Death of Proposal Revivifies Secession

Leaders of the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood secession movements Wednesday sought to capitalize on the Los Angeles City Council’s decision to kill a borough proposal for the Nov. 5 ballot, saying the panel’s action will boost the breakup campaign.

The council’s rejection of the borough plan this week sent a message to voters that City Hall is unwilling to share power by giving local communities more authority over spending, land use and the distribution of services, the secessionists said.

At the same time, the death of the borough proposal removed from the secession campaign a distraction that might have siphoned votes from the breakup measures, said Hollywood Independence Committee chair Gene La Pietra.

“Now that the council has defeated the borough proposals ... we are optimistic for a positive campaign,” LaPietra said.

Former Assemblyman Richard Katz, who heads the Valley secession campaign, said the council’s scuttling of boroughs “reinforces that City Hall is incapable of reforming itself.”

LaBonge Has Other Ideas

However, Hollywood-area Councilman Tom LaBonge said reform at City Hall is not dead. LaBonge unveiled a motion Wednesday that would establish “service delivery districts” throughout the city to customize services for local problems. There would be seven districts, with regional offices staffed by employees transferred from City Hall. The idea is make it easier for residents to apply for permits, arrange for street repairs and get their trees trimmed without have to travel downtown.

‘Magic’ Joins the Team

Meanwhile, basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson formally joined the anti-secession team Wednesday as co-chair of Mayor James K. Hahn’s campaign to keep Los Angeles together.

“He’s someone I believe has enormous credibility not only in the African American community but all over the city,” Hahn said at a news conference at the Magic Johnson Theatres in the Crenshaw Shopping Plaza.

Also Wednesday, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission received a complaint from a Hollywood cityhood leader alleging Council President Alex Padilla is campaigning against secession on city time.

Jon Jay, a board member of the Hollywood Independence Committee, contends that Padilla crossed the line at a news conference Monday by attacking secession while announcing plans to replace worn-out garbage cans and recycling containers.

David Gershwin, a spokesman for Padilla, said the councilman’s remarks were appropriate.

“He was highlighting the improved service and he was not explicitly telling voters how to vote,” Gershwin said.

Secession Vote Protested

In another development, county officials said 4,175 Valley residents have filed written protests against putting the secession measure on the Nov. 5 ballot.

The number is a small fraction of the more than 700,000 protests, which would represent half the registered voters in Los Angeles, that must be filed by July 25 to stop the secession election.

Times staff writer Beth Shuster contributed to this report.