Valley VOTE Joins Flood of Debate on Secession and Water Rights

Valley VOTE sent letters Thursday asking all Los Angeles City Council members to stop “making statements that question the San Fernando Valley’s future rights to water inaccurately.”

The group has begun a petition drive seeking a study of the Valley’s political secession from the city of Los Angeles. It doesn’t like what some people have been saying about whether there would be enough water for Valley users after secession--a legal issue over which there has been much debate.

The group--formally known as Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment--cited a recent legal opinion suggesting Valley residents could keep their water, but might have to pay a lot more for the supply after secession. The group directed the request to council members, city employees and commissioners.

Bruce Bialosky, treasurer of Valley VOTE, said the group is not asking people to give up free speech rights.

“We are not asking anyone to cease talking,” he said. “We are asking them to cease making inflammatory comments without basis of fact.”

But asking politicians not to comment is like asking a baby not to cry.

One of the most vocal critics of Valley secession, Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, said she was not about to instruct anyone to keep their opinions to themselves.

“We are not going to direct anyone to do anything,” she said. “They all have their opinions.”

Also, Goldberg is not about to keep her own opinion to herself. She said she believes the water issue is a messy matter that will inevitably end up in a lengthy court battle.

“I don’t know what the city attorney has said, but the charter of the city of Los Angeles says the city may not sell water outside of the boundaries of the city, and the Valley would be outside of the boundaries,” Goldberg said.

“They will get water,” Goldberg added. “I’ve never said they won’t get water. The question is at what cost.”

Talk, Talk

It has already begun.

Only days after the primary election, campaign consultants for the Republican and Democratic primary winners in the 24th congressional race are lambasting each other over the results.

In other words, no one is waiting until November.

The top Republican vote-getter was businessman and political newcomer Randy Hoffman, who got 20% of the vote, beating newspaper columnist Joe Gelman (12%) and businessman William Westmiller (7%) for the nomination.

On the Democratic side, incumbent Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) got 54% of the vote, running unopposed.

Parke Skelton, Sherman’s consultant, ridiculed Hoffman’s victory, calling it an “ineffective and weak showing” considering Hoffman spent nearly $300,000 on the campaign.

“It further indicates that this is not the year of the dilettante,” he said.

Over the past 1 1/2 years, Sherman has spent about $230,000, but Skelton said only about $10,000 was spent on voter outreach. The rest went for fund-raising and overhead, he said.

Todd Blair, Hoffman’s campaign director, shrugged off Skelton’s barb.

“We are very, very pleased to have received over 50% of the Republican vote,” he said.

Although the open primary allowed voters to choose candidates from any party, Blair said Hoffman’s campaign focused solely on the Republican voters.

November will be a different story.

During the primary campaign, Hoffman’s opponents criticized him for running on a platform devoid of specifics. That too will change, Blair said.

“At this point, we are no longer running against Gelman or Westmiller,” Blair said. “We will absolutely express a strong distinction between Brad and Randy.”

Sign of the Times

The ink is barely dry on the Los Angeles city budget providing funding for inspectors to enforce laws against paper signs tacked to telephone poles and other public property. But already, the new rules have been conspicuously flaunted.

The City Council last month approved money for extra personnel to hunt down illegal sign posters. The action came during its budget negotiations, a move that got a resounding 13-2 vote.

Nailing or stapling signs on public property is technically illegal, but lax enforcement has helped make it common practice, much to the chagrin of anti-blight homeowners’ groups. Hence the council’s get-tough action.

But the new signs are visible throughout Van Nuys and North Hollywood.

The signs were for none other than Richard Alarcon, the city councilman and would-be state senator still locked in a neck-and-neck race with Richard Katz.

Apparently, winning the race meant pushing legal envelopes, at least when it came to sign ordinances: parts of Van Nuys had big green Alarcon signs on nearly every utility pole.

Why Was This Man Smiling?

From the very first results Tuesday night, Raul Godinez was getting trounced by incumbent U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-Mission Hills).

Resolutely upbeat, Godinez shook hands and kissed babies at his campaign headquarters. He wore a huge grin. He had been written off by the pundits--evidenced by the lone reporter who staked out his campaign headquarters--but was unmoved by the slight.

“This is my town,” he said, speaking of San Fernando, where he is the second-term mayor. “I love these people, and we’ll always work to make things better. This was a step, a first step, toward mobilizing the community, toward one day being a force for change.” Thumping dance music soon overtook the Mexican folk music on the PA system. Scores of teens, the muscle and heart of Godinez’s upstart campaign, danced and twirled.

And there was Godinez, smiling to the end, taking the stage to the strains of “That’s the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it.” Disco may be dead, but Godinez, the message was, is alive and kicking.

Martin and Leovy are Times staff writers. Steinman is a correspondent.