A Hint of VOTE’s Envisioned City?

No sooner did a study of San Fernando Valley secession get the go-ahead than the group leading the charge once again tried to scurry away from the consequences that its destructive campaign may hold. Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment, or VOTE, earlier this month got confirmation that it had successfully collected nearly 133,000 signatures on a petition demanding a divorce from Los Angeles. The first step: A multimillion-dollar study.

Who foots the bill for this inventory of municipal assets remains unanswered. But VOTE adamantly opposes having to pay. The group has won allies in some politicians who parrot VOTE’s claims of poverty. But no one knows how much money VOTE has--or is capable of raising--except VOTE’s leaders. That’s because the group refuses to release its financial records. It has, however, revealed that some of its biggest financial supporters include car dealer Herbert Boeckmann, attorney David Fleming and the Daily News.

VOTE leaders respond that they are not legally obligated to release the group’s records. That may be true, but for a group squawking for public money, VOTE seems reluctant to share with the public the source of its own money. At the same time, VOTE wants to be absolved of any legal liability arising from its secession campaign. In other words, if the whole mess lands in court--which is very likely--VOTE wants no part of paying the legal bills. That means taxpayers would very likely get stuck with the check.

VOTE’s actions--which speak far louder than its deceptively reasonable words--might provide a hint of the new Valley city the group envisions: A place where folks do as they please and leave the mess for someone else.