Hollywood Cityhood Drive a Success, Organizers Say

Calling Monday their Independence Day, backers of cityhood for Hollywood wrapped up a petition campaign that they hope will help them join two other areas in breaking away from Los Angeles.

Secessionists said they have collected signatures of more than 20,000 registered voters living within the boundaries of their proposed 4-square-mile city--about 400 more than the 19,600 needed to trigger a government study of their plans.

In all, leaders of Hollywood VOTE said, nearly 40,000 people signed the petition during a six-month collection period that ended Monday.

The group has another 60 days to turn in completed petitions to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office for verification.

“Today, I declare this as L.A. Independence Day,” said an elated Gene La Pietra, head of Hollywood VOTE. “It’s not just about Hollywood and the Valley and the harbor area. It’s about all of Los Angeles.”

Backers of breakaway campaigns in the San Fernando Valley and the San Pedro-Wilmington area have already completed their petition drives to initiate studies of the economic feasibility of cityhood for the two areas. The research is being done by the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission, known as LAFCO.

Under the law, the commission must determine that cityhood for Hollywood and the other two areas would be “revenue-neutral” to those regions, as well as to the remaining portion of Los Angeles. The Valley and the harbor district are already undergoing the complex economic review.

If all goes as the secessionists hope, the three areas could place breakaway measures on the ballot as early as the November 2002 election.

If the secessions are successful, the election would reduce the population of Los Angeles by half. With more than 3.5 million residents, the city is now larger than 25 states.

Most Los Angeles officials are opposed to the breakup.

As do the leaders of the Valley and harbor breakaway movements, Hollywood secessionists say residents there would benefit from having city services administered closer to home by municipal leaders who are more easily accessible and accountable.

La Pietra said remaining portions of Los Angeles would similarly benefit if the three areas were turned into new cities.

“If I live in South-Central L.A., my clout will expand dramatically. I’ll have more representation on the City Council. It will be easier to connect with my councilperson,” La Pietra said.

“If I live on the Eastside, I’ll know my neighborhood will also have better representation in City Hall. My neighborhood will share in more revenue from downtown.”

La Pietra said cityhood backers will attempt to hammer that point home as the secessionist campaign moves toward the hoped-for 2002 vote.

He said Hollywood campaigners decided to collect signatures up to the last minute Monday to ensure that they had enough valid voter names, as well as to continue educating voters about the cityhood issue.

Hollywood leaders are considering turning the petitions over to the county Thursday with plenty of hoopla, he said.

“A representative from LAFCO will go with us to the county clerk’s office. It will be Hollywood at its best. We’re going to have fun with it,” La Pietra said.

Larry Calemine, executive officer of LAFCO, confirmed Monday that state law gives the group another 60 days to present the petitions. He said he was waiting to hear from La Pietra’s group.

“It looks like it will be a big production, Hollywood style,” Calemine said.

Hollywood’s proposed city boundaries would be the Hollywood Freeway and the Los Angeles River on the north; Hoover Street, Myra Avenue and Griffith Park on the east; West Hollywood and Laurel Canyon Boulevard on the west; and 3rd Street, Beverly Boulevard and Clinton Street on the south.