CITY'S REFORM EFFORTS FAKE? FOES, SUPPORTERS DEBATE SECESSION ON RADIO BROADCAST.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - The city's past efforts at charter reform and current plans to create a borough system are ``fake'' attempts to decentralize power and address San Fernando Valley complaints, secessionists argued at a broadcast debate Wednesday night.

Secession opponent City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said her proposal for a borough system is the city's best hope to stay together, while empowering neighborhoods. But secession leaders former Assembly members Richard Katz and Paula Boland said a true borough proposal would never be approved in Los Angeles.

``There is always the promise of reform that never quite gets there,'' Katz said during a debate broadcast on KCRW's ``Which Way L.A.?'' radio program. ``Because when push comes to shove, the City Council just can't give it up.''

He said the same applied to the city's recent charter reform, which resulted in the creation of a series of ``eviscerated neighborhood councils'' that have no true power.

Greuel agreed with secessionists' complaints that the city has serious problems but said cityhood is not the answer.

``I don't believe the status quo is OK,'' Greuel said. `I'm not talking about arguing against secession. What I'm talking about is similarly improving government and local control.''

Greuel wants the City Council to place on the November ballot a plan to create a commission that would craft a borough style of government and bring a detailed plan back to voters in the next election. But she is in discussions with former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, the Van Nuys Democrat, who has proposed a system with detailed maps and ethnic breakdown analyses that would replace the 15-member council with nine boroughs, whose presidents would meet every other week to decide citywide issues while the five-member boroughs would decide local issues.

The debate, which also featured secession opponent Rusty Hammer, president of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, was aired live from California State University, Northridge. Despite the Lakers playing in the final game of the championship series, a crowd of about 175 showed to watch and ask questions.

One man in the audience questioned the motives behind secession, saying he believed it was racist and anti-union.

``This is an attempt to create a white enclave in the San Fernando Valley through a surreptitious move,'' the man said.

Boland and Katz disagreed, noting that Latinos would have power in the Valley because they are 42 percent of the population, more than any other ethnic group.

``I truly take exception to that,'' Boland said. ``You can go talk to my two Hispanic godchildren, and they'll tell you that's the farthest from the truth.''

She added that union contracts are protected under the cityhood plan.

``If the unions are telling you you're going to lose your job, it's an out-and-out lie, and it's a scare tactic,'' Boland said.

Hammer said while he also didn't agree there were racial motives behind secession, he does believe there is too much uncertainty associated with it and said promises by secessionists were just speculation because the Valley's new city council and mayor would be making all the decisions.

Hammer compared it to the ending scene of the film ``Thelma & Louise,'' when ``Thelma and Louise were driving off a cliff to an uncertain future.''

Katz replied: ``To use your analogy, they actually thought that was better than the status quo.''