Which Way, L.A.?

Conference Addresses City Size and Secession

Are small cities better than big ones? Are two big cities better than one megalopolis? Those are just two of the questions raised by this year-s campaign for Hollywood and San Fernando Valley secession from the City of Los Angeles. This Thursday and Friday, the Haynes Foundation will sponsor a scholarly conference at USC. Though it sounds academic, Reform: Los Angeles Style: the Theory and Practice of Urban Governance at Century-s Turn will be devoted to hashing out practical issues of local governance. We get a preview of some of the arguments on both sides with a professor of economics from California State University Northridge and a political science professor from UC Riverside. Newsmaker: Mayor Awaits Candidates List for Selecting New Police Chief Mayor Jim Hahn is conducting a public relations campaign to prepare Los Angeles for his choice as Chief of Police. Having whittled the list of applicants to 13, the Police Commission will soon pick the top three to forward to the Mayor. Mayor Hahn talks about his eagerness to getting the LAPD back to the business of policing, as well as other thoughts that he expressed in an op-ed piece in today-s Los Angeles Times.