CITY'S FRIENDLY FACE WEB SITE GIVES KIDS EASY ACCESS TO MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cookingraisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Browsing the city's new child-friendly Web site, 6-year-old Heather Tausig clicked the ``write the mayor'' link and didn't mince words: ``I want to go swimming in the summer. I would like the pool water to be warm.'' E-mailing the mayor is one of many features available on eKids, a city site launched Friday - filled with cartoon characters and information bubbles - that provides facts about local geography, city government and how Santa Clarita gained cityhood. Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. native and City Councilman Cameron Smyth Cameron Smyth is a Republican who has represented Califoria's 38th Assembly district since December of 2006. He succeeded Keith Richman who was term limited. Prior to being elected to the state legislature, Assemblyman Smyth served on the Santa Clarita City Council, where he said a site like this would have saved him hours of fruitless research for the dreaded city government reports he was assigned in school. ``I remember having to do the reports, but we had to call the city of Los Angeles
``It's imperative that we keep the children involved, give them the tools to understand the functions of city government and how it affects their daily lives,'' he said. Logging on to www.santa-clarita.com/ekids gives children quick, kid-friendly answers about the responsibilities of the city's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, as well as photo introductions to the five City Council members. Created by the city's Public Information Office and Technology Services Division, the site also provides definitions for words like ``ordinance,'' ``infrastructure'' and ``budget.'' ``We wanted to show kids in a plain language how city government works and who their council members are,'' said Felicia Tausig, a secretary with the Technology Services Division who helped design the site. While aimed at children in fourth through sixth grades, Tausig said the site is simple enough for younger children to use. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Eight-year-old Kenneth Brown
Kenneth Brown may refer to:
Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News (2 -- color) City public information intern intern /in·tern/ (in´tern) a medical graduate serving in a hospital preparatory to being licensed to practice medicine. in·tern or in·terne n. Christine Davis helps Heather Tausig, 6, left, Corey Scott, 11, and Bryan Friedman, 11, navigate Santa Clarita's eKids Web site Friday at City Hall. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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