Valley Secession Fever

Valley Secession Fever
Vote YES on Measure F & Measure H.

Saturday, September 07, 2002

LA Times tries to make us feel better that there are a lot of large sprawling cities out there.

* Anchorage, 1,697 square miles;

* Jacksonville, Fla., 758 square miles;

* Oklahoma City, 607 square miles;

* Houston, 579 square miles;

* Phoenix, 475 square miles;

* And finally, Los Angeles, 469 square miles

But what the point is exactly? All I feel is that in years time, these too will have their own secession movements. Also, LA is far more populous that any of them. Aaah, but the Times takes issue with that too. See, I bet you didn't know that are larger cities out there. Great wonderful packed cities like

Sao Paulo, Brazil (10.4 million), Jakarta, Indonesia (8.8 million) and Tokyo (7.9 million).

Do they actually mean that by sizing up LA with two dirt-poor cities will turn people against secession? These population numbers are metropolitan numbers. Meaning that various municipalities are included. By the Los Angeles Times' method, the population of Los Angeles would actually be 16 million. Well, Sao Paulo is not much of a stretch. It's social divide and crime rate is so stark that the millionaires get around daily in helicopters. We also seem to have copied its public transportation system. Tokyo as a city doesn't even exist. It is run directly by the prefecture, kinda like counties. But instead of the city being conterminous with the county, the Tokyo prefect is dotted with smaller cities, like LA County.

The Los Angeles Times again fails to understand the secession issue. They take the most superficial complaints and make them seem like the most important challenges the city faces. These international cities are not successes, that should've been evident to anyone. Others have governments preferable to the one LA has, espcially London's boroughs. We never said the city is the world's largest, we're claiming that its government fails to appropriately serve the citizens of the San Fernando Valley. Ultimately, it's all a pointless exercise. Like someone from the staff got a hold of a World Almanac and decided to impose on us every bit of insignificant discovery the person had. This is the umpteenth time the LAT makes a "case for unity" but the sloppiness of their arguments and the lack of passion in their editorials are surprising for a paper of this caliber. These cases for unity sound forced and uninvolved, like hooker sex.

posted by B | 9/07/2002 02:35:00 AM

Friday, September 06, 2002

Bob Morris in his Polizeros blog compares the secession campaigns to Bill Simon's. He criticizes them for concentrating too much, if not exclusively in their "home turfs." He faults secessionists for blowing the chance to gain the support of the black community earlier in the campaign. Cityhood advocates have given no reason why the rest of Los Angeles should vote for independence in Morris' view. Finally he asks the movement to stop "ranting about Big Bad Bear Billionaires from Downtown" and instead focus on these two questions:

1) Why is a Valley City of 1.2 million people inherently easier to govern than a city of 4 million?

2) How would Valley Secession benefit the rest of Los Angeles? What's in it for the voters in the rest of City if they vote Yes?

My immediate response goes like this:

The attention paid by Valley secessionists on their 'home turf' has paid dividends in polls showing a solid majority of Valley voters support independence. It's easier to make the case there and build a significant unwavering base of support than in the basin. With the thin resources they have, secessionists have no choice. All that time spend on highlighting discontent have instilled an ingrained sense of victimhood in the Valley that the city will have a hard time suppressing even if secession fails. "Us vs. them." That is how a typical Valley resident approaches city politics today, thanks a lot to the secession campaign in the Valley. Incursions by city officials in the Valley have become uncomfortable for them. If you're complaining about the lack of presence of secessionists in the basin, how many times did Hahn visit the Valley since May? In fact, it's wrong to say that secessionist presence in LA is lacking. At appearances at Westchester and at various townhalls debating secession, secessionists have come off as knowing more about the city than the bureaucrats who run it.

How bad is the anti-secession movement is doing in the Valley? So bad that it's losing Valley Latinos. So bad that it couldn't persuade one of the Valley's major business group to do its bidding despite the extensive downtown connection its members have. The Valley regularly outvotes the city in local elections. Secession will generate an even higher turnout that may exceed the city's. City voters may oppose the initiative, but they are hell of a lot indifferent to it than Valley voters. How can it possibly be a victory for the city if it loses the Valley voters on November 5th? The way I see it, win or lose, the independence movement has insured itself against oblivion.

1.) For a start, it will have a lot less people. The strain on local government multiplies with each increase of its population. LAFCO agrees that big cities like LA provide services more expensively than other smaller cities. ("Smaller" is a relative term. The cities Los Angeles was compared to included one-million plus Phoenix.) There are other consequences with having a large sprawling city under one governance. Maintaining sidewalks, streets, and plumbing in an area that stretches 60 miles from San Pedro to Sylmar is draining--sometimes they're not maintained at all. Secondly, the Valley city would not deal with certain infrastructures including the Harbor, Alameda Corridor, and LAX. Yet, the Valley will benefit from them all the same. Finally, the Valley is basically homogenuous in class, and lifestyle preference. I know no one likes that, but the benefit is harmony. There are pockets of poverty of course, but they remain just that, pockets. In Los Angeles, a whole race wallows in poverty while another bathes in privelege and blinding wealth. Social divisions are not as nasty and irretractable as those spawning in LA. You may ask why I seem so sure that the Valley will not have the same problems. Possible, however, the Valley went through a lightning speed demographic transition and not a riot materialized.

2.) As for the city, a 'yes' vote the leverage it needs against the city. It's wrong to think that dissatisfaction of city hall is an exclusive Valley sport, not when there are lively secession movements in the Harbor area and Westchester, all in addition to Hollywood. What was the 1992 riot partly about? It was about the lavish downtown revitalization programs that neglected the well-being of surrounding neighborhoods. To this very day, the practice continues in the form of spending billions to attract a football team. A 'yes' vote is a gun to Hahn's head with a message saying 'reform or die.' Reform how the city refuses to give neighborhoods real powers to control their own affairs. Reform its law enforcement policies that is responsible for murder numbers that exceeds New York's, a city twice it size. Law enforcement that continue to drive away officers from protecting the public. Reform how city officials receive millions in developer money with obvious quid pro quos attached. That's why I was disappointed to hear Morris flippantly dismiss opposition to blatant corporate influence as another example of Valley whining. For a Green, this should be a priority issue secessionists needs to address.

City voters will find more representation in the newly configured LA. The number of councilmembers representing LA resident would increase by six, including an increase in minority political power by the elimination of 5 white Valley council members. Minorities who have spoken out against independence are concerned of losing resources however, LA has all the resources it needs. Its shoddy bureaucracy run third-world operations on first-world cash. Witness how the city installs street lights. It forces residents in poor areas to come up with their own money to pay for the installation and maintenance of street lights. The city rewards these bureaucrats with treasury-draning lavish pension plans. I admit, these are my priorities, but, I'm sure there are unique grievances against the city that I'm not aware of.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 11:13:00 PM

Valley Independence Press Release.

Dear Supporters:

Thank you to the many supporters who helped last weekend. We had a great time and reached a lot of voters.

Every Saturday and Sunday between 11am - 6pm, from now until November 5th, the campaign will be organizing visibility projects to increase public awareness of the upcoming Cityhood vote and to pass out information that educates the voters on the facts and benefits. This is fun work and has a huge impact on voters. Mayor Hahn and the opposition will be spending a lot of money to try scare voters. But we continually find that when voters are given the facts they decide to support Valley Cityhood and a new smaller Los Angeles. Voters tell us they want the facts and are grateful for the materials we give them.

With Labor Day behind us the campaign is now in full gear. If you have 2-3 hours you can give to the campaign to help, please call the office at (818) 501-1035. We need volunteers for this weekend September 7th and 8th for those who can. Repeat volunteers are always welcome.

Even if you didn't call ahead but find you have free time during the weekend, come to the office at 14622 Ventura Blvd. #201-B Sherman Oaks, west of Van Nuys Blvd. or call in. We have lots of good ways you can help.

This campaign is about local control. Smaller more efficient government. More accountable and responsive government. Better services for less cost like other cities. Together we will win this campaign. I need your help as much as possible for the next sixty days.

Best regards,

Chuck Levin
Field Campaign Director

posted by B | 9/06/2002 08:08:00 PM

Would you like for someone to support secession because they think the Valley is "the root of all evil," " a giant heat sink," "a general nuisance," and "a pit stop to Bakersfield"? That's the view of the Good Riddance Valley website whose owner completely backs his backhanded support for secession. The site is a sideshow at best, at least you get an indepth view of the raw hatred "Basin Angelinos" have for the Valley.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 06:24:00 PM

No one likes Van Nuys. I don't like Van Nuys. Van Nuys a big giant hole in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, because of that, it's a perfect site for a new downtown. It's blighted with crass businesses and littered with just rows and rows of ugly rundown buildings (see the Federal Savings building). It's so bad that it had its own successful secession movements in Lake Balboa and Valley Glen. There were various attempts to reinvogorate Van Nuys, but LA rule has turned it into a slummy hellhole. The only salvation may come from the new Valley city. Because of the many government offices based in Van Nuys, it makes sense to make it the new downtown.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 05:26:00 PM

The West Hills neighborhood council votes to stay neutral on the secession issue.

(Via 8th council candidate Jay Rosenzweig)

posted by B | 9/06/2002 02:57:00 PM

Newly-minted pro-independence and prominent antitax advocate, Joel Fox, elucidates his position against LA's tax policy. Los Angeles has a strong tax-and-tax elite. City power player Erwin Chemerinsky actaully advocates the elimination of Proposition 13. Councilman Garcetti wants to tax commuters to LA.

"This kind of thinking got Los Angeles the reputation for being business unfriendly. Impose such a tax and watch employees pressure their bosses to flee the city."

posted by B | 9/06/2002 02:55:00 PM

Daily News attacks just two of the may lies circulating against the secession movement. The support of realtors for independence is evidence that staying in LA is riskier for the housing market than leaving it. The accusation that the Valley city won't keep rent-control was also disproven by the signing of a declaration by most council candidates promising to preserve rent stabilization regulations. They are spot-on take down of these lies but I hope they also criticize the other Big Lie about Valley independence will weaken minority political power.

Daily News says that they haven't decided to support secession yet, but what to say of this?

" That's the promise of local control, that when government is closer to the people, government policies can better accommodate the needs of the public. At the heart of the secession debate is a public yearning for more say in its own affairs -- but the downtown power structure of Los Angeles has long been indifferent.

It shouldn't take secession to empower communities, but after the insiders eviscerated neighborhood councils, crushed breakup of the LAUSD and scrapped the idea of a borough system, secession appears to be the only empowerment vehicle left to consider."

Them are fighting words to me.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 02:47:00 PM

An Orwellian-sounding Public Safety Coalition Against Secession--No on Proposition F got its start Thursday. You probably think a prominent public safety advocate organized this group right? Nope, it's headed by Councilperson Mee-shee-kaww-vs-key.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 02:38:00 PM

The new Hollywood city will encompass Little Armenia and Thai Town hence the diversity of candidates running for its city council. The Armenian candidate, Gary Sinanian, openly seeks to represent Armenians of Hollywood. Pashree Sriripat wishes to be the first Thai to hold elected office in the Los Angeles region. There are 7,000 Thais in the Hollywood area.

Not that the Valley has ethnic enclaves, we just don't call them "Little such-and-such." As a rough guide, whites live in the west and southern Valley, and Latinos in the east excluding mostly white Sunland-Tujunga area. Filipinos live around the Kaiser Permanente in Panorama City. South Asians are scattered throughout the northern and western areas of the Valley while Thais congregate around the North Hollywood Wat Thai Temple, thought to be the country's largest. However, except for some landmarks, you wouldn't know what ethnic enclave you're in. I know many people hate it, but the homogenous character of suburban housing keeps the differences under wraps.

*Here is the approved list of Hollywood city candidates.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 02:26:00 PM

" People of color will win with a new city," says Mel Wilson in his response to former Chief Parks' opposition to secession.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 01:21:00 PM

VICA is getting tremendous pressure from its former leaders to support secession including secession leader, David Fleming. Nevertheless, the city concedes that VICA members are leaning towards independence what are they trying to do is to stop the organization from officially endorsing it. Kam Kuwata even calls it a "lost cause." With words like that coming from the mayor's camp, it's impossible that VICA won't be persuaded to fight the business-hating City Hall. Unlike the pro-secesssion United Chambers, VICA members have business with downtown.

posted by B | 9/06/2002 01:04:00 PM

Hollywood secession leader Gene LaPietra is being sued for the death of a patron who overdosed on ecstacy. The victim died inside one of his nightclubs. More from LA Independent.

(Via LA Examiner)

posted by B | 9/06/2002 09:57:00 AM

Thursday, September 05, 2002

Ex-chief Parks believes secession is a threat to public safety. This is coming from a man who presided over a restless increase in violent crimes for the past two years. It's an inconsequential endorsement at best. I have said before that no over-the-hill politician will come out for secession including the ones who claim to be just "studying" the issue first.

posted by B | 9/05/2002 12:53:00 PM

What Valley independence comes down to is taxes and regulation. The Southland Regional Association of Realtors makes the case that Los Angeles is a seller's nightmare. LA smothers the homebuyers with taxes and regulations not found in any but a handful cities. Secession would bring an automatic tax cut because the new city would not have to impose the document transfer tax, which amounts to $1,400 on a median home.

posted by B | 9/05/2002 10:25:00 AM

Wednesday, September 04, 2002

Oh man it's gonna rain tomorrow. Sweet.

posted by B | 9/04/2002 11:23:00 PM

Joe Shea does a wonderful job in analyzing the ethnic makeup of post-secession Los Angeles. He contradicts the point made by anti-independence forces that minority political power in LA would decrease. What incenses me about these allegations is that even when the numbers prove them wrong--the proportion of blacks in LA will increase--they continue to be on the talking points of secession opponents. It's the Big Lie of this campaign.

posted by B | 9/04/2002 11:21:00 PM

Harold Meyerson of LA Weekly names the most terrifying political creature known in Los Angeles--the Valleywhites. That's not a typo.

"It is Jim Hahn's misfortune that he also must make his choice at the very moment when the Valleywhites have reached the apex of their own identity politics. Secession is likely to lose citywide, and I wouldn't bet the mortgage that it will even carry in the Valley, but it almost certainly will win majority support among the Valley's white voters."

WTF? Get white support for an issue in the Valley and you get a victory because they compose about 70% of the voting electorate in the Valley.

posted by B | 9/04/2002 11:09:00 PM

Down home sick, that's me. It looks mild, but you never know once you get the Fever ;-)

posted by B | 9/04/2002 07:43:00 PM

Tuesday, September 03, 2002

Los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781. The San Fernando Mission was established on September 8, 1797 to serve the Los Angeles pueblo. Traditions die hard don't they?

posted by B | 9/03/2002 11:20:00 PM

AS reports that the Southland Regional Association of Realtors seem to be leaning towards independence. An online poll and the appearance of Valley mayoral candidates for their press conference tomorrow are strong indications that they support secession.

posted by B | 9/03/2002 08:07:00 PM

Added 8th district candidate Joyce Pearson's website to the links column. The 8th is the westernmost Valley district comprised mostly of Woodland Hills, and West Hills. She makes the 8th tied with the 10th as having the most internet-savvy field of candidates.

posted by B | 9/03/2002 08:02:00 PM

Two New Hollywood Secession Blogs!

They are run by editor of the internet news site The American Reporter, Joe Shea. He is also running for the Hollywood City Council. The more neutral of the two is Hollywood Independence Forum which is not only a blog, but a TV show co-hosted by New Times' Jill Stewart. However, the blog lacks one important feature--LINKS! Lots of bold faced letters but they are not links. Though, I understand that his posts are personal observations of going-ons in Hollywood. One of them is on a riot at Sunset Blvd that no major news media covered except for CBS 2.

His other blog, Hollywood Secession Watch, a name that may bring the suits at AS, is his lengthy argument for secession. Since it is new, there is only one post.

I wish Shea's blogs all the best and Hollywood cityhood my best regards.

*Earlier this morning, when you were sleeping, I made the terrible error of calling Joe Shea an anti-secessionist. I mistook him for John Walsh, the anti-independence prankster who pushed Angelyne to run for Hollywood council. I made the changes. Sorry for the confusion. My consolation is that it was posted in the wee mornings and corrected before anyone had the time to look at it.

posted by B | 9/03/2002 02:32:00 AM

Light secession-reading for this Tuesday. Very light considering the LA Times actually found Hahn strategist and anti-secession parrot Kam Kuwata worthy of a lengthy profile. I mean really! His frequent vapid soundbites to the news media reflects the soporific life that he leads. The Times describes him as "a man of intense discipline and drive," codewords for one-dimensional.

Meanwhile at Woodland Hills, home of the Daily News, the editors had enough of city politicans and their reliance on "studies" to avoid taking a stand. Or hide their ignorance.

" Los Angeles is the city of studies. Wherever there's a need, a concern, or an opportunity for change, city leaders drag out the experts and set them on a months-long fishing expedition. Meanwhile, whatever political momentum might have compelled them to take "action" in the first place stalls."

Months ago I made the same point when the city passed around the borough plans like radioactive waste. Instead of being used for information gathering, or even reflection, studies are employed to delay, delay, delay. Eventually, the 'study' excuse was instrumental in shooting the borough plans down by giving opponents in the council the time to kill them all together.

posted by B | 9/03/2002 01:58:00 AM

Monday, September 02, 2002

I'm cooling down with Coldplay's latest release A Rush of Blood to the Head. I've various ways to beat the heat today--turned-on every single fan in the house, even stood in front of an opened fridge--but none beats frontman Chris Martin's voice. His is like cool light rain on a Valley summer night. When I hear it, I imagine the English countryside and place myself in its verdant wet pastures; my arms outstretched, my head leaning back catching every drop of rain's pleasures. Oohh yeah. Now that's music.

*A site called Blogcritics gave a glowing review to A Rush of Blood.

posted by B | 9/02/2002 08:52:00 PM

Just finished watching Phil Shuman's interview of Valley councilwoman Ruth Galanter on Channel 35, the city-funded cable station. She was asked about secession and gingerly avoided taking a firm stand on it. Because Galanter is term-limited, she isn't afraid to take postitions contrary to downtown interests. Unlike most of her colleagues, she has an incredible understanding of what makes Valley residents ticked-off. She made the point that her central Valley district lacks storm drains, something that had me gasping for air. The bitterness of what the city council elimination her old Westchester district hasn't worn out--linking that decision as typical of the city ignoring the voices of its citizens. After spending more than a decade in her environmentally-conscious Westchester district, Galanter wishes to introduce some of her green ideas to the Valley.

posted by B | 9/02/2002 08:41:00 PM

Added a couple of links to the right. Free the Valley sells shirts showing Valley pride. Also, added some candidate sites.

posted by B | 9/02/2002 05:06:00 AM

Sunday, September 01, 2002

It's HOT! Drove around the Valley today, and it did not matter whether the car had AC, or if the windows are rolled down, the whole city was baking. Even the interior of the usually frigid Northridge Fashion Center could not fight the heat. Yahoo's weather page gives the Valley temp high at a laughable 95 degrees. The thermometer here inside the house reads 92 degrees, even though it's already eight o'clock in the evening. Closer to the truth is KABC's 105 high. Should this shoddy forecasting be put in a long list of slights against the Valley? A Daily News reader thinks so.

"I live in the western end of the San Fernando Valley and every time I hear the weather reports, they say the temperature for Los Angeles is 80 degrees or whatever. Here in the Valley it is usually 10 degrees hotter or colder depending on the time of year. Then the weather people talk about Palm Springs or Orange County or the valleys but hardly ever about Van Nuys, Tarzana, Encino, Pacoima, Northridge, Sun Valley, etc.

We are not living in Los Angeles and should vote the logical way, not to be called Los Angeles."

Martin Schiechl
Woodland Hills

Tomorrow will be even hotter.

posted by B | 9/01/2002 08:09:00 PM

Posted the links for Valley VOTE's event calendar on the right.

posted by B | 9/01/2002 07:46:00 PM

The city wants to bring red tape closer to home. Only two months before the November election, city officials are still in the planning stages on how to make the services work better. One plan 'decentralizes' basic government services and boroughs. They could've done something like this eighty years ago.

posted by B | 9/01/2002 03:20:00 AM

When someone lends you a helping hand, you......spit on it. That's how some Pacoima residents reacted to a group of women Valley council candidates when they highlighted the problems facing that community. One of those residents must be miffed when his attempt to show the women as carpetbaggers backfired.

"Resident Edwin Ramirez asked the candidates if any lived in the Northeast Valley or had volunteered for social service agencies there. About half the women raised their hands."

A plant from the anti-secession MAPA was there also. If the women chose another place, bet you ten bucks that these same residents would complain that they are ignoring Pacoima.

posted by B | 9/01/2002 03:08:00 AM

After much controversy, the Mexican American Political Association decides to stay neutral on secession. Also, they re-instated the anti-secession Valley chapter of MAPA. "It's a local issue," says the president of the group. The decision follows the fight between a pro-secession maverick member of the group and most everyone else in the organization.

posted by B | 9/01/2002 02:47:00 AM

LA Times writes a lame editorial against secession. It recounts the usual arguments, but the more irksome example of the Times inability to even empathize with Valley residents is clear in this passage,

"The ballot measure also calls for a new Valley city, besides paying for these services, to pay so-called alimony to the remaining Los Angeles for 20 years to make up for lost tax revenues. Secession advocates see such a payment as proof that the Valley doesn't get its "fair share" of services, even though every city uses taxes from better-off neighborhoods to help deliver basic services to poorer ones."

That's the Times with a big fat middle-finger to the Valley. Oh you whiny bastards from the Valley! Can't you see the city is jacking you up for a good cause. But guess what? Even with all that money the city gets from the Valley every year, it still has done little to assuage poverty in South LA, and simultaneuously ignores the poverty in the northeast Valley.

In fact, the editorial has to reach in deep into the 'uncertain' territory to make its case. The new city will bring in an uncertain future. Better services? Uncertain. Lower taxes? Uncertain. This, they thought, is enough to scare the gutless residents of Los Angeles to vote against secession. I mean why not? Residents are assured by that they will never get street lights installed in their neighborhood unless they raise ungodly sums of money themselves. See. That's certainty right there. Good ol' consistent comfortable familliar LA public service.

posted by B | 9/01/2002 02:36:00 AM