BILL WOULD START MOVE TO SECEDE; KNIGHT SEEKS NEW COUNTY.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Santa Clarita, Antelope and Victor valleys, and eastern Kern County would be melded into a county of 1 million people under a proposal by state Sen. W.J. ``Pete'' Knight.

Knight, R-Palmdale, who represents all four areas in Sacramento, is scheduled to announce today, at news conferences in Palmdale and Santa Clarita, his legislation that could lead to the formation of California's 59th county.

``As it stands now, these areas don't have a lot in common with their counties,'' said Knight's deputy chief of staff, Cameron Smyth. ``A lot of people moved to these areas to get away from high-density areas of their county. A lot of people feel they are not receiving the attention of their counties, that they're being shortchanged in services.''

Knight's proposal is just the first step in a very long process to form a new county, Smyth said. Details such as what city would serve as the county seat and how much tax money would be available to the new county have yet to be determined.

If the legislation passes, it will allow the question of whether to create the new county to go to voters without the time-consuming and expensive task of collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The new county must be approved by voters from throughout the three counties involved, not just those in the areas that would secede.

The proposed boundary would remove the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys from Los Angeles County and Victor Valley from San Bernardino County. It would also remove Rosamond, Mojave, California City and Ridgecrest from Kern County.

Both the Santa Clarita and Victor valleys have tried to secede from their respective counties in an effort to fund programs locally rather than for cities miles away, he said.

Already, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who represents the northern end of the county, has come out against Knight's proposal.

In a statement, Antonovich said the new county would create one more layer of bureaucracy that would have to provide the same services, such as jails, welfare and health care, that the existing counties already provide.

``As far as we're concerned, there's no valid reason for a new county,'' said Cam Currier, an Antonovich aide. ``The residents in the area would create a duplication of bureaucracy. It's not like forming a new city. A new county is far more expensive. It would start out on such precarious financial footing.''

Smyth acknowledged that the legislation will be tough to sell, but he argued that the proposal is in the best interest of Knight's constituents.

``We did research in these communities, and overwhelmingly, this was supported,'' Smyth said. ``It's an uphill battle. We realize that. But it's a battle we want to fight. It's what Sen. Knight was elected for.''

Santa Clarita Councilman Carl Boyer sees benefits in a public debate regarding the formation of a new county.

Boyer worked on Santa Clarita Valley's unsuccessful campaign in the early 1980s to become its own county, and he still harbors the hope that a secession will happen in the future.

``(Knight's bill) is appealing on several grounds. First, while I believe Santa Clarita Valley should be its own county, it would be easier to form this county,'' Boyer said. ``Second, any bill like this will be thought provoking. It will show the need to reform government and the need to reform counties.''

The biggest problem with counties, Boyer said, is that they are too big and cannot serve all the people within their boundaries effectively. For example, public meetings held by Los Angeles County boards, committees and commissions are distant from northern county residents, he said.

``It's impossible to have real participation when so many people are so far away from the county seat,'' Boyer said.

The size leads to other problems, too, Boyer said. Politicians are forced to launch large-scale campaigns to reach millions of constituents, and lobbying groups take advantage of that by filling candidates' war chests with money, he said.

``The accountability of the supervisors to millions of people is lost when it costs millions to win an election,'' Boyer said.