Valley Secessionists Again Face City Hall

Joel Kotkin’s “new vision for the Valley” (Opinion, Nov. 10) is not new. It mimics the city of Los Angeles’ long-standing general plan for the Valley with a call for high-density villages near public transport. It is a vision embraced by urban planners that doesn’t square with what residents appear to want. Kotkin puts down secession advocates Jeff Brain and Richard Close for lack of a viable vision, yet their vision is one in which Valley residents make choices for themselves.

Robert Krol

Shirley Svorny

Northridge

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With the defeat of Valley secession, the responsibility rests in two places: Mayor James Hahn and the City Council must give the Valley its due share of representation and services. And reciprocally, proponents of secession must try to work with the mayor to prove that their grievances can be ameliorated by a more responsive City Hall and not just a power-drunk fantasy of running their own city.

Cary Baker

Sherman Oaks