Riordan to Propose Police, Fire Stations for Valley

Mayor Richard Riordan--overwhelmingly supported by San Fernando Valley voters in his April 8 reelection bid--will propose an annual budget Friday that would give the Valley a new firehouse and police station.

The fire station, representing the only new one in the city, would house 12 new firefighters and two paramedics in Panorama City, where the Fire Department response time has been slow because existing personnel can’t keep up with the number of calls.

Riordan officials also say the mayor will propose a $350-million to $400-million bond measure to improve and build new police stations, including a long-sought facility in the northeast Valley.

The proposed additional fire and police facilities are part of Riordan’s new public safety program, which is an attempt to reduce crime by putting more detectives on the streets, spending more on anti-gang programs and improving the response time of police and firefighters.

Riordan’s attention to the Valley is not new. Since he was elected in 1993--with strong backing from the Valley--Riordan has attempted to address long-standing complaints from Valley residents who fear they do not receive their fair share of city services.

In his April 8 reelection effort, Riordan seized 74% of the vote in the Valley, contrasted with 60% of the vote citywide.

But Riordan officials say the proposed police and fire stations should not be seen as a reward for the Valley’s support.

“The need was there,” a top Riordan official said.

“I think the Valley has made it loud and clear that they want their fair share of the services and that is what he is doing,” said Rick Taylor, a political consultant who has worked with Riordan.

The $1.1-million fire station would be built in the working-class community of Panorama City, an area where fire officials say they are acutely understaffed.

“We have an excessive work load in that particular area,” Fire Capt. Leonard Thompson said.

Thompson said he does not know why the East Valley has more fire and emergency calls than other parts of the Valley but guessed the calls could be due to a higher density of homes and business in that area.

“Our goal is to get a five-minute response time,” he said. “Now it’s exceeding eight minutes in that area.”

The same northeast Valley area would benefit from a new police station that would be funded by a bond measure, subject to a two-thirds majority of voters.

Riordan officials hope to persuade the City Council to place the measure on the November 1998 ballot.

The Valley station has long been sought by Councilman Richard Alarcon, who represents most of the northeast Valley. Two years ago Alarcon attempted to get funding for new stations in the Valley and Mid-Wilshire areas--as well as money to improve other stations throughout the city--by persuading the council to put a $171-million bond measure on the ballot.

The measure was to pay for two stations that were supposed to have been built with money from a $176-million measure that voters approved in 1989. But many voters throughout the city--particularly in the Valley--were angered when they learned that funding from that measure ran out before the stations were built. In fact, police officials knew before voters went to the polls that the measure could not generate enough money to pay for all the promised improvements.

With the memory of the previous bond measure still in mind, voters narrowly rejected Alarcon’s measure.

While city officials strongly support the construction of new police and fire stations in the Valley, they are cautious about another bond measure.

“We know it’s very difficult to pass bond measures and we hope we can get it done this time,” said Annette Castro, Alarcon’s chief of staff.

Political pundits suggest Alarcon’s measure might have succeeded if top city politicians had campaigned strongly to get voters’ approval.

This time, Riordan officials said the mayor plans to throw his considerable political clout behind the police bond measure. He also plans to support a second bond measure to build two new libraries--in Silver Lake and the Westside--and improve existing libraries throughout the city.

Councilman Joel Wachs, who also represents parts of the northeast Valley, said, “I would support a new bond measure but I need to see the details.”

He warned the voters’ rejected the previous bond measure because they could not trust the city to spend it wisely.

“The moral,” he said, “is that the city has to create a climate that shows the people we will not waste their money.”