Valley Secession Bill Clears Key Senate Panel

Legislation that could ease the way for the San Fernando Valley to secede from the city of Los Angeles passed a key state Senate committee Wednesday, despite a barrage of unsuccessful attempts at amending it.

The measure, by Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills), passed by a 5-2 vote of the Senate Local Government Committee following an unusual two-hour hearing in which the bill’s opponents on the committee, Sens. Charles M. Calderon (D-Whittier) and Patrick Johnston (D-Stockton) launched amendment after amendment to make the measure more palatable to the city of Los Angeles but unacceptable to Boland.

Boland said such amendments would effectively kill the bill, which would remove the veto power of the Los Angeles City Council over any secession attempt, but says nothing about the advisability of secession itself.

“This is a very simple bill,” Boland said. “It gives people their democratic rights. . . . This bill does not form a new city.”

But City Council President John Ferraro argued that allowing a vote by only those who live in the area seeking to break away disenfranchises voters in the rest of the city, who should be allowed a voice.

“When the people of San Pedro and the people of the Valley joined the city, everyone voted on it,’ Ferraro said.

Sen. Ruben Ayala (D-Chino) voted for the amendments sought by the city of Los Angeles, but after their defeat, supported the bill. So did Sens. William A. Craven (R-Oceanside), Herschel Rosenthal (D-Van Nuys), Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale) and Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco). Calderon and Johnston voted no.

One amendment survived. It called for any vote on secession to be held at the next general election to save money. Such an election would come only after a secession request had gone through a lengthy process presided over by the state-created Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

The bill now moves back to the Senate Rules Committee for a determination on a request by Sen. Richard G. Polanco (D-Los Angeles) to have it sent to his Elections Committee. Polanco has said he was opposed to the measure.

Boland has equated such a referral with “certain death” for her legislation. She said there is no justification for referring the bill to Polanco’s committee.

“If it goes to the Elections Committee, it would be a political maneuver,” Boland said.

Polanco was at the hearing but did not speak.

Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) urged his fellow senators to consider it in conjunction with a companion measure of his that reforms the Local Agency Formation Commission.

“The veto of the City Council is inherently undemocratic,” Hayden said. But “LAFCO is more unaccountable than the Los Angeles City Council could ever be.”

The hearing itself featured some tense moments. One key amendment, calling for a citywide vote on any secession, actually passed, only to be rescinded soon after when committee chairman Craven changed his vote after conferring with his chief of staff.

“The city has won; politics have won,” yelled Boland, before the vote on that amendment was rescinded.

It appeared that Craven was irritated because Boland had not, as he had asked, kept her arguments in behalf of the bill focused on the narrow issue of the council veto. Instead, she went on to compare the bill’s call for democracy to the American Revolution.

“I’m beginning to see the flag and the fife and drum,” Craven grumped before the amendment vote. “Let’s try to stay on the veto thing.”

Craven aide Scott Johnson said later his boss was frustrated and confused about which of the amendments he was voting on.

Rosenthal’s request to rescind the vote on the amendment was unusual enough that it sent senior committee members scurrying to the phone to see if they could legally do so.

“I’d not seen that before,” Russell said after the hearing.

Boland gave credit for her win to Rosenthal, who she called “a hero” for keeping the committee focused on the issues.

“If it weren’t for Rosenthal, the city would have won,” she said.

Representatives from Los Angeles still hope to stop the measure.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” said Ron Deaton, city chief legislative analyst, who along with Ferraro and Controller Rick Tuttle urged that the bill be defeated.

Saying the impact of Valley secession would be white flight from Los Angeles, Calderon said he would continue the fight to save “my favorite city.”

Some opponents of the bill, including Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles), have expressed fear the bill could pass the full Senate.

Boland, meanwhile, is sticking with her standard prediction on the bill’s fate. “I’m still cautiously optimistic,” she said.