CITY HAS ALLY IN INFLUENCE EXTENSION STEVENSON RANCH SIGNS ON.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

STEVENSON RANCH - The newly elected Stevenson Ranch Town Council voted this week to back Santa Clarita in its request for an expanded sphere of influence, hoping the move would facilitate annexation to the city.

Although Stevenson Ranch - a community of 3,000 homes west of the Golden State Freeway - does not need to be included in the sphere for annexation, the Town Council wants Santa Clarita to be able to take the community under its wing.

``Expansion benefits everyone who lives in the Santa Clarita Valley in terms of quality of life,'' said Keith Pritsker, council president. The council is an advisory body to Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

Stevenson Ranch residents have been concerned that because they are under the county's jurisdiction, their community's needs have been neglected, especially in the face of continued growth.

``If we're part of the city's influence, I would expect that a greater attention would be paid to details of daily life that are important to local residents,'' Pritsker said. ``We're likely to see an increase in services and facilities if we're part of the city rather than the county.''

On Wednesday, the Local Agency Formation Commission will vote on Santa Clarita's application to expand its sphere of influence beyond the Golden State and the Antelope Valley freeways.

A staff report released Friday by LAFCO - an independent state-mandated agency that oversees municipal boundary changes in the county - recommended that the city of Santa Clarita's influence should not extend beyond its east and west borders.

City officials are concerned that if the sphere of influence does not expand, it would set up potential jurisdictional clashes between Santa Clarita and Stevenson Ranch, including having to compete for services, businesses and residences.

``I'm very concerned,'' City Councilman Frank Ferry said. ``This limits our ability to deal with the growth.''

The growth has crowded the Santa Clarita Valley's schools, affected traffic and threatened the environment - reasons the city feels that it should have a voice in any development that occurs outside its borders.

The city has been trying to secure legislative control of development and land-use decisions in the unincorporated areas of the county that surround the city, including Stevenson Ranch.

``It only makes sense that the city adjacent to our community has a significant say on what goes on in our community,'' Pritsker said. ``We would be consistent with the city of Santa Clarita guidelines, including traffic and sign ordinances, hillside preservation, and park space.''

Another benefit to expanding the sphere is that it would influence the Santa Clarita Valley's long-range planning.

``By expanding the sphere, they're saying that the city of Santa Clarita has a stake in the area, so it has to have a say in the long-range planning and vision in the area as well,'' said Jeff Lambert, Santa Clarita's director of planning and building services.

Pritsker said the influences of the large property owners on LAFCO is to the detriment of Stevenson Ranch. ``Long-term decisions are being made downtown by the Board of Supervisors that are only peripherally tied to the Santa Clarita Valley,'' he said.

If LAFCO turns down the city's application to expand, it wouldn't impede any future annexation of Stevenson Ranch, but Pritsker believes it will allow the county to continue to neglect the community's needs.

``It would perpetuate the status we already have as orphans of the county,'' Pritsker said.

Pritsker cited inadequate public facilities in the community of more than 7,000 residents. Stevenson Ranch currently doesn't have a pool or a recreation center, and open space is limited.

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