PARK TAX MEASURE REVISITED SANTA CLARITA TO WEIGH NEW BALLOT QUESTION.Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE 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, -- The city will revisit re·vis·it tr.v. re·vis·it·ed, re·vis·it·ing, re·vis·its To visit again. n. A second or repeated visit. re plans for an open space ballot measure that could tax property owners to buy land for wilderness wilderness, land retaining its primeval character with the imprint of humans minimal or unnoticeable. In the United States, the Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System with a nucleus of 9 million acres (3. or parks, with a new twist: the measure will be driven by the public. A similar city measure failed last year, but Mayor Laurene Weste says the matter is too important to give up on. ``I want to make sure we do exactly what their thinking is,'' Weste said of community members. ``If we don't do open space now it's not going to be there, it's rapidly disappearing.'' In November, the city's proposed $25-a-year special assessment to fund park and open space purchases was defeated, with 40 percent of voters in favor and 60 percent opposed. If the measure had passed, it could have generated about $1.46 million a year to buy, maintain and develop parkland and open space, and the money could have been used to generate more than $80 million at the get-go, Gail Ortiz, a spokeswoman for the city said earlier. The city spent about $250,000 on informational materials, research and ballots, and a private-citizen group hired a public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most firm to advocate for the measure. Support had been voiced by environmentalists, safety officials, business leaders and developers, and there appeared to be no organized opposition. Votes were cast by about one-third of the 49,500 property owners who were sent ballots. Some said the measure was vague, and were displeased dis·please v. dis·pleased, dis·pleas·ing, dis·pleas·es v.tr. To cause annoyance or vexation to. v.intr. To cause annoyance or displeasure. the assessment was open-ended. The Santa Clarita City Council returned from hiatus hiatus /hi·a·tus/ (hi-a´tus) [L.] an opening, gap, or cleft.hia´tal aortic hiatus the opening in the diaphragm through which the aorta and thoracic duct pass. Tuesday, and Weste expects the ``broad-based'' subcommittee sub·com·mit·tee n. A subordinate committee composed of members appointed from a main committee. subcommittee Noun to meet informally in a couple of weeks. She declined to name the first group of invitees -- guaranteeing only her own participation -- but said the group will discuss their concerns and define the issues. The new measure could involve just open space, or it may include parkland. ``The city has to put together the structure once the community decides what it wants,'' she said. ``We're not out to do anything that doesn't fit what the community buys into.'' Weste said the measure will be community driven, uncomplicated and it will not be rushed. judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5255 |
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