EDITORIAL VALLEY'S FAIR SHARE A LOT IS AT STAKE IN HOW STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BONDS ARE SPLIT UP.

INCE voters have approved Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's package of infrastructure bonds, the state's going to have about $43 billion to spend on schools, transportation projects, housing and water improvements.

And that's good, provided the funds are divvied up fairly to benefit all of California's many communities -- not just the politically connected ones.

Historically, certain communities have gotten short shrift when comes to doling out funding for public projects. The San Fernando Valley region is one of them.

But the booming Valley area must get its fair share this time. Not just for the benefit of the northern neighborhoods of Los Angeles, but for the betterment of the entire city and region.

How goes the Valley, with 60 percent of the city's middle class, will determine to a great extent how the rest of Los Angeles goes. The state's two major north-south highway arteries run a good way through the Valley and are two clear examples of how when there are problems here, they radiate throughout the state.

Local leaders, so often beholden to downtown and other special interests, will be watched closely for how strongly they stand up for the San Fernando Valley when it comes to carving up the infrastructure projects.