share of new street cleaning, a regional city hall, community block grants for added earthquake repairs and better street lighting, more than one-third of the city’s street resurfacings, one-third of storm drain repairs and more than half of the tree trimming.

What does the Valley face if the state Senate and then the governor approve an Assembly-passed bill that would make it easier for the Valley to secede? Among the difficult matters would be how to split assets and liabilities between Los Angeles and a new Valley entity; there are no recent figures that suggest that the Valley would be better off. Would it continue to share revenue from Los Angeles International Airport, for example, or from the gigantic port operations? How could a Valley government support itself and provide services? How much of a tax burden would its residents face to finance the quality of life envisioned by some enthusiasts for secession?

To support secession, we would at least need proof of significant benefit for both Los Angeles as a whole and for the Valley. We have yet to see it.