The West Ranch Beacon – News & Commentary for the Santa Clarita Valley

The West Ranch Town Council will be holding elections for three open positions on July 4, 2006. The current Town Council took office in July of 2004. Of the seven members, four will remain in office for two more years. Newly elected members will be elected for a term of four years, with the membership cycling in staggered two year election cycles.

The West Ranch Town Council is accepting candidates for election on July 4, 2006. Residents of the communities of Stevenson Ranch, Westridge and Sunset Point who are residents as of July 4, 2006 and are 18 years or older are eligible to run. The candidates must complete an application form and submit an application fee of $300.00 by June 15, 2006. Applications are available at Town Council meetings held on the first Wednesday of the month at the Southern Oaks Community Room, in the Southern Oaks neighborhood of Stevenson Ranch at 6:30 p.m. or by contacting Paul Ash at pva0211@yahoo.com. Applications may also be obtained at Supervisor Antonovich’s Santa Clarita office located in City Hall at 23920 Valencia Boulevard, Suite 265 City of Santa Clarita, CA 91355. Application deadline is June 30, 2006, applications must be received by June 30, 2006 along with a check made payable to the West Ranch Town Council in the amount of $300.00. Applications returned by email to pva0211@yahoo.com will not be deemed complete until a check has been received. Applications and fees may be dropped off at the Supervisor’s Office.

The West Ranch Town Council is an advisory board that provides input and passes along information both to and from the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors. The creation of the Town Council concept was an idea of our county supervisor Michael Antonovich. His concept was that through these Councils, elected by their communities, and acting as conduits of information, he could keep a closer feel for the pulse of the community in the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County which otherwise had little in the way of an organized voice.

The Town Councils are self funding and receive no financial support from the County. The members of the Town Council are volunteers who are donating their time and energy to their communities. In addition to providing information back and forth between the community and the county, the West Ranch Town council maintains a close relationship with the Castaic Area Town Council and the City of Santa Clarita. The Board of Supervisors also requires that developers applying to develop property within the domain of particular Town Councils report to, and obtain the approval of the Town Councils before proceeding on with their plans at the County level.

The West Ranch Town Council’s area of influence extends to the North to the Santa Clara River and abuts with the area overseen by the Castaic Area Town Council, to the West of the 5 freeway and to the South to the Michael Antonovich Regional Park in Towsley Canyon. The West Ranch Town Council’s area includes the present communities of Stevenson Ranch, Sunset Point, Southern Oaks and Westridge.

Applications and fees may be dropped off at the Supervisor’s Office or mailed to West Ranch Town Council 25876 The Old Road #213 Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381.

Several sidewalks and curbs were recently hit by taggers at Stevenson Ranch Parkway and Stafford Canyon. As the photos indicate, spray paint was used to scroll some illegible words across about thirty feet of sidewalk. On the curb opposite the sidewalk vandalism was an another message directed towards police.
Was this the work of local kids bored on a Holiday weekend or was it a message from some gangsters passing through? Either way it is a blight on our community. If the vandals are ever caught they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law so others will know the consequences. Too often, if the vandals are children of local residents, parents just open the checkbook and take care of the matter by throwing money at it. That is a disservice to the child and the community.
This unsightly vandalism hurts the entire neighborhood and needs to be cleaned up quickly. Hopefully, this graffiti will be cleaned up quickly by the County Department of Public Works.

Checking out your neighborhood is just a couple of mouse clicks away. The State of California, Department of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General maintain the Megan’s Law web site. It gives residents an easy way to keep updated on registered sex offenders in the area.
If you click on the headline above it will take you to view of the greater Los Angeles area on the Megan’s Law site. If you see any blue dots, which represents a registered sex offender, up in the Santa Clarita area just click and drag open a box on those dots and it will zoom you into that area. If you then click on one of the blue dots it will open another window with additional information on that person.

Sunday, June 11, 2006: Mayor Antonovich’s next trail ride will be held at the Castaic Lake Recreation Area at 32132 Castaic Lake Drive. Check in and pancake breakfast will be held at 7:00 am with the trail ride beginning at 9:00 am. The trail ride will begin at the 7 Acres staging area and continue through the scenic trails of Castaic Lake. A traditional barbecue will follow, with live country western music and dancing. Children must be 7 years or older, able to reach the stirrups, and must be accompanied by an adult. For more information or to make reservations, please call (626) 575-5526. Reservation deadline is June 6.

Damaged Roads to Be Reopened Los Angeles County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich announced the completion of road work on San Francisquito Canyon Road, an important link between the Antelope Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley that had been closed after being heavily damaged by severe storms in January 2005. The road is now fully open without restrictions or delays. Aliso Canyon Bridge, a vital access route through Angeles National Forest, has also been opened. Mayor Antonovich worked closely with the community and the Department of Public Works on construction of the new cement bridge to replace the wooden bridge destroyed in the Crown Fire.

The Los Angeles International Film Festival will present CalArts in Moving Pictures: A Mini Tribute on Wednesday, June 28th, 7:00 PM at the Italian Cultural Institute, 1023 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles.
During the past three and half decades of the Film School, Calarts Alumni have made significant contributions to virtually every aspect of cinematic art.
The Los Angeles International Film Festival program pays tribute to CalArts by presenting a brief overview of work selected from the Museum of Modern Art’s 39-program retrospective that is currently on view in New York City. Included are works representing many genres that span nearly thirty years of student filmmaking.

Last night, at the request of residents, the County hosted a fact finding meeting for the homeowners living Stonecrest. The usual suspects were in attendance including several members of the Santa Clarita City Council and a cadre of city workers invited as a courtesy by the County.
There were two main issues at hand; annexation and the Cemex Mine. The most heated issue, which dominated the evening, was the Cemex Mine. Many of the residents had misinformation on the project including one woman who thought that the mine was operating 24/7. This was incorrect as the County Attorney present pointed out that, according to documents, the mine was “limited” to operating between 5:00 AM and 10:00 PM Monday through Saturday. There is no mining permitted on Sunday.
Another resident commented that the City was trying to bully the Stonecrest community into annexation. That is no surprise since that has been the modus operandi of the City for many years.
City Councilman Bob Keller did point out that the City would not be able to stop the mine from operating but was “hoping” that the City could try and slow down the mine production. This was a key piece of information as it highlighted the fact that there is no intention stopping the mine operation only to try and reign it in to “historical levels”.
It was clear that there was less interest in the comparison of services between the County and the City, but rather more interest in looking for a solution to the Cemex Mine. Some residents viewed the annexation question as a panacea for relief from the mining operation. The residents that want annexation may not realize that a move into the City will add another layer of litigation to equation. That might further prolong the legal process and in the meantime continue to effect home values in the Stonecrest community.
The County did its best to keep the meeting productive but there were moments where several people were talking at the same time and over each other which made it difficult.
There were a few moments in which the City went on the defensive. One resident of Stonecrest questioned the City regarding the Lyons Canyon/Warner Ranch development that DRHorton had submitted to the City. I actually stood up and let the resident know that the West Ranch Town Council had successfully fought off the City on this project with the support of the County. One City worker denied that the City would have “ever” approved that project. Fortunately, we will never know how the City and DRHorton would have shaped that nearly 1000 home development. The new plan submitted to the County and the West Ranch Town Council now calls for a 183 unit community with half the homes being designated for 55 plus senior housing.
Another interesting point is that the City of Santa Clarita apparently does not have any mining ordinances or mining regulations of any sort on the books. That would make it difficult to actually try and come up with a solution that would be palatable to the Cemex group and the community. With that kind of uncertainty the only real winners in this situation will be the Lawyers, Cemex and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The Stonecrest community in Canyon Country will be holding another fact finding meeting tonight regarding annexation of the community into the City of Santa Clarita . The County of Los Angeles will have representatives on hand to discuss existing services being provided by the County to the community. This follows a meeting held last month in which the City of Santa Clarita had representatives on hand to discuss what services the city would be able to supply if the community were to annex.
The meeting will begin 7:00 PM at Sulphur Springs Elementary School,
16628 Lost Canyon Road, in Canyon Country.

I was absolutely amazed with the number of real estate signs up in the West Ranch Communities this weekend. Apparently, there are over 120 homes for sale in the Stevenson Ranch area according to several real estate web sites including the ones on our banner advertising.
There are four homes for sale on my street alone! It appears that the market is slowing quickly as inventory has been building for many months. The real question is, if the FED keeps raising rates will there be a rush for the exits? The Federal Reserve may be looking to get the FED Funds rate to 5.50%. What will that do to the folks with ARM’s, especially those that have over extended themselves? I’m not sure if we’ll see a re-play of the early 1990′s but the days of double digit annually gains may be over for awhile.

I think one of the most fun and unique days of the year here the Santa Clarita Valley is the CalArts Commencement. Every year it different and every year it is equally entertaining and visually different. There are several components that are constant like it is almost always on a Friday night and the graduates, trustees and honored guests are always lead by the African Dance and Music ensemble out into the graduation court yard. It is truly a unique, fun, and inspirational experience to watch or be a part of and it all takes place in our little valley once every May.
By the way, many residents of the area may not know this but CalArts is a World Class Art Institution. In fact, the museum of Modern Art in New York is doing a film retrospective on CalArts graduates next month. Included in the New york show are John Lasseter, Tim Burton, Sophia Coppola, and many other Alumni from CalArts.
Also, another fact about CalArts is that it infuses the local economy with $30 million dollars annually!

SANTA CLARITA – The California Department of Transportation will close the Antelope Valley Freeway (Route 14) in both directions at Escondido Canyon Road on Sunday, May 21, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Detours will be posted.
The closure is in relation to a slope stabilization project above Route 14 between Soledad Canyon Road and Escondido Canyon Road. The $12.6 million project involves cutting back the slope and installing retention systems using cable net or wire mesh.
Estimated to complete in spring 2008, the project will increase hillside stability, protect the roadway and improve safety.

Planning is in full swing for what has been dubbed by many as “The Best Fireworks Show in the Valley”. The 8th Annual Stevenson Ranch Fireworks spectacular will be taking place on Tuesday July 4th at the Dr. Richard Rioux Memorial Park in Stevenson Ranch. The gates to the park will open at 6:00 PM. This years show will be bigger and better than any of the previous shows if you can even image that!
One again the show is being Presented by the Stevenson Ranch Civic Committee in association with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation and sponsored by Lennar/Newhall Land, The Stevenson Ranch Community Association, Waste Management/Blue barrel, The Stevenson Ranch Community Church, and some soon to be announced surprise sponsors.
Volunteers are always needed and if you are interested please drop by the Rioux Park office and give your name and phone number to the Park Supervisor.

Since we have built a terrific following for this blog it seemed appropriate to refresh our readership on some of the West Ranch Beacons views. So here is a recap on the ever present annexation question. Please keep in mind that these are fact based opinions. There are a number of people in the local politico who have been engaged in name calling; lackey, tool, etc.; who have attempted to confuse and mislead members of our community on this issue.

I get asked often where I stand on annexation. Usually it’s when I run into someone at the market or somewhere around town. My standard answer is that it really doesn’t matter to me whether we annex, form a new city or stay in the county as long as our community gets a fair and honest deal. Now I not wavered from this stand!
Part of any major issue, such as the status of one’s community, is investigating the pros and cons associated with the various options. That investigation requires asking questions and rooting out all the information regarding each option. In the course of that investigation faze, while asking questions, if one starts to get resistance in obtaining information or getting forthright answers that would be a red flag.
The reason why there has not been any movement on the annexation front is that there have been many red flags popping up in the course of the investigation. In fact, many of those red flags are because of the behavior of the Santa Clarita City Council and City management. Some of those flags have also been because of the County as well.
The City of Santa Clarita City Council can’t understand why the West Ranch community doesn’t want to just jump right into the arms of the City, no questions asked. I think part of the problem is Councilman Frank Ferry. By profession he is a Teacher and is use to dealing with students who if they misbehave receive a punishment. So, if a student cuts class they receive a detention. Frank doesn’t appear to be the type that would deal with such situations in any out-of-the-box, different or creative way. There in lies the rub, no one at the City is able to deal with a possible annexation of West Ranch in any different way than they have handled the other 27 annexations.
As I have said over and over, the future of the Santa Clarita valley is completely in the hands of the City of Santa Clarita. How they decide to handle themselves is entirely their choice. They have clearly stumbled over the years with the tactics that have been employed including the recent two tier park fee structure that the City Council implemented. They could have ultimately gotten the same result had they worked with the outlying Town Councils in a cooperative fashion. Sadly, this was yet another blown opportunity to build a good working relationship.
In the recent City Council election I had hoped that some new blood would have invigorated the management of the City but unfortunately the status quo has prevailed. Until the city starts to approach the West Ranch communities from a place of respect and honesty nothing will change and the status quo will continue in the unincorporated communities as well.

Recently, Laurene Weste wrote a commentary in the local advertising circular entitled “Residents Get More, Pay Less Inside City” which contained the same old arguments from the city about Annexation. She points out that 27 annexations have been completed into the City of Santa Clarita because the City “offers local government representation, more and better municipal services, and lower taxes.”
Once again the City is not telling the whole story! Based on a series of meetings between the West Ranch Town Council and the City of Santa Clarita the differences are not that great. If one does a comparison, an honest comparison, of the services between the County and the City you’ll find that the County has better services in some areas and the City has better services in other areas.
For instance, let’s look at Sheriff Services in the City and the unincorporated County areas. First, the City of Santa Clarita has 15 Deputies per shift for the city which has a population of approximately 177,000. That would be roughly one Sheriff Deputy for every 11,800 residents.
The flip side is that the unincorporated areas surrounding the city have a population of approximately 49,375. The non-city areas have 15 Sheriff’s Deputies (yes, 15!) not the 2 you “heard” were patrolling the unincorporated areas. There are 9 Deputies working in radio cars serving West Ranch, Castaic, and unincorporated Canyon Country, 4 are assigned to Pyramid Lake and Gorman, 1 in Community Relations, and 1 is assigned as a School Resource Deputy.
But wait there’s more, we have an Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) patrol which consists of 2 Sergeants and 6 deputies and as of April 24th 3 COPS Deputies. As a side note, the West Ranch Town Council and the Stevenson Ranch Civic Association lobbied for, and the Sheriff received, state grant money to fund the OHV patrol.
Now, let’s divide 49,375 by 6 assigned Deputies (we won’t include the OHV patrol, the COPS Deputies and only part of the regular Deputies for the most populated West Ranch/Castaic areas) to the unincorporated areas and you get roughly one Sheriff Deputy per 8230 residents.
Laurene failed to mention that crime has been trending down in the unincorporated West Ranch areas and trending up in the City of Santa Clarita. Also, her assertion that “the city has faster police response times for emergency, priority and routine calls” is false since the City’s own Chief of Police has stated publicly that the Sheriffs’ response times are the same valley wide.
She also failed to mention that the 27 annexations completed so far by the City were communities with no meaningful commercial tax base. The majority of those annexations have cost the city more in services then has been taken in tax dollars. This is what sets the West Ranch communities apart from the ones the City has already annexed; we have a massive commercial tax base. This is what the City wants to get their hands on but they apparently don’t want to have meaningful negotiations for.
The City management and its leadership still don’t get the fact that they have to be honest with communities they are interested in annexing. Why does the City want Stonecrest? So they can get the Cemex mine and its tax revenue. There is no intention of stopping the mining activity it will continue at “historical levels”. Why doesn’t the City talk about the fact that they can annex some privately owned land to get to the Cemex Mine in stead of the Stonecrest community? Simple, that private land is owned by some local constituents who have mining rights as well. You won’t hear about that in the local advertising circular!
If you live in the unincorporated areas and want to hear more facts about annexation and the current tactics the City is using you should attend your local monthly Town Council meeting. There is a reason why the City of Santa Clarita wants some of the unincorporated areas; Sales Tax Revenue! That’s fine, but if they want to annex the West Ranch communities they will need to come to the table and have a meaningful negotiation, something they have not been willing to do yet. Any negotiation and agreement must be put in writing and must be fair and honorable to our communities. Of course residents have the option of giving their community away for nothing if they chose that path too. That is something that Laurene and the rest of the City government would love to see happen.

The Stevenson Ranch Community Association will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday May 17th at the IHOP on Pico Canyon in Stevenson Ranch. The meeting begins at 6:00 PM and will include regular updates from various committees including an up date on the upcoming July 4th Fireworks show.

On May 3rd, the West Ranch Town Council held their monthly meeting at the Southern Oaks Community Center. Attendance was good – with a number of new faces present.

The meeting featured several topic areas – in addition to the regular reports to the Council from committees. One of the main discussions centered on an issue presented to the Council by the President and Treasurer of the Westridge HOA about the effort being made to take the TPC Golf Course fully private.

When the Westridge development was approved, there were requirements that needed to be fulfilled prior to the Golf Course becoming a private course. According to Newhall Land, these requirements have been fulfilled. However, the Westridge HOA pays a significant dollar amount for joint property maintenance, and believes that as long as the HOA is responsible for joint maintenance, that the course remains a public one. The West Ranch Town Council President will be setting up a meeting with all of the parties involved to get additional information and determine a recommendation.

In terms of updates, new information was provided on the LA County Homeless Shelter Task Force which is working to determine a permanent location to the seasonal Homeless Shelter for the Santa Clarita Valley. The task force is in the early phases of their review.

Crime statistics in the West Ranch area were slightly higher in April than March, but still remain significantly lower than elsewhere in the valley. Vehicle burglaries remain the most common issue – and residents are reminded to remove valuables from their vehicles. Graffiti also was an issue in several locations, and the County has contracted with firm to remove the graffiti once reported – speeding up the cleanup process. The last security issue regards reckless skateboarding on the city streets, and the Town Council will be working with the Stevenson Ranch HOA and LA County to develop rules to limit the risk / increase the safety of all.

Finally, on the election for Town Council Members, the election will be held on the 4th of July with voting at Richard Rioux Park. 3 of the 7 seats will be up for election, and these seats have a 2 year term of office. Applications are due June 1st.

Thanks to Ron Mechsner for the update.

Yesterday morning I had the pleasure of representing the West Ranch Town Council at the Pico Canyon Elementary School PTA. It was impressive to hear all the great work that this group of volunteers are doing to support and improve the school. By the way, Pico Canyon has recently been awarded a California Blue Ribbon School destination. Apparently one of the quickest new schools to receive such a designation!
I was able to give a presentation on the state of the West Ranch communities including an update on Sheriff services and the fact that crime is trending down in the West Ranch Communities. Also discussed, the correct information on the fact that response times by the Sheriff to our area are the same as the rest of the Santa Clarita Valley.
There was an update on JK Park which is next to Pico Canyon Elementary School. Recently, there had been a rumor circulating that the County was going to give JK Park to the Newhall School District. This is absolutely not true. The County Supervisor’s office has stated that there are no plans to give the park up now or at anytime in the future. However, there are plans to add restrooms to the park as an amenity. This is a subject that has been discussed at the last couple of West Ranch Town Council meetings. The PTA meeting attendees were encouraged to attend the next West Ranch Town Council meeting to express their thoughts and concerns about the new restrooms.
Also, there was concern regarding the failed attempts to get a crossing guard at Poe Parkway and Stevenson Ranch Parkway during morning and afternoon times for safety. Apparently, several studies have been done and have concluded that there is insufficient need at this time. The West Ranch Town Council will look in to this issue.

A representative from the West Ranch Town Council will be updating the PTA at Pico Canyon Elementary on Wednesday May, 10 at 9:00 AM at the Pico Canyon Elementary School. The discussion will involve an update on the state of the our community including the JK park adjacent to the school and followed by Q&A.