Gripers Ignore L.A.’s Gains

Even those who want to keep Los Angeles whole give the San Fernando Valley secession movement credit for spurring reforms at City Hall. Some who oppose secession have even toyed with the idea of voting for it Tuesday, believing that would “send a message” to keep reform alive without actually putting Los Angeles at risk.

Don’t count on it. Although polls show both the Valley and Hollywood secession measures failing citywide, it’s never a good idea to take the outcome of an election for granted. There’s a better way to send that message, and a better message to send: Let’s settle this question and move on.

Moving on does not mean abandoning the reforms sparked by the threat of secession. They would be impossible to stop in any case, given the momentum already underway with 55 neighborhood councils up and running from San Pedro to Pacoima.

Voters established these grass-roots advisory bodies to give ordinary Angelenos a say in which streets need repairing and what programs should be offered at the park down the block. The idea was to foster community and counter the alienation fueling the long-simmering Valley breakaway movement. Sadly, secession leaders have dismissed these changes without even giving them a chance, which insults the hundreds of people who have rolled up their sleeves to organize their neighborhoods. That’s politics: It’s harder to sell a breakup if the city is starting to work better.

In the same vein, secession leaders admit that the city is busy filling potholes and trimming trees but dismiss all that hard work as a ruse to defeat secession. Talk about spin. Valley votes tipped last year’s mayoral election to James K. Hahn, who promised to improve services. Imagine what his critics would be saying had he not lived up to that promise. Enough already with this divisive hyperbole.

City leaders can do much more to make this city work. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, with the mayor’s support, already is working on ways to localize services by moving city workers into regional city halls in the seven planning districts. City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and state Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg plan to push their ideas for a borough system.

The best way to promote positive change in Los Angeles is to move on and vote no on Measures F and H.