East L.A. cityhood passes a hurdle

Backers of the drive to create a city in East Los Angeles were told Friday they have qualified for a full study of the viability of a new municipality.
The next steps are financial _ coming up with an initial $7,500 fee for the application and $100,000 for a consultant to do the work for the Local Agency Formation Commission.
Supporters say they hope to be able to move ahead within the next 40 days and are hoping to have the cityhood measure on the June 2010 ballot.