82.1 F
San Fernando
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

SECESSION–Richard Katz: Former Foe Embraces Valley VOTE Cause

Five years ago, Richard Katz was one of a few dozen Democratic Assembly members working fervently and successfully to block a bill that would have given the San Fernando Valley a vote on whether to secede, and simultaneously strip the city of L.A. of any vote over secession. Five years later, Katz is now one of the top leaders of the group Valley VOTE (Voters Organized Toward Empowerment), which is leading the charge for a study of Valley secession. What happened? According to Katz, who has not taken a position either way on secession, he voted against the bill because it didn’t give the city of L.A. any input into the split the Valley could have broken away by majority vote, with no vote from L.A. residents. “I was opposed to the version that didn’t require a citywide vote,” Katz said. In fact, Katz had changed his position by the following year, working to pass similar bipartisan legislation to take away the L.A. City Council’s power to veto a secession movement. That bill passed. In 1998, Katz moved even closer to the secession movement, joining VOTE’s board after his failed state Senate bid. The move has surprised some. “I would not have guessed that he would have gotten so visible or active in secession,” said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political professor at Claremont Graduate School who knows Katz. “He appeared to be an establishment politician. To me, it didn’t really fit his modus operandi. But maybe I misconceived him as part of the political establishment.” Surprising turnabout Harry Coleman, a founder of Valley VOTE who split from the group before Katz signed on, was also surprised that Katz joined VOTE. Coleman worked with former Assemblywoman Paula Boland on the original secession legislation. “He was so much against (Boland’s secession bill),” Coleman said. “I don’t know if he’s had a change of heart or not. He would be a welcome addition. He’s not stupid; he’s a good politician.” Katz’s move to the VOTE forefront is what some call a brilliant political decision that could allow him to successfully run for mayor if the Valley does secede. Even his allies say they don’t mind his undecided secession views as long as he uses his legislative contacts to move their position forward. “If he wants to maintain visibility, it’s a fairly smart political strategy,” said Jeffe. “There’s the possibility of a mayor’s position open if there is a Valley city.” Katz said he was attracted to VOTE because of its perceived support in the Valley. “I liked the fact that it was a grassroots effort and got that much support,” Katz said. “And I was impressed with the volunteers, that in a time of great cynicism, volunteers were out there collecting signatures for this cause. The cause itself has always made sense.” Katz said he isn’t positioning himself for a job in the future Valley city, though a run for a future political office isn’t out of the question. “If I wanted to run for local government, I’d run for (City Councilman Hal) Bernson’s seat,” he said. “I find the idea of creating a new city a better job. It’s pretty exciting.” Katz was first elected to the state Assembly in 1980, representing the 39th district covering San Fernando and Pacoima. He rose to minority leader and helped engineer the return to a Democratic majority in 1996. But he was termed out before he made it to speaker. In 1993, he ran for mayor of Los Angeles but lost badly, which many attribute to the fact that he isn’t well-known outside of the San Fernando Valley. He lost a bid for the state Senate in 1998 against Democrat Richard Alarcon in a close race. Jeffe says Katz misread his opponent and didn’t fight as hard as he should have. She describes him as an archetypal modern politician, saying he has moved to the center, learned the process and learned how to use it. New political outlet Katz said VOTE has become his political outlet since his forced departure from the Legislature. He joined Valley VOTE’s board in 1998 after several years of offering the group his legislative advice. “We went to him three years ago, because we considered him to be one of the most knowledgeable people on legislative matters and we needed his advice,” said Richard Close, chairman of the VOTE board. Katz has become VOTE’s point person on legislative issues. He helped guide the group’s push for state funding of the study of secession. He also pushed for legislation extending from 90 to 180 the number of days that VOTE was given to complete petitions for the study. “He is a person I consider one of the most critical people in the whole process,” Close said. “He knows how to get things done.” Close says the time commitment and work Katz has done for Valley VOTE involve more heavy lifting than would be done by someone merely interested in securing a future political office in the Valley. “Maybe he saw how much we needed a person who had his experience,” Close said. “I don’t think he is involved in this because he is looking to run as mayor of a Valley city.” Ever since joining VOTE, Katz has been a rising star, moving up the ranks as a board member to one of the top three positions and increasing his involvement. His work for Valley VOTE is unpaid. As his day job, Katz runs a transportation consulting business. Katz said he was moved to become more involved in the group after watching the L.A. city charter reform process. He disliked, he said, the lack of grassroots involvement and felt it didn’t provide for enough change in city government to make a difference. He won’t decide whether or not to support secession until the study on the monetary effects of breakup is completed in the coming years. He said if the study shows the Valley city would be laden with debt and see little improvement in city services, he will not push for secession. “My gut inclination is, secession is good for the Valley,” he said. “But I’ll wait for the results.”

Featured Articles

Related Articles