Paying the Price of Valley Secession

Re “Higher Valley Breakup Fee Is Estimated,” June 19: “Leech Angeles” now says it will need $288 million in annual “valimony” payments if the Valley secedes in November--$160 million more per year than the official Local Agency Formation Commission estimate. Furthermore, the chairman of the consulting group that came up with this mind-boggling figure says there would be no reason to decrease such payments after 20 years.

I hope England doesn’t get wind of this, or the Brits may ask Americans to send them “compensation” checks to make up for 226 years of lost tax revenue.

James Dawson

Tarzana

*

Re “Hahn Passes (a Big) Hat,” June 17: Mayor James Hahn’s use of the mayor’s office to solicit anti-secession donations from businesses is one of the most insidious uses of an elected office imaginable. As serious problems remain unaddressed (e.g., rising homicide rates), Hahn and his associates seem more focused on coercing than on solving. And he wonders why secession is so widely supported?

Michael Stryer

Pacific Palisades

*

The Valley secessionist leaders’ outreach efforts to South Los Angeles are disingenuous (“Breakup Pitched to South L.A.,” June 16). As a Van Nuys homeowner said, “Many white people seem to want to maintain their wealth and power.” The response by the secessionists to this racism charge is that the demographics of the San Fernando Valley are much more diverse. But this response is comparing apples with oranges and does not answer the question of motivation.

Yes, there is greater diversity in the San Fernando Valley, but then why doesn’t the secessionist leadership reflect this diversity? Could the motive be that, since the balance of power at City Hall is beginning to shift in a direction that better reflects the changing demographics of Los Angeles, and perhaps the perception among the secessionists is the loss of access, then by seceding from the city the secession leaders may better ensure their role as the gatekeepers?

If the secession leaders’ motives are truly altruistic, they may want to reach out to “ethnic minorities” within the valley and stop playing ethnic politics by catering to present community dissatisfaction.

Mark R. Edwards

Hollywood