The Bigger the City, the Bigger the Clout

San Fernando Valley’s secession from Los Angeles would not only slice up the city, it would slice up L.A.’s clout in Washington and Sacramento, making it harder to get badly needed help after emergencies or to prepare for them.

In 1983, two days before I was sworn in to represent Los Angeles and eight other cities in the U.S. House, a storm battered the Southern California coastline, requiring emergency federal assistance in the communities of Redondo Beach, Malibu and Venice, all in my new district.

During the next six weeks, I received a quick education in the federal emergency appropriations process, seeking and securing federal emergency help for the coastal communities that had been damaged.

I also learned--very quickly--two important legislative lessons.

The first was that it is enormously helpful in Congress to be able to enlist and obtain support from the members of the L.A. delegation, a formidable force when it bands together on behalf of the city in times that require state or federal help.

Secondly, it is much easier to attract official attention when seeking help for a city the size of Los Angeles than for a smaller, adjacent city.

These lessons were clearly evident again in 1994 after the devastating Northridge earthquake. The federal government responded immediately and generously to the urgent needs of Los Angeles, largely secured by the clout of the city and its representatives in Congress.

Plainly, it will be much easier in the future as well to attract the time and attention of our federal officials if they are asked to meet with the mayor of Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city and the gateway to the Pacific Rim, than if they are asked to meet with the mayors of a shrunken Los Angeles and a neighboring city.

After a secession, the focus would be diluted, the clout would be reduced, the appeal would be smaller. The city will have squandered much of its legislative influence if it cuts off a sizable portion of its people from its base.

It is of course impossible to predict what the next emergency will be or when it will occur. But whether we suffer another trauma like Sept. 11, another earthquake, another fallout from ocean storms or more mountain fires, we would be foolish to relinquish the strong, coordinated and compelling appeal that we now can make on behalf of the vital and cohesive unit known in the Congress and in Sacramento as “Los Angeles.”

Any reduction in clout will cost us dearly when the next emergency arises. It is not a chance worth taking.