2006 THE YEAR IN REVIEW CITY'S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS IS TOP STORY OF YEAR.

Byline: PATRICIA FARRELL AIDEM Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Two hundred kids left their classes one day last March and walked some 10 miles -- in peace -- challenging their school, their city and their nation to see that things are changing.

For the first time in decades, young people, mostly Latino high school students, dabbled in civil disobedience to take a stand. Challenging a bill before Congress to tighten federal immigration laws, the Golden Valley High School students demanded to be heard on an issue that sparked debate from Washington to Santa Clarita.

And they were.

``You saw student leaders wanting to have a voice, wanting to lead in a peaceful manner,'' said Santa Clarita Councilman Frank Ferry, who spoke to the group when it arrived at City Hall. ``I was very much impressed. It was almost a Martin Luther King (Jr.) attitude. The wanted to get a message across and be peaceful about it.''

On its face, the immigration march that mirrored rallies across the U.S. was quiet and soon forgotten by most. But in Santa Clarita, it was hugely significant and interconnected with other issues. Thus the broader issue of Santa Clarita's changing demographic was pegged by the local staff of the Daily News as the No. 1 story of 2006.

The local march shined the spotlight on a once largely white community that has evolved to one in which 27 percent of the population is Latino, and the Asian and African-American populations are growing, too. Two schools saw race-related brawls on campus and a Valencia neighborhood battled when Vallarta, a Mexican-style grocery store, made plans to open in an abandoned Albertson's market. But slowly, businesses serving new populations began to flourish.

``This is not the same Santa Clarita as 20 years ago,'' Ferry said in an interview last week.

Ferry, a former local public school administrator, said the city needs to embrace the change because to fight it will only lead to discontent.

Each year as the ``December'' page on tattered desk calendars surfaces, the news staff begins to look at the stories of the year. Breaking news is weighed, along with political upsets, drama and the ``Hey, Martha!'' stories -- those that grab attention all across town. The key is the widespread impact.

A very close second came just in time for the 2006 list when Canyon High's football team claimed the No. 2 story of the year winning the state title Dec. 16 in the first California CIF Football Championship to be played since 1927.

Coach Harry Welch coaxed stellar play from his team, which shook the crown off Concord De La Salle in Northern California, in a 27-13 upset.

Gracious in his win, Welch called the state title a victory for all of Santa Clarita.

It wouldn't be Santa Clarita if some City Council back-and-forth didn't place near the top of the Top 10. When Councilman Cameron Smyth was elected to the state Assembly, the council decided to appoint his replacement rather than call a special election. The politicking was gripping as the council divided and battled to compromise under newly named Mayor Marsha McLean, who stood her ground and demanded the position be filled in a marathon meeting that ended in a surprise.

Timothy Ben Boydston -- known about town simply as TimBen -- won the appointment, making his way to No. 3 on this Top 10 list. He wasn't in the top five candidates favored by a citizen panel appointed to interview candidates, but he promised he would not run when the seat expired in April 2008, allowing the sharply divided council to compromise. Only Councilwoman Laurene Weste, who called Boydston a good friend, voted against his appointment.

In the No. 4 spot was the William S. Hart Union High School District, which ousted Assistant Superintendent Rory Livingston, blaming him for whopping cost overruns and other problems with campus construction and renovation projects. What nobody's asked publicly so far is why former Superintendent Bob Lee or members of the school board were surprised to find trouble was brewing. An audit showed a lack of oversight. Stay tuned, perhaps, for a top story of 2007.

In February, violence broke out at the Pitchess Detention Center where one inmate was killed and more than 100 injured in a race-related riot that triggered a series of brawls from the Castaic jail complex to other county lockups.

And in June, the Santa Clarita Valley was shocked when Six Flags announced it would sell several parks nationwide including Valencia's Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor, and that there was a possibility the land would be sold for development. A sale is expected to be announced any day now, but earlier this month the company said the properties would be sold as-is and would remain theme parks.

The No. 7 story of the year occurred some 30 miles away -- the enormous Day Fire in Ventura County's Los Padres National Forest that ignited Labor Day and sent smoke this way for weeks as flames relentlessly charred the wilderness. Hundreds of firefighters from all over California and beyond made a Castaic Lake campground their temporary home until the fire was finally out.

The old standby, the housing market, ranked No. 8 this year. Two years of red-hot home sales tapered late in the year, but in April the median price of a single family home hit a record $643,000. The median condo price hit $397,000 in January.

No. 9 goes to a story that likely will be higher on the 2007 tally -- Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital's controversial effort to expand. The hospital wants to build out its campus, surrounded by neighborhoods where residents are battling to limit construction. The key question is whether the Santa Clarita Valley needs a second hospital rather than one huge medical center in Valencia.

And finally, a 15-year-old story resurfaced in October with the indictment and arrest of former sheriff's deputy and school teacher John Racz, 61, charged with murdering his estranged wife. Details of the indictment remain under seal. Ann Mineko Racz's body was never found.

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Top 10 stories The top 10 stories of the year in Santa Clarita:

1. The city's changing demographics.

2. Canyon football teams wins CIF Division I state championship.

3. Timothy Ben Boydston appointed to City Council.

4. William S. Hart Union High School District ousts Assistant Superintendent Rory Livingston.

5. Race riot at Pitchess Detention Center leaves one inmate dead and more than 100 injured.

6. Six Flags threatens to sell theme parks, including Magic Mountain.

7. The Day Fire burned for nearly a month, near Lake Pyramid and Frazier Park, across the Angeles and Los Padres national forests and through three counties.

8. Home sales in Santa Clarita began to taper as the median price for a single-family home hit a record $643,000 in April.

9. The community responded to proposed expansion of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.

10. Former sheriff's deputy and school teacher John Racz was arrested and indicted on suspicion of murdering his wife 15 years ago.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Day Fire burned more than 160,000 acres and lasted almost a month, starting on Labor Day, Sept. 4. The fire burned parts of the Angeles National and Los Padres forests, near Frazier Park and Pyramid Lake, and into three counties: Los Angeles, Kern and Santa Barbara.

(2 -- color) About 250 students from Golden Valley High School march up Sierra Highway to protest proposed immigration changes.

(3) Melissa Arroyo, 14, sits under the Mexican flag and next to classmate Brenda Angel, 16, as City Council member Frank Ferry addresses Golden Valley High School students at Santa Clarita City Hall. About 250 students marched to City Hall.

(4) A firefighter douses hot spots along Lockwood Valley Road as the Day Fire burns in the background. It burned for nearly a month and destroyed more than 160,000 acres of forest.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

(5 -- color) Nick Jurado (40) celebrates Canyon's win over Concord De Le Salle in the CIF Division I state championship game at the Home Depot Center.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News

Box:

Top 10 stories (see text)