COUNCILS BARK OVER OAK STEVENSON RANCH CHIDES CITY FOR TREE STAND.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The Stevenson Ranch Town Council has a message for the neighboring city of Santa Clarita: Mind your own business.

The Town Council, which advises Los Angeles County on local issues, is irked that the City Council sent a letter to the county opposing its order to remove the giant oak tree standing in the way of a four-lane highway planned in Stevenson Ranch.

``They're not being terribly neighborly,'' Town Council member Don Collins said. ``I'm not in a position to say butt out, but ...''

The Town Council will respond with a letter to Santa Clarita officials telling them to worry about their own oaks - particularly the 1,600 trees that will be destroyed if the city approves a business park planned in Newhall.

``We're disappointed,'' Town Council President Paul Ash said. ``If we're going to be neighbors and work together and remain one community, they need to speak to us before ramming a position down our throats. The letter emphasized to all of us that we need to work together in the future.''

Stevenson Ranch, with about 8,000 residents, borders the city but is an unincorporated area governed by the county.

City spokeswoman Gail Ortiz, confused by the reaction of the Town Council, said the city took a position on the oak controversy after being approached by environmental groups rallying to save the oak, estimated to be 400 years old.

``I'm surprised because we've always tried to be very neighborly with Stevenson Ranch, dating back to the earthquake and before when we extended our services to them,'' Ortiz said. ``When we got the first water, we gave it to them because they needed it the most.''

But, Town Council members said the city's stand makes them question Santa Clarita's support for a joint planning effort with the county known as One Valley/One Vision.

``It seems they are selectively employing the One Valley/One Vision motto because they chose to take a strong stand against the tree and didn't consult members of the Stevenson Ranch Town Council,'' Collins said. ``And then we find out they're on the verge of approving 1,600 oaks removed.

``From the residents' perspective, we're going to have to overcome the perception of the sheer hypocrisy of this.''

To mend severed ties of communication and to recapture what Ash calls a previously healthy relationship, the Town Council will send a letter to the city. It will invite a city planner to address the group to explain the scope of the Needham Ranch business park project, which, they say, might have an impact on Stevenson Ranch.

Ash also will request that city officials refrain from taking a final vote on the project until they discuss it with residents of Stevenson Ranch.

``I think this is more an example of growing pains - two communities growing together side by side,'' Ash said. ``The only way to work it out is to lay out the foundation now.''

The City Council has directed the developers of Needham Ranch to redesign the project and make it more environmentally sensitive, and will review the changes at a Jan. 28 meeting. The builder expects to remove a small percentage of the oaks on the property, none as large as the Stevenson Ranch oak dubbed Old Glory that has become the focal point of a monthlong rally.

``They're discussing a rather large industrial-use project,'' Ash said. ``Where are those people going to live and shop? Stevenson Ranch and Newhall. It will add to traffic congestion in our neighborhood including along Pico Canyon Road, which is supposed to be four lanes.''

A development at this week's meeting of the county Regional Planning Commission addressed the balance of power between the county and the city.

Based on a suggestion by one of its commissioners, county planners will consider on Wednesday whether the county should monitor projects in Santa Clarita, in the interest of greater consistency and coordination between the two governments.

``Many agencies keep an eye on what's happening in surrounding jurisdictions, and in particular in this area where they're working on a joint general plan, it would be constructive to keep an eye on each other to know what's going on in the area,'' said Donald Culbertson, administrator for the county's Department of Regional Planning.