Goodbye Van Nuys, hello Sherman Oaks: L.A. Council OKs neighborhood switch

A group of Van Nuys residents won approval today from the Los Angeles City Council to break off from Van Nuys and join the more upscale community of Sherman Oaks.

The council's 10-2 vote -- with Councilmen Tony Cardenas and Jose Huizar standing in opposition -- will redraw neighborhood boundaries to redesignate some 1,800 homes in an area bounded by Sepulveda, Oxnard and Burbank boulevards and Hazeltine Avenue. The group favoring the change gathered more than 600 signatures supporting its efforts. They argued they are isolated from Van Nuys by an industrial stretch and that their residents strongly identify with Sherman Oaks, in part because they shop Sherman Oaks businesses and children in the neighborhood attend Sherman Oaks schools.

It was just the latest in a string of San Fernando Valley name changes approved by the Council in recent years. But tempers ran hot during today's debate in council chambers. Cardenas, who represents part of Van Nuys, suggested the change was motivated by racism based on reported comments of one of the proponents at a neighborhood meeting. Other opponents of the move told council members the effort was an unabashed effort to boost property values.

The neighborhood councils of Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks opposed the proposal. Members of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council, whose members voted 13 to 4 against the plan in January, said the move would cause “irreparable harm” to a community that has seen hundreds of residents sever ties with Van Nuys to join communities such as Valley Glen and Lake Balboa.

-- Maeve Reston at L.A. City Hall

Comments

[kv]

of course it is about housing values and not wanting to be known as part of low-class Van Nuys-duh-Van Nuys has a horrible reputation -what other reason is there?

[Richard Johnston]

I've also noticed those lawn signs placed on homes bordering Sherman Oaks that read "Part of Sherman Oaks."

[Chunkdog]

Just following in the traditions of Arleta and Lake View Terrace abandoning the name of Pacoima, West Hills doing it to Canoga Park or the countless other racism cloaked requests.

[ARdem]

Easiest white flight in history--They did not even have to move!

[vt]

another pocket of self-interested egotists, who think that there's any value in a name... they're not kidding anyone... sherman oaks is not beverly hills.. i sure wasn't impressed during my visit there.... they need to get over themselves... they'll probably petition to adopt the 310 area code, too.

[DJ]

When I think of Sherman Oaks I think of good things, when I think of Van Nuys, I think of bad things. If residents have the chance to switch their community name to increase their property values (and that's the major reason of course), then why not? If the residents of Van Nuys take offense to this, then change your neighborhood.

[LV]

Just be honest
Sherman Oaks = rich white
Van Nuys = poor brown
don't give me that property values line, instead of making their neighborhood better these arrogant fools just want to change their name, how about being unashamed of being where you're from.

[mister anon]

Let's be truthful. Most of Van Nuys is the crime riddled hellhole of the San Fernando Valley. The difference between a Van Nuys address and a Sherman Oaks address is probably several hundreds of thousands of dollars. What this means is that there are *NO* nice areas of Van Nuys. People can now say that all of Van Nuys is an armpit and be factually correct.

[Pam Ward]

Sherman Oaks is like a Coach bag. All logo and no go!

[lucy]

Cardenas tried to turn it into a racial issue, saying that supporters talked about being more like the "complexion" of Sherman Oaks, which he took to mean skin color, that is fewer Latinos. And fewer people in subsidized housing. He also talked about pictures showing a stark contrast between the two areas of Van Nuys.

Well, if those factors result in dirtier streets and being more unsafe, then they're valid reasons. Maybe Cardenas needs to work with residents who are Latino and in subsidized housing to do a better job of cleaning up their own neighborhoods, neighborhood watches, and so on, so people won't see the difference. You can't blame people for being concerned about property values, their life savngs for many -- this should be a wakeup call to those who want to push MORE low-income housing into nicer areas. If they do it they must make sure the residents who move in respect the neighborhoods they're moving into, keep them clean and safe.

[Quenx]

It funny, because when I lived on the Sherman Oaks side of the Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks border I used to tell people I lived in Van Nuys so people didn't just assume I was a snob.

[B Clemenb]

As a resident of "The Sherm" I can tell you the "white flight" BS is just that:BS
I am lucky enough to live in a fairly affluent area of the neighborhood and my neighbors are Korean, African American, Latino, white, and just recently gay too.
I'm proud to be part of a community that (at least from my view) is becoming more diverse all the time.
Even more so with all of the mixed-raced adoptions.

[Ryan D]

Many of us in Sherman Oaks are white, that is true.
But many others, like my latino wife and my child who was born in China, would tend to take offense to the comments that is is an all white neighborhood.

[D.Woodward Van Nuys.]

I'm a Van Nuys resident,I've lived at the same address since Labor day weekend 1974.I'm quite happy with living in Van Nuys.I think the change to sherman Oaks is silly.It is a group of nit wits that's trying to boost property values.

[Eric Elias]

I don't live in the affected areas but this disagreement seems silly because both Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks belong to the city of Los Angeles. How is changing the community's artificial designation going to change anything?

[MDS91401]

I live in the area (Burbank Blvd between Van Nuys blvd & Hazeltine) that will benefit from the name change and I'm happy to say that I live in Sherman Oaks.

Additionally, I'm sorry but I don't see this as any type of racial issue. Sherman Oaks is simply a nicer and cleaner enviroment and who doesn't want to be associated with that? Unfortunately for Van Nuys it has become a less than desirable place to live - and it seems that certain people are more concerned with keeping neighbor hoods within its boundaries instead of making any attempt to improve the area (example, North Hollywood). If the residents of Van Nuys are so concerned with the image of their neighborhood why not take some effort to improve where you live so that it isn't considered the armpit of the valley.

[MM ZZ]

These homeowners don't want to be lumped in with crappy van nuys. What's wrong with that? The only people complaining are those stuck in the armpit known as van nuys and have no ability to do anything about it. Losers hate it when others make any move towards progress -- real, perceived, or otherwise. They start calling them racists. So Typical.

[DR]

I left the valley in the late seventies and never thought I'd see the downward path most of it has taken. Pacoima was always a rough place but Van Nuys? I had to go there for an insurance signing and lo and behold I thought I was in a third world country. Vendors saleing meat on corners. Bums and gangs roaming around the blocks. Grafetti all over. Made my eyes water from dispair.
Glad I left when I did. Now happy to have left the once great state of California
Will the last civilized person there please turn off the light?

[Mike S.]

The real story here is the public confirmation of the powerlessness of Neighborhood Councils. The name change was vehemently opposed by both the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council and and the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council. Their opposition was feeble and had to resort to name calling and race baiting. The group promoting the name change was much better organized and was able to utilize traditional grassroots organizaing skills as well as listservs and an impressive website. The Neighborhood Councils have demonstrated that they very little popular support and their only real purpose is to serve as a soapbox for angry malcontents and activists with an axe to grind against one perceived slight or another.

[Scott]

Haven't we heard this before (See Below).

Canoga Park = West Hills

Balboa Lake = Van Nuys

North Hollywood = Valley Village

and now

Van Nuys=Sherman Oaks

Their only fooling themselves, Your zip code is not gong to change, so you still live in the Ghetto.

[marv]

i remember looking at a home that was for sale in the area referenced in this article, the realtor had described as 'Sherman oaks adjacent'. its funny what a negative influence van nuys is.

[DMS]

well, let's hope the city of Los Angeles, reassesses these new Sherman Oaks residents' home values. We could use every extra tax dollar we can get.

[RB]

Is it really about race or is it about being a part of a neighborhood that respects itself and has its residents respect their areas? Why is it when you walk through Van Nuys it's residents keep it filthy, litter, paint graffiti on the walls and vandalize? You don't have that problem as much in Sherman Oaks. Maybe if the people who lived in Van Nuys took care of it better, people woudn't want to flee.

[ks]

I just moved just north of Burbank Blvd near Woodman and it is called either Valley Glen or Van Nuys. I normally call it Van Nuys.
I'm not ashamed. All the homes around here are beautifully kept, safe, and neighborly.
Every neighborhood has the responsibilty to clean up and beautify their areas.
I moved from the oddly overpriced Burbank/Glendale border where shopping carts and beer cans were constantly having to be picked up off the street.
And now that I'm in this close proximity to see the many apartment buildings of Sherman Oaks, I'm thinking Sherman Oaks is not that big of a deal, really.

[Valley M]

I use to leave in Panorama City growing up and spent a lot of time around the Van Nuys area, and I can admit that the area was trash. And each time I go back, for one reason or another, it seems to me that the area is getting worse...by the hour. So what that people wanted to break their association with Van Nuys.