Secession

* Re “Assembly OKs Bill Making It Easier for Valley to Secede,” May 10: The big loser in all of this is the L.A. City Council. For years they’ve taken their absolute power over the city’s purse and policy for granted. Had our city fathers and mothers understood the election of 1993 they would have known it was the San Fernando Valley that swept Mayor Richard Riordan into office, providing most of his winning margin. Riordan won the election because he was able to tap the decades-old distrust and resentment for the downtown crowd.

The council scoffed at the separatist smoke signals from beyond the Santa Monica Mountains. It may not, however, be too late for the council sit down with Valley leaders to smoke the peace pipe. But the council will be required to dine on a meal of bitter herbs and crow before any treaty is cut. What will come out of such negotiations will be a ceding of some power from Spring Street to Ventura Boulevard.

Should the council fail to act and act decisively they will be remembered as the last L.A. City Council and will forever be responsible for the dismantling of the City of the Angels.

SEAN McCARTHY

Los Angeles