CASTAIC FACING CHANGES GROWTH BRINGS CHALLENGES.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

CASTAIC - Discussions about new golf courses and large-lot homes - and for a new hotel and truck wash - are among the dueling issues facing local leaders in this roadside community.

Meeting the needs of travelers on the Golden State Freeway and residents who call Castaic and its rural enclaves home are part of the balance as the Castaic Area Town Council, with newly elected members, maps out the area's future.

``Castaic, just like everything else in the Santa Clarita Valley, is having a period of rapid growth,'' said newly elected Town Council member Bob Lewis, a film and television assistant director and associate producer.

``They just want to make sure as Castaic grows that we don't forget our roots as a rural area, and the new developments fit and blend with Castaic. . . so the people who live here have a voice in how the town grows.''

The community of just over 12,000, with a median household income of nearly $60,000 annually, stretches north of Santa Clarita, bordered by Ventura County and Los Padres National Forest.

Castaic is emerging as an attractive market for families seeking affordable homes in a nice, safe community, said Deal Wehrli, managing director of the Meyers Group, a consulting firm that monitors real estate in Southern California.

``There are some people being priced out of new homes in Valencia and Stevenson Ranch, but there's still plenty in Castaic,'' Wehrli said.

``It's definitely ready to take off. It's much closer than the Antelope Valley, and it's an attractive option to a lot of affordable areas in L.A. County.'' Recent Town Council elections held for the first time on Election Day drew more voters than ever - more than 350 ballots cast in one race - to elect members to the 10-person group that makes advisory recommendations to Los Angeles County government.

Lewis was elected, as were Steve Boldvich and Jim Stephens - John Kunak and Jim D'Addario ran unopposed and will take office - in an election that was as much about development issues as the rough-and-tumble personality disputes of local town leaders.

And no sooner were votes tallied that another election became necessary.

First-term council member Ruth Griffin is resigning, following infighting on the council that is trying to shape the future of the truck-stop-turned-town.

Griffin was being investigated by fellow council members for possible bylaws violations after she was accused of not communicating information to her district - claims she denies.

For her part, the postal service supervisor, on the board since January 1999, said she was a lone voice on the council because she speaks her mind.

``Whose interest are they looking out for? I feel they don't want me speaking the truth. They don't want people to know the process,'' said Griffin.

``They're like a cohesive group. It appears that way. . . because they never share information other than what appears to be planned out.''

Board President Phil Mazzeo denied her claims, and said the investigation was completed but will now be dropped.

``It's patently untrue. For her to say she's the only one saying the truth, it's nonsense,'' Mazzeo said. ``There's no agenda set by anybody.''

Both sides say the dispute goes back years, a historic antagonism between Val Verde, a socially and economically diverse valley, and the rest of Castaic - punctuated by efforts in 1999 to drop Val Verde from the Town Council.

Both say the dispute stemmed from Val Verde's battles - with Griffin playing an instrumental role - over The Newhall Land and Farming Company's Chiquita Canyon Landfill that ended up winning $250,000 in annual contributions for the Val Verde community - but not as much as Mazzeo said the Town Council could have won.

Griffin plans to remain active in Val Verde, having been re-elected to the community committee that oversees the annual funding from the landfill agreement.

``I think Ruth is Jeffersonian, I think other people are Hamiltonian,'' said council member Dana Buck, appointed in September for the Val Verde region but defeated at the polls in November. ``I think Ruth is the kind of person who wants to know what everybody under her thinks.''

Growth is expected to remain a top issue as the new council takes office Jan. 17.

The council will be tackling Santa Clarita's sphere of influence proposal - Mazzeo said he is opposed.

It also expects to put forward its long-awaited master plan that will stand as a blueprint for future development.

Plus, there are discussions about two new golf courses, large-lot homes, a hotel and a truck wash, those involved said.

Millie Jones, a deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich whose region includes Castaic, said she was hopeful new membership could mend relations.

``I think it has been a difficult year,'' said Jones. ``Hopefully the new (members) will be able to work together in a positive spirit.''

Mazzeo, too, was hopeful with the new members in place the council can continue tackling major issues in the developing community.

``We're starting with something that's already there and trying to integrate a vision,'' Mazzeo said.

``What we're trying to circumvent by drawing this master plan is rampant development everywhere, with no direction where it wants to go.''

He added, ``Nobody's as bad as anybody else thinks they are. . . If that can change we can go forward.''

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(1 -- 2 -- color) Castaic finds itself dealing with growth issues as houses fill area that once was open space, above. However, many residents want the area to remain the kind of place where horses can be walked without a care in the world, left.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer