Secession Wouldn’t Affect 2 Big Projects

San Fernando Valley secession could affect city buildings under construction at the time a new Valley city is created, but would not be likely to affect the largest projects planned--a police station in Mission Hills and a new city government headquarters building in Van Nuys, officials said Tuesday.

Any city construction project underway if Los Angeles broke apart would have to be examined to determine how work would be completed and paid for, according to Tony DeClue, assistant general manager of the city General Services Department.

DeClue testified at a City Hall hearing on the secession proposal that the city of Los Angeles would probably continue working on the building until it is completed, but that officials would have to consider the terms for turning over the project to the new city.

That issue is unlikely to affect the Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center, a large new government office building in Van Nuys, on which ground is to be broken soon, and which is scheduled for completion by the end of next year.

Any Valley cityhood proposal would not be likely to make the ballot until November 2002.

Another major project that is expected to be completed before any breakup is the sixth Valley police station, construction of which is to begin in Mission Hills next spring and finish 18 months later.

DeClue told a consultant who is holding hearings on secession that if a breakup occurs, the city would probably give the Valley those city buildings and facilities in the Valley and retain those in the rest of Los Angeles.