OPINIONS SPLIT ON BLUEPRINT FOR SECESSION.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

From the sweltering streets of Van Nuys to the air-conditioned offices of the West Valley, opinions differ on what exactly a new San Fernando Valley city should look like, but one sentiment is strong: the Valley needs a smaller, more responsive government.

``The responsiveness of the city government to the needs of the Valley has been a joke,'' said Thom Hubbell, a 45-year-old Woodland Hills resident who was out Wednesday at a Reseda park walking his dog.

``Downtown has a laughable contempt for anything related to the Valley - (for example) slow police response times, potholes in the roads. With just about anything related to allocation of services, the Valley comes in last.''

Hubbell was one of many residents and community leaders reacting Wednesday to the release of the first picture of what a Valley city could look like if it seceded from Los Angeles.

Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment released its ``vision statement'' publicly on Tuesday and then on Wednesday submitted it to the Local Agency Formation Commission, the county agency overseeing a secession study.

Included in the vision statement is a part-time City Council with lower pay and each member representing a smaller number of constituents. It also calls for, in general terms, a government that is more responsive to local concerns, with lower taxes and a better business environment.

Many community leaders said Wednesday the general principles sound good, but a lot more needs to be done before it's clear whether secession would work.

The vision is ``motherhood and apple pie,'' said Cathy Maguire, chairwoman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association. ``They've got bullet-points on greater local control and improved services. That's what everyone wants. I'm sure that's what the city of Los Angeles wants as well.''

``The real test is when you have the transfer and you finally figure out what it really looks like. How are you going to conduct your business, how are you going to streamline your permitting? That's where the rubber really meets the road.''

VICA, like most Valley organizations, has not yet taken a position on secession, waiting for a detailed study before passing judgment.

One provision of the vision statement that evoked criticism was the plan to have part-time city council members.

``As much as we all relish the idea of living in a small town, this just isn't something that can be easily achieved,'' said Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Association. ``I can tell you that through my experience as a volunteer leader of a large residents association, I do it on a part-time basis, and it's all I can do to keep up with the work. I don't see how anybody could be a city council member on a part-time basis and work effectively.''

Others disagreed.

``I'd like to see a citizen council,'' said Dave Grimsrud, 47, a Granada Hills printer. ``Maybe a paid mayor, but a council made up of citizens, on a part-time basis with minimum salaries - basically expenses paid for their salary. More like a New England town hall where everybody who gets to the meeting has a vote. That's what I'd like to see.''

Alex Dash, an 18-year-old Valley College freshman and Valley Village resident, said the Valley seems to be paying too much in taxes for problems relating to other parts of the city, such as the police Rampart scandal.

``Valley cops aren't corrupt,'' Dash said. ``Valley cops are pretty cool.''

His vision of a Valley city is one with more public park space, more police stations and better public transportation. He prefers a full-time council.

Others say the Valley would lose out by breaking away.

``I don't think we should be separate because L.A. owns all the water pipes,'' said Sylmar resident Tammy Juarez, 39, who was outside the Van Nuys Government Center taking a break from her federal job. ``There's a lot of things underneath that people don't realize. There's a lot of things L.A. owns that we might have to rent.''

Jessica Copen, a spokeswoman for Mayor Richard Riordan, said the city is responsive to the Valley's needs, and any feelings that it isn't are holdovers from previous administrations.

For example, she said, the mayor backed charter reform, which included the creation of neighborhood councils and a Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, in an attempt make the government more responsive to local concerns. He also has in the last two years increased budgets for services to the Valley, she said.

Riordan opposes Valley secession, and so had no specific comment on the vision statement other than to reiterate his opposition, Copen said.

``He thinks the city's working well, it's economically healthy, it's safer than it was since the 1960s,'' Copen said. ``Secession would cripple the L.A. economy.''