CITY GETS HIGH MARKS IN FIRST 10 YEARS; RECREATION, ROADS, POLICE BENEFIT FROM LOCAL CONTROL.Byline: Amy Collins Daily News Staff Writer Ten years ago, the residents of the 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. looked like David facing Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County's Goliath. Losing battles for park funds, road funds, policing funds, fire safety funds - basically a bigger share of their own tax dollars - residents of Valencia, Saugus, Newhall and Canyon Country decided to remove themselves from direct county jurisdiction and form 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, . On Dec. 15, the city will celebrate its 10th anniversary with more parks, road improvements, sheriff's protection and control than the area would have had directly under the county's control, local officials say. ``You would have seen far greater development. You would not see the level of law enforcement you see now. You would not see the level of cooperation between the city and other organizations,'' said Santa Clarita Mayor Clyde Smyth, who is a former superintendent of the William S William, crown prince of Germany William or Frederick William, 1882–1951, crown prince of Germany, son of William II. In World War I he commanded (1914) an army on the Western Front and was nominal commander in the German attack . Hart Unified High School District. Officials say the investment in public safety and youth programs has paid off in Santa Clarita's being ranked by the FBI as the fourth safest city of its size range in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Since incorporation, the city has spent $144 million on capital expenditures, said Steve Stark, the director of administrative services. Much of that has gone toward a parks and recreation program that now has 30,000 participants each year. County power persists City residents still rely on county government for some services and facilities, including those in public health, courts and jails, and county officials can allow whatever development they want just outside the city's boundaries. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San , who did not take a stand for or against cityhood, said Santa Clarita has had many successful partnerships with the county. He cited the defeat of the Elsmere Canyon dump and the removal of Towsley Canyon from the county's list of potential landfill locations. And the area has more representation in transit issues because of Councilwoman Jan Heidt's membership as an alternate to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Antonovich said. He also cited the construction of Whites Canyon Road and the county's efforts to extract more money from developers to help build new schools. ``It's been a rewarding relationship,'' Antonovich said. But some, including Councilwoman Jill Klajic, still view the city's relationship with the county as adversarial ad·ver·sar·i·al adj. Relating to or characteristic of an adversary; involving antagonistic elements: "the chasm between management and labor in this country, an often needlessly adversarial . . . . ``We're still totally dependent on Mike Antonovich Mike Antonovich might refer to:
"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if we ever can - because his goal is so based on finances and how much he can get for the county. And he has to because they're so strapped strapped adj. Informal In financial need: We are strapped for cash right now. strapped Adjective strapped for Slang for cash.'' Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy, who is a field representative for Antonovich, said the biggest advantage of cityhood has been the community's ability to decide where it wants to spend its cash. She agrees that Santa Clarita is better off as a city. ``We would have had a lot more crime,'' she said. ``We would not have had our parks. It's just not in the county budget. The county - and they'll admit it - they do not have the money for parks.'' Councilman Carl Boyer is now turning his attentions to breaking up Los Angeles County for the same reasons he wanted the city to form. ``I don't fault the county. The people there are really trying. It's just the system has outgrown itself,'' he said. ``My No. 1 goal is to get us out of L.A. County.'' Local control liked City residents are generally happy with how Santa Clarita has taken shape, said Connie Worden-Roberts, who co-chaired the City Formation Committee. But many of the same issues remain from 10 years ago, she said. People still complain that there are not enough roads and that government, now even city government, is growing too big, Worden-Roberts said. But now they don't have to travel as far to complain. ``Even those who have a problem with it - they have a place to go to be heard. With the county, you had to spend half a day on the road to get down there, and then you might not be heard,'' said Louis Brathwaite, who has been a member of the city Planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. Commission since it was created. Mayor Smyth said the most important asset picked up through cityhood is access. ``We have put together a local, open government,'' he said. Santa Clarita government holds more than 300 public meetings each year, city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz said. In 10 years, some mistakes were made. Former Mayor George Pederson, now the chairman of the county grand jury, said he wishes he had not supported the city's original, expansive Newhall redevelopment plan. He didn't have all the facts the first time through, he said. The public's resounding re·sound v. re·sound·ed, re·sound·ing, re·sounds v.intr. 1. To be filled with sound; reverberate: The schoolyard resounded with the laughter of children. 2. Bronx cheer at the Highway 126 extension expressway taught the council not to second-guess the residents, Klajic added. But the criticisms remain few for a city that has accumulated ac·cu·mu·late v. ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, ac·cu·mu·lat·ing, ac·cu·mu·lates v.tr. To gather or pile up; amass. See Synonyms at gather. v.intr. To mount up; increase. almost no debt, developed acres of parks and trails, spent heavily to prevent a new landfill from opening in its hills and kept the crime rate low. ``On the whole, I think we've done as good a job as anybody could have done, considering we're the largest wholly incorporated city in the history of humankind,'' Boyer said. VISION for the VALLEY TOP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Successfully fought construction of the nation's largest landfill in Elsmere Canyon. Opened three city parks and the Newhall Community Center, designed the new Central Park, bought land for a recreation complex and partnered to buy the Santa Clarita Woodlands. Consistently ranked among the safest metropolitan areas in the country. Widened San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the and Soledad Canyon Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon / valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. Soledad Canyon contains the localities of Vincent, Acton, Ravenna, and Agua Dulce. Road. TOP GOALS Build more roads. Control growth outside the city's boundaries. Open more parks and add recreation programs. Keep the city among the safest in the nation. Revitalize re·vi·tal·ize tr.v. re·vi·tal·ized, re·vi·tal·iz·ing, re·vi·tal·iz·es To impart new life or vigor to: plans to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods; tried to revitalize a flagging economy. downtown Newhall. Prevent Elsmere Canyon from becoming a landfill. Encourage public transit such as buses, rail and bicycling bicycling Sports medicine Main injuries Pain, numbness and injuries, primarily of the knee, but also wrists, buttocks, pelvis, carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve, skin breakdown of the buttocks due to overtraining, pelvic nerve compression, transient sexual dysfunction to work. SANTA CLARITA THEN Area: 40 square miles A square mil is a unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of length one mil. A mil is one thousandth of an international inch. This unit of area is usually used in specifying the area of the cross section of a wire or cable. City Council members: Carl Boyer, Jo Anne Darcy, Jan Heidt, Dennis Koontz, Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon. City employees: 60 Total operating budget Noun 1. operating budget - a budget for current expenses as distinct from financial transactions or permanent improvements budget items, operating cost, operating expense, overhead - the expense of maintaining property (e.g. : $24.3 million Parks and Recreation budget: $1.4 million Annual sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenues: $9 million Recreation programs: 27 offerings and 5,000 participants Parkland: 44.5 acres Trails: none Santa Clarita now: Area: 42 square miles City Council members: Carl Boyer, Jo Anne Darcy, Jan Heidt, Jill Klajic, Clyde Smyth. City employees: 232 Total operating budget: $60.1 million Parks and Recreation budget: $10 million Annual sales tax revenues: $14.7 million Recreation programs: 200-plus offerings with 30,000 participants Parkland: 215 acres Trails: 12 miles Source: Santa Clarita Parks and Recreation Department, Administrative Services and Daily News research CAPTION(S): 7 Photos, 2 Boxes Photo: (1) ``I've lived here 25 years and I can't recall getting anything from the county because the area was so small and the tax dollars went everywhere else. - Jan Heidt 1989, 1993 mayor (2) ``One of the major accomplishments is being able to keep Elsmere from becoming a landfill. - Jill Klajic 1992 mayor (3) ``The county - and they'll admit it - they do not have the money for parks. - Jo Anne Darcy 1990, 1995 mayor (4) ``We put together a local, open government. . . . We did what we wanted to do, and that is home rule. - Clyde Smyth current mayor (5) ``My No. 1 goal is to get us out of L.A. County. - Carl Boyer 1991, 1996 mayor (6) ``The City Council's spent a large sum of taxpayer funds to ensure that we get very good crime coverage. . . . We certainly upped the level of law enforcement. - George Pederson 1994 mayor (7) ``The next few years will bring new challenges as Santa Clarita comes of age. - U.S. Rep (programming) REP - A directive used in IBM object code card decks (and later PTF Tapes) to REPlace fragments of already assembled or compiled object code prior to link edit. . Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon 1987-1988 mayor Box: (1) VISION for the VALLEY (see text) (2) Santa Clarita Then |
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