Secession’s Impact on Minorities Debated

Kicking off a series of forums on a volatile topic, the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People brought together opposing speakers Monday to discuss whether San Fernando Valley secession would help or hurt minority communities.

Jeff Brain, president of secession group Valley VOTE, and Thomas Hogen-Esch, a USC graduate student studying the history of urban secession drives, presented strongly differing views on the probable impact of breaking up Los Angeles to a sparse crowd at Pacoima’s Mt. Gilead Baptist Church.

Brain, who stressed that his group only wants to study secession, nevertheless cited Burbank and Glendale and said that a Valley city--which would be the nation’s sixth-largest--could become a similar haven of low taxes, pretty parks and bountiful businesses.

He said residents of Pacoima and the rest of the northeast Valley--traditionally its poorest, most politically disenfranchised area--could gain clout by breaking away from Los Angeles.

“I believe you have the most to gain in the northeast Valley,” Brain said.

“You don’t have the bus service. Your streets are full of potholes. If we become our own city--if we decide that is the right thing to do--you will have tremendous say.”

Hogen-Esch countered that the history of such breakaway movements was one of one group looking to gain political clout over another by redrawing political boundaries to its benefit.

He said that Los Angeles is now mainly Latino, but the proposed Valley city would be mostly white. And he concluded that Valley African Americans, like Latinos, stand to lose politically if they break away.

“Rather than empowering Valley blacks, secession might actually hurt them by cutting off relations with blacks on the other side of the hill,” Hogen-Esch said.