Hoping to provide the final piece of the funding puzzle for a study of San Fernando Valley secession, Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson introduced a motion Friday to have the city put up the last $225,000 needed to cover the cost of the analysis.
Bernson, who lives in Northridge and represents the northwest Valley, is asking the council to authorize City Controller Rick Tuttle to transfer the money from a reserve fund to the Local Agency Formation Commission, the appointed panel that will conduct the secession study.
Mayor Richard Riordan, who earlier this year pledged to provide a portion of the funding, would also have to approve the request.
For the issue to make the ballot, the state-mandated study, expected to cost $2.3 million, must take place before the public could vote on secession, and it must arrive at certain findings--most importantly that a breakup would not financially hurt the remainder of the city.