There are many thoughtful comments from a variety of residents who are not in favor of the City’s attempted censorship, by withdrawing support for, of the Canyon Country Advisory Committee. The City of Santa Clarita gives itself another black eye for how it is dealing with residents. Having lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for over 40 years, I have been privy to a lot of changes.  When I first moved in, the Hwy 14 freeway ended at the Newhall pass and the only way to get directly to the east side of our valley was Sierra Highway sporting only one lane in each direction.  Canyon Country was called Saugus, the river was a Sand Wash and no one ever discussed the need to visit a Board of Supervisors meeting. 

That all changed about 23 years ago when our area became convinced we needed to form a city. The Santa Clarita Valley was growing rapidly.  We were sold on the idea that we needed more local control to guarantee that our issues would be addressed and our resident’s voices heard.

About 5 years later, both the City and the Community knew something was still missing.  Two way communications with local residents was not occurring on a regular basis.  Keeping residents informed of issues affecting their neighborhoods and having a way to understand their concerns required some additional action. 

Wisely, the city looked to how other municipalities handled such issues and decided to form and sponsor Neighborhood Community Groups.  Originally those groups were managed by City Staff.  Two of those Neighborhood Groups, one in Canyon Country and one in Saugus are still active today.

I became aware and started to attend “Canyon Country Better than Ever” meetings in 2000.  The hot button issue of that time was the “Oversized Vehicle Parking Ordinance” sprouting concerns that the City of Santa Clarita was becoming a pseudo Home Owners Association generating ordinances similar to CC&Rs for areas that did not have any.

Yet, change was on the way. Our regular City Staff Member was about to move out of town, our Chair Person had decided to no longer participate and the membership was questioning the group’s purpose. 

It was a time for the members to reflect and make appropriate adjustments. That was when the membership elected to change the group name to the “Canyon Country Advisory Committee” intending to better describe the group’s goal.  Since that time, the Canyon Country Advisory Committee has continued to grow and further refine its purpose. 

For the last 3 City Council Election Cycles the Canyon Country Advisory Committee has hosted City Council Election Forums and “Meet the Council Candidate” sessions. These sessions provide the only public venue where community members are able to ask unscripted questions of all council candidates live and in real time.

In addition, presentations are regularly provided by developers looking for community feedback on their projects. City Staff and other public agencies provide information on local Public Works Projects, Community Groups from all over the Santa Clarita Valley have discussed issues impacting their neighborhoods and the Canyon Country Advisory Committee regularly provides additional insight on many other city related topics.  Canyon Country Advisory Committee meetings have always been open to the public.  There has never been an admission fee and everyone is welcome to attend.

Recently, Santa Clarita City Management has moved in opposition to the concept of neighborhood groups. At the end of June, Santa Clarita City Manager, Mr. Ken Pulskamp, informed me that the City of Santa Clarita would be breaking ties with the Canyon Country Advisory Committee. The City would no longer be providing a meeting location or regular city staff support.  His current rational is the City of Santa Clarita’s new policy to only support activities that benefit the entire city.  He stated that since the Canyon Country Advisory Committee’s attendance averages only 60 people per meeting it does not benefit the entire city.  After 15 years of operation it seems odd that the City of Santa Clarita would want to “pull the plug” on their 2 Advisory Committees, the Bermite CAG and the Santa Clarita City Activist Meeting. It appears that open communication with public is no longer important at City Hall. 

Why do you think our City Management has taken this position?  Could it be that our City Manager is fearful that local residents will be better informed? Does City management want to control all media messages and feedback? Who initiated this new policy and when was it approved? I was under the impression that the Santa Clarita City Council set policy and the City Manager implemented that policy. When was this new policy on a City Council meeting Agenda¸ read twice and approved?  Is our City Manager now setting City Policy?  Are we headed down the same lack of transparency hole as Bell?

The Canyon Country Advisory Committee is not going to accept being bullied in this way.  We will not give up our right to free speech or peaceful assembly.  If Santa Clarita City Management makes the choice to not continue our 15 year partnership, we will find another way to maintain our vision.

But what about neighborhoods outside Santa Clarita’s borders? Any of you considering annexation into Santa Clarita should take a hard look at this situation. Watch intensely how this scenario plays out.  Do you really think that Santa Clarita City Management will treat you any different?

Please think about what you observe and be very careful what you wish for. 

Alan Ferdman- Guest Commentary

Alan Ferdman is the Chair of the Canyon Country Advisory Committee. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.