United, Small Cities Gain Clout

As their giant neighbor to the east mulls dissolving the bonds holding it together, Malibu and the cities of Las Virgenes Valley are forging stronger ties to better manage shared concerns of growth, transportation and environmental preservation. It’s a smart approach that gives small cities more clout in regional decisions.

Despite its unwieldy name--Las Virgenes Malibu Council of Governments--and equally tongue-tying acronym--LVMCOG--the five-city coalition gives its members stronger ability to work cooperatively on planning for the future of a region that includes a vast stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific coast.

Primarily, the new coalition puts the cities--Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu and Westlake Village--in control of planning functions now organized by state and federal agencies and administered by the Southern California Assn. of Governments. In addition, the cities could pool their resources to hire lobbyists or use the arrangement to coordinate emergency response or share big expenses.

Even before the Council of Governments, Malibu and Las Virgenes cities demonstrated how neighbors could work together without surrendering autonomy. Because they share roughly similar visions for the future of their region, the five cities shared ideas and information. Formalizing the relationship was the next logical step--one that other small cities looking for a bigger voice might follow.