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.

The Latest Update Oct 16, 1998

Petition Drive Update – The San Fernando Valley’s petition drive to have a study done on the question of Valley Cityhood will continue until November 27^th. To date 172,000 signatures have been collected from Valley Residents who want a study on Cityhood completed. Whether or not the Valley ever becomes its own city, moving forward with the study will be beneficial… it will force the City to pay attention to the needs of Valley residents, keep pressure on reform efforts, and will provide a goldmine of information about how wisely and efficiently the City is spending our tax dollars. That is why the Petition drive has been endorsed by nearly every San Fernando Valley community organization and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Forty Thousand more Valley residents have already signed the Cityhood Study Petition then voted in the last Citywide Election (April 1997). Law requires that 25% of the Valley’s registered voters sign the petition before the study can begin. Reaching 25% of the Voting public can be extremely difficult. That is why it is important that Valley residents who support the Cityhood Study gather signatures from their relatives, friends and neighbors. Don’t assume they’ve already signed. The Valley’s goal is to collect 200,000 signatures.

Victory Party For the San Fernando Valley – The Valley wide celebration has been rescheduled for Sunday, December 6^th, at 1:00 PM. The Party is being hosted by Valley VOTE, Bert Boeckman, David Fleming, and the many homeowner and business groups across the Valley who supported the Petition Drive. The San Fernando Valley Victory Party will be an opportunity for Valley leaders, activists, elected officials, and volunteers who have worked many years on behalf of the bettering Valley to come together and celebrate this historic accomplishment. With the completion of the petition drive, the Valley can no longer be ignored and the people of the Valley will have all the options – whether to accept Charter Reform or to seek Cityhood.

The Victory Party will also serve as an important fundraiser to begin raising the funds necessary to take the Valley into the next step of the process, ie. the LAFCO study, as well as pay costs which resulted from the Petition Drive. The suggested contribution for the Party/Fundraiser will be $75 per person or $135 per couple. The event will be in the Jean and David Fleming Auditorium at Valley Presbyterian Hospital, 15107 Vanowen Street. The event will be a very special ceremony, lots of fun and an important fundraiser. To purchase tickets, please send your checks to Valley VOTE, 14622 Ventura Blvd, #201-B, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. Make your reservation today. Space is limited.

Election Day Signature Campaign Needs Help – THE LAST BIG CHANCE TO COLLECT SIGNATURES – The last major opportunity to collect signatures will be the November 3^rd election. In the June primary, concerned residents collected a significant amount of signatures. The Petition committee needs to have even a bigger turn out of concerned Valley residents for the November 3^rd Election Day. Residents are being asked to volunteer for 2 – 3 hours in the morning 7-9am or the evening 4-8pm to collect signatures near Valley Polling places. Collecting signatures at polling places is easier since those voting are all registered voters coming to one location. There are over 500 polling places. The more locations we can cover the more signatures we will collect. This is the last chance to collect signatures and that day will be very critical in our efforts to collect the required number of signatures. Please dedicate two to three hours and help the Valley successfully conclude the petition drive.

VICA Endorses Plan to Create Valley School Districts – Last Week the Valley Industry and Commerce Assoc. (VICA) endorsed the plan to breakup the LAUSD and create two school districts in the San Fernando Valley. VICA represents most of the Valley’s large industry and businesses. The proposal for separate Valley School districts is being sponsored by FREE (Finally Restoring Excellence to Education). FREE can be reached at (818) 343-4932. FREE is currently circulating a petition for the creation of smaller Valley School Districts. VICA’s support of breaking up LAUSD into smaller districts is considered significant. Earlier in the year, VICA endorsed Valley VOTE’s petition drive for a study of the facts about Valley Cityhood.

Elected Charter Commission VOTES down Elected Neighborhood Councils – Charter Reform expectations were diminished this week when the Elected Charter Reform Commission voted down Elected Neighborhood Councils. Elected Neighborhood Councils were considered a key element of reforming Los Angeles City Government and decentralizing power from downtown into neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles.

Public Relations Committee Being Formed – Valley VOTE has openings on its Public Relations Committee. If you are in the Marketing, Advertising, or Public Relations field or a good writer and want to participate in a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape and promote the issues surrounding Valley Cityhood, please contact Jeff Brain at (818) 501-5862. Join this creative and talented committee.

Need more petitions? – Call (818) 501-5862 if you need more petitions. Return all finished petitions as soon as possible.

SUPPORT THE PETITION DRIVE

Please help and contribute to support this Valley-wide effort:

Newsletter index
Valley VOTE Home Page