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

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.

The other day as the family and I were heading back from our shopping expedition in the Expedition over at Toys R Us off Pico and the Old Road we got to see perhaps one of the funniest things we have ever witnessed in the 12 years we have lived here.

Heading back to our side of the I-5 from Pico to Lyons we passed by that great gift to mankind, the 99 cent store. Now, we do not consider ourselves slaves to Hallmark Holidays, but we do recognize them and have a good time celebrating them for the benefit of our kids. They enjoy giving gifts, especially to their Mom and Dad.

Well for those of you who didn’t know this. The 99 cent Store is the official ” Mothers Day Headquarters” and they have a banner to prove it. I was not aware they had been approved as such by some special committee. Its been 24 hours since we saw this and I still cant stop laughing. You have Toys R Us, SteinMart and other great shops and we have the 99 cent store. But, are any of your stores the official Mothers Day Headquarters? I think not. We got you all there! We east siders totally rule you now!

Well, it looks like you will all be heading over to our side this week to get those Mothers Day gifts at the 99 cent Store. I’m not sure how busy they are going to be, but since they are the “official Headquarters” I can only assume they are going to be packed to the rafters.

For us however, we will be over at Steinmart and maybe Old Navy. Since you will all have to go to the 99 cent store I guess my favorite stores on your side should be totally empty. Please be sure to get an few extra rolls of paper towels for that special someone in your life!

Jack Murphy
West Ranch Adjacent.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and that is certainly the case with the new monument sign recently installed at The Arts community in Stevenson Ranch. What first came to mind when it was finished was that this was a design train wreck, an esthetic disaster, clearly designed by a committee devoid of any artistic talent. It has quickly become the butt of wisecracks and jokes.
The Arts sign has no design or aesthetic continuity in relation to any of the other monument signs within the Stevenson Ranch community. It raises the question, was this actual design submitted to the HOA for approval? If so, why would the Architectural Committee approve such a visually horrendous sign? This illustrates one thing, that the Stevenson Ranch HOA has lost its ability to enforce the CC&R’s by apparently approving this monument sign.
I won’t bother going into design 101 to describe what is wrong with this monstrosity, but will say this monument sign cheapens the community. The residents of The Arts community should be upset with this clear assault on their property values. The sign looks like it should be at the entrance to a trailer park!

I appreciate the letter that Supervisor Antonovich sent to the Signal regarding the threatening statement by one of their columnists. It is clear to most that the author, as well as the “paper”, were surely irresponsible and seemed to lack any common sense in publishing that trite piece.
Most people thought that the threat couldn’t be serious but realized in today’s day and age it is not possible to make jokes about violence towards others anymore. Just a few weeks ago a airline passenger was arrested because he was “joking” about a bomb on a plane.
Sadly, it appears based on the latest volley, that Mr. Manzer and the “paper” can’t take responsibility for their own actions. The latest column by Manzer was further backpedaling in which he lays blame to “..a lapse in my (his) judgment not to write at a level far below that of the average citizen”.
It is those types of unproductive comments that high light the ridiculous, unprofessionalism of that local advertising circular and the apparent lack of intellectual prowess of some of it’s contributors.

West Ranch Town Council
Minutes for the Meeting Dated: April 5, 2006

A. Call to Order / Roll Call:
a. Meeting called to order at 6:35 pm
b. Present: Dave Bossert, Betty Griffin, Randal Winter, James Zimmerman, Ron Mechsner
c. Absent: Paul Ash, Brian Toqe
B. Approval of March Minutes
a. Approved by a vote of 5 - 0
C. Treasurers Report
a. James Zimmerman presented the Treasurer’s Report. The current balance in the account is $989.75. There were no revenues or expenditures during March 2006.
D. Presentations to the Council
a. Jasch Janowitz representing DR Horton on Lyons Canyon
i. Thanked the West Ranch Town Council for the verbal support given on the revised development plan that involves 183 total units – 93 single family homes and 93 senior housing units. Agreements have been formalized between the Developer and LA County Fire as well as Newhall School District.
ii. Asked if the West Ranch Town Council would provide a Letter of Support that DR Horton could take to LA County.
1. Mr. Janowitz was advised that a letter would be provided within 5 business days of the meeting.
iii. Mr. Janowitz was asked about the next steps / estimate on the timeline for the next steps.
1. A draft EIR should be made available to the Public in April.
2. They hope that the project can get through County in a June 2006 timeframe.
iv. Dave Bossert thanked DR Horton for their contribution towards the Pico Canyon Elementary School perimeter fence – with that contribution putting the effort at the desired goal.
E. County Business
a. Parks and Recreation Department
i. Dave Bossert advised that the Stevenson Ranch HOA Civic Committee is still looking for volunteers to assist on the 4th of July Fireworks show at Richard Rioux Park.
ii. Spring Programs:
1. Easter Egg Hunt / Easter Sunday Service by Stevenson Ranch Community Church
2. Senior Health Fair and Concert in the Park on April 29th from 10 am to 2 pm
a. About 20 booths
3. Spring Break Youth Camp April 3 – 14, 2006
a. Spots still available 2nd week of camp
4. Spring Flag Football underway
5. Co-ed T-ball League Registration April 22
iii. Skateboard Park is currently closed – program is being redesigned and built out to include membership / safety waivers.
b. Supervisor Antonovich’s Office – Bob Hauter
i. Advised that the Supervisor opposes the recent action by the Town Council for the City of Santa Clarita to establish a 2 tier pricing structure for Santa Clarita Parks and Recreation program – one tier for residents of Santa Clarita and one tier for non-residents.
1. The LA County Parks and Recreation Department is to work with the City to ensure that the fee structure is implemented and completed properly – with all of the considerations for the requirements that a number of parks are ineligible for the 2 tier structure due to either their existence prior to Santa Clarita incorporation or the park / programs receiving Prop A funds. Bob will advise the WR Council of the specific parks / programs that are ineligible.
ii. New Traffic Signal to be installed / operational on The Old Road in front of the Old Navy entrance by December 2006.
iii. County cited the builder of new homes adjacent to Southern Oaks development for unauthorized soil removal.
iv. After county review, the issue with slope slippage impacting Southern Oaks is a HOA issue.
v. The Grant to the Sheriff’s Department for Off Road Enforcement that the West Ranch Town Council supported has funded some additional services and delivered real value.
vi. Semis parking along Pico Canyon Road by the Ralph’s Shopping Center are illegally parked – violating a County ordinance. They will be ticketed by patrols, and if violations are seen, contact the CHP.
F. Committee Reports
a. Community Liaisons:
i. Randall Winter – Southern Oaks: Nothing to report – however an issue raised in Public Safety / Security.
ii. Brian Toque – Westridge: Brian and Paul are attending the Westridge HOA meeting at this time. No report.
iii. Chuck O’Connell – Sunset Pointe / Enclave: The new traffic signal is operational. Also mentioned that the new construction of the Hampton Inn is proceeding and that they are being good neighbors. Dave Bossert mentioned that the builder made some minor changes to their design to incorporate concerns raised by the Council in terms of signage.
iv. Stevenson Ranch HOA: Covered in LA County Sheriff Report
b. Bylaws Committee:
i. With Paul’s attendance at the Westridge HOA meeting, the report on the Election process was tabled until the May meeting. The election is tentatively planned for the July 4th with remote voting possible at Southern Oaks and Westridge Community Centers.
c. Public Safety & Security:
i. LA County Sheriff – Sgt. Wallace
1. March was another good month – only 1 burglary. (A normal month sees 8 to 12.) 3 Felony vandalisms also took place.
2. Activity is seen as down significantly in West Ranch area – however it is up elsewhere in SC Valley.
3. Issue rose regarding break-in at Southern Oaks Community Center – observed by Southern Oaks HOA Board Member. There was no response from Sheriff Dept or CHP when call was placed. Was suggested that call go to 911 if a crime is in progress. Additional suggestions made to install motion sensor lights / surveillance camera (real or fake) and to post ‘No Trespassing Signs’. Also discussed was an escalation point (to Watch Supervisor / Commander) if not satisfied with responsiveness.
4. Re SR HOA – No negative change in security seen with stopping the 2nd Security patrol car. The activity in SR is down significantly from rest of the Valley.
5. Patrols are regularly checking in at the Pico Canyon Park (Old Glory) to check on the parking area and address any issues.
d. Parks – Covered in County Report.
e. Government Relations
i. Recap of Dave Bossert’s attendance of the Santa Clarita Town Council meeting where the dual Park fee program was voted on and approved. One topic at root – Annexation of the West side by Santa Clarita. Appears that annexation issue will be more contentious in the next year.
G. Old Business
a. No old business to address.
H. Meeting Adjourned 7:25 pm.

INTERMITTENT CLOSURES SCHEDULED ON ROUTE 14
SANTA CLARITA – The California Department of Transportation will close two of three lanes on the Antelope Valley Freeway (Route 14) in both directions intermittently from Soledad Canyon Road and Escondido Canyon Road between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly on Monday, May 8, Tuesday, May 9 and Wednesday, May 10.
Traffic control will be in place.

The West Ranch Town Council will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday May 3rd, 6:30 PM at the Southern Oaks Community Center.

AGENDA
WEST RANCH TOWN COUNCILMay 3, 2006

A. Call To Order/Roll Call
B. Approval of April Minutes
C. Treasurers Report and Banking Update
D. County Updates
1. Doug Newell Parks and Rec
2. Bob Haueter LA County
E. Committee Reports
1. Election Standards and Timeline, Budget and Seats
2. Security/Public Safety
a. Skateboard Issues
b. Graffiti and Trash Issues
3. Governmental Relations
a. Homeless Shelter Task Force
b. Westridge HOA and TPC issues
4. Parks
a. Restroom for Jake K. Park
5. Westridge and Southern Oaks Liaisons
6. Sunset Pointe Liaison
F. Old Business
G. Public Comment
I. Adjournment