Valley Gets More Grant Money

Faced with past complaints that the San Fernando Valley was slighted in the distribution of anti-poverty funds, Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn announced a new plan Thursday that sends one-third of newly available grants north of Mulholland Drive.

Hahn came under criticism in January from allies, including City Council President Alex Padilla, after he released a plan that provided the Valley with a smaller percentage of federal Community Development Block Grants than the area’s share of low-income residents.

At the time, Padilla and others said the allocation reflected a misconception that the Valley lacks poverty.

In divvying up $6.8 million in federal grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this week, Hahn’s office used a formula that based allocations on the amount of poverty in each council district. Hahn concluded that 31% of the city residents who qualify as low-income live in the Valley, and he allocated 34%, or $1.05 million, to that part of the city.

Padilla is pleased with the new distribution plan, according to spokesman David Gershwin.

Projects financed with the federal grants include an economic-development study in Pacoima, improvements to the E.G. Roberts Pool in South Los Angeles, renovation of the North Hollywood Intergenerational Center and completion of the Lexington Pocket Park in Hollywood.