Valley and Secession Info
Secession Watch Archives
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About
Secession Watch
Los Angeles voters will decide on Nov. 5, 2002 whether to let 1.35 million residents of the San Fernando Valley split off to form a new city. The Valley and the L.A. basin have been joined in law for 87 years, but they remain divided by tradition, culture and the Santa Monica Mountains.
This page will post links to the smartest and most informative media reportage on secession. We'll be selective -- valuing insight and impact on the campaign -- but not partisan.
Editing and comments are by Kevin Roderick, author of The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb and editor of AmericasSuburb.com, the web site all about Valley history and lore. He is also a contributing writer on politics for Los Angeles magazine, an award-winning former senior editor at the Los Angeles Times, and a Valley native.
His book is not shy about the Valley having a past and an image that make it distinct in some ways from Los Angeles. On secession, however, the book and the author are in the middle. Intrigued by the policy and political questions, but unengaged by the emotion on either side.
To comment on Secession Watch, e-mail Kevin here. For more on the origins of secession, the book has a chapter on Valley politics. Kevin also has written extensively on the Valley for other publications.
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Valley Secession Basics
Secession was put on the ballot by a state board, the Local Agency Formation Commission. It acted on petitions sponsored by Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment (Valley VOTE) and signed by more than 200,000 residents. After a lengthy study, LAFCO ruled that the Los Angeles portion of the Valley has ample resources to be a city under state law and that the city of Los Angeles would not suffer financially. Los Angeles officials dispute the findings.
Secession -- Measure F on the lengthy Nov. 5 ballot -- needs a majority of votes in the Valley and all of Los Angeles to pass. Valley voters alone will vote on Measure G to select a name for the proposed city, from a list submitted by secession proponents: San Fernando Valley, Rancho San Fernando, Mission Valley, Valley City and Camelot. Valley voters will also choose among candidates for mayor and city council.
Passage would create a new municipality of 211 square miles with about 1.35 million residents. Los Angeles would slip to third in the U.S. in population, behind Chicago. A new Valley city would rank sixth, just ahead of Phoenix. The city would begin operation July 1, 2003.
Hollywood Secession
Separately, the Hollywood area's proposed cityhood is also on the Nov. 5 ballot as Measure H. The same rules apply: it must pass in Hollywood and in Los Angeles. This web site will report occasionally on the Hollywood effort, but the main focus here will remain on Valley secession.
Secession
Links
Neutral
The Civic Forum
LAFCO
The LAFCO Report
Election calendar
Candidates list
Paper by Prof. Tom Hogen-Esch
Calif. Voter Foundation
Ad Hoc Committee on Secession, LA City
For
Valley VOTE.org
Valley VOTE.net (old)
SFV Independence Committee
United Chambers of Commerce
Valley Industry and Commerce Assn.
Sen. Tom McClintock
Hollywood Independence
Prof. Shirley Svorny
Gerald Silver
Robert M. Levy
Michael Wissot
Valley Pet News
Valley Cityhood and You
Free the Valley.com
Hwd Secession Watch
Good Riddance Valley
Daily News editorial page
Against
L.A. United
One Los Angeles
L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce
L.A. County Demo Party
Demo Party of SFV
L.A. Police Protective League
League of Women Voters
SEIU Local 347
MALDEF (big PDF report)
Council pres. Alex Padilla
Hwd HALO
Paul Perner
L.A. Times editorial page
La Opinion editorial page
LA Weekly
L.A. Independent
Valley Mayor Candidates
Keith Richman
Marc Strassman
Mel Wilson
Valley Council Candidates (district)
Susan Deas (1)
Kim Thompson (1)
Tamara Trank (1)
Richard Yamauchi (2)
Jerry England (3)
Curtis Wood (3)
Al Dib (5)
Ken McAlpine (5)
Garrett Biggs (8)
Joyce Pearson (8)
Jay Rosenzweig (8)
Barry Seybert (8)
Wilma Bennett (9)
Michael Cohen (9)
Robert Lamishaw (9)
Jim Topaloff (9)
Benjamin Lesko (10)
Richard Perry (10)
Terry Stone (10)
James Cordaro (11)
Hal Netkin (11)
John Quinn (11)
Dion Gazzaruso (12)
Earl Howard (12)
Victor Viereck (12)
John Ferrero III (14)
Randall Read (14)
Stefanie Spikell (14)
San Fernando Valley
Links
AmericasSuburb.com
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The Valley Observed
History and Lore
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Photo Gallery
The Valley Image
300+ Valley Links
SFV Economic Research Center
SFV History Digital Library
Changing Face of SFV report
SFV Convention and Visitors Bureau
SFV Economic Alliance
Valley Industry and Commerce Assn.
Valley Virtual Library and Archive
SF Valley Almanac and Fact Book
Homeowner groups of SFV
TheSFValley.com
City of Los Angeles
City of San Fernando
City of Calabasas
City of Glendale
City of Burbank
