Valley VOTE is a diverse, Valley-wide coalition of San Fernando Valley residents, educators, business leaders, community activists and organizations who support a LAFCO study (Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission) on the issue of creating an independent Valley City.

MEDIA ALERT 8-8-01

Simultaneous elections for a New City and its Councilpersons.

Today the Los Angeles County Local Agency Commission backed up the position of Cityhood Proponents who requested that the Vote for a Valley Mayor and City Council be held at the same time as the vote on whether or not to create a new Valley City.

In May, Cityhood Proponents as part of their Reorganization Plan for creating a Valley City asked that the election of representatives occur at the time as the vote on Cityhood. Opponents of Valley Independence have argued that the vote on Cityhood should occur first and then at a later date elections of a Mayor and City Council should be held. "Valley VOTE believes that voters who have to decide whether or not to vote "yes" for Cityhood have a right to know who would represent them, and that can only be done if they know who the candidates are", said Jeff Brain, President of Valley VOTE. "If one reviews the history of all the incorporations that have occurred, the votes have always been held at the same time. Why should it be different for the Valley?"

Mr. Brain further referenced the City of Los Angeles 1997 Charter Reform election as precedence for holding the election and the vote at the same time. In 1997, Los Angeles City voters were asked to vote on whether or not to form a Charter Reform Commission at the same time they were asked to vote on who they would elect to serve on the commission. "This is no different in concept then the proposed LAFCO vote on Valley Cityhood and our election of a Mayor and Council."

At today's commission meeting the Los Angeles County Counsel submitted their written opinion that state law requires the vote to be held simultaneously unless the proponents expressly ask that the votes be held on different dates. Since the proponents already asked that the elections be held at the same time, LAFCO is obligated to hold the votes on the same ballot. LAFCO has already tentatively scheduled the vote on Valley Cityhood to occur on November 5, 2002.

At this mornings LAFCO meeting, LAFCO retained consultants to begin drawing the proposed Valley Council District Boundaries and approved a tentative timeline for all the steps necessary to complete the study by the November 2002 election. The timeline included a schedule of the public hearings on the study results which will begin on October 6, 2001 and run through March 2002. In total there will be at least eleven public hearings on the LAFCO study results. Additionally, hearings on the proposed council district boundaries will be held in December 2001, both in the West and East Valley.

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