BREAKUP BILL SPLITS OFFICIALS; CONSERVATIVES LAMBASTE CARDENAS PLAN TO HINDER LAUSD DIVISION.

Byline: Paul Hefner Daily News Sacramento Bureau

Conservative lawmakers were angry, a liberal got on side and moderates were straddling the fence Friday over Assemblyman Tony Cardenas' plan to introduce legislation to make it harder for San Fernando Valley to form its own school districts.

State Sen. Cathie Wright, R-Simi Valley, who represents part of the Northwest San Fernando Valley, predicted any effort to make breaking up the Los Angeles Unified School District more difficult would die quickly in the state Legislature.

Granada Hills Republican Assemblyman Tom McClintock called the idea of a districtwide breakup vote ridiculous. And he had harsh words for Cardenas, D-Panorama City, who has committed to carrying the measure on behalf of the union representing district teachers.

``What Cardenas has done is to launch a Pearl Harbor-style attack, not only against parents of the San Fernando Valley, but of every other community trying to take their schools back from LAUSD,'' McClintock said. ``As I see it, Cardenas had a choice between representing the parents and representing the union, and he chose the union.''

``This is simply a sneak attack on parents trying to take their schools back,'' McClintock said.

Cardenas did not return calls for comment Friday.

He said Thursday that he sees the districtwide vote as a more fair way to decide the breakup issue than current law, which allows the state Board of Education to set the voting area.

His measure would mirror the vote requirement contained in ``right-to-secede'' legislation approved last year that called for a citywide vote on any move to make the Valley an independent city, he said.

The LAUSD - long criticized for poor academic performance, a bloated bureaucracy and a school board that is controlled by teacher and administrator unions - is under siege in several communities. The group Finally Restoring Excellence to Education has started a petition drive to create North Valley and South Valley districts.

The only local legislator to immediately support Cardenas was Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl, D-Encino, who also represents part of the Westside.

``I think that would be consistent with my vote on Valley secession, and I would be for it,'' Kuehl said. ``If there is going to be any breakup of LAUSD, that breakup will impact everyone in the district in one way or another.''

Four other Valley legislators - Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys; Assemblyman Scott Wildman, D-Glendale; Assemblyman Wally Knox, D-Los Angeles; state Sen. Herschel Rosenthal, D-Van Nuys - said they needed to study the proposal before taking sides.

The issue was already clear to Wright.

Wright said that Cardenas was seeking to inject himself into an issue other lawmakers consider settled three years ago when a bill authored by former Assemblywoman Paula Boland, R-Granada Hills, removed the school board's veto power over district breakup.

``He's trying to come in as Johnny-come-lately,'' Wright said. ``This has been going on for what, 18 years?

``Basically, I look at the make-up of the Assembly. You've got enough people around that hate Los Angeles,'' she said. ``I think you could find eight Democrats to vote against it.''

McClintock, who authored the city secession legislation with Hertzberg, said the citywide vote was only included as a political compromise.

In return, secession proponents won passage of the measure, which eliminated the City Council's veto power.

Rosenthal said he sees no reason to alter the current law.

``I think the process ought to go forward as it is going now,'' he said. ``I don't know why the Legislature needs to get involved.''

Hertzberg, who plans to meet with Cardenas soon to discuss his plan, said he believes education reform should emphasize giving greater control to parents, teachers and administrators at local schools, which could be accomplished without a district breakup.

``You don't need to break it up, you need to create school-based management in a real sense,'' he said. ``You need to give the community control over what goes on in each school.''

Management and governance are more important than sheer size, he said.

``The Garvey School District has 5,000 students. They have the same administrative nightmare that LAUSD does,'' Hertzberg said.

Knox also held off taking a position on the measure until he learns more.

He opposes a breakup of the district, saying dismantling the system would only increase school administrative costs.

``I confidently predict that if you start breaking the school district into different pieces and figured out two years later what happened to administrative expenses, they would go up, and go up dramatically,'' he said.

Wildman said he wanted to study the bill before taking a stand.

``I'll have to look at it,'' said Wildman, who worked for the teachers union before he was elected in 1996.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) Tony Cardenas

Favors districtwide vote

(2) Tom McClintock

Calls bill anti-parent

(3) Cathie Wright

Predicts rejection