RESIDENTS CHALLENGE SOHA BOARD SECESSION STAND DISPUTED.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

SHERMAN OAKS - Some members of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association have asked for a hearing at the group's meeting tonight to challenge the group's board decision to endorse San Fernando Valley cityhood.

In an 8-1 vote, with two abstentions, the association board voted in June to endorse Valley secession. The dissenting board member, Steve Meister, resigned from the board and now is leading the charge for the board to open the vote to all association members.

In a letter given Monday to SOHA President Richard Close, leader of the Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment secession group, Meister and 10 other association members criticized the group's secession endorsement as ``undemocratic and unacceptable'' because members were not given a vote. Meister said members are entitled to a formal vote on an important issue like secession.

``The thing the board did was to purposely exclude the members from being heard on secession at any time,'' said Meister, a secession opponent. ``The board is not a representative body.''

Close countered that boards routinely speak for organizations. He dismissed Meister's complaint as ``sour grapes'' and said Meister did not raise the issue of a member vote when the association first considered its position on secession in June.

Close said he would not honor Meister's request to speak to the association's board at its meeting tonight.

In another secession-related development, Bruce Boyer began airing advertisements Tuesday for his mayoral campaign in the proposed San Fernando Valley city, the first mayoral candidate to do so.

Boyer declined to specify his sources of funding for the commercials or for other aspects of his campaign, in apparent violation of the state's disclosure law, said Barbara Freeman of the city of Los Angeles' Ethics Commission.

Boyer said Tuesday that he would not follow the disclosure laws, which he called invasive and cumbersome.

``I do not dare touch their paperwork,'' Boyer said. ``It's a private matter. It's none of their business.''

Boyer's 30-second commercial will air 225 times on four news channels that are a part of Adelphia's East Valley cable area, said Louis Jiminez, who produced the advertisement.

Adelphia representatives were not available Tuesday to say how much the air time would cost.

The mayoral candidates with the most money raised - Keith Richman, with $127,533 as of Sept. 30, and Mel Wilson, with $45,105 - have not aired commercials.

FORUMS SET

Many of the candidates and partisans on both sides of the secession issue are scheduled to appear at a number of forums in the next week:

--The Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association has invited mayoral candidates to a forum at its 7:30 p.m. meeting today at the Sunkist Building, 14130 Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks.

--Candidates for the proposed 3rd District of the Valley city council, which includes Chatsworth, Porter Ranch and parts of Northridge, Winnetka and West Hills, will appear at a candidates forum tonight. The forum is scheduled for 7:30 in the penthouse of the Northridge Hospital, 18300 Roscoe Blvd.

--Mount St. Mary's College is hosting a debate on Valley secession from 1 to 2:30 p.m. today at the college's Little Theater, 12001 Chalon Road in Brentwood. The debate will be broadcast live on KPCC-FM (89.3).

--Friends of the Platt Library is sponsoring a debate on Valley secession at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The debate will be at the library, 23600 Victory Blvd. in Woodland Hills.

--Los Angeles City College will host a debate on Hollywood secession at 7 p.m. Thursday in the student center, 855 N. Vermont Ave. in Hollywood.

--The Los Angeles Police Protective League is sponsoring a debate on Valley secession at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Universal City Hilton, 555 Universal Terrace Parkway.

--The San Fernando Valley College of Law is hosting a symposium on Valley secession Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the campus, 21300 Oxnard St. in Woodland Hills.

--The University of California, Los Angeles, is sponsoring a community forum on secession from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at UCLA's Ackerman Grand Ballroom, 308 Westwood Plaza.

All the events are free and open to the public.

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FORUMS SET (see text)