Valley Secession: Separate in Name Only

I just read “Report Confirms Secession Is Viable” (Jan. 10), on the Local Agency Formation Commission for Los Angeles County’s report about the viability of certain areas breaking away from the city of Los Angeles to form their own cities. I hope leaders in the city see the growing momentum of secessionists as a wake-up call. It would be a shame for the city to break into several parts. It is time for the 15 kings and queens who make up the City Council to quit working solely for their own districts and start working together for the betterment of the whole city.

Quit the narrow-minded thinking and the political games that leave a mayor virtually powerless and a city without efficient services (including mass transportation for all residents). This city has amazing resources that are squandered by politics, poor planning and a government that doesn’t work for the best interests of its constituency as a whole.

Charles K. Markline Jr.

West Hollywood

*

The article reports: “The proposed Valley city . . . would remain tightly entwined with Los Angeles for years. Los Angeles would provide water, power, police and fire protection, road repairs, trash collection and every other basic service under contract. A Valley city would pay Los Angeles nearly $1 billion a year--just short of its entire budget. A new city would employ no more than 36 people. It would take more than 8,000 Los Angeles employees to provide services to the Valley.”

So where’s the self-support? The new city would be nothing more than a shell for a bunch of malcontents to display their already over-inflated egos.

Howard L. Ekerling

Studio City