EDITORIAL : THE TORCH IS PASSED MCCLINTOCK CARRIES ON FIGHT FOR LOCAL SELF-DETERMINATION.

WHAT better way to start a new legislative session than by introducing a bill that seeks to end tyranny, restore democracy and support truth, justice and the American way. Naturally, we're speaking of the Boland bill - the Sequel.

Keeping his campaign promise, Assemblyman Tom McClintock, R-Granada Hills, submitted a bill Tuesday that would restore the right of self-determination to Los Angeles neighborhoods in any secession drive and strip the Los Angeles City Council of its veto power over local secession movements. Officially named AB 62, the bill strays from the last nearly successful version in that it does not call for a citywide vote.

If bury-your-head legislators and imperial Los Angeles City Council members thought the idea died with the defeat of former Assemblywoman Paula Boland, who lost her bid for the state Senate last month, they were greatly mistaken. The idea of self-determination was not a campaign ploy cooked up by one legislator, as some seem to think.

To the contrary, this idea has legs and will not fade away. No longer just a San Fernando Valley fight, leaders from San Pedro, Venice and other communities within Los Angeles have banded together to form the Alliance for Self-Determination. Thanks to Valley Vote, the organization that was formed to boost the original bill, and the new group, this issue is alive and well.

As we have said many times in editorials, the Valley's - and any community's - right to political self-determination is a necessary first step for Los Angeles to come together to begin deciding what kind of city charter it should have, what kind of balance of power should exist between the council and the mayor, what kind of city its residents will build together in the 21st century.

Far from being divisive, a debate over self-determination and what model of government works best for such a large, vast, multifaceted and diverse city is exactly what this city needs to remain vibrant and strong.

Council members are fearful of losing power. Residents are fearful of losing this great city to gang violence, decaying neighborhoods, substandard streets, abandoned ideals, loss of hope and a lack of vision. If the council wins, the city loses. It's as simple as that.

What arrogant City Council members don't understand is that the real fear of residents is watching a great city rot and crumble under their feet while their representatives fine-tune leaf blowers. The council's inability to work together for the good of the city only increases public cynicism about the current city charter, not about the viability of Los Angeles as a whole.

The council need not be Darth Vader here. In one simple, magnanimous gesture, the council could vote to support the abolition of its veto power over self-determination. The measure would pass like a rocket, and this city could quickly begin to deal with the truly important and historic issues to keep Los Angeles a world-class city in the 21st century.