Secession Study

One has to question the truth of the information the Valley VOTE people are giving the public.

For example, in his Jan. 17 opinion article, VOTE President Jeff Brain makes the statement that a Feb. 5, 1998, letter from City Atty. James Hahn to Mayor Richard Riordan provides assurance that water rates will not rise if the Valley secedes (“Attack on VOTE Targets All Study Sponsors”).

The fact of the matter is that the city charges a differential rate to the few small communities it serves in the Owens Valley, and it could also do the same to the San Fernando Valley.

When citing his “facts,” Brain equivocates by saying that “we now know that most likely” water rates will stay the same, taxes will go down, and services will improve when the Valley secedes.

Brain is obviously looking into a crystal ball for his facts.

LEON FURGATCH, Granada Hills