Council sends detailed questions to LAFCO on San Fernando Valley secession proposal

The Los Angeles City Council on June 20 adopted a packet of staff and city attorney reports that raise legal and fiscal questions about a proposal to form a separate San Fernando Valley city and asked the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to address those issues.

Councilwoman Misakowski, chair of the ad hoc committee on the Valley reorganization, said the reports do not take a position for or against secession but “raise questions about inconsistencies in the various proposals, questions on some ... legal uncertainties, and areas which need further explanation and exploration.”

The council's action formally transmits the ad hoc committee's compilation — prepared by city staff, the city attorney's office, and other departments — to LAFCO and directs the city’s reviewers to press for answers. The motion was approved on a roll call marked “10 ayes.”

Why it matters: The reports identify legal obstacles and open questions that could affect whether a Valley city could be implemented and what fiscal impacts would follow for both a new Valley city and the remaining City of Los Angeles. The city has a LAFCO deadline of July 2 to submit issues it wants considered in…