Secessionists Offer to Share Application Cost

Meeting with state, county and city officials, San Fernando Valley secessionists offered Thursday to cover $500,000 of the possible $3.3-million cost of processing a Valley cityhood application.

Under a proposal submitted by Valley VOTE, the state and county would pick up the remaining costs.

A summit sponsored by the state Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century was intended to begin laying the foundation for a cost-sharing agreement, but no resolution was reached Thursday.

Valley VOTE Chairman Richard Close said the offer to pay for part of the process is an attempt to avoid a protracted legal battle.

“We don’t feel legally or morally we’re obligated to pay for any of this, but in the spirit of compromise, we’ve shown our willingness to come up with some funding,” Close said.

Meanwhile, the head of the agency responsible for conducting the cityhood analysis suggested that 75% to 80% of the remaining study costs be paid for by the state and the other 20% to 25% be paid for by the county.

Tom Jackson, chairman of the Local Agency Formation Commission, was speaking for himself, not on the commission’s behalf, when he floated the cost-sharing idea during the two-hour, closed-door summit at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport.