Jammed Into the Mosh Pit of Secession

Universities across America are filled with bright young scholars who at a moment’s notice can transform themselves into kooky, crazy college kids before graduating into full-fledged adulthood and “the real world.”

And so it was the other day at Cal State Northridge when a rock band-cum-superhero troupe called the Aquabats took the stage on the student union plaza. They wore matching orange jerseys and purple capes, and soon about 150 students were jammed close, happily dancing and moshing to the Aquabats’ distinctive sound. “Retro Devo meets mariachi” summed up a Marine Corps recruiter enjoying the show.

And while all this was happening, a sometimes surreal real-world performance was taking place in an auditorium nearby. Again, the crowd numbered about 150, but the attendees were scattered among 500 seats. They had come for a forum sponsored by CSUN’s Center of Southern California Studies titled “Secession: What Does It Mean for Us?” The idea, CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson said, was to have a “nonpartisan, broadly inclusive dialogue” to share information, “not to advocate or promote a point of view.”

Myself, I was hoping for a mosh pit, not dry academics. Certainly the potential was there. The Valleyistas’ maximum leader, Richard Close, would be on the panel, agitating against The Establishment, pushing for revolution.

But after it was all over, after Close played the we’re-not-racists card, I found myself wishing the Valleyistas would give peace a chance.

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Not that the chairman of Valley VOTE didn’t make some good points. Close, who is also the longtime president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., is an attorney who works “over the hill,” but doesn’t pussyfoot around in arguing for secession.

He is a big guy and a game debater. If he hadn’t been on the panel, it really would have been dull.

Close was right, for example, to challenge assertions made by Marcia Volpert, a commissioner of the Department of Water and Power. Volpert, who noted that she had lived in the Valley for 39 years, suggested that existing laws and contracts would deny a new Valley city water from the Owens Valley, forcing the Valley to purchase from the Metropolitan Water District at a higher rate.

Common sense suggests that Volpert was right to emphasize that any municipal divorce will inspire litigation. But why couldn’t Valleyville get Owens Valley water?

Remember, for secession to happen, it would require a majority vote in both the city as a whole and the breakaway Valley. And where there’s the political will, there’s usually a way.

Secession, another expert said, would most likely mean that the daunting questions posed by large institutions such as the airports, the harbor and the DWP might best be resolved by drafting joint powers agreements. Of course, this would spark conflict and litigation at public expense. It could also add to the bureaucracy, which, it is widely agreed, is too cumbersome already.

There were other times, however, when Close’s rhetoric sounds good at first blush, but doesn’t stand up to much analysis. Consider his comparison of Burbank to North Hollywood, as well as his complaint that the Valley hasn’t gotten its fair share of MTA projects, but just a 1 1/2-mile stub of subway--as if subway riders from NoHo will be forced off the train at Universal City.

Burbank, to hear Close describe it, is a slice of suburban nirvana, with no potholes and police aplenty. This is, he says, because its business taxes are so much lower than L.A.’s, thus attracting more business.

Now, Close says, look across the street at the L.A. community of North Hollywood, rich in potholes, poor in police protection. If it were part of big, good Valleyville, he suggests, North Hollywood’s problems would be solved.

But then again, what’s to stop little Burbank from undercutting Valleyville on taxes? And North Hollywood, more than any other Valley community, stands to benefit from that so-called stub of subway. Scheduled to open in May 2000, the Metro Rail will provide an alternative to the Hollywood and Golden State freeways for downtown commuters, while ferrying conventioneers and other tourists from downtown to Universal City. The NoHo Station will be transit hub for car-poolers, buses and doubtless a shuttle from Burbank Airport. The MTA’s pet project may well be a boondoggle, but East Valley residents and business interests will reap the benefits from a project funded by taxpayers from throughout the county, not just the city.

Sometimes the Valleyistas’ rhetoric collapses under its own weight. Close acknowledged that secession law requires that creation of the new city not “hurt” the old city. And he acknowledged that Valleyville may be required to make what amounts to alimony payments to settle the division of property, assets and liability. How this won’t increase the cost of living in Valleyville is hard to fathom.

The alimony issue is huge. Valley VOTE likes to point out that the Valley has about half the police presence as “over the hill.” LAPD Deputy Chief Michael J. Bostic, commander of the Valley Bureau, pointed out that the force has a moral and ethical obligation to put the most cops where the most crime occurs.

Valley VOTE argues that the Valley is underpoliced. Suppose that, in a divorce, Valleyville claims that 40% of the 10,000-member LAPD. How would Valleyville compensate for the “hurt” that would cause to old L.A? How much alimony would Valleyville have to pay?

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And suppose that somehow the divorce really does come to pass. How will big, new Valleyville deploy its resources? Won’t the turf battles simply move to a smaller scale--say, West Valley vs. East Valley? Irene Tovar, executive director of the Latin American Civic Assn., and Rev. Zedar Broadous, president of the Valley branch of the NAACP, expressed concerns that Valley minority communities could wind up with a weaker voice than they have now. Broadous pointedly noted that Close’s Sherman Oaks has an easier time with its “not-in-my-back-yard” battles than Pacoima has with its NIMBY issues.

Close confronted the racial issue directly, asking panelists to raise their hands if they believed the secession movement was driven by racial motives. He was, in effect, playing a different kind of race card, daring people to make accusations. Nobody did.

“I think you can pose the question,” moderator Janice Kamenir-Reznik told Close. “You’re not going to force the answer.”

So, yes, give peace a chance--and charter reform too. Even if all of the Valleyistas have the purest of motives, their cause will tear at L.A.’s raw racial scars. Don’t go there. L.A. hasn’t got time for the pain.

Isn’t it enough that the Valleyistas could claim victory for provoking charter reform? As for secession, don’t go there, don’t sign the petition. There will be no such thing as a no-fault, tax-free divorce for Los Angeles. Remember: Mosh pits are supposed to be fun, but they have a way of turning ugly.

Scott Harris’ column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Readers may write to him at The Times’ Valley Edition, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311, or via e-mail at scott.harris@latimes.com Please include a phone number.