'The Valley' Gets Place-Making Power

The article consists of Q&A with two of the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments' leading protagonists, Robert Scott and David Fleming:

"...there is a growing need for regional governance in California. We have so many problems that cross jurisdictional boundaries. A problem along the I-5 impacts Santa Clarita, Burbank, San Fernando, the city of Los Angeles, and, indirectly, Glendale. If we didn't have something like a COG, we wouldn't be able to effectively coordinate efforts."

"One of the big issues about this organization is that it can officially generate information that had previously been gathered only on a semi-official basis. At the moment, we're completing the I-5 Corridor Study, which is an economic development initiative that has been going on for the last nine months, funded by SCAG, and giving us a roadmap for the new council of governments to follow, should they adopt it."

"As far as the city Planning Commission goes, that configuration has been changed from five to nine, and we've added the Area Planning Commissions. We have something like 35, where we once had five. That has changed the complexion of the planning process. Going back to the idea that this organization will be responsible for managing the new San Fernando Valley SCAG planning sub-region, they will be able to give input in the planning process from the headwaters, from the very beginning of the process."

Thanks to James Brasuell