Two Views on Secession Movement

The effort to split off the San Fernando Valley from Los Angeles cleared a major hurdle earlier this month when Los Angeles County elections officials validated more than 132,000 signatures on a petition to study the creation of what would become the nation’s sixth-largest city. The costly analysis, estimated at $8 million, would tally and divide the city’s assets and liabilities to ultimately determine whether a Valley city would be economically self-sufficient.

Leaders of the campaign to create a Valley city hailed the successful petition drive as confirmation of “tangible public support for a proposal that can no longer be taken lightly.”

KARIMA A. HAYNES asked two Valley residents what effect the latest development has on their view of the breakaway bid.

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BILL JASPER 74, Encino; president,

Encino Property Owners Assn.

We have always supported the study of the issue of secession. As a matter of fact, we had one of the first town hall meetings on this issue two years ago--before Valley VOTE was even set up. We had a large turnout of people from Encino at that meeting. It seemed to be the general opinion at that meeting that the closer the government is to the people, the better. As a matter of fact, there was an opinion expressed that we should have a city of Encino.

With regard to what’s happening now, we are very pleased that the Valley VOTE group was able to get the required signatures. I thought they did a fantastic job of reaching out to the people. I noticed in the L.A. Times that there was an editorial that said these were . . . paid signature gatherers, but that was not the case. I know that there were a lot of volunteer signature gatherers as well.

The validation of the signatures gives encouragement to those who are for secession. As I said earlier, if we can get government closer to the people, so much the better, and we can get more control over our lives. The city government downtown is quite distant--physically and in every other way. We feel removed from City Hall. The smaller towns, such as Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, seem to operate much more efficiently. The responsiveness of the governments in smaller towns to the needs of the people is much better than in L.A. In the Valley, we don’t want to be run by City Council members from other districts. We would rather have our own people making decisions for us. The council district [that includes Encino] stretches all the way to Palms and Pacific Palisades. We have very little in common with people who live that far away. We have a local community here that likes to pull together and be involved. We would like to have our representatives very close. We look upon secession as a positive. We would have City Hall that would be closer to us.

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YOLANDA VALENZUELA

59, Mission Hills; business teacher,

North Valley Occupational Center

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I really don’t want secession. I don’t believe that it is the answer to the city’s problems. I think the money being spent on this feasibility study--which I understand can run as high as $8 million--could be used for other things. Our children need air conditioning in the schools, teenagers need recreational facilities and there are so many other services that we need.

If the Valley separates from the city, I believe that I will have to pay more for services. We will have to pay for a water department, a fire department, a police department and for electricity. Those are some of the issues surrounding secession that I would like to learn more about. The money is going to be spent on a study that is only going to tell us whether or not the Valley can afford to be a separate city. It is not going to guarantee that there will be a better way of life for the people who live here.

Before the signatures were validated, secession was a far-away idea. Now, it is more real and important to me. The people on both sides of the issue need to send out more information. I have to get more information before I can make a final decision. Many of us are aware of the movement, but we are not well-informed about everything that is involved. One of the things [movement leaders] can do is let people know what it is. They have to convince me and show me that this is the right thing to do. I would love to know the pro as well as the con. From what I do know, I don’t like the idea. The city has been my parent, so to speak, and now it wants to separate from me--and I will have to bear the financial burden.