City Went Too Far With Vote

Even those who doubt the motives of a group pushing San Fernando Valley secession should not doubt this: Guards at last weekend’s Van Nuys Aviation Expo grossly overstepped their authority when they refused to allow Valley VOTE volunteers to collect signatures at the popular annual event. Recognizing the mistake, local officials from the city attorney to the City Council have called for investigations into who kept the volunteers out and why.

Is such a tough reaction overkill? Not at all. The charges are serious allegations of constitutional violations. The air show was a free public event held on city property. Valley VOTE volunteers had every right to meander through the crowd seeking signatures. In all likelihood, the dispute will come down to a misunderstanding or miscommunication--and not the citywide conspiracy that VOTE leaders say they believe seeks to crush their movement. But it should be investigated nonetheless, if for no other reason than it sends a message to police and security guards that they should err on the side of constitutional freedom.

Valley VOTE initially sought to reserve a booth at the air show, but applied too late. The show was full. According to airport officials, some members of the group tried to set up a makeshift booth anyway. VOTE leaders deny they did. Security--in the form of Los Angeles airport police and private security--was dispatched to remove what was alleged to be an illegal booth. That’s as far as it should have gone. Yet the volunteers also were prohibited from walking around seeking signatures. That went too far. Whether those officers misunderstood their directions, acted on their own or were carrying out the orders of high-ranking city officials remains unclear.

Unfortunately, the incident has only heightened the paranoia that VOTE leaders demonstrate with regard to the group’s finances. Despite its rallying cry against closed government, VOTE refuses to reveal who pays its bills--a contradictory position for a group that seeks public support for a new city. VOTE leaders say they keep the names of their financial backers secret because they fear retaliation from city officials. It’s a ludicrous claim, but the air show dispute has only stiffened the group’s opposition to coming clean with voters.

The Constitution guarantees the protection even of unpopular speech; groups agitating for change should be able to do so without fear of the authorities they agitate most. It allows people to say stupid things--such as VOTE co-chairman Jeff Brain’s overblown and insulting remark that the air show episode was reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Preventing the circulation of petitions falls short of the efficient brutality of the Third Reich. But neither does it reach the expectations of American democracy.