ASSEMBLY SPEAKER BEHIND STUDY; VILLARAIGOSA BACKS FUNDING TO EVALUATE SECESSION.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa said on Friday he would support a proposal for the state to put up $1.84 million - about 80 percent of the cost - for the San Fernando Valley secession study.

Villaraigosa said he doesn't support secession but believes there's no way to talk about cityhood for the Valley until the facts are available. He was joined at a news conference at the State Office Building in Van Nuys by Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys; Assemblyman Tom McClintock, R-Granada Hills; and state Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, as well as leaders of Valley VOTE.

``I'm committed to making sure that both the Senate and the governor are working with us seriously to fund the study,'' said Villaraigosa, D-Los Angeles, at a news conference held outside the Van Nuys State Building.

``I support this study because I want to engage in the debate with you, but honestly, we can't get into a debate if you don't have the facts.''

Hertzberg hailed Villaraigosa's backing as critical in giving the study ``a whole new life.''

``This proposal, in my view, represents a fair role for government in this process,'' he said. ``There is no question in my mind that the cost of the study should fall on the government, not the 132,000 residents who signed the petition.''

If approved, the proposal would set a precedent in determining what financial responsibility the state is willing to accept regarding secession studies statewide. Former state assemblyman Richard Katz said it's not unusual for the state to pay for initiatives or studies on, for example, prison locations.

``But there's never been something quite like this detachment study,'' Katz said.

Gov. Gray Davis' spokesman said he is not aware of the governor having taken a position on Valley secession or the study. The spokesman, Michael Bustamante, also said he doesn't believe the governor is aware of this new proposal, so he could not take a position on it, he said.

For months, Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment and the city have debated over who should fund the study. Mayor Richard Riordan said he would support the city paying for 10 percent of the study's cost.

The remaining 10 percent may be covered by the county, which has indicated it may cover as much as 20 percent of the cost, said Richard Close, president of Valley VOTE, which gathered the signatures needed to trigger the study.

Villaraigosa was an opponent of the secession bill proposed by former Assemblywoman Paula Boland and defeated in the Senate in 1996. He supported later bills authored by McClintock and Hertzberg and said the two convinced him to support their latest proposal.

``I remain opposed to Valley secession. I don't think it's practical. I think it will divide the people instead of bringing them together, but I also think a study is important,'' Villaraigosa said.

The proposal faces an uphill battle in both chambers, according to Valley legislators. The budget must be submitted to the governor by July 1.

Legislators were willing to vote in favor of bills such as one that stripped the Los Angeles city council of its veto power over any secession drive, but getting the state to accept the financial burden is an entirely different matter, said Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City.

``Local municipalities and entities involved in this have already put their money where there mouth is, and we should give some assistance because it is a daunting amount,'' said Cardenas, who did not attend the news conference because he was traveling.

The proposal could be a taste of future legislation that encompasses any secession studies throughout the state, McClintock said.

``This proposal removes another roadblock that's been thrown in the path of the people of the San Fernando Valley by an entrenched bureaucracy,'' McClintock said. ``At some point the permanent mechanism needs to be enacted as other communities follow the Valley in their quest for home rule.''

Daily News Staff Writer Terri Hardy contributed to this report.