Rep. hosts town hall

BURBANK — Discussion of the economy, taxes and congressional health-care reform dominated a contentious town hall meeting hosted Sunday by Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman.

Hundreds of residents in Sherman’s 27th Congressional District — which spans about half of the San Fernando Valley, including about half of Burbank — filled the auditorium at John Burroughs High School to address national issues.

It was Sherman’s first town hall in Burbank, a move he said would allow more residents to take part in the forum after last month’s meeting at Birmingham High School was packed past capacity.

“Now there is a somewhat greater turnout at town halls,” Sherman said.

While President Obama’s decision to send additional troops into Afghanistan has dominated the mainstream media recently, few residents spoke on the issue. The majority of residents who took part in the roughly hour-and-a-half session were focused on issues they said hit closer to home.

“I came to hear Sherman speak on the state of the economy,” said Diane Bourdeau, who also attended last month’s meeting. “I’m really concerned about it.”

The recession has made it harder for her husband to complete an engineering degree, and her whole family is feeling the pinch, Bourdeau said.

“It’s slowed everything down,” she said.

The audience was split among constituents in support of and opposed to Sherman’s views, but the auditorium often broke into roaring applause when residents voiced opposition to increasing taxes or government control.

“My personal wealth is being asked for without my consent,” a Porter Ranch resident said, eliciting a loud round of applause.

Sherman touched on a range of issues, including his support of a prospective House bill that would focus on the reform of overdraft protection and other financial services.

But it was his vote in favor of the House health-care reform bill that drew the most contention. While some in the audience applauded in its favor, many others expressed their opposition, with some chanting “Kill the bill.”

The meeting often became boisterous as constituents cut Sherman off with boos and angry shouts, repeatedly putting him on the defensive.

“I’ve read the bill, and it doesn’t eliminate private insurance companies,” he said in response to a doctor’s concerns.

Still, the meeting had a decidedly calmer atmosphere than previous town hall meetings, including an August town hall hosted by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), where some demonstrators got into pushing and yelling matches.

Still, Sylmar resident Andrew Jordan said the town hall meetings were an important way for Sherman to hear a variety of constituent comments.

“I think he’s smart enough to separate the wheat from the chaff and identify important issues,” Jordan said.