Backers Told to Plan New Cities Themselves

Plans for a study of San Fernando Valley and Harbor area secession from Los Angeles should be altered to clarify that supporters--not a government consultant--are responsible for proposing the structure of the new cities, officials said Wednesday.

Two weeks after hiring a consultant to study cityhood for the two areas, the Local Agency Formation Commission delayed final approval Wednesday of work plans so they could be revised.

“We need to know ahead of time what the rules of the game are,” said county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, a commission member who sought the revision. “We need to spell out that the applicant has the responsibility for developing this plan.”

He said the work plans presented to the commission Wednesday could be interpreted as giving the consultant a major role in defining the new cities’ structures.

Language clarifying the roles of the secessionists and the consultant will be presented to the commission at its next meeting.

Richard Close, chairman of the secession group Valley VOTE, said his organization is willing to assume primary responsibility for proposing the structure of a new Valley city.

Who does what in the studies is a touchy issue. City officials have resisted a major role for the commission in helping secessionists draft plans, saying the agency should be objective and analyze whether the proposals are revenue-neutral.

“We are the judge in a divorce,” Yaroslavsky said.

Deputy Mayor Bill Violante said the city does not want the commission to draft the cityhood plans.

The consultant has proposed that the studies and required public hearings be completed in 22 months, plenty of time to put cityhood proposals on the 2002 ballot.

Under the work plan, the consulting firm Public Financial Management would analyze data provided by the city. The applicants would use that analysis to develop the proposed structures for the new cities. The commission and consultant would analyze the structures to make sure they would not harm Los Angeles or the new cities financially.