April 15, 1999
The Honorable James Walsh Chairman Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies 14-143 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Alan B. Mollohan Ranking Member Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies 10 16 Longworth Building Washington, DC 205 15
Dear Chairman Walsh and Congressman Mollohan:
We are writing to request that the subcommittee include $2 million in the FY 2000 VA-HUD Appropriations Bill for a feasibility study of secession of the San Fernando Valley from the City of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, with 3.7 million people living in 470 square miles, is indeed several medium- to large sized US cities within one. With 1.2 million people, the sections of the San Fernando Valley within Los Angeles city limits would be the 6th largest US city. Los Angeles, unlike New York and Chicago, does not have an effective ward or borough system which allows for greater local control and oversight over resources and services within the city.
Valley residents have complained that the current city structure is not responsive to their needs and that they do not see an adequate return of services from their tax dollars. Supporters of conducting a study on secession have collected 200,000 verified signatures of registered voters on a petition to the Los Angeles Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). This represents 25% of the registered voters in the Valley, the level necessary to trigger a feasibility study on secession. Because these signatures were verified voters, this effort is comparable to obtaining twice as many signatures if all residents could sign without the verification of voter registration and non-duplication.
This study will be exhaustive, analyzing the impacts to all city services, revenue, assets, liabilities, as well as extremely complex and potentially contentious issues such as water rights.
The commission is now in the process of determining what specific information it needs and how it needs to be presented by the City when finally compiled,
LAFCO will be required to review, analyze and package the data compiled by the City, and the City and the secession advocates will be required to respond to the information and provide proposals for city reorganization. The City will be required to respond to the secession advocates' reorganization proposal. Finally, the feasibility of the proposals will be determined by LAFCO as part of its final report.
As we begin the new century, we must study and analyze the most effective methods of governing our metropolitan areas, Los Angeles is perhaps the quintessential 20th, century city, having grown up in the- age of the automobile and having experienced "sprawl" before most other urban areas. A case study in governance and organization of Los Angeles and its largest region, the San Fernando Valley, would be a case study that the entire nation could loam from.
We thank the subcommittee in advance for its consideration and look forward to working toward the enactment of the VA-HUD Appropriations Bill.
Sincerely,
Brad Sherman Member of Congress
Howard "Buck Mckeon Member of Congress