L.A. VOTERS OFTEN SUPPORT CITY'S CALLS FOR MORE SPENDING.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

For all the talk about secession leading to higher taxes in the Valley city and Los Angeles, taxes have risen steadily over the last 13 years, and political analysts say the trend suggests they will continue climbing with or without a breakup of the city.

Since 1989, L.A. voters have approved at least $3 billion in bond measures and other assessments for projects that have raised the median- priced property owner's taxes by about $150 a year, according to city officials. The city has paid off all debt incurred from bond measures prior to 1989, according to the city administrative officer.

Add in measures from other levels of government, like the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Metropolitan Water District, and the typical bill has increased by at least $400.

But voters have also rejected the same number of bond measures for Los Angeles city projects, totaling about the same dollar amount during the same period of time, meaning they have liked about half the projects put before them.

Whether San Fernando Valley voters in their own city would approve bond measures with the same frequency that Los Angeles voters have is open to speculation.

Political analysts note the Valley has traditionally been more conservative than the rest of the city, especially on fiscal matters, but that has been changing over the years.

At the same time, they say, voters are more likely to support projects they know will benefit their own communities, meaning Valley voters might be more open to bond measures that benefit only a Valley city, rather than all of Los Angeles.

``To the extent the Valley has been less supportive than some other areas of Los Angeles of certain bond measures, you can't predict how the electorate would be if it were a separate city,'' said Arnie Steinberg, a Calabasas political consultant.

``If you believe Valley voters felt disenfranchised or felt they were not getting their fair share, then those sentiments might be reflected in bond measure support levels. If on the other hand, they felt all the money would stay at home, they might be more supportive.''

He added that voters in the rest of Los Angeles have been more supportive of bond measures in the past than the Valley, and they would likely be even more so in a smaller city.

The Valley has traditionally had an anti-tax reputation - it was one of the strongest areas to support the state tax-limiting measure Proposition 13 more than two decades ago, and Valley voters have helped defeat several city bond measures.

But now, registered Democrats in the Valley outnumber Republicans by almost a 2-1 margin, and Valley support helped pass the latest bond measure, Proposition Q, which squeaked by in March with about 600 votes more than the required two-thirds margin, out of more than 345,000 ballots cast.

The measure will provide $600 million for public safety facilities and will add $35 to the average tax bill within a few years, although the city has not yet issued the bonds, so the bills have not yet increased.

``I don't think the Valley is as relentlessly anti-tax as it was 20 years ago,'' said Raphael Sonenshein, a political scientist at California State University, Fullerton. ``Partly because the composition of the Valley is different. The Valley is less Republican than it used to be. It's settled into a liberal Republican, moderate Democratic political framework.''

Los Angeles voters have not, of course, approved every bond measure that came their way. They've rejected at least 11 since 1989 - the same number they've approved during that same period - rejecting measures to hire more police officers, fix sidewalks and expand senior citizen centers, among others, totaling close to $3 billion.

According to the Office of the City Administrative Officer, the city has paid off the debt on all bond measures approved before 1989, but the following are a few of the measures that city taxpayers are still financing:

--Proposition F, a $532 million measure approved in 2000 for fire, paramedic and helicopter facilities, and animal shelters.

--Proposition G, a $376 million measure approved in 1990 for seismic rehab of city buildings and bridges.

--Propositions 1, 2 and 4, approved in 1989, providing $289 million for libraries, police facilities and fire safety.

--Proposition K, a special tax approved in 1996 to provide $776 million over 30 years for city parks.