Business Panel Weighs In on Secession Issues

A new San Fernando Valley city should receive its prorated share of all city assets, including the Department of Water and Power and airports, through joint powers agreements or special districts, the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. said Thursday.

In a position paper, the group also called for a Valley city to continue to receive services from Los Angeles during a three-year, post-secession transition. The proposals in the statement are similar to those already made by the secession group Valley VOTE.

In addition, the association said any payments required from the Valley to Los Angeles to make the old city financially whole should end after seven years.

Wherever there are shared services, such as sewer, water and power, fees should be uniform between the two cities, the report said.

“As representatives of the Valley’s corporate community, we felt we had an obligation to be watchdogs in this process,” said Sandy Paris, a co-chair of the group’s special reorganization task force.

The position paper will be submitted to the Local Agency Formation Commission, which is studying whether secession is financially feasible and the best method to protect the new and old cities.

Valley cityhood could be placed on the ballot as early as November 2002.