Address the Frustration

With unprecedented force, voters of the San Fernando Valley have spoken. More than 172,000 people have signed petitions asking to split Los Angeles in half. It’s a goal with which The Times fundamentally disagrees, but no one can ignore the dissatisfaction people feel with their local government.

Leaders of Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment, or VOTE, last week revealed that they have exceeded the number of signatures needed to launch a study examining the effects of secession. State law requires signatures from 25% of the Valley’s registered voters--or roughly 135,000 names on the petition. VOTE organizers hope to collect 180,000 names by the Nov. 27 deadline to ensure that the petition succeeds even if some of the signatures are invalidated by Los Angeles County election officials.

The Times has criticized VOTE in the past for its aim, for its campaign tactics and for its refusal to reveal the sources of most of its money. The organization has revealed that its largest contributors are the Daily News, car dealer Herbert Boeckmann and lawyer David Fleming. Although VOTE claims it seeks only the preliminary study required before any municipal divorce could occur, its parking lot signature pitches are rarely so subtle. More often, redshirted volunteers laud the benefits of a separate Valley city. For that reason--and because the actual petition language plainly demands secession--it’s difficult to believe VOTE’s oft-repeated claim that it just wants the facts.

That aside, many thousands who signed the petition are so clearly disgusted with the governance of Los Angeles that they want to turn the Santa Monica Mountains into a political--as well as geologic--rampart against the rest of the city. Regrettably, they see no relief waiting in the reforms proposed by two separate commissions--one elected, one appointed--working to rewrite the city’s cumbersome charter.

Those engaged in that process and those charged with running the city cannot ignore the 172,000 voices demanding change. Los Angeles is worth saving. VOTE has channeled their anger, provided a rallying cry. Responsibility for change lies with the city’s elected officials. But it lies as well with the 172,000 ordinary, frustrated people who inked their names to VOTE’s petitions.