Riordan Budget Chat Touches on Secession
Asking San Fernando Valley business leaders to “stay with the family,” Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan touched on two contentious issues Tuesday during a Pacoima luncheon.
Riordan presented the city’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year to members of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., a 50-year-old organization that represents area businesses.
Included in the $2.9-billion budget are plans to improve response time by paramedic units in the Valley and delay sewer service charges for five years. But clearly some of the most pressing challenges in the Valley have to do with secession--both from city government and the Los Angeles Unified School District, Riordan said.
Plans are in the works for the Valley to break away from Los Angeles on both fronts.
The solution for the struggling school district is a revolution starting with selection of a new superintendent, Riordan said.
“Breaking up the school district can be very damaging,” he said. “Having smaller school districts would make things more complicated. You’d have a mess.”
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