Secession Election Challenged

A top lawyer for Los Angeles’ largest municipal union on Wednesday served formal notice that he will file a lawsuit today aimed at stopping the November election on San Fernando Valley secession.

Robert Hunt, general counsel for the Service Employees International Union’s Local 347, served the notice on Valley secession leaders, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Local Agency Formation Commission, the panel that put the breakup measure on the ballot.

In his complaint, which he is bringing as an individual, Hunt challenges LAFCO’s finding that the creation of a Valley city would not have a significant effect on the environment. The suit will ask the Los Angeles Superior Court to prohibit the Board of Supervisors from scheduling the election.

Hunt contends that LAFCO violated the California Environmental Quality Act by not studying in detail whether a Valley city would have to construct more municipal buildings, hire more employees or take other actions that would have an effect on the environment.

Jeff Brain, president of the secession group Valley VOTE, said Hunt’s suit “lacks merit and the courts will see through this political smoke screen.”

Legal experts, meanwhile, said that the courts generally are reluctant to halt elections because of such legal challenges. Hunt’s complaint does not target the Hollywood secession measure, which is also on the Nov. 5 ballot.

SEIU officials are among the leading opponents of secession, but they have said that the union would not go to court to try to block a Valley cityhood vote. On Wednesday, they distanced themselves from the suit, saying that Hunt was acting on his own. Representatives of Mayor James K. Hahn, who is leading the anti-secession drive, also said his office had nothing to do with the suit.

Richard Katz, who is chairman of the pro-secession campaign, said that Hunt was too close to both city and union interests to be acting independently.

“Though Robert Hunt will file the lawsuit as an individual, it’s hard to overlook the fact that he’s associated with a major municipal employee union--the same union which is one of Mayor Hahn’s strongest supporters,” Katz said.

Fredric Woocher, an attorney who specializes in election law, said it would be difficult to persuade a judge to stop an election--especially based on complaints about an environmental impact report.

“Courts generally err on the side of letting people vote,” he said.

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Times staff writer Kristina Sauerwein contributed to this report.