Coming off mixed results in the November 2009 election in which west side residents voiced their opinion on annexation, incorporation and/or remaining in the unincorporated County, the City of Santa Clarita now intends to move forward with annexing parts of the West Ranch area. In a letter to Los Angeles County CEO William T. Fujioka, Santa Clarita City Manager Ken Pulskamp notified Los Angeles County of the City’s intention to attempt to annex Sunset Pointe, Southern Oaks and the Westridge communities. The Stevenson Ranch community and the Valencia Market Place are conspicuously absent from this latest salvo by the City.

In the letter dated February 2, 2010, there is an indication that the City’s impression is that the advisory vote is the last word on the topic. According to those familiar with the matter, the vote was advisory only; a non-binding vote for each of the three greater study areas and not the individual voting precincts contrary to the City Managers interpretation.

Subject: City of Santa Clarita Annexation 2009-004

Dear Mr. Fujioka,

I am writing regarding the City of Santa Clarita’s above referenced annexation application currently pending befopre LAFCO. We are in receipt or your letter to LAFCO dated march 10, 2009, in which your staff provides comments in response to review of this annexation application and indicating that your staff was evaluating the fiscal implications of the annexation to the County’s General Fund. Contrary to timelines established under state law prusuant to negotiations of tax transfer resolutions, in your letter you requested that the processing of this annexation be delayed until the Inititial Feasibilty Analysis and the annexation study could be completed and the advisory vote called for by Supervisor Antonovich for the west side communities, which include the Hasley Hills/Valencia Commerce Center Annexation had taken place.

Now that the November vote 2009 advisory vote has occurred, the results show there was no majority support for incorporation of a new city in the Santa Clarita Valley. Supervisor Antonovich has been very clear that the Board of Supervisors, the City Council and LAFCO must respect the will of the people to determine their future governance. Tha residents of not only Hasley Hills, Live Oak and North Bluff, but also a majority of Tesoro del Vealle, Westridge, Sunset Point and Southern Oaks residents clearly support annexation to the City of Santa Clarita.

It has now been one year since the Hasley Hills/Valencia Commerce Center Annexation Application was filed with LAFCO. Last week, the City of Santa Clarita City Council was approached by residents of the annexation area requesting that the City take whatever steps necessary to ensure that this annexation moves forward through the annexation process. In your March 2009 letter, you offered to meet with the City of Santa Clarita and the Fifth Supervisory District to discuss the proposed annexation. We respectfully request that this meeting be arranged at your earliest convenience.

Please cantact Darren Hernandes at (661) 255-4925 or Paul Brotzman at (661) 255-4365 to schedule this meeting or if you would like to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Kenneth R. Pulskamp

City Manager

The letter is being viewed by some as the City attempting to “cherry-pick” individual communities in an effort to surround the tax-generating properties along the commercial corridor of The Old Road. That corridor includes substantial retail centers, more then 5 hotels, and the Magic Mountain Amusement Park.  The City Manager’s letter implies that the City is “responding” to individual residential communities but on the surface it appears to be a grab for property, retail, and transit occupancy taxes which the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 expressly prohibits.

It should be noted that neither the Castaic or the West Ranch Town Councils, nor various other community leaders in the unincorporated communities appear to have been consulted or reached out to by the City of Santa Clarita. This is in keeping with the pattern of poor treatment that City of Santa Clarita leaders dole out regularly to their own residents.