<P> This was the second time in 23 years that the San Fernando Valley had been affected by a strong earthquake . On February 9, 1971, a magnitude 6.5 event struck about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the epicenter of the 1994 event . The 1971 earthquake caused 58 fatalities and about 2,000 injuries . At the time, the 1971 San Fernando earthquake was the most destructive event to affect greater Los Angeles since the magnitude 6.3 Long Beach earthquake of 1933 . </P> <Dl> <Dt> Contemporary era </Dt> </Dl> <P> By the late 1990s the San Fernando Valley had become more urban and more ethnically diverse with rising poverty and crime . In 2002, the valley tried to secede from the city of Los Angeles and become its own incorporated city to escape Los Angeles' perceived poverty, crime, gang activity, urban decay, and poorly maintained infrastructure . Since that unsuccessful secession attempt, a new Van Nuys municipal building was built in 2003; the Metro Orange Line opened in October 2005; 35 new public schools had opened up by 2012, and the valley's ethnic majority is now Hispanic, edging out Whites by 0.8% . </P> <P> By 2017, numerous urban development projects began in the valley, mainly in the LA City neighborhoods of North Hollywood, Panorama City, and Woodland Hills . These projects started with the first few in Woodland Hills and the NoHo West project in North Hollywood began groundbreaking and construction on April 6, 2017 . </P>

When did the san fernando valley try to secede from los angeles