Secession Merits a Citywide Vote

The maxim of most smorgasbords is that although the food is rarely any good, there is always lots of it. The same holds true for the array of bills pending or proposed in the state Legislature that deal with the politically popular notion of splitting the San Fernando Valley from Los Angeles.

Over the last week, the list of competing proposals grew longer with the suggestion by Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) that the Valley be allowed to secede from the city with a two-thirds majority vote by Valley residents. In exchange for that super-majority vote, Cardenas’ proposal would strip the City Council of its veto power over such splits.

In a rare display of unity, a majority of the City Council and secession proponents rejected the idea, although for decidedly different reasons. Secession supporters want a simple majority while council opponents want municipal divorces decided by voters citywide.

We still agree with the council on this one. Secession is a sexy idea, but its benefit remains unproven. However, removing the council from the equation can go a long way toward making it more responsive to the legitimate concerns of residents who feel left out of a downtown-based government. Without the absolute power to nix such movements, the council would be forced to listen. The threat also lends a greater sense of urgency to efforts at revising the city’s outdated charter--and it’s encouraging that several dozen candidates remain in the running for posts on a reform commission.

The decision to break up the city belongs to all neighborhoods. Like it or not, the different parts of Los Angeles are bound together by everything from history and finances to more mundane things like sewers and roads. All residents deserve a say in whether those ties should be cut.

A bill by state Senate President Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) proposes just that sort of procedure. The decision to let the Valley leave Los Angeles would be transferred from the City Council to the people--all of them.