Secession and Charter Are Topics of Meeting

Valley secession and city charter reform will be discussed and debated at the Tarzana Property Owners Assn.’s annual community meeting Tuesday.

A panel of representatives from the appointed and elected charter reform commissions and Valley VOTE, the group spearheading the secession drive, and councilwomen Laura Chick and Cindy Miscikowski will discuss ways of making “the Valley work better,” said Helen Norman, association president.

“We have had a city charter since 1925, and it’s terribly outdated,” Norman said. “All this talk about secession has caused our city leaders to pay attention and realize that in order to hold the city together, they have to come up with a new set of rules that will work for every section of the city.”

Richard Close, chairman of Valley VOTE, will discuss reasons and the process for the Valley to become a separate city.

Other panelists include George Keiffer, chairman of the appointed charter reform commission, and Paula Boland and Rob Glushon of the elected charter reform commission.

Bill Rosenthal, senior vice president of Century Cable, will moderate.

The panel will take questions from the audience, Norman said.

“The charter reform issue is difficult to understand, but it’s terribly important because it’s the rules by which the city is run,” Norman said.

Tuesday’s public meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at El Caballero Country Club, 18300 Tarzana Drive.

For information, call (818) 996-0117.