Hollywood Business Owners Cool to Idea Of Leaving L.A. City

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Hollywood Business Owners Cool to Idea Of Leaving L.A. City

By HOWARD FINE

Staff Reporter

With a measure on Hollywood secession likely to be placed on the ballot this week, proponents have their work cut out for them in the Hollywood business community.

A poll taken by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce shows that members opposed secession by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, 47 percent to 24 percent. Twenty-eight percent of the 62 respondents were undecided. (Only 6 percent of the chamber’s 1,000 members responded to the survey in April.)

When asked if they would support the creation of a separate Hollywood city if their taxes were lowered, only 26 percent said “yes” and 31 percent said “no.”

Todd Lindgren, director of government affairs for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said the results were not a surprise, since many of the more active chamber members have been vocal opponents of secession.

He added that other chamber members have expressed concern about what would happen to the bond debt for the Hollywood & Highland project and other redevelopment projects if Hollywood were to secede.

Meanwhile, Gene La Pietra, president of Hollywood VOTE, the group spearheading the Hollywood secession movement, said the poll results were about as good as could be expected considering that the group has yet to make its case before the business community.

Lindgren said the chamber would be scheduling numerous forums featuring both secession proponents and opponents over the next several months leading up to the Nov. 5 vote.

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