As the “First City of the Valley,” the City of San Fernando has a long and storied history. Growing out of the ranching activities that surrounded the Mission San Fernando Rey de España in the late 1700s, the community would continue to develop into a small trading center that was plentiful with livestock, olive trees and many other crops.
On Aug. 31, 1911, the community voted in a narrow 123-115 margin to officially make San Fernando the first city in the valley. Since its incorporation, the city has evolved from a predominantly caucasian town to a city that’s now approximately 93% Latino and has grown to nearly 24,000 residents.
And as the City of San Fernando celebrated its 114th birthday this past weekend at the historic Casa de Lopez Adobe, one of the two oldest private residences in the valley, those who have lived and worked in the city for years have strong views on how it should continue to evolve.
Looking toward the city’s needs, Kanika Kith, the interim city manager, said that one of the main things she and the San Fernando City Council are currently working toward is making the city financially strong and attractive for businesses to come to the independent city.
To entice more businesses to set up shop in the area, the city will be utilizing “My Valley Pass”, an online visitor’s guide highlighting arts and entertainment exclusive to the San Fernando Valley, to spread awareness of their services and create more activities in the business district.
“So that’s what we’re looking to do to … make our city more attractive and also help support our businesses as well as help bring in more revenue to the city,” Kith said.
Other major focuses are public safety and infrastructure – both in terms of making residents and businesses feel safe, making the commercial corridor attractive for people to shop. Kith has been meeting with the San Fernando Police Department and Public Works to hear what they need, which is mainly equipment and vehicles.
Lastly, Kith said that they are working towards improving the city’s water, as it has a $7 million grant, set to expire next March, to build a water treatment system for Well 2A – the largest, and currently only, one of the city’s four extraction wells that is offline due to a high concentration of nitrates.
“We can provide clean, safe water to our residents, to our community, without having to rely on importing water from the Metropolitan Water District,” Kith said. “So my focus now is making sure we get that treatment system in place, making sure that we have the proper security measures in place at our water sites to keep our water secure.”
Dissatisfaction with the City Council
John David Rivera is a businessman in the City of San Fernando. Although not a resident, he and his family have lived near the city their entire lives – his father’s home is just a stone’s throw away from San Fernando High School.
While he expressed much love for the city, the same could not be said for the decisions made by the City Council. He was disappointed when the council voted no to adopting a “sanctuary city” status back in April, a decision that sparked fierce backlash in the community and discussions about a possible recall. The council would later pass a broad resolution aimed at protecting immigrants that same month.
He also expressed his disapproval over the City Council’s choice for one of the build-out options for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Train (ESFV LRT). The dais had two options for the light rail, but rejected the first scenario due to the significant impact it would have on safety, traffic and nearby homes and businesses. While the second option has fewer drawbacks for the city, it does not include a new station within its boundaries and would still leave a mobility gap between the central areas of the city and the Sylmar and Pacoima Metrolink stations.
Rivera noted the irony that on Aug. 18 – when the San Fernando Valley celebrated 818 Day to highlight its culture, businesses and community – the San Fernando City Council voted to provide conditional support for the second scenario of the light rail, which he argues would make the city less connected to the rest of Los Angeles.
“I think, as old-fashioned as trains might sound, they are the future of transit – moving as many people as quickly and efficiently across Los Angeles and getting as many cars, as we can, off the streets,” Rivera said. “And to hear some … of these councilmembers say they’re denying the City of San Fernando a light rail in the name of safety, traffic, property values, when the opposite is actually true. Strengthening our transit corridors helps in all three categories.
“To see our city councilmembers ignore the facts and really shut off our future, it’s such a bad move,” he continued. “They’ve already voted to go with the second scenario, but I think it’s such a miss.”
He added that he believes some residents are leaving because the city lacks amenities found in other parts of LA, including movie theaters, dog parks and car-free shopping experiences – things that he said that we can move toward making right now.
“But I’m not sure if our current council is capable of meeting the moment.”
The San Fernando City Council meets on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at 117 Macneil Street.