Secession Leaders Fear City Hall Retribution

Backers of San Fernando Valley and Hollywood cityhood say they fear City Hall might retaliate against them and the breakaway areas if the secession measures lose in the Nov. 5. election.

While expressing confidence of a victory, secession leaders say they still worry that city officials will take a range of punitive actions if the measures fail -- from cutting funds for pro-breakup groups to keeping secession supporters off city commissions to rolling back services in the Valley and Hollywood.

Mayor James K. Hahn and other officials took steps Wednesday to assure Valley and Hollywood residents that no one involved in the rebellion would be punished.

Instead, Hahn said on a local radio broadcast, he will continue to increase services to the Valley and Hollywood. “We don’t want to retaliate against anybody,” Hahn said. “What we want to do is do a better job of delivering services to neighborhoods.”

The mayor made his remarks on KFWB-AM (980) after a Chatsworth man called in to raise the issue. “If in fact it didn’t pass, would you guys downtown retaliate against us and [say] ‘We’ll show you,’ and that our services will be cut back even more?” the caller asked. Hahn’s response did not impress Carlos Ferreyra, co-chair of the Valley Independence Committee. “His history shows that he does not keep his promises, so that [retaliation] is a big concern,” Ferreyra said.

Richard Close, the chairman of Valley VOTE, said a secession loss might result in indirect punishment because the city would have less incentive to maintain service improvements in the Valley and Hollywood.

Robert Scott, another Valley VOTE leader, said Hahn has a “scorched earth” policy toward secessionists. Scott said that was made clear when the mayor removed him from the city Planning Commission.

“If I had been on their side on this issue there is no doubt I would still be on the Planning Commission,” Scott said.

However, Hahn advisor Kam Kuwata noted that other Valley residents who back secession, including Police Commissioner Bert Boeckmann -- a big financial contributor to the cause -- have been kept on commissions.

But Hahn’s attitude could change if secession leaders seek to put Valley cityhood on the 2004 ballot if it is defeated next month, Kuwata said.

“This mayor wants to work with everyone to move Los Angeles forward,” Kuwata said. “If they don’t want to move forward, that could be a problem.”

Kuwata did not elaborate.

Political consultant Allan Hoffenblum said it would not make sense for Hahn to punish the secession leaders because he would need the Valley’s backing to win reelection in three years, just as he did in last year’s mayoral race.

“That was part of his coalition,” Hoffenblum said.

In addition, Valley residents might try to put secession back on the ballot if the city cuts services, the consultant said.

City Council President Alex Padilla, a leader of the anti-secession effort, said services will continue to improve. Padilla disclosed Wednesday that he is already meeting with Valley secession supporters to talk about how they can work together after Nov. 5.

“I have extended the olive branch,” said Padilla, who represents the northeast Valley. “Not that I am taking for granted the vote on Nov. 5, but it is looking more and more like it is not going to pass.”

Scott and others said it is less likely City Hall would punish secession backers if the measure passes in the Valley, even if it loses citywide. To win, the Valley and Hollywood breakup measures must get a majority of votes in the secession area and Los Angeles as a whole.

“It’s completely different if it passes in the Valley [only],” Scott said. “That would certainly give some strength to the Valley leadership to be at the table.”

City Councilman Eric Garcetti, a breakup opponent who represents part of Hollywood, said some city officials have talked privately about blackballing secession leaders but he is not among them.

“There were some folks in the bureaucracy who wanted to gloat and write people off. But that’s dissipated a lot,” Garcetti said. An Oct. 16 poll by The Times found 56% of likely voters citywide oppose secession and 27% favor it. Likely Valley voters were leaning against secession 47% to 42%, a gap that falls within the poll’s margin of error.

But secessionists were buoyed Wednesday by a poll conducted for KABC-TV by Survey USA. The poll found Valley cityhood supported by 58% of likely voters in the Valley and 40% citywide.

Citywide, 57% of likely voters oppose Valley secession, the poll found.

The survey questioned 555 Valley voters and 540 outside the Valley, Survey USA editor Fred Bierman said. It has a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points for the Valley sample and 4.4 points for the citywide result.

Some polling experts have expressed doubts about Survey USA’s methodology. The automated telephone poll does not use live interviewers. In the secession survey, it asked a single question to determine whether a respondent is a likely voter: “Will you definitely vote on this issue?”

The Times poll used live interviewers and asked a series of questions to determine whether respondents are likely voters.

Also Wednesday, Hahn’s anti-secession campaign released a mailer sent to voters that claims, “The breakaway cities may not have sufficient funds to combat crime, respond to natural disasters and protect us from terrorist threats.”

Secessionists have accused the mayor of trying to frighten voters. They note that the state commission that approved the secession measures for the ballot determined that Valley and Hollywood cities would be financially healthy and able to provide the same level of service that Los Angeles does.