Mayor on a Mission of Peace

Mayor Richard Riordan journeyed to the San Fernando Valley on a mission of peace Wednesday, politely urging activists to drop a petition drive that could eventually trigger the secession of the Valley from the city of Los Angeles.

Just as politely, Riordan was sent packing.

In his first meeting with leaders of Valley VOTE, the organization leading the campaign, the mayor said their petition drive “steps in the direction of secession,” a move he strongly opposes.

Riordan dismissed Valley VOTE’s official position: that it is not campaigning in favor of splitting the Valley from Los Angeles, but only seeking a study to determine whether Valley cityhood makes political and financial sense.

“You’re going through the process toward secession,” Riordan told them during a congenial but frank hourlong meeting at the Galpin Ford dealership on Roscoe Boulevard.

Leaders of the group remained undaunted, and said they are confident they have the resources, volunteers and public support needed to collect the 135,000 signatures required to prompt a secession study.

“He’s not taking us at our word.” said Valley VOTE President Jeff Brain, a real estate consultant and former president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce. “All we want to do is get the facts.”

The mayor told members he sympathized with their frustrations over the often inefficient, glacial pace of city government. During the meeting, Riordan at times agreed a study may provide valuable insight on the future of Los Angeles. He said he opposes secession, but believes Valley residents “have the right to vote” on the issue.

But Riordan cautioned that a separate Valley city would fall far short of the “utopia” boosters envision. The cost of duplicating an entire city infrastructure, from a fire department to establishing recycling centers, would almost surely increase taxes, the mayor said.

*

Also, he said, the Valley would lose clout in Washington and Sacramento when crucial, politically sensitive federal and state funding decisions are made. All the while, the Valley would face an onslaught of fierce, new neighborhood battles over where to place garbage dumps and other unpopular government essentials, Riordan said.

“It is a good thought and I can say if L.A. had not been put together 100 years ago, that it would be better to have a bunch of small cities,” Riordan told the group. “There’s no question that smaller cities work better, but once you’re part of a big city, breaking it up does not work.”

Instead, the mayor urged Valley VOTE to support his effort to revamp the city’s 72-year-old charter, reforms he said could potentially strengthen the Valley’s political power on the City Council and provide guarantees the Valley will receive its fair share of city services.

But Richard Close, chairman of Valley VOTE, said there never would have been calls for charter reform if the secession movement in the Valley had not rattled political leaders downtown.

“Unless this goes through, there will be no charter reform,” said Close, an attorney and president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

Throughout the meeting, Close and many other Valley VOTE leaders assured Riordan their campaign is not a rebuke of his leadership, saying the mayor has been good to the Valley and has their strong political support. They fear, however, that future mayors may not be as conscientious, they said.

In response, Riordan told the group it should seek a mayoral candidate who represents the Valley’s interests.

*

If Valley VOTE by Aug. 27 collects 135,000 signatures--representing 25% of Valley voters--the Local Agency Formation Commission would be required to study whether an independent city in the Valley would be able sustain itself without causing financial harm to the rest of the city.

If the study shows a Valley city is feasible, voters citywide may be asked to decide on Valley secession as soon as 2000. But the Valley can only break away if it has the support of a majority of voters in the Valley, and of the entire city.

The arduous secession process was crafted last year by state Assemblymen Tom McClintock (R-Northridge) and Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks) in compromise legislation agreeable to both Valley VOTE and the City Council.

On Wednesday, Brain again declined to reveal the number of signatures Valley VOTE has collected thus far, but said the group plans to disclose the figure at a news conference next week.

The movement to break the Valley, home to 1.2 million people, from the rest of Los Angeles has been gathering force for several years. Leaders include longtime activists in Valley homeowner and business groups, the same civic-minded people the mayor has appointed to many city commissions.

Three months ago a survey funded by Valley business leaders found that 58% of 1,205 likely Valley voters favored formation of an independent city. Doing so would increase local control, keep local tax dollars in the Valley and create a more efficient government, they said.

*

The study was financed by Studio City attorney David Fleming and auto dealership owners Herbert Boeckmann, both prominent appointees of the mayor. Fleming is a member of the city Fire Commission and Boeckmann is a longtime member of the Police Commission.