Valley Glen Neighbors Celebrate a New Name

Dozens of people turned out Sunday to attend a celebration that included vows, a name change, good food and the promise of a long future together. But if you’re thinking summer wedding, think again.

It was the christening of a new neighborhood that drew scores to a street party in what used to be known as Van Nuys, but has been renamed Valley Glen.

Valley Glen is bounded by portions of Woodman Avenue and Coldwater Canyon, Sherman Way and Burbank Boulevard.

Residents have been working since February to forge a separate identity from Van Nuys, but insist they hadn’t divorced Van Nuys because of its diversity, citing their own polyglot population.

The more than 300 homes in their area made up a diverse community with enough cohesion and caring to go its own way. This was not tearing down a city but helping to build one, neighbors said.

“I’ve lived here 35 years and raised both my sons here,” said resident Asta Criss, who helped launch the petition drive to sever ties with Van Nuys. “I’m not saying I want to go to Nevada, but there are some things you have to do by yourself.”

Valley Glen is the latest San Fernando Valley community to try to change its identity by changing its name. North Hills, formerly Sepulveda; West Hills, formerly Canoga Park; and Valley Village, formerly North Hollywood, led the way.

Valley Glen residents say they will be an inclusive community.

*

Those who turned out to the three-hour block party along a half-block area of Bassett Street counted at least 16 different ethnic groups including Armenians, Japanese, Mexicans, Jews, Italians and Irish from the predominantly middle-class Valley Glen neighborhood.

The diversity was also reflected in the wide array of food packing the picnic tables, including dolmas, dim sum and burgers, diversity that did not go unnoticed by Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Feuer.

“There are hundreds of names for neighborhoods in Los Angeles and it’s a well worn path to develop this sense of place in a very big city,” said Feuer, who was presented with a plaque thanking him for his efforts on behalf of the neighborhood. “This is worthy of recognition and what we need to be fostering throughout our city. This is a strong statement about how people care for each other.”

Last February, Feuer endorsed the name change but allowed some adjacent neighborhoods four months to decide if they wanted to join Valley Glen or remain a part of Van Nuys.

That invitation sparked heated discussions between some of the original petitioners who wanted Valley Glen to include only a 66-block area directly north and west of Valley College, and surrounding residents who either wanted to join Valley Glen or beg off because the issue was too divisive.

“At first I wondered, why do we need to distinguish ourselves?” said Sirinya Tritipeskul, 16. “But this is a feel-good neighborhood. We have our own United Nations here and it’s really good.”

“When it comes to community identification, it’s a morale and self-esteem issue, not necessarily real estate values,” said 40-year-old Vose Street resident Tom Most. “They can’t change the whole city of Van Nuys.”

But Herb Sanders, 70, admitted he was glad to be free of the Van Nuys label. “You say you live in Van Nuys and people make a face,” he said, sitting in the shade with his wife, Shirley, and other neighbors. “I’m glad they made the name change.”