CITYHOOD STUDY FUND RAISING BEGINS; EFFORTS UNDER WAY LOCALLY, THROUGH CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

A day after San Fernando Valley residents formally applied for a cityhood study, several fund-raising efforts were announced Thursday to pay for the massive financial analysis.

Leading the way is a $2 million funding request submitted to a congressional appropriations panel by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills, and Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita.

Also, the Valley VOTE advocates have mailed fund-raising letters to about 2,000 supporters, seeking a total of $25,000 immediately. The funds would pay for consultants to help shape the study.

In the meantime, a nonprofit group called Citizens Information concerning a Valleywide Independent City is working toward a $2 million goal to support the study process.

The Local Agency Formation Commission study is estimated to cost between $1.8 million and $2.6 million and would determine the mechanics and feasibility of a breakup. The study could lead to a citywide vote by November 2000 at the earliest.

``Studies are a cottage industry of government, and clearly this is going to be a cottage industry at its biggest and best. It's absolutely necessary,'' said David Fleming, a Valley attorney who co-founded CIVIC and signed this week's Valley VOTE fund-raising letter with Bert Boeckmann, a Valley business leader.

Perhaps the toughest fund-raising target will be Congress, given that a study on municipal secession arguably is a local issue governed by state law, Sherman said.

``I think it's uphill,'' he said.

Sherman and McKeon made a strong pitch, stating Los Angeles set the trend for the nation's urban sprawl and the nation could learn from ``a case study in governance and organization of Los Angeles and its largest region, the San Fernando Valley.''

``This will help run the Los Angeles metropolitan area better whether it leads to separation or not. What's good for Southern California is good for the nation,'' Sherman said.

California's arcane laws dealing with local governance require that the comprehensive analysis identify the new city's costs of providing public services and its revenues during the three fiscal years following incorporation.

LAFCO, however, has little funding for such a study. Its work typically deals with special districts, subdivisions and other boundary issues.

``We knew LAFCO was grossly underfunded for a task of this kind and that by all probabilities we would have to do some private standby funding,'' Fleming said.

CIVIC isn't conceding funds to the study but is prepared to contribute to ensure it is complete and objective, Fleming noted.

``We want the government to do what the voters want the government to do,'' Fleming said, referring to Valley VOTE's successful petition effort.

Ultimately, the county Board of Supervisors and state lawmakers are expected to consider some type of cost-sharing, and city funding also could be sought.