TIME RUNNING OUT FOR NAME SUGGESTIONS.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

It is an age-old question: What's in a name?

The answer: plenty, especially if you're leading a drive to have the San Fernando Valley secede from Los Angeles. Organizers have to come up with five possible names in the next month that would be placed before voters on Nov. 5, when the secession issue is likely to be on the ballot.

``It connotates the city and quality of life, the environment and the way people look at a city,'' said Jeff Brain, president of Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment. ``The name is a positive reflection of a city and the people who live in it.''

Today is the deadline for people to submit names for consideration to Valley VOTE, either at its offices at 14622 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; by fax at [phone]; or via the Internet at: www.valleyvote.org.

Brain said all of the more than 400 suggestions submitted so far have been serious, dealing with the history of the area or including San Fernando Valley in the name.

``People take this very seriously,'' Valley VOTE Chairman Richard Close said. ``And, it's an important issue. We are talking about creating the sixth-largest city in the nation and it is a name for which the area will forever be known.''

Brain said a committee will be formed to go through the names and sort them in categories and the Valley VOTE board will meet April 2 to come up with a final list of five to submit to the Local Agency Formation Commission to place on the ballot.

The submissions thus far mirror the results of an informal poll conducted in January by the Daily News. ``San Fernando Valley'' was proposed by about 20 percent of the 230 readers who submitted suggestions with other variations of ``Valley'' close behind.