Hahn Visits Valley to Promote City Unity

Mayor James K. Hahn’s hoped-for $5-million campaign to fight the breakup of Los Angeles has raised $30,000 so far, records show.

Supporters said they have tapped government contractors and expressed confidence they will meet the $5-million goal set for his anti-secession campaign committee.

The largest contribution listed was $25,000 from HNTB Corp., which worked at Los Angeles International Airport for the city and on the Blue Line for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The firm currently shares an MTA contract to study the Alameda Corridor project.

Hahn’s anti-secession committee received $5,000 from the public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard Inc., which has a $5-million contract with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

The committee also received $25,000 from the public relations firm Winner and Associates of Encino. But Hahn returned the money after The Times reported that the firm sought a one-year extension of a city contract to promote the expansion of LAX, even though the expansion had been put on hold.

The company’s president, Charles Winner, withdrew from the contract after reports he had held three fund-raisers for Hahn’s 2001 mayoral campaign.

The Winner money was returned by the anti-secession committee, “to avoid even the appearance of a conflict,” said Kam Kuwata, a political consultant for the anti-secession committee, called L.A. United.

Richard Close, chairman of the secession group Valley VOTE, said it was inappropriate for Hahn to be asking government contractors for contributions to an anti-secession campaign.

Hahn filed papers to form L.A. United on Nov. 15. The contribution report released Thursday covers the period ending Dec. 31.

Some potential donors are probably waiting for a decision in April from the Local Agency Formation Commission about whether cityhood proposals for the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood and the harbor area will be put on the November ballot, said Larry Levine, co-founder of a separate anti-secession organization called One Los Angeles.

“It’s not on the ballot, so people aren’t motivated,” Levine said. His group has raised about $4,500 so far.

Hahn has stepped up his appearances in areas seeking to break away, in part to persuade voters that the city is improving service and that staying together is best for all of Los Angeles.

On Thursday, he toured a solar power business in Chatsworth, ate lunch with constituents at Brent’s Deli in Northridge and presented an award at a Knights of Columbus meeting in Van Nuys.

He capped the day by announcing the deployment of traffic officers to guide rush-hour traffic through five busy intersections along Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks and Studio City.

Meanwhile, Valley VOTE representatives testified at a hearing Thursday that any environmental impact report on the secession proposal should be limited in scope.

A study done for LAFCO found that the breakup may significantly harm the environment in terms of water and power supplies, sewage treatment and cuts to police and fire services.

As a result, LAFCO has agreed to go ahead with an environmental impact report to determine whether any negative effects can be mitigated.

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Times staff writer Claire Luna contributed to this story.