CITY HEDGES VOW ON VALLEY STUDY; SECESSION LEADER SEES `FIGHTING WORDS'.

Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer

The Los Angeles mayor and council president promised Wednesday that city government will cooperate fully in a San Fernando Valley secession study, but tempered the response by saying the city cannot afford a detailed analysis of financial data and might find it too difficult to break out information geographically.

The head of the county agency that will oversee the study said he was pleased by the response signed by Mayor Richard Riordan and City Council President John Ferraro. The chairman of the Valley VOTE secession study group called the response ``noncooperative and confrontational.''

``Parts of it sound like fighting words from a lawyer,'' said Richard Close, an attorney who serves as chairman of Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment.

City officials, while taking no position on secession, responded to issues that have been raised before the Local Agency Formation Commission, the county-level agency overseeing the study.

The response will be used by LAFCO and its consultants to draft a formal request for information to the city later this year.

The city's response opposes the Valley group on the key issue of how to deal with the city's harbor, airports and utilities, including water rights. City officials insist they should be part of the study on dividing the city's assets, not studied separately after the public votes on secession.

City officials said municipal government lacks money for the detailed analysis LAFCO might call for and could have difficulty providing information by geographical areas. Attorney-client privilege could be claimed on some issues, their response says.

``The sentences on cooperating don't fit in very well with the rest of the document,'' Close said. ``In summary, it seems to be problem-creating rather than problem-solving.''

Ferraro, who along with Close is an alternate member of the LAFCO board, said the response was not intended as ``fighting words.''

``It's a preliminary response to LAFCO's request, accomplished in keeping with a short time deadline, and it leaves room for more discussion,'' Ferraro said in a printed statement. ``The city will continue to cooperate fully with LAFCO during this process.''

Close, noting that he was commenting individually because Valley VOTE has not taken a position on the city's response, said he fears city officials are setting the stage for conflict.

``They are reserving the right to object in the future,'' he said. ``Why are they fighting this? This is not a war between those north of Mulholland and those south of Mulholland. We only want information on the assets.''

Deputy Mayor Bill Violante called Close's comments nonsensical. He said city personnel will be as cooperative as possible and that discussions on dividing up assets and liabilities should wait until more information is available.

Violante said the response merely alerted LAFCO to problem areas. ``We're saying what we have now and what needs to be resolved. We're pointing out to LAFCO what does and doesn't exist,'' he said.

Violante said LAFCO will need to tighten up its final request before city officials can comment more precisely. ``We don't know what assets the petitioners are talking about,'' he added.

The LAFCO executive director, Larry Calemine, said he is pleased with the promises of cooperation and noted that the state's new budget allocates $1.8 million for the study, about 80 percent of the estimated cost.

``I'm delighted with what I've seen - that the city intends to cooperate with LAFCO during the study,'' Calemine said.

Close said he fears that city personnel will refuse to do computer runs, provide analyses and conduct studies unless the city is paid first.

``It seems like a veiled threat that the city won't provide the information unless they are paid to turn the information over,'' Close said.

The city response to LAFCO says there is no funding for ``new data, preparation of new analyses and the possible need for an environmental impact report.''

Chief Deputy City Attorney Tim McOsker, whose office reviewed the document, said the intent is to provide information, regardless of who pays for it.