Last Thursday evening Santa Clarita City Council Candidate David Gauny held what can only be described as a very successful fundraiser held at Robinson Ranch. The well attended event, hosted by Kathy and Bob Kellar, helped to strengthen his campaign war chest in preparation for what is anticipated to be a very rough and tumble election.

The evening was riddled with local movers and shakers who came out in force to support Gauny’s bid for a City Council seat in April. Bob Haueter, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman McKeon mingled with Gauny supporters Bruce and Gloria Fortine; Kerry Bronson, the CEO of Providence Holy Cross; Duanne Harts; Planning Commissioner Bill Kennedy and his wife Kathy; former City of Santa Clarita Mayor George Pederson; Lynn Vakay, part of the Meg Whitman Campaign for SCV; and Gauny campaign manager Sharon Bronson just to name a few.

The following are some highlights of David Gauny remarks at the fundraiser:

Our nation and city are struggling because we have not had balanced leadership; I want to restore this to our city

Recent decisions that I cited as failed balance include:

1. Annexation / County: Terrible “we will bury you” approach has hurt our reputation with our neighbors and county – we are fighting friends that have become an 800 pound gorilla.
2. Sheraton Project.  Problems with project included (a) no tourism draw to fill the 200 rooms; (b) no traffic study conducted event with new mall expansion; (c) one ingress/egress shared with bus station, Hyatt parking lot and a 4-story building that was missing from drawings and analysis; (d) why was a building missing?; (e) how did they move the fault line that originally allowed only a golf course to be built there?
   • Incumbents ignored these and responded with following (1 comment from each): “I’d like more trees planted there with a public art structure”; “I’d like trees added along the roofline of the building”; and “can we get this back on the agenda within two weeks”
   • Between hearings, staff held a meeting, disallowed public to attend, and attempted a deal to add a convention center to the back lot of the project in order to get the approval.  Not good process and not a real plan for what should be a full-fledged Santa Clarita Convention Center
3. Sierra Gateway.  Small landowner did everything right.  Got staff approval, Fish & Game etc.  Council member appealed the decision, staff reversed its recommendation and now forced a redesign to include a parcel the guy doesn’t own and can’t purchase despite 5 offers.  He has 500K tied up in the project – why is our council developing his project??
4. Such leadership is arbitrary, costing our public money directly and through avoidable lawsuits

• We need a plan to drive incentives to struggling small business (not just large), better development oversight to protect our neighborhoods, and a plan to attract high-paying jobs and tourism draws like arts and convention center – we can raise our tax dollars from such vision as opposed to mindless overdevelopment.
• Where is the leadership of the incumbents in any of these areas?  Less self-congratulating and more focus on honest conversation and working on the problems.

The following are some key points that David Gauny has outlined several other positions in a brochure geared towards residents:

• No one questions that Santa Clarita is a beautiful city. But recent decisions from our Council has many asking something else: where are we headed?
• In 2010, our City Council begins review of One Valley, One Vision (OVOV), a proposal that will forever redraw zoning and planning guidelines in virtually every part of our city.
• OVOV paves the way for massive density increases and calls traffic defined as “failing” today, perfectly acceptable tomorrow. Such planning changes have destroyed countless communities throughout Los Angeles, leaving residents with only one solution: escape.
• OVOV does not bring the high-paying jobs our citizens need to live and work locally, so why give carte blanche development approvals at the expense of our home values and quality of life?
• It’s time for critical thinking and a fresh approach to city planning. We need to protect our communities and put our People First!