Goodbye To Hollywood?

By Jeffrey Ressner

Will the City of Angels have to clip its wings? Just one week after Los Angeles residents learned they will vote this November on whether the San Fernando Valley should secede from the city, a new study fueled talk that the entertainment capital known as Hollywood could also strike out on its own. L.A.'s Local Agency Formation Commission, a state-approved group that fights urban sprawl, announced last week that Hollywood--a now somewhat tarnished area hoping to revive its golden era--could pay its own bills and thrive as a stand-alone entity. If voters decide to break off both areas, it would reduce L.A.'s population by approximately 1.5 million people, or roughly 40%. Secession of the San Fernando Valley alone would cause L.A.--currently the country's second largest city--to drop a notch down to third place, behind Chicago. (The Valley itself would rank as the U.S.'s sixth largest city.) Should Hollywood also become autonomous, its parameters would encompass landmarks such as Griffith Park, Paramount Studios and, of course, the Hollywood sign.

--By Jeffrey Ressner