Content area
Full Text
THERE'S a syndrome that's taken hold among many San Fernando Valley residents, a conditioned response caused by years of contempt from public officials.
The reaction to every proposed public-works project in their area is always the same: Not in my back yard!
For many Valley residents, NIMBYism has become an uncontrollable reflex, like pulling your hand from a hot stove. It's only natural, seeing that the Valley has been burned so many times before.
The reflex reaction often has served the community well, as when it forced the Department of Water and Power to scuttle its revolting toilet-to-tap program. But it's also been a liability, as evidenced by the lack of a Valley subway or light rail.
And it now threatens to cost the community some badly needed improvements along the Ventura Freeway.
In May, state and local leaders scuttled a $3.4 billion plan...