Communities Grapple With New Identities

Over the years, Sepulveda has become North Hills, West Hills has separated from Canoga Park, and La Tuna Canyon has seceded from Sun Valley. Meanwhile, smaller communities have broken out from North Hollywood to create Valley Village and West Toluca Lake, and parts of Van Nuys have been annexed to Sherman Oaks.

Advocates argue that the name changes are needed to recognize new relationships in combating the problems that face neighborhoods.

Critics say such changes are a misguided attempt to run away from problems and raise property values.

Is a new name for a neighborhood healthy or hurtful to a community?

D. Shone Kirkpatrick, president of the West Toluca Lake Residents Assn.:

“I think it’s helpful if it’s done for a reason. We did it as an outgrowth of the support that we had in the community. We were lost in North Hollywood and by renaming our section . . . we brought focus to the problems at hand. . . . We were faced with problems like parking, graffiti, speeding and things like that. By establishing a community-based organization we were able to bring a collective drive to solve these problems. . . . I think just to change the name, just to try to bring up property values, is not . . . a good idea.”

Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn.:

“What has resulted is an elitist movement. Usually, it’s started by some real estate professional who sells people a bill of goods. . . . I don’t fault those people down there [who left Van Nuys for Sherman Oaks] but this is very self-serving and it doesn’t do anything for the community. . . . The way to solve the problem is to identify it and work together as a community.”

Ron Clary, president of the Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber of Commerce:

“I’m not sure that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages for those who are left in the original place and stay there because it does tend to stigmatize, unfortunately, the area that remains under the old name. It’s something that takes some time to correct. . . . The final effect still remains to be seen. We’re still working our way through the situation. . . . There were hard feelings among those who were directly involved in the debate at the time. . . . There is still a lot of working together between the communities.”

Bob Scott, past president of the United Chambers of Commerce:

“We’ve been able to live through quite a few different name changes. . . . I think it goes to local control . . . and if people want to identify themselves as a community, they should be able to. . . . It’s part of people having a sense of place, having a place they can identify with. . . . It goes more to the people who want to create a community than it does to the people who feel they are being left behind.”

Harry Coleman, president of the North Hills Community Coordinating Council:

“If we have a crime problem, the answer to the problem isn’t to just change the name of the community. Let’s change the community. . . . We can’t keep going around changing names. In fact, I think we need a moratorium on it.”

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