LAFCO VOWS TO EXPEDITE ITS CITYHOOD STUDY; DISBANDING OF SUBCOMMITTEE CAUSES VALLEY VOTE CONCERN.

Byline: Michael Coit Staff Writer

The agency overseeing the Valley cityhood process pledged Wednesday to double its meeting schedule to twice a month and continue meetings for as long as needed to complete the landmark cityhood study.

The promise by the Local Agency Formation Commission came after it voted to disband a subcommittee that has done most of the work up to now and which was about to start reviewing potential study consultants.

Before the vote, LAFCO Chairman Tom Jackson - who attempted to dissolve the subcommittee by mail in June - apologized ``to the members who were so-called fired by mail.'' The letter stunned members of the panel and created a rift among the commissioners as the legally mandated cityhood process entered a critical phase.

The subcommittee's chairman, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, accepted Jackson's apology but urged that the subcommittee stay on the job for the next task - considering consultants to help the commission decide who will complete the comprehensive analysis of city finances.

``I thought the committee was actually doing a very good job in coming up with some ideas that have moved the process forward,'' Yaroslavsky said. ``You're going to need to have that.''

Jackson, leading a clear commission majority, said all nine members of LAFCO should be involved in every aspect of the proposal to split the San Fernando Valley from Los Angeles. The chairman thanked the subcommittee for helping define the unprecedented process and narrowing the task.

``There is, I guess, a little consternation about this decision,'' Jackson said. ``My position was that the subcommittee was appointed for a specific purpose . . . and from this day forward, the nine members should be making decisions on this secession issue.''

Yaroslavsky countered that the lack of a subcommittee and the volume of work could overwhelm the commission and result in important issues being decided outside of the public eye.

``This is an agency that has a proclivity to do its work behind closed doors, and that's not going to cut it for this issue,'' Yaroslavsky said.

Leaders of Valley VOTE, the group that petitioned for the study, also contended that the process could become bogged down if the full commission wrestles with each element of the study during regular meetings.

They said the more than 132,000 Valley voters who signed petitions for the study expect the commission to complete the work within two years, leading to a citywide vote on secession in 2002.

``The people want this issue resolved. We're concerned with this keeping on track,'' said Jeff Brain, president of Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment.

The commission decided to meet twice a month rather than monthly.

``When we get done with this, I want everybody to say, I was able to be heard on this,'' said Henri Pellissier, a member of the subcommittee. ``I promise you we will give you time.''

Pellissier was responding to concerns that the subcommittee had allowed the public to speak longer than the three-minutes allotted for individuals to address LAFCO at its meetings.

Even as Yaroslavsky's subcommittee was being disbanded, commissioners discussed creating new committees as needed for specific tasks. At its next meeting July 28, the commission will consider creating a committee to review qualifications and interview consultants for the study.

The commission is scheduled to review the critical study proposal at its Aug. 11 meeting. The request for proposals will dictate what the consultant is expected to produce, so consultants can bid for the contract.

The study is expected to cost between $1.8 million and $2.6 million.