Bill May Give Valley Its Split in Statistics

More than a year after the San Fernando Valley’s efforts to secede from Los Angeles failed, supporters and foes in the tenaciously waged campaign are rallying around a bill that would divide the city in one respect: statistically.

Sponsored by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys), who opposed secession, the bill would require the city to provide state agencies with data exclusive to the San Fernando Valley.

Mayor James K. Hahn, who supports the bill, said the creation of a separate statistical district for the Valley would provide government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses with geographically specific information to make smarter, more targeted planning, development, transit, social and economic decisions.

The legislation would also address concerns from critics who have long complained that the Valley has been shortchanged on services by L.A.’s vast bureaucracy and powers-that-be.

A Senate version, sponsored by state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sun Valley), is scheduled for a committee hearing Tuesday. The Assembly bill, which easily won committee approval last week, will be considered by the full Assembly in the next few weeks.

Besides encouraging better government, the bill would provide a salve after the bitterness of the secession battle, Levine said.

“On a cultural level, I think it helps heal wounds after secession. Secession was defeated at the ballot, but that doesn’t mean feelings have changed,” he said.

The proposal for a Valley statistical district has created unlikely alliances. Secession proponent Bob Scott, vice chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., sat with Levine in Sacramento last week as they testified in favor of the bill.

Also supporting the legislation is Assemblyman Keith Richman (R-Northridge), who was a leading mayoral candidate for the proposed Valley city.

“The idea of a statistical district is something very important,” Richman said. “The movement for a separate Valley city was one which was driven by people who wanted a responsible and accountable government for the San Fernando Valley.”

Valley VOTE, the organization that spearheaded the secession effort, has called the bill “excellent.” Hahn, who helped marshal forces against the city breakup, signed a resolution in November supporting a Valley statistical district.

Scott, who is credited by many for pushing the bill, said it addresses a long-standing wish among many Valley residents for a sense of identity without splitting the city.

“If we hadn’t had the secession debate, I don’t think we would have gotten as far as we have with this,” he said. “This is related to the issue of Valley identity. The Valley has been seeking an identity probably since the time it was first annexed.”

David Fleming, executive director of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, said creating a statistical district would be a positive step toward tackling some of the concerns that drove the secession effort.

“We’re a mountain range away from the rest of L.A.,” Fleming said. “This will help the city plan better. This is not a ploy to separate the city; that battle was decided already. This is really looking at the future.”

That doesn’t mean the push for a separate Valley statistical area would come without some caveats. When the Los Angeles City Council unanimously recognized the Valley as a geographically distinct area in November, Councilman Ed Reyes reminded people, “We are all one city.”

Proponents and opponents of secession see the potential benefits of a Valley statistical district differently.

With Valley-specific information, Scott and Fleming said, the Valley could seek its own federal grants to meet needs.

“When you’ve got two large people going through the cafeteria line, you end up with more food on the combined plate than with one person in line,” Fleming said. “It’s better to have two statistical areas going after federal dollars than one.”

But echoing an argument waged by secession opponents, Levine said the city’s clout in winning federal grants could be weakened if the Valley sought grants on its own.

“I don’t think anything is gained by diluting the city’s strength,” Levine said.

Both sides agree that it is too early to tell what possibilities the bill’s passage could present and that seeking federal grants is not the point of the bill.

“This is not an attempt to revive secession in any way, shape or form,” Levine said. “Clearly, some of the issues are there, and this is a way, without secession, to address legitimate issues.... This shows the people of the Valley: We fought, we disagreed, now let’s put this behind us and work together to improve things.”