No Advantages in a New Valley City

I have yet to read a solid argument for a new Valley city. I do not think a city the size of the Valley is going to be any more responsive to the citizens than a city the size of Los Angeles. I am sure a new city council would be just as hard to reach as the current council members. I am sure the Building and Safety Department would be no more receptive to new building permits than before. I don’t see our trees trimmed more than every seven years or our streets repaved more than once every two decades. I am sure voice-mail menus would replace real people and “better” service would be a myth.

Until someone can show me a more efficient, better-run, more people-friendly plan for the Valley city, I cannot support the movement. And can someone promise that the new Valley city won’t raise taxes to support the new infrastructure--City Hall, administration, bureaus and agencies?

Sol Taylor

Sherman Oaks

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I read with regret Gale Holland’s piece regarding Valley secession (Opinion, May 19). Clearly, the worst tactic of those opposing secession is to insult the Valley. For example, Holland writes, “Bereft of a major airport, port, research universities, water, sewer and utilities infrastructure ... it’s hard to see how the Valley would be perceived as anything more than another suburban sprawl.” She states that “the Valley’s insularity renders its voters ill-equipped to decide the secession question.”

If Holland knew the Valley, then she would have described us as incredibly diverse, knowledgeable, cosmopolitan and well equipped to vote on both local and national issues. I doubt that she would attack the knowledge or sophistication of those who reside in Long Beach, Culver City or the San Gabriel Valley--even though the people in these communities choose to acquire their municipal services from their own local entities and do not seek to be annexed by Los Angeles. The Los Angeles region consists of 15 million intelligent, diverse and knowledgeable people--and the 70% of those in our region who acquire their municipal services from sources other than Los Angeles are neither ignorant nor insular.

Rep. Brad Sherman

D-Sherman Oaks

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In a classic “be careful what you wish for” scenario, Valley voters secede and the Valley becomes a junior version of the city they loathe, forever tethered to it for water, power and public safety needs. So what happens next? A dissatisfied Valley group moves to secede again in order to join the city of San Fernando!

Stuart Weiss

Los Angeles