FORMER MAYOR EXPLORES THE PAST OF SANTA CLARITA.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Former Santa Clarita Mayor Carl Boyer has come up with a must-read for the holiday season.

It could have been titled ``Everything You Wanted To Know About Santa Clarita But Were Afraid To Ask,'' but that title was too short. Instead ``Santa Clarita: The Formation and Organization of the Largest Newly Incorporated City in the History of Humankind'' is the latest entry on the local literary scene.

Boyer credits Richard Dixon, chief administrative officer of Los Angeles County, with coining the phrase after the 41-square-mile city was approved in 1987 by the Local Agency Formation Commission, then by local voters.

``Santa Clarita ...'' is Boyer's first non-genealogy book. He has self-published more than two dozen genealogy volumes over the last several years.

The book is a 353-page primer full of statistics and financials, laying out the cityhood backers' case of taxation without representation, as well as making clear the costs - both physical and fiscal - of running for office.

``I wrote the book because there is very little literature on city incorporation,'' Boyer said. ``There's a book called 'Southern California Metropolis' that kind of explains the reasoning behind city incorporation. But I really wanted to give credit to the people involved and set the record straight on what happened.''

The book covers the efforts of residents determined to bring local control to the Santa Clarita Valley, many of them frustrated by decisions made in downtown Los Angeles by the county Board of Supervisors that didn't consider the needs of this area.

And it also includes some tidbits on the region's past - such as when civil rights legend Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down and the board of the William S. Hart Union High School District refused to join the mourning nation in ordering campus flags flown at half-staff.

The text is full of names familiar to those who have watched the area grow; the cast of movers and shakers over 40 years may sound familiar as well as remind readers how many leaders have been lost as the city has grown. Connie Worden-Roberts remains active, as do former Mayors Jan Heidt and Jo Anne Darcy and accountant Wayne Crawford. Among those who have died are Louis Braithwaite of the city's first Planning Commission; Gil Callowhill, a water agency board member who helped drive cityhood; and Bob Lathrop, an activist who rallied the vote.

If nothing else, the book is a good history lesson in which local readers have a strong stake.

Before the city incorporated on Dec. 15, 1987, there were efforts to become a separate county. Boyer explores those campaigns and explains the evolution of what is now a bustling city of more than 170,000 people.

``I think people ought to know what's involved,'' Boyer said, referring to portions of the book that talk about volunteer efforts to organize and expectations from the community for unpaid efforts to continue.

``The idea of serving in public office just for the honor of it doesn't work,'' he said. ``People should be decently paid so anyone can afford to run. It's a huge sacrifice for some of the people who served in terms of lost income and opportunities.''

Boyer also touches on his work with Healing the Children and establishing a sister city program that evolved into the Santa Clarita Valley International Program, on which he currently works raising money for medical missions. Santa Clarita has two sister cities: Tena, Ecuador, and Sariaya, Philippines.

``To me, the sister city program works to give people of Santa Clarita a world view,'' Boyer said. ``It makes them realize we're just a small part of the picture and get involved in an economic sphere much larger than we're used to as well as offer humanitarian aid.''

Boyer is taking the personal approach to sell his book, carrying a supply of copies in his car wherever he goes.

``Bookstores want a dust cover and a UPC on my books, and I hate the darn things aesthetically. All that would do is drive up the cost if I had to do 1,000 dust covers. I thought I'd keep the price down.''

He's also offering the books to nonprofit organizations to sell, promising a percentage of the profits to be returned to the group.

``Unless they don't want to keep the percentage, then I'll donate it to the sister city medical mission program,'' he said.

``Without having a plane fly overhead to say 'Boyer's book is out,' I have to wait until more copies are sold to have money to advertise,'' he said. ``The City Council did ask me to bring books to the first council meeting in January.''

Asked if he will be celebrating the city's coming of age on Tuesday, Boyer answered in the affirmative.

``Of course, if anyone wants to follow me out to the trunk of my car, I could always sell them a book,'' he said, laughing.

The cost of each book is $30.00. Boyer can be reached at [phone].

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Carl Boyer peeks into the book he has written on the city's history.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer