EDITORIAL LAFCO'S SUCCESS.

THERE are already some heroes in the still-raging political battle over San Fernando Valley secession, and they deserve to be named:

James DiGiuseppe, Jerry Gladbach, Carol Herrera, Henri Pellissier, William Wentworth and Zev Yaroslavsky.

These are the six members of the Local Agency Formation Commission who voted to reject L.A. City Hall's last-ditch attempt to block a vote on San Fernando Valley secession, turning the matter over to the people, where it belongs.

For months, the commission has labored hard and successfully to craft a secession plan that's fair to all sides, one that allows voters to make a free and informed decision that's not corrupted by a rigged process.

Its members patiently negotiated with an L.A. city government that never had any interest in negotiating. They respectfully listened to and politely dismissed City Hall's more outlandish demands. They had the wherewithal to ignore the bad advice of consultants and the threatened lawsuits of city power-brokers.

Whatever the outcome of the secession vote, the commissioners and Executive Director Larry Calemine and his staff have toiled to make Los Angeles a better place. They deserve our respect and our gratitude - not the contempt that the mayor and his cronies are heaping on them.