I Heart SCV

Happenings: Claritans Agree--Bob Kellar isn't Racist

2010-01-27T00:50:00.000-08:00

NOTE: I apologize for the sloppy writing and lack of complete editing. I tried to record everyone's comments, so it's a bit (i.e., a lot) wordy.

The agendized, official business that happened during tonight’s City Council Meeting was little more than an obstacle on the road to reaching the far more important unofficial business: delivering judgment on the person and words of Bob Kellar[1]. [For those who missed it, Bob Kellar attended an anti-illegal-immigration rally and made some impassioned comments. After invoking the nationalist ideology of Theodore Roosevelt, he said that if people were going to call him racist for wanting to enforce immigration laws and for wanting America to be united under a single flag and language, then he was “a proud racist.” He went on to clarify that he adopted the racist label rhetorically and that he did not actually discriminate against people based on their race. Still, many were upset at his inflammatory choice of words. Others were upset that when he made his remarks, he did not formally state that he was speaking as an individual, not a representative of the City of Santa Clarita.] After nearly two hours of comments during Public Participation, it was clear that Bob Kellar had many supporters and illegal immigration had none. As for the handful of people who were waiting for City Attorney Carl Newton to clarify whether Bob Kellar had acted in violation of the City’s Code of Ethics, well, they just heard the same answer that was reported in TMS phrased slightly differently.

Before directing our complete attention to Kellar, though, it’s best to review the earlier events of the evening.

Non-Kellar Business

Laurie Ender delivered tonight’s invocation and spoke about the earthquake in Haiti, the response to which has made her “proud to be an American.” 72 LA County firefighters (five from SCV stations) are in Haiti now, and they rescued nine people. Mayor Laurene Weste thanked Ender for drawing attention to on-going relief efforts and suggested that a link be added to the City homepage for people who wish to donate. Though individuals who know how to get to the City website are probably quite capable of reaching the Red Cross website on their own, the link is a nice gesture.

Next, Mayor Laurene Weste applauded the running efforts of Golden Valley, Saugus, and Canyon’s JV cross-country teams.

After reading off dozens of names of gifted teenage runners and taking many pictures in front of the imposing city seal, it was time for individual reports. Councilmember Bob Kellar went first and said “I have nothing to report at this time.” Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean was visibly delighted as she recalled presenting a large (in both linear dimensions and amount) check to the Senior Center. Councilmember Frank Ferry had no comments, and Mayor Weste told us to get ready for dog licensing season. Oh, Laurene.

Since council reports were so brief, it was clear that we were in store for a lot of public participation on the topics of Bob Kellar and illegal immigration. TimBen Boydston jumped the gun, however, and weighed in on the controversy during Public Participation for the Newhall Redevelopment Committee Meeting. He stated that, while he supported free speech and Bob Kellar’s belief in the need for enforcing immigration laws, he also believed that Kellar had violated the City Council’s Code of Ethics by not stating that he was speaking for himself and not in the capacity of an elected official. Boydston, while slightly theatrical, as always, was not overly harsh and made it clear that he was condemning a particular act, not the man himself.

No one responded to Boydston, and the Council quickly passed a resolution relating to the right-of-way for the soon-to-be-built library.

On the Consent Calendar, everything passed with the recommended action. Two cards expressed support for Item 12, which designated a little under $500,000 to buy irrigation controllers that limit sprinkler output based on current weather conditions. They will save an estimated twenty-million gallons of water in their first year of operation, which is, in layman’s terms, a shitload of water. Most of the other measures that were approved related to grant applications or to infrastructure.

The first public hearing—updating fire district development fees—resulted in adopting the fee adjustment (about four cents more per square-foot in fees).

The next public hearing was called to decide whether a proposed medical office building would be approved in Canyon Country. The plan was a popular one. As the developer noted, more than 90% of medical facilities are on the west side of town, but about 60% of seniors are on the east side of town. He said that Canyon Country, which has been treated like a “red-headed step-child,” will finally get the treatment it deserves when the medical facility is built. It would also create 410 new, full-time jobs and over $21M in wages. Apart from serving an under-served area and creating jobs, the project was praised for its potential to decrease traffic across the valley. To this end, the project had a number of bike racks required (who rides their bike to a doctor’s appointment?) and City Transit would have drop-offs nearby. Mayor Pro Tem McLean, however, was very concerned that some people wouldn’t be able to walk the 400 – 600 feet from bus stop to medical office door. The developer assured her that they had done all they could to make the facility accessible, and dial-a-ride could take those who were incapable of walking from door-to-door. McLean was appeased. Building the three-story medical office building garnered support from the Senior Center, the public, and ultimately the City Council. Thus, with a yes, yes, yes, yes, and an aye, approval of the project was passed to a second reading.

Finally, official business concluded by approving $30,000 for two studies. The first will determine whether Santa Clarita can support a conference or convention center, and the second will determine where it should go. Here are some bold predictions about what these pricey studies will find: (1)A conference center is needed in Santa Clarita, and (2)The perfect spot is (*drumroll*) somewhere near Town Center, by the proposed Sheraton Hotel!

A ten-minute break followed, signaling that the members of City Council were emptying their bladders in preparation for an extended Public Participation session.

The Kellar Trial

Mayor Laurene Weste called on everyone to take their seats, then made the announcement that all were in store for two hours' worth of comments (she over-estimated by nineteen minutes). But before the public spoke, Bob Kellar finally spoke on his own behalf. He said “Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a racist in any form, shape, or fashion.” He made it clear that he simply wanted to uphold the law: “If we are to remain a nation of laws, we must respect those laws, all of them.” Applause followed.

Now, I present portions of the comments made during Public Participation. I apologize if I spelled the names incorrectly or missed a speaker or two. The most impactful comments are marked with asterisks:

*Steve Sturgeon: Steve said that on behalf of law enforcement officers, we must respect Bob and his views.
*Larry Rasmussen: “Bob is all-American, and Bob is right[…]calling Bob names is a dishonest political trick.”
*****Roger Gitlin: Gitlin argued that elected officials need to give more support to enforcing immigration laws. To Bob, “You are no more a racist than Lady Liberty.” He called on the City Council to clarify their positions on illegal immigration for the record.
*****Bruce McFarland: McFarland spoke about Bob Kellar’s “apparent stupidity” and said that City Attorney Carl Newton was making excuses for a clear breach of the ethical code. He wanted clearer channels through which ethics violation accusations could be evaluated and lead to appropriate punishment. He requested that Kellar to be censured.

>After McFarland left the podium, Ferry heard an expletive thrown McFarland’s way and said such behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. Mayor Weste reminded speakers that a whole troop of Boy Scouts was sitting with them—really.<

*Cam Noltemeyer: “The issue here is illegal immigration.” She said that public officials take an oath to uphold laws and protect the constitution, and that the City Council should reaffirm these commitments.
*Alan Ferdman: “Bob Kellar’s comments are being taken out of context.” He said Kellar is entitled to his position and lamented the fact that there are so few rational discussions about the serious illegal immigration problem
*****David Gauny: The council hopeful said of Bob Kellar “He will do whatever is right for the citizens of Santa Clarita”. He said his wife labeled Kellar’s racist remark his “Howard Dean Moment.” He also challenged Laurene Weste, Marsha McLean, and Frank Ferry for essentially abandoning Kellar based on their quotations in TMS. He spoke well.
*Berta Gonzalez-Harper: She first took a moment to pronounce her name “bairrr[rolled r]-tuh gowne-ZAH-laysz” and delivered a passionate defense of Bob Kellar, who she said has “never been remotely anything near a racist.”
*****Carole Lutness: The notorious local plagiarist said that Bob Kellar reminded her of an old lady who sees ants invading her kitchen one night. Despite stomping them, they return night after night until finally her granddaughter points out that the woman should get rid of the bowl of sugar on her table. That is, businesses that hire illegal immigrants are at fault.
*****Spencer Leafdale: “Councilman Kellar is not a racist” (slaps table, pauses for dramatic effect) “Sweet Lord!” (laughs from audience at the Kellerism)
*Gloria Domingues: “I am Hispanic, I came here with my family when I was very little […] I obtained my residence card, I then became a US Citizen. […] The legal way is the right way.”
*****Harrison Katz: The youngest City Council contender said he knew Bob wasn’t a racist, but thought that business owners would think twice before investing in Santa Clarita, a City where reps like Bob Kellar make outrageous statements. He encouraged an apology . Despite his verbal stumbles (you try saying Councilmember Kellar three times fast!) and appearing very nervous and making a less than convincing argument, he did OK.
*Sherri-Anne Lima: Lima was very upset at Kellar’s language, saying there is too much divisiveness in the City already and that his remarks only aggravated things.
*Sam Zissleman(?): The owner of the “Derail Amnesty” website applauded Kellar for his bravery. He said opponents throw around words like “racist” and “bigot” to silence the debate
*Gene Ray: She cheered, simply, “Go for it Bob, we’re with you!”
*Ze Gonzales: A third-generation Mexican-American, Gonzales said he knew what real racism was and that Bob Kellar was always respectful of people of diverse backgrounds.
*Kristin Ingram-Worthman: She began by saying “context is irrelevant!” and that the words “I’m a proud racist” are inexcuseable.
*John Olish: John slowly delivered a speech on his complete admiration for Kellar, ending with “Because you are the man you are, I love you”
*****Debbie Hayes: Hayes was distressed at disparaging marks made at Bob’s expense, saying that he does the best work on behalf of the people of Santa Clarita. To speakers who had been critical of Bob, she said “You have a long way to go to fill his shoes.”
*Paul Strickland: Strickland reminded the audience that Kellar hosts two annual fundraisers for groups that largely support needy Hispanic families with their work.
*John Sloane: “The only problem I see is that you [Kellar] need to run for the senate!”
*Robert Crooks: This local minuteman talked about how illegal immigrants are used by drug cartels and bring crime, drugs, and a cycle of exploitation to this country.
*****Minerva Williams: Williams was supportive of Bob’s good local work and clarity/responsibility in dealing with issues like the hospital expansion. But she said that even after watching the racist remark video several times, she didn’t like Kellar’s anger or completely understand where it was coming from. She spoke about hardworking immigrants waiting for a job every morning on the streers, but couldn’t finish before time called.
*Todd Hoover: Rambled on a bit about how it’s unfortunate Kellar made a poor choice of words and that we should all strive to be tolerant people. People in Costa Rica are apparently more tolerant of those who speak a different language than are people in California.
*Linda Payne: This speaker was frustrated at elected reps who support people who are here illegally, and she was tired of being called racist for no reason other than to silence her. She said she won’t be intimidated by being called that name.
**********Sheri: This woman talked about how it is US citizens who bear the cost of illegal immigration. She was a victim of Adrian Arriano, the Canyon Country rapist who twice entered this country illegally and is now serving 21 consecutive life sentences. (I believe this was “Sheri C.”, the alias of a woman who testified in the case).
*Carl Gilson: Employers need to check on that status of their employees
***********Barbara March: The mother of slain Deputy David March said “Ladies and gentlemen, that we can gather at a City Council meeting and discuss the topic of illegal immigration is amazing.” This conversation was something she had been waiting for during the years since her son was murdered by an illegal immigrant who had been deported three times and was a drug-runner. This case was followed closely by many Claritans, and March’s words were very powerful[2].
**********John March: Barbara March’s husband provided some background on why Bob might have been so emotional about the subject of illegal immigration. March said that Bob helped their son get into law enforcement, so that when David March was killed Bob felt “darn near as much pain as we did—he felt almost responsible for helping Dave get in [ to law enforcement].”
[Missed Name]: “Law-abiding citizens call you Bob, law-breakers call you racist.”
*Raymond Herrera: The founder of “We the People California Crusaders” spoke in support of Bob. Raymond said that as a Hispanic man, he’s been called a “coconut” (brown on the outside, white on the inside) for supporting immigration laws. He said that he was very proud an elected official made his views on the subject so clear.
*Robin Hvidston: Another member of WTPCC said of Kellar “The councilman is ahead of the curve.” She said that people who oppose illegal immigration are unfairly labeled as racists, and she looks forward to the day when the word “racist becomes obsolete.”
*Frank Jorge: He began by complimenting himself on his English and by taking credit for organizing the event at which Kellar spoke before describing his opposition to illegal immigration.
*Dave Lutness: After describing his youth during a time when racism was acceptable, he said that he wanted an apology from Kellar for conjuring up the evils committed on racist grounds in our not-so-distant-past.
*Theresa Shr…(?): This speaker strongly condemned Kellar’s language of “hate,” saying that the City Council should censure him. She was visibly upset and closed with a reading of the dictionary definition of “racist.”
*Jim Polarsky: He said that political correctness has muted our representatives
*Bill Kennedy: Kenneday said there are two purposes of government—provide for security and public order—and that allowing illegal immigration meant government wasn’t fulfilling its role.
*Brian Smith: To paraphrase his words: Thanks, Bob.
*****George Thomas: This last speaker said he left the bedside of his gravely ill brother to support Bob. 35-years-ago, he was a young police officer and Bob Kellar was one of his trainers and SWAT team officer. He reaffirmed that Kellar was not a racist and said “Bob, good luck.”

Bob Kellar responded by expressing his appreciation for everyone who came out and made comments, whatever their opinion. [Applause for 20 seconds followed].

City Attorney Carl Newton was asked to respond to concerns expressed by the public. Mayor Laurene Weste preceded her request for Newton's input with the observation that if we agree that it’s important to uphold all of the laws, then that includes laws that define ethical behavior. Newton responded by going through how the City cannot regulate immigration but tries to uphold legal immigration through its hiring practices and complying with ICE, etc. He said nothing about the City Ethics Code, so Laurene asked him to talk about that again. “At a rally, the right to speak freely is sacred” Newton replied. He said that “no one could think but that he was expressing his own views.” In short, he saw no ethical violation. While technically there was a violation (he didn't say he wasn't speaking for the City, as he is specifically instructed to do), one would have to be brain-dead to think that when a councilperson says "I think X, Y, and Z" that they mean "The City of Santa Clarita officially thinks X, Y, and Z." Thus, Newton's repsonse was greeted with another seven seconds of applause.

The other councilmembers tried to clarify their position on the whole event. All professed to being firmly against illegal immigration, but also said it’s important to choose words carefully. Ferry spoke the most, saying many time how he and the other members of CC were all Republicans, but that they needed to be careful to not lump all Mexicans in with illegal immigrants.

Adjournment arrived at 9:49.

Briefly...

The points that emerged, in order of frequency mentioned were:

1. Illegal immigration is bad
2. Bob Kellar is good, not racist
3. Kellar’s words weren’t the best and needed to be viewed in context
4. City Council members need to make it clear where they stand on illegal immigration

Clearly, many in the City of Santa Clarita wanted desperately to talk about illegal immigration. Gauny and Barbara March alluded to the fact that it has never been agendized despite this widespread interest and despite the City’s ability to have some local impact. A clear obstacle to the discussion is the word “racist.” Many speakers were preoccupied with saying that they weren’t racist and stating that Bob wasn’t, either. These speakers were perfectly correct in their observation that the word can be used to shut down conversations. For example, some have dismissed the anti-illegal-immigration rallies as being full of racist buffoons, which means we can dismiss them wholesale rather than evaluate their arguments about illegal immigration . People on both sides of the issue use the word recklessly. Thus, you can’t say Bob Kellar used the word irresponsibly without saying that those who labeled Bob as racist were irresponsible as well. Of course, it was only Bob’s use of the word that was captured on tape.

In closing, I will say that I think the remark at the center of this controversy can be explained by temperament. There are the Ken Pulskamps of the world—the ultra-rational, mild-mannered persons who speak in quiet, steady voices and are supremely self-controlled. Then, there are the Bob Kellars, who can get worked up over a charity golf game and whose sincere passions sometimes get the better of them. While Pulskamp wouldn’t ever make a verbal faux pas like Kellar's, he also doesn’t typically inspire people with the passion behind his words. If Bob Kellar messes up because he is so passionate about a cause that is far more important than his words, then so be it.

(As long as it doesn't become a habit.)

[1]Judgement of Bob Kellar not actually on agenda, which may be reviewed here
http://www.santa-clarita.com/cityhall/agendas/council/web_agenda_face.asp?Meeting_ID=4624
[2]Deputy David March
http://www.scvsheriff.com/Memorial.asp

Happenings: Hunker Down

2010-01-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

News about a major series of storms coming to California is starting to pop up. I've been paying attention since a geologist/climatologist I know sent an email predicting that we will experience "a truly historic series of storms during the next three weeks." Below, I've pasted the beginning of a passage that describes what might come to pass as a series of large, powerful storms hit the West Coast[1]. Highlights for Southern California include a predicted minimum of 3-6" of rainfall from this Sunday to next Sunday, the potential for "a whole season's worth of rain fall over the course of 5 - 10 days" in some areas, and heavy snow as low as 3,000 feet that might melt rapidly from the rain dumped in subsequent storms. A story on The Weather Channel's site predicts that the mountains around LA may get half-a-foot of rain just on Monday[2].

I don't know how accurate these predictions are--I'm just repeating what the weather people say--but it sounds like the Santa Clara River could have a roaring good January and, by extension, those in floodplains might have a not so good one.

This message was forwarded to me (unattributed) in an email--after some Googling I believe it was written by Daniel Swain for his Weather West website[1]. Click on the link to finish reading it there--it's really interesting stuff, even for those who--like me--find weather to be a generally boring topic.

Currently, the strong El Nino is reaching its peak in the Eastern Pacific, and now finally appears to be exerting an influence on our weather. The strong jet has been apparent for quite some time out over the open water, but the persistent block had prevented it from reaching the coast. Now that the block has dissolved completely, a 200+ kt jet is barreling towards us. Multiple large and powerful storm systems are expected to slam into CA from the west and northwest over the coming two weeks, all riding this extremely powerful jet stream directly into the state. The jet will itself provide tremendous dynamic lift, in addition to directing numerous disturbances right at the state and supplying them with an ample oceanic moisture source. The jet will be at quite a low latitude over much of the Pacific, so these storms will be quite cold, at least initially. Very heavy rainfall and strong to potentially very strong winds will impact the lower elevations beginning late Sunday and continuing through at least the following Sunday. This will be the case for the entire state, from (and south of) the Mexican border all the way up to Oregon. Above 3000-4000 feet, precipitation will be all snow, and since temperatures will be unusually cold for a precipitation event of this magnitude, a truly prodigious amount of snowfall is likely to occur in the mountains, possibly measured in the tens of feet in the Sierra after it’s all said and done. But there’s a big and rather threatening caveat to that (discussed below).Individual storm events are going to be hard to time for at least few more days, since this jet is just about as powerful as they come (on this planet, anyway). Between this Sunday and the following Sunday, I expect categorical statewide rainfall totals in excess of 3-4 inches. That is likely to be a huge underestimate for most areas. Much of NorCal is likely to see 5-10 inches in the lowlands, with 10-20 inches in orographically-favored areas. Most of SoCal will see 3-6 inches at lower elevations, with perhaps triple that amount in favored areas.

This is where things get even more interesting, though. The models are virtually unanimous in “reloading” the powerful jet stream and forming an additional persistent kink 2000-3000 miles to our southwest after next Sunday. [continues at Weather West...]

[1]Please correct me if it's from a different source--I was just forwarded the same thing by someone saying it was from some unnamed people with NASA.
[2]Here's the TWC story

Happenings: Our Plan's More Masterly Than Yours

2010-01-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

NOTE: Yes, it's "Masterly," not "Masterful." The NYT Grammar Blog made the distinction a few weeks ago[1].

Tonight’s City Council meeting was one that reaffirmed a basic fact of life in Santa Clarita: the powers-that-be have a plan, and you best cooperate with it[2]. We examined this principle using the case-study of Mike Redmond and his property development plans. But first…

The meeting started 15 minutes late without so much as an apology to us hapless spectators. Mayor Pro-Tem Marsha McLean delivered the invocation. She recalled watching Channel 20 (why?, one wonders) when a program came on about how difficult daily life is for American soldiers in rugged Afghanistan. McLean was moved to gather donations for the local Prayer Angels and Blue Star Moms, groups that support our troops. Contact information is provided below for those who would like to help out. McLean noted that Blue Star Moms was a group that became especially dear to her while her son served in Iraq.

Santa Clarita’s supply of Boy Scout Troops appears to have been exhausted, so it was McLean—rather than a khaki-clad eleven-year-old—who led the flag salute after the invocation. She wore a stars-and-stripes neckerchief for the occasion.

During the perennially dreaded awards/recognition portion of the evening, Jose Gonzalez of Trek Bikes was recognized for donating a bicycle to the City. Apparently, the “Valencia” model bike has been used by staff when patrolling SCV’s mean, lawless bike trails. Gushed Councilmember Bob Kellar “If you’re into bikes at all, get one of these!” The other members of the City Council were similarly enthusiastic about the donation. At least we now have some idea of how much it costs to get a photo with and promotion from the City Council—about $749.99 (the MSRP of the bike[3]). Santa Clarita’s award-winning Blue Ribbon Task Force was also recognized for providing the community with 10 years of service. The group is committed to keeping teenagers away from drugs and alcohol and gangs and other stupid extracurricular activities. Ferry gave the group high praise for its success with rapid program implementation and for having a profoundly positive impact on SCV’s youth.

Following these presentations, councilmembers gave their individual reports. Words were said—many of them, in fact—to the effect of: blah-de-blah-Chamber of Commerce-blah-de-blah-Ken Striplin has a new son named Nathan-blah-de-blah-business-friendly-blah-de-blah-cross-valley connector-blah-de-blah-blah.

The Joint City Council/Redevelopment Agency convened next, and the handful of proposed actions passed. That is, results from an independent audit were accepted, the streetscape was declared a "benefit" to the Old Town Newhall redevelopment area, and approval was given for doling out $100K in small grants to Newhall businesses.

Then it was time for debate about Mike Redmond’s proposed development project. More accurately, it was SFXS Partners' project as represented by Redmond, but for all intents and purposes, the matter became one in which it was Mike vs. City.

Redmond owns a piece of property located at the corner of Newhall Avenue and Sierra Highway. It's in the neighborhood of Eternal Valley Cemetery, Polynesian Mobile Home Park, a Carl’s Jr., and the 14 freeway. He wants to build five buildings on it to comprise a mixed commercial development--office buildings, hotel, retail. Those familiar with the area know it’s not particularly picturesque. Still, it’s considered to be some sort of a grand gateway to SCV. (Presumably, it is a gateway to those travelling to/from Palmdale on the 14, a demographic we might do best to let just pass on by our Valley.) The City is keenly interested in the area and thus in how Redmond’s property is developed.

Lisa Webber, Santa Clarita's very professional, very articulate planning manager, led the City Council through a presentation on the proposed project and explained why staff were recommending that Redmond’s proposal not be approved. His property is next to one owned by USC, a parcel that cannot be conveniently accessed except by passing through Redmond’s property. These Redmond and USC properties are both long, narrow parcels that collectively form a “quadrant” that warrants its very own master plan, argued Webber. Her words were passive and indirect, but the idea of unrealized potential came through: “It’s been determined that a higher level of planning is warranted at this time,” (i.e., sorry Mike, your project’s not all that what we want).

The second part of the recommended action (after saying no to Redmond’s planned development) was to spend $199,200 of the Newhall Redevelopment Agency’s money to procure the services of Poliquin Kellogg Design Group. According to the agenda[1], PKDG would make a unified “conceptual architectural design and an economic feasibility analysis for the southeast quadrant of the Newhall Gateway area.”

When Redmond had his turn to speak, he seemed worn-out by the whole approval process but still good-natured. He said that he has spent more than 4 years and $500,000 working on plans for the property, which has a creek and other obstacles that make development planning very difficult. A number of supporters came forward during the period for public comments. They expressed hope that the project wouldn’t be delayed any longer and that his plan would make for a nice entry to Newhall on a difficult piece of property. A spokesman from USC, the adjoining property owner, also came forward. He said “The university was gifted this property” (“gifted” is not a verb—something he would know if he went to USC’s brighter and better neighbor, UCLA). Apparently, USC has no carrying costs for the property, so while it’s interested in selling, there's no hurry to do anything. Rather shockingly, he said “We’re just not very focused on Santa Clarita.” In any case, it was clear that USC was willing to sell, but Redmond hadn’t yet given them an offer they were willing to accept. Furthermore, the USC spokesman was generally supportive of Redmond, hoping to cooperate.

All in all, one felt a little sorry for Mike Redmond. He had put a lot of resources into planning out the future of the property, he had worked with Paul Brotzman and others at the City the whole way through, but he was now being told his plans weren’t grand or holistic enough to fulfill the area’s development “potential.” The longer the project was delayed, the longer he had to wait to realize profits from his investment and risk further objections. Though I’d personally prefer to see nothing built on the site, as development will require some destruction of and encroachment on riparian habitats, I did feel bad for him. In the story playing out before Council, Mike was a most sympathetic character and the City Planning Department seemed cold, controlling, and superior.

Mayor Laurene Weste knew Mike personally and was quite friendly and sympathetic to him, as were other members of Council. They didn’t want to deny his plans outright, and it was quickly suggested that they delay formally approving/disapproving them for some time. As to the matter of the conceptual plan and economic feasibility analysis, most everyone was in favor, especially in light of the new “Disney factor”, as Councilmember Laurie Ender called it (i.e., Disney's big new studio complex will be built just a couple miles down the road from the property). Some suggested that the plan, which would take about 4 months to complete, would also benefit Mike Redmond. The availability of professional analyses might make the area more attractive to other potential buyers or developers and provide information needed to maximize development potential.

In the end, two motions passed: one to table the (dis)approval of the Redmond/SFXS development until July, the other to spend $200K on the unified site plan and analysis. Reimbursement for the latter will be sought by whichever party develops the USC property (likely another developer or Redmond's group).

A ten-minute break followed.

The Consent Calendar was considered next, and all items passed with the recommended actions. There was a supportive comment on the item relating to CEMEX mining legislation (Congressman Buck McKeon’s umpteenth attempt to legislatively resolve CEMEX's plan to mine sand and gravel in our river wash), and Marsha McLean also made a comment in support of the League of California Cities ballot measure to keep the State from taking City money.

During Public Participation, Alan Ferdman announced that City Council candidates would be introducing themselves and answering questions at upcoming Canyon Country Advisory Committee Meetings. Johnny Pride, the candidate who appeared on a network TV dating show wearing nothing but speedos, is even scheduled to make an appearance; his planned attire has not yet been announced. Two men from Castaic/Hasley Hills also said that they want to annex into Santa Clarita. We'll think about it.

[1]Masterly!

[2]The Agenda

[3]Here is the much-hyped bicycle

Happenings: Meeting

2009-12-08T18:59:00.001-08:00

I am sorry that I will be unable to elaborate on the short but eventful CC meeting that just concluded. The new Mayor who says "aye" and new MPT McLean shall be discussed later.

Happenings: Movies, Mosaics, and McLeanisms

2009-11-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s City Council meeting wasn’t just two-and-a-half hours long; it was a long two-and-a-half-hours. Even worse, it was an unnecessarily long two-and-a-half-hours, riddled as it was with minutiae about air-conditioning units, plastic bag recycling promotions, and islands in Special Standards Districts. There was a whole lot of nothing obscuring the few moderately important things that happened.

The evening got off to a bad start with individual reports from council members. Councilmember Laurie Ender talked about a serious food shortage facing all of the local food pantries. She recommended that when you go to the market to “get a couple extra of everything” and drop said extras off to benefit the needy. Councilmember Bob Kellar spoke about trees. He applauded the Festival of Trees and looked forward to the HMNMH Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Kellar next spoke about a recent tour of the site that is to become a major studio complex for Disney. While there, he learned of a possible, significant change to LA County Fire Department's policies. Ken Striplin elaborated. Apparently, any film set or structure that would be standing for more than 180 days would be considered “permanent” and require more inspections and code compliance than is typical for sets. Though temporary for all intents and purposes, the structures would need official inspections before they could be used, require high-capacity fire sprinklers, and be subject to standards that would make filming in Los Angeles much less convenient and far more expensive. Kellar called the plan a “job-killer” that would drive even more productions outside of California. With five movie ranches in Santa Clarita, the Council agreed to oppose this plan at an approaching December 10 meeting of stakeholders. It seems that LA Fire Department Chief Freeman will have the final say.

Councilmember Marsha McLean had a lot to say during her turn, as usual. After talking about reusable grocery bags for the umpteenth time in as many meetings, she moved onto her second favorite subject, the League of California Cities. The League will push for a ballot measure to protect City money from being used to balance the State budget. McLean went on to say that when she speaks with people from other cities at League meetings, “They are so jealous of our city!” with its balanced budget and thriving economy. Finally, she described some rather bizarre events that will be taking place in Old Town Newhall. There will be a dance at the Senior Center ("Ach! My hip replacement's acting up!") and “Cowboys and Carols” at the Hart Mansion in early December. The latter event takes place in Hart’s living room. Those who have taken the tour know the living room is big but not “that” big, so you may want to buy your $20 ticket early if cowboys and carols are your thing.

Once the Redevelopment Agency meeting was convened, it was time for some real business. There was a recommendation to dole out $199,200 to an architectural firm “for the purposes of providing conceptual architectural design and an economic feasibility analysis for the southeast quadrant of the Newhall Gateway area.” There were a number of things wrong with this proposed action. First, the land in question is privately held, but public redevelopment funds would pay for the study. Second, the City’s rationale for the study is little more than that it’s an important piece of land, so the land should be developed in line with its (i.e., Pulskamp et al.’s) vision. Third, the developer of the project already has an appointment over an appeal scheduled for December 8^th. In light of the third problem, Mayor Ferry asked if it would make sense to wait until December 8^th. This was the eventual course of action, but one not taken until Marsha McLean voiced concerns over the actions of the developer (he was apparently saying one thing at the meeting, another over the phone). Laurie Ender said that it would be a mistake to not spend $200,000 as the beauty of the Newhall Gateway Development may make-or-break Old Town Newhall’s long-term success.

On the Consent Calendar, nothing of much importance was approved. Particularly unimportant was approval of a conceptual proposed art project for the student group “Visions in Progress.” Mayor Ferry called twelve high school students from VIP to come forward and introduce themselves. They spoke about their plans to have a mosaic art installation created. From the agenda, it seems the goal of this mosaic will be “to help the individual be part of the community, and help the community allow the individual to be part of it; therefore, celebrating the dignity and worth of the individual.” We don’t yet know much this nonsense will cost taxpayers.

Two public hearings followed. The City Council was happy to make a Special Standards District for Happy Valley. Plans for such a distinction have been tossed around for at least a decade, and the SSD seemed popular with the vast majority of residents. Manny Santana was the only speaker to voice concerns, stating that he didn’t want his future development plans threatened. It was explained, however, that the Special Standards District wouldn’t do anything to prohibit development but rather require that the character of future developments be compatible with the character of the community.

The second public hearing began with a staff presentation that took the better part of

forever. The hearing concerned changing a piece of property on Oak Ridge Drive currently zoned “industrial” to “commercial neighborhood”. This would allow the developer to put in a commercial center complete with restaurant, shops, medical offices, and 203 parking spots. During the presentation, we learned everything from the width of proposed versus conventional landscape buffers to the architectural styles that would be used to how a mitigated negative declaration had been arrived at. Several speakers came forward to voice concerns about how the project would impact traffic near the railroad and whether it was in the best spot for a commercial development. The matter that had Councilmember McLean talking the most, however, was the number and noisiness of air-conditioning units that would be installed. The architect and McLean talked about AC unit models, decibels, and modes of muffling noise until Mayor Ferry finally put his foot down and put the plan to a vote. The recommended action was taken--that is, the zone change will be passed to a second reading.

During New Business, Laurie Ender was nominated to serve on the governing board of the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments. Both Laurene Weste and Marsha McLean were eager to serve as her alternate, and Ferry decided with the flip of a coin (yes, that's correct) that Weste would play back-up. Councilmember McLean was not too pleased, saying that the role of alternate would complement the many other offices she holds, but admitted that one can’t do everything.

The last item on the Agenda was consideration of increasing compensation for City Council members. Rarely has a group of people been so eager to reject a raise. Thus, the City Council serving in 2010 will be paid the same $1,571.67 per month that the present members of the City Council receive.

Finally, it was time for Public Participation, and Cam Noltemeyer expressed the cynicism we’ve come to love and expect from her. Most interesting, I thought, was her discussion of the political capacity that the new SCV Economic Development Corporation plans to have. She feared that this could lead to campaign contributions rewarding the very CC members that had voted to fund the corporation. TimBen Boydston, making his four-hundredth comment of the evening, closed the meeting by reading some rousing words from George Washington about Thanksgiving.

Speaking of which, Happy Thanksgiving.

[1]Here's the long agenda

Happenings: What's $200,000 Between Friends?

2009-11-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s City Council meeting was all about one ungainly acronym: SCVEDC, the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation[1]. The SCVEDC inspired a kind of passionate devotion rarely seen in City Hall, and—based on the comments made tonight—it is probably the single most important institution that Santa Clarita has ever had the high privilege to call its own.

Of course, there were a few matters of lesser significance to deal with first.

The meeting got rolling with recognition of students who are part of Valencia High School’s “Circle of Friends.” This circle is meant to spread “compassion, inclusion, and acceptance” from typical students to their special education peers. More than 300 students have participated. It seems that 10% of the school really wanted to befriend special ed. kids, but it was only when the “Circle of Friends” program began that they found a way to actualize this ambition. What formerly went unrecognized—when that rare, wonderful student went out of his or her way to be friendly with special education students—has now been formalized into an activity well-suited for gracing college applications. But it’s rude to presume what motivates these volunteers, so let us instead accept the happy presumption that empathy has grown exponentially amongst the high school set.

Individual reports from the City Council ranged from mundane to very mundane. Councilmember Bob Kellar announced that the City of Santa Clarita is part of a “California Green Community” environmental competition of sorts. The Environmental Media Association is sponsoring this rather vague, feel-goodsy contest about which Kellar said “I’m looking forward to the day we win by-golly.” Councilmember Laurie Ender described what sounded like a ridiculous bus trip to promote the Think SCV (i.e., shop locally) campaign. Far more amusing were details about her approaching arm-wrestling match to benefit the SCV Youth Project[2]. Councilmember Marsha McLean commented on the I-5/14 interchange project, noting it won’t be completed until 2012. Mayor Pro-Tem Laurene Weste congratulated City staff on running a successful, well-organized marathon and described a successful first meeting about where to locate the City’s much-needed Materials Recycling Facility.

After these comments, the whole consent calendar was passed with the recommended actions and without comment. The more significant items were to fund the April election, accept grants for “Click It or Ticket” and sobriety checkpoint programs, and to express official partnership with the 2010 Census.

Next, it was time for the City Council to nominate members for the new Arts Commission. Councilmember Bob Kellar’s role in supporting the formation of such a commission was lauded by Mayor Ferry and public speaker TimBen Boydston (though McLean made sure to mention that she had the original idea). The Kellarisms kept coming as he described his excitement. “I’m rah-rah boom-boom when it comes to this commission,” he began. “Holy mackerel, what a list of talent!” he exclaimed when describing all of the qualified applicants for just five spots on the commission, continuing “Sweet Lord! I wish we had twenty slots.” The nominations/appointments were, in order awarded:

*Kellar nominated John Dow, President and Marketing Director of the Santa Clarita Symphony
*Ender nominated Eric Schmidt, part of the Santa Clarita Master Chorale Founders Circle and successful freelance composer
*McLean nominated Dr. Michael Millar, music industry professional, lecturer, and former Director of Santa Clarita Symphony
*Weste nominated Paul Strickland, who has 30 years of experience in animation and credits Weste found too numerous to mention
*Ferry nominated Sandra Fisher, 2-yr president of the Santa Clarita Artists' Association and artist using multiple visual mediums

Of course, Ferry spoiled the nomination of Fisher by saying that he was having trouble deciding between two well-qualified candidates but ultimately went with Fisher because “I do think this commission could use a woman on there.” Unlike his fellow members of City Council, he didn’t really describe her resume or review her achievements, but rather pointed out that she had two X chromosomes that would balance an otherwise XY-dominated board.

The enthusiasm inspired by officially kicking off the Arts Commission only grew when the City moved onto the last and most important bit of new business, “Support for Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC).”

It was immediately clear that this matter was important as City Manager Ken Pulskamp decided to talk things up himself, rather than leaving the presentation to a staff member. He described the wonderful things that a non-profit EDC could do and introduced the word “duplicative,” as in, the EDC won’t duplicate the functions of other business-promoting organizations but rather complement or integrate such efforts. (This idea was to be as popular as it is silly). He said the City was proposing giving the EDC $50,000 to start and another $50,000 with the stipulation of being matched by LA County funds.

A number of speakers—a veritable “who’s who?” of SCV business—came forward to express their hope that the City contribute financial support to the EDC.

The first few speakers were supportive in generic terms, but soon David Gauny introduced the idea that the City should give the EDC $200,000, not the maximum $100,000 proposed under “recommended action” on the Agenda. Speakers that followed Gauny echoed him, including Don Fleming (FLEMWATCH alert!) and the well-known, strangely intense Larry Rasmussen, who said anything less than $200,000 just wouldn’t work for the EDC. A couple of speakers said that the Economic Development Corporation would help Santa Clarita with the most important issue of the day, “Jobs, jobs, jobs!”

I can’t imagine that it was a surprise to the City Council that the EDC Board of Directors wanted $200,000, not $100,000. It’s inept at best, deceptive at worst that the City agendized the item as it did with funding coming in two chunks of $50,000, not the $200,000 that everyone seemed to really want. Either way it’s not “a lot” of money by City standards, but $200,000 might have garnered more opposition.

Laurie Ender did an excellent job of pointing out the faults of this dearly beloved plan. After noting that the agenda didn’t accurately reflect the amount of money that the EDC Board really wanted, she reminded the City Council that the money comes from taxpayers and that “It’s not my money to spend.” She argued that since more than $1.6 million dollars is being spent on internal economic development efforts by the City, it was difficult to accept that more money was needed to support a group that would also focus on economic development. She said “Duplication of efforts” would be a “huge concern for me.”

Bob Kellar came next and chose not to respond to Ender’s perfectly rational objections but rather to make an emotional appeal. He described his real estate business and working with people who cried and were losing their jobs. His emotion was very deep and real—probably too deep to discuss this item dispassionately. He essentially wanted carte blanche for the SCV Economic Development Corporation, suggesting that they receive $200,000 without restrictions. The EDC, he claimed, would do so, so much to help working Claritans through these harrowing times; it was almost as if he transferred miraculous powers to the EDC, praying “Lord Mercy, help our families survive.” Kellar thought that the EDC’s board (which includes Bill Kennedy, John Shaffery, Dianne Van Hook, Larry Rasmussen, Don Fleming, and—eventually—Ken Pulskamp) was beyond reproach and shouldn’t be hindered with things like specific points of accountability. This marks one of the rare instances where I just couldn’t get behind what Kellar was saying—at all.

McLean countered Kellar, saying that SCV’s conservative spending has kept the City safe and in the black. Thus, she wasn’t overly-eager to just hand over a lump of money. Further, she said that she had no problem asking for a “return on our investment” in the form of the deliverables and other stipulations Kellar found so distasteful.

Mayor Ferry resolved things by taking something of a middle (but more Kellar-esque) road. He proposed that the SCVEDC receive $75,000 from the City plus another $125,000 in matching funds, which were all but guaranteed to come from the County and local businesses. Both McLean and Ender relented, expressing support for the idea in principle but serious concerns that the EDC would be getting money to do something that the City and other groups already do. To me, it seemed this is exactly what happened. All five members voted to lend the SCVEDC the monetary support, to which Kellar responded “Can I give a big thank you to everybody? This is huge!”

Call me old-fashioned, but I find the unending love-fest between businesses and the City something between tiresome and troubling. But it’s a fact of life in Santa Clarita, one there is no getting around. So now a man who runs a car dealership in Santa Clarita will be partially in charge of how money from the City will support local businesses that in turn support the City. It's dizzying.

With this, the meeting ended; there were no public comments.

[1] Agenda
[2]Fun fact: she is left-handed.

Happenings: City Buys a Block

2009-10-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

Mayor Frank Ferry was not present for tonight’s meeting, so Mayor Pro-Tem Laurene Weste took the center seat at the dais. As is usually the case, the manner in which the city (mis)spends its residents' money was the primary topic for this evening’s speakers[1].

As most of Santa Clarita is unaware, there’s an election coming next week. Voters inhabiting the various unincorporated areas around the City proper (I call these people “others” or "hostiles", à la Lost) will have a chance to admit on a ballot that annexing into the City of Santa Clarita is their dearest ambition. Having these others annex into the City of Santa Clarita also appears to be the hope of Councilmember Laurie Ender. Indeed, during her invocation, Ender extolled the many virtues of self-governance. In light of a recent event honoring our City’s first leaders, she said of Santa Clarita “I couldn’t think of a better example of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Though she couldn’t (and didn’t) officially advocate for the annexation option, her message was clear: hooray for local governance.

After the flag salute, the dreaded Awards/Recognition/Presentations part of the agenda arrived. In the long-held tradition of giving minor causes minor recognition in hopes of eliciting major participation, Councilmember Marsha McLean announced support for Heal the Bay’s “Day without a Bag” coming in December. As an alternative to plastic bags, she suggested going to one of our local markets to purchase reusable grocery bags which are “really nice looking cute little bags, and they’re only 99 cents!” Next, Laurene Weste recognized City employees for their excellent work in marketing and communications. The City-County Communications & Marketing Association gave many awards to Santa Clarita for achievements like “Guide to Opening a Small Business in Santa Clarita” and the Extreme Neighborhood Makeover program. Apparently, Santa Clarita won more awards than any other city in the country. Gail Ortiz, Jason Crawford and their teeming minions came forward for a photo and applause.

Next came a series of perhaps over-reactionary announcements from City Manager Ken Pulskamp. He described a meeting that was held with the residents of the Bonelli Tract in Saugus; you may recall that these were the people who were very upset about aggressive code enforcement in their older community. Skampy said that the City would “terminate proactive enforcement for the Bonelli area," put a hold on demands set forth in recent citations, and continue to communicate with residents until some resolution was reached. I think the City could have just gotten a nicer code enforcement officer and given people more time to comply, but oh well.

In an apparent attempt to wash away any impression that the City was bullying homeowners to comply with code, he then showed a clip that aired recently on KCAL-9[2]. It was a complete puff piece about Santa Clarita’s Extreme Neighborhood Makeover program which tries to “work with those who want to get their homes cleaned up.” In an example that would be hilarious if it wasn’t so shockingly absurd, the news reporter visited Barbara Post, a Santa Clarita woman who was cited by the City for having a brown lawn. She asked the City for help fixing the problem and was referred to Pastor Gary Parker of Desert Springs Church. He and his flock helped repair Post’s sprinklers and replant her lawn. That’s right, the faithful assembled not to feed the hungry or comfort the sick but to improve curb appeal. This is what charity looks like in Santa Clarita: helping a woman increase her landscape’s aesthetic value.

Is it wise to exahust community social capital on lawns? Click on the picture to be taken to the video.

From individual councilmembers came announcements and updates of little of interest.

Then the redevelopment agency convened. Up for discussion was the purchase of a whole block on Lyons Avenue, the neighbor of the block that will host Old Town Newhall’s much-hyped library. The cost was a mere $6.2 million.

First to address the planned purchase was TimBen Boydston who found it “somewhat disturbing” that there were six million dollars available to acquire property but not enough money to complete that streetscaping in Old Town Newhall. Cam Noltemeyer came forward to continue with the criticism, focusing in particular on the fact that the City would be paying some half-a-million dollars more than the property’s appraised value. She noted that the present owners were in a considerable amount of debt on the property and asked, “Why don’t you pick it up in foreclosure?”, adding that the commercial real estate collapse is just now picking up steam. Finally, Mimi Hiller, the owner of Cookbooks Plus, came forward to express support for more streetscaping as a priority and drew attention to the troubles (and hopes) of the local businesses.
City Staff responded to the first concern raised by saying that the money to be spent on acquiring the property came from a different source than money that could be used for streetscaping. Councilmember Bob Kellar re-emphasized this point, noting neighborhood stabilization funding from the State of California and other sources was to be used to get the property. As for why the City was over-paying for it by half a mil, a satisfactory answer was not really given. The City defended its actions in the Agenda with the argument that “the note holders on the property are not motivated sellers” and with the following: “Given the block’s proximity to the future Newhall Public Library site and its location in relation to the overall revitalization of Old Town Newhall, staff is of the opinion that the acquisition of this block can provide the Agency with a variety of opportunities to potentially seek quality development of this area.” In short, the City will pay far more than what the property is worth because it really, really wants it. Indeed, we heard that the chance to buy and control the fate of a whole block was a rare and wonderful opportunity. Even Ken Pulskamp seemed very moderately excited, which is exceptional. The purchase was “yessed” through with Laurene Weste recusing herself from the vote.

As for the regular Consent Calendar, Item 11 was a point of contention. Its recommended action was for the City Council to approve a feasibility study on the need for banquet and conference facilities in Santa Clarita.

Several Claritans came forward to comment on this topic. A story of development favoritism quickly began to emerge. Several speakers pointed out that the need for more conference space (actually a proper convention center, which is quite different from a conference center, apparently) in Santa Clarita was a foregone conclusion. It was suggested that the proposed study was for the benefit of the planned Sheraton, which some had criticized a few weeks ago for not providing enough conference space to balance out the competition it would present to extant hotels. The area between the proposed Sheraton and the Hyatt would be the presumptive home of a new conference center, and it would be a boon to business for both hotels. This helped explain why the Sheraton’s developer, the Packard Companies, was going to pay half the cost of the feasibility study and why they had been party to formal, closed-door talks with the City about the idea of bringing a conference facility to Santa Clarita. Neither of the City Council challengers (Boydston and Gauny) were pleased with the idea. Cam Noltemeyer (whom I have missed) also thought the study amounted to a ridiculous favor to Packard at taxpayer expense.

When it came time for the City Council to respond, Laurie Ender and Marsha McLean tried to argue that the feasibility study was completely separate from the issue of the proposed Sheraton Hotel. They, along with City Manager Ken Pulskamp, said that the initial part of the study would just look at the need for conference space in Santa Clarita, later looking to suitable locations throughout all of Santa Clarita without any particular bias or favoritism for one location. Of course, the agenda item made the City’s intentions clear:

“…all stakeholders were in agreement that a feasibility study is the next step to obtain a third party expert analysis, examine the recommended size of the banquet/conference facility, and identify possible sites for the property.

Preliminary discussions have included the possibility of the banquet/conference facility residing on the property between the Hyatt Regency and the proposed Sheraton hotel. However, alternative locations may be considered in the Town Center/Civic Center area. Following this meeting, The Packard Companies (developers of the proposed Sheraton hotel) agreed to jointly commission the first phase of the study with the City of Santa Clarita.”

In short, Packard’s money was not being given altruistically, and the intent of the initial study (to use $10,000 in tax-payer dollars to help pave the way for a conference center that would benefit the proposed Sheraton) seemed implicit to many public speakers.

Laurie Ender wisely motioned to have staff rewrite the proposal, and her motion carried.

Next there was a very brief public hearing. The Child & Family Center will use money from the sale of bonds to help build a community mental health clinic. There was a brief round of applause for the CFC which, observed Kellar, does many fine things in Santa Clarita.

After the hearing, Mayor Pro-Tem Laurene Weste prematurely said “And we are out at five to eight”, until she was reminded of Public Participation and let out a defeated sigh-groan noise. The Public Participation comments were as follows:

1. “Old ladies” are apparently happy with the City’s proactive approach to code enforcement.
2. A homeowner was charged $655 in penalties for his malfunctioning alarm, which was triggered four times in a 24-hour period when a motion sensor went out. He wanted the fees for law enforcement response waived.
3. Boydston came forward yet again. He did a bit of self-promotion by thanking the City for responding to the Bonelli residents, people who had sought out Boydston to help them get the City’s attention. McLean politely but sternly replied that the City was already helping address the concerns of those very residents and that the City was very responsive despite a certain speaker’s implications to the contrary.

And then it all ended.

[1]Here’s the agenda.
[2]The clip

Happenings: Bonelli Brouhaha: Bullying Prompts City Apology

2009-10-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s meeting was of the “Surprise City Hall, You Effed Up” variety[1]. That is, the City Council coasted easily through presentations and the Consent Calendar only to be ambushed by angry homeowners during Public Participation. While this meeting format is usually reserved for those upset by traffic changes, the speakers this evening were deeply distressed about code enforcement in their Bonelli Tract homes. Many mentioned encountering serious problems with Daniel Rivas, a City Community Preservation Officer, whose intimidating tactics and threats over code violations drove some to tears. But before we dissect the case against Rivas, it would be prudent to discuss the events preceding the Bonelli brouhaha.

Laurie Ender got the ball rolling by reading a proclamation to make October and November the months for Breast Cancer Awareness and Ending Domestic Violence, respectively. Local members of Soroptimist International have been championing these important issues for women[2], and several were recognized for their dedication and campaigns like “Color Me Pink and Purple.” All parties steered clear of mentioning the recent and unfortunate political side of the domestic violence issue, and the recognition portion of the evening ended as it always does--with smiling faces beneath the City’s seal and a camera's flash.

Next, the City Council received an update from Steve Cole, chair of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Committee (formerly the “Drought Committee”). Cole was glowingly optimistic about local water supplies, summing up the status of H2O in SCV with “It could be worse.” He said that good groundwater supplies, water banking, and an 11% reduction in water use since last year have allowed Claritans to forgo mandatory water rationing.

Councilmember Marsha McLean got the individual reports portion of the meeting off to a rousing start. She delivered “the best, most exciting news” first, namely: AB 110 was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger[3]. The bill allows Elesmere Canyon to be included in the Santa Monica Mountain Agency’s “Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor”, affording the canyon protection from development. This brings more relief to those who fought against the proposal to turn picturesque Elesmere Canyon into a landfill, a fight that began more than two decades ago. There goes what would have been a great spot for a MRF.

Other councilmember comments went by in an indistinct auditory blur, but Laurie Ender’s remarks were a treat. After mentioning improvements made in Old Town Newhall, Ender described dining with a friend there. Apparently, Ender’s friend was very surprised to learn that there was “a nice Mexican Restaurant” (El Trocadero) in Newhall. It’s hard to believe that there are people who wouldn’t expect great restaurants to complement the amazing art, wonderful shops, and vibrant culture that make Old Town Newhall the major destination that it is. Perhaps the new library will encourage such people to spend even more time getting to know Newhall.

When we moved onto the Consent Calendar, two items were devoted to open space acquisition and improvement. Those who read this blog doubtless read J-to-the-Wilson’s SCVTalk, where you may review information on a property-to-be-acquired as open space along with some interesting comments[4]. Essentially, it's a 10-acre parcel of nothing in the middle of Placerita/Quigley Canyon. It's neither a big piece of land nor a particularly pretty one nor very much in line with creating a greenbelt; it just connects some larger open space areas. The only comment made at tonight’s meeting on the subject came from Valerie Thomas on behalf of the Placerita Canyon Property Owners Association. She thanked the City for spending the better part of one million dollars ($615,000, to be precise) for the late Phil Rawlins' property[5]. She said it would have meant a lot to Rawlins and means a lot to those in Placerita Canyon that there is now more open space. Curiously, no one else in Santa Clarita came to say thank you.

The other items on the Consent Calendar passed with the recommended actions. These included a $105,000 pool chemicals contract and adoption of the stormwater pollution prevention fee adjustment.

Though not yet 7:00 p.m., the meeting appeared to be ready to end. But when Mayor Ferry gathered a thick stack of speaker cards for Public Participation and said he would be calling speakers forward three at a time, it was clear that the meeting was far from over.

The first speaker suggested thinking about Stevenson Ranch annexation as if it was a novel idea. (City Manager Ken Pulskamp would quietly respond that the speaker would have a chance to vote on that very matter in about three weeks). Speaker the second, Nadine Teter, said that the Canyon Country Advisory Committee would be extending invitations to all City Council candidates to address the CCAC, a great honor indeed. Next, Bill Kennedy announced plans for the SCV Economic Development Corporation. In an eye-roll-elicitng analogy, Kennedy explained that the corporation would be the wingman to pilot City of Santa Clarita. They would support each other in trying to grow business in Santa Clarita. An audible sigh of relief escaped the audience at this announcement. At long last, there will be a group looking out for business in the SCV. Given the importance of the SCV Economic Development Corporation, its development will be agendized and discussed soon.

The next thirteen speakers all had one thing on their mind, and it wasn’t an economic development corporation. They were homeowners from the Bonelli Tract, the neighborhood around Soledad and Santa Clarita Roads, who had been the victims of a code enforcement blitz. Beginning around the time of Extreme Neighborhood Makeovers, residents began receiving harshly worded letters that they were violating the City’s Unified Development Code concerning driveway width, fencing materials, lawn maintenance, and other landscaping matters of grave importance. It’s an old neighborhood, built long before the codes it presently violates were even written. The codes had never been enforced before, and many seemed inappropriate for the community.

But they were suddenly enforced with great zeal by a certain Daniel Rivas, City Community Preservation Officer. By all accounts, Rivas is a most unpleasant person to deal with, driving three speakers to tears as they delivered their statements about him and his department. Here are some lowlights:

1. A woman said Daniel Rivas took pictures of her driveway without even introducing himself and threatened to put a lien on her home if she and her husband didn’t comply with code.

2. Another woman said that a member of code enforcement (whom she would later identify as Rivas) told her “the front yard looked like crap” and threatened a lien and jail time if she didn’t pave the driveway. After paving the driveway, he told her there was now too much concrete and instructed her to reduce the amount, all of this at considerable personal expense.

3. A middle-aged man said Rivas “has no compassion whatsoever.” He said that he has“a lot to learn,” and complained about being targeted for having weeds in his lawn.

4. In the most troubling comment, a man came forward to describe how Rivas told him that he needed to fix up his yard. As he got into his story, he began to cry and a neighbor had to step in and finish reading his written comments for him. You see, the man’s mother and mother-in-law both died within weeks of one another, and when he asked Rivas for more time in light of these tragic losses, his plea “fell on deaf ears.”

In a word, YIKES. These are all allegations, obviously, but it seems reasonable to accept the consensus that emerges from many statements based on many separate interactions with Rivas. Whether Rivas is an asshole by nature or because his superior told him to take an extremely unyielding and insulting approach to code enforcement is unclear, but one hopes he will be relieved of these duties with due haste.

City Manager Ken Pulskamp did the best he could to address these concerns. Pulskamp sincerely apologized to the Bonelli Tract residents and said that the treatment they had received was not in keeping with the City of SC’s values and policies. He regretted that “our approach is perceived as heavy-handed” and hoped to better “balance community preservation and property rights.” He also said that the driveway codes weren’t/wouldn’t be enforced. He had to repeat this assurance to quiet a skeptical reaction from the audience.

Councilmember Bob Kellar also apologized on behalf of the City, which garnered applause. Laurene Weste said the City needed to be more sensitive and accommodating in its codes, especially for older neighborhoods. Laurene also said she was sorry. It was an unprecedented chorus of apologies, and Pulskamp directed that the City staff meet with the affected residents and take care of the issues raised after the meeting.

And so it ended.

[1]This distinction was not made in the agenda, which you may review here.!
[2]And men, too, since there are about 2,000 cases of male breast cancer diagnosed every year according to the American Cancer Society.
[3]Read more about Cameron Smyth's bill here.
[4]SCVTalk's page on this; read especially the comments
[5]He was a stuntman and director in Westerns, and has a star on the Western Walk of Fame

Personal Ad: Pet Seeks Forever Home

2009-09-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Many people find it nicer to see animals alive and happy in homes than alone and frightened in animal shelters. As one such person, I have decided to post information on an up-coming pet fair put on by a wonderful local 501(c) 3 organization:

Annual Bow-Wows & Meows Pet Fair (<-- click for link)
Sunday, October 11th, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Enjoy a beautiful day at William S. Hart Park in Newhall. Meet over 70 vendors of pet-related supplies and services, plus take part in a raffle, eat yummy people food, play in the "kidz zone," watch fun demonstrations, meet an animal photographer and a pet psychic, take advantage of the low-cost vaccine clinic - and of course – cross “paws” with lots of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens from all six LA County Animal Shelters that are available for adoption and in search of their forever homes! Admission is free; 661-297-5961 for more info.

Happenings: 49 Minutes in City Hall

2009-09-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

I missed the first few minutes of tonight’s meeting in order to finish watching Sunday’s episode of Mad Men[1]. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sufficiently tardy to be spared the spectacle that is awards-and-recognitions[2]. Tonight, there was just one rather drawn-out acknowledgement extended to the judges serving the Community Court Diversion Program. As explained on the City’s website:

In 2006, the Santa Clarita Community Court Diversion Program was implemented as an alternative to the juvenile justice system for first-time, non-violent, juvenile offenders. Juvenile offenders who commit non-violent petty crimes are sentenced by a judge to perform community service, make restitution, attend diversion classes, and pay financial penalties. If the juvenile completes the program, their crime does not go on their record. The program was started to help first-time offenders learn from their mistakes, and to ensure that youth perform their community service and pay their restitution here in Santa Clarita where their crime was committed. [3]

The system handles cases that range from illegal U-turns to vandalism to speeding to possession of drugs or alcohol.

It seems to me that the Community Court Diversion Program was devised by well-intentioned but naïve persons who believe in the fairy tales of “good kids who make bad choices” and “teens in need of a second chance”, people who forget how easily most students can muster a seemingly sincere apology to avoid a mark on their record or harsher punishment outside of SCV.

I very much encourage you to visit the program’s web page[3]. Try the “Stats & Testimonials” section where there is an excerpt from a 13 year-old girl who was in possession of marijuana. She wrote “I have learned my lesson.” Then there’s the 16 year-old boy who wrote “I am going to make sure that I am the safest driver on the road from now on.” In the immortal acronym of their generation, LOL.

[NOTE: I was just talking about this program with my little sister. She reminded me that she served as one of the student “jurors” on such a case some years ago--prior to the current program, but essentially operating on the same idea. She contended that the student jury was very harsh, issuing the maximum penalties for a student who committed vandalism with a Sharpie, writing his name on a school bench. Apparently, he was “cute and popular” and the jury was, well, less so, explaining their enthusiasm for harsh sentencing. This gave me hope that we could count on the ruthlessness of peer-issued punishments to balance out the baseless optimism at the heart of the court diversion program. Alas, the judge had the final say and issued a more lenient punishment.]

Next, the City Council's five esteemed members gave their individual reports to the community. Councilmember Laurie Ender talked about the annual League of California Cities Conference that she attended with Councilmember Marsha McLean. One of the conference highlights was a presentation on the role of libraries in economic development. (Can I write LOL twice in one posting?) Ender thought this subject was “ironic” given that Santa Clarita is building its very own new library[4]. Once the library opens, Ender would do well to visit it, obtain a dictionary, and reevaluate her understanding of the word “irony.”[5]

Councilmember Kellar spoke about a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new ion exchange system. The Castaic Lake Water Agency will use it to treat perchlorate, our valley’s favorite persistent aqueous pollutant. This is a lovely development, but perhaps we should ease up on the ribbon cuttings. Overuse dulls the giant ceremonial scissors, and an exorbitant ribbon budget is hard to justify in these trying times.

Attention then shifted to Councilmember McLean who, as usual, had a lot of county- and state-level matters to discuss. She expressed concern about the progress and direction of the California’s high-speed train project: it’s not as far along as some have suggested and current plans may need to be revised to incorporate the most cutting-edge, environmentally-friendly technology. She was decidedly more pleased with the League of California City’s resolution to close loopholes that have allowed that State to take money from cities. These are the very loopholes that legislators used to take about $3M from Santa Clarita to close the California’s budget hole, and they'll be voted on by the People at a future election.

Mayor Pro-Tem Laurene Weste made a few announcements about the upcoming Native American Powwow at Hart Park and open space dedication near Placerita Canyon Park.

Finally, Mayor Ferry decided to give his time to LA County Fire Department Assistant Chief (I think I got that title right) Johnny Jee. Ferry’s preface was a very entertaining riff on being stuck with an unfortunate name. He said that he was teased for having the last named “Ferry” and suggested that Sheriff Captain Anthony LaBerge “bulks up” because of his delicate surname. In contrast, Ferry found Johnny Jee’s name—pronounced like “Johnny G.”--downright awesome and perfect for someone in the fire department. This was actually all more interesting than Jee’s speech introducing himself and giving some updates.

During the actual business of the meeting, essentially everything on the consent calendar passed with the recommended action and without discussion. These included measures for additional geological testing and inspections at the Sports Complex, acceptance of a project of traffic circulation improvements, and some ratifications of City Manager Ken Pulskamp’s actions regarding American Recovery and Reinvestment Act cash that will go to big road improvement projects.

There was exactly one person who made one comment on one item, and I’ll give you one guess as to who that person was. You’re right! Mr. Alan Ferdman came forward to comment on Item 10, which declared results of the landscape maintenance district vote. The voters overwhelmingly approved assessment changes and some modifications of various landscape maintenance district zones. Ferdman said that the City hadn’t made basic, critical information about the changes available such that people couldn’t really know what they were voting on. Unfortunately, this is one of those items that hasn’t captured sustained public interest, the kind that only traffic issues seem to be able to garner. Thus, Ferdman was more or less alone in his crusade tonight. The City Council responded to his concerns rather curtly, asking someone from City staff to talk with Ferdman after the meeting. And suddenly, we moved to Public Participation.

There were three speakers. Guy #1 said he thought it would be a good idea to do away with compact parking spaces to accommodate the bigger cars beloved by Claritans. Guy #2 said he had been bothered by an over-zealous code enforcement agent who was trying to get him to bring his front yard into line with some code that had remained unenforced for twenty years. He mentioned that the code enforcement agent told him he would need to green up his lawn, and when he mentioned that local water agencies recommended conserving water, the agent responded by saying that his agency had nothing to do with water districts (essentially instructing the property owner to water his grass more, conservation-be-damned). Guy #2 had an ambiguous accent and was old, which gave him instant credibility: could his story about oppressive code enforcement and being told to water despite supply restrictions be true? Finally, Guy #3 came forward to represent the community of Belcaro. He thanked the City for trying to help his neighborhood resolve the issue of too-big, too-ugly transmission towers that were erected near their homes by Southern California Edison. Since SoCal Edison proved unresponsive, he said that 43 residents would be filing a lawsuit against the company for damages.

Despite my voluminous ramblings, tonight’s meeting was a quickie and ended at 6:49. All in all, I preferred my hour investment in Mad Men to that in this meeting.

[1] “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency”…but he doesn’t walk out! The best episode of the third season of a damn fine show.
[2]Do you crave an agenda? You’re in luck.
[3]Divert this
[4]J-to-the-Wilson has a rendering and links at SCVTalk
[5]"Irony is one of the most abused words in the English language," said my 11th grade English teacher. "Serendipitous", "fitting", "coincidental", or "timely" might have been better choices in this case.
[6]Here is Ferdman’s neglected Item 10.

Happenings: A Sheraton Shame and City Bus Blues

2009-09-08T23:34:00.000-07:00

6:14pm
FERRY: “Good evening everyone, how are you?”
IHSCV: “Annoyed that you’re late again and that you put so many public hearings on the agenda.”
FERRY: “…”

On this eighth night of the ninth month of the year 2009, the honorable Mayor Ferry invoked the Santa Clarita City Council Meeting[1] by telling the Japanese fable of “The House of a Thousand Mirrors.” In the story, a happy little dog trotted into the mirrored house wagging his tail. He looked around to see 1000 other little dogs wagging their tails back at him and decided that he would come back to the happy place often. A second little dog entered the same house, but he was ill-tempered. Upon seeing 1000 other little dogs growling back at his own growling face, he decided never to come back. The moral is one well worth remembering: keep dogs away from mirrors and Frank Ferry away from Japanese folklore.

After the flag salute and recognizing Brett Shields for saving some guy’s life (hooray!), City Manager Ken Pulskamp delivered a presentation to the City on the status of the “21-Point Business Plan for Progress”, SCV’s very own little stimulus plan. He claimed that the measures have been very successful, “having significant, positive effects on our local economy.” Tragically, this good news was tempered by the realization that Pulskamp would be going through updates on all 21 points of the plan, though he did so at a fairly brisk pace. Using unusually colorful language, K-Puls went on to say that business owners whom he and staff have interacted with have been “just elated” about the benefits of the various programs.

Updates from the five seated around the dais were given next. Councilmember Laurie Ender praised the recently held SCV Economic Summit as a “mini local think tank.” She also mentioned a memorial that would be held in Newhall for all those killed in the September 11th attacks. Councilmember Bob Kellar didn’t have much to say, so he applauded Pulskamp’s Plan for Progress and said “If you have a choice, shop local.” Councilmember McLean described how she went to a transportation meeting on the evening of her birthday (what a trooper!) and had gotten a big new idea for local public transportation. Mayor Pro-Tem Laurene Weste mentioned the approaching Santa Clara River Rally at the Newhall Community Center. Finally, Mayor Ferry touted recent ribbon cuttings (Magic Mountain Parkway, Old Town Newhall streetscape) and reminded us of various local benefits in need of patronage.

A very short Consent Calendar was passed without comment by Council or public. It really only consisted of approving some public transportation contracts and the results of the vote on restructured stormwater pollution prevention fees (76% of respondents were OK with the change).

Finally, we moved into the much dreaded realm of the public hearing. There were four on the agenda tonight. The first two hearings concerned landscape maintenance districts and sewer connections, respectively, and as might have been predicted, they elicited little interest.

The third public hearing formally opened up annexation talks betwixt the City of Santa Clarita and Crystal Springs. The first speaker from Crystal Springs was a gentleman who gave the impression that he and his neighbors all welcomed annexation, but the lady that followed him was against it, worrying about increased taxes and decreased property rights if her community became part of the City. There was no decisive action taken tonight, and the City will meet with residents to discuss annexation options more exhaustively.

The most contentious public hearing was reserved for last. It concerned an appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of the proposed Sheraton Hotel. At seven stories, the hotel would tower about 80 feet on the parcel where the Greens currently resides. The appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval was filed by the “Positive Solutions Association” on several grounds. Perhaps most notably, the association found it unacceptable that the developer had been issued a Mitigated Negative Declaration that spares them the scrutiny and expense of a full Environmental Impact Report.

Of course, the reasons to despise the proposed Sheraton Hotel went well beyond the fact that an EIR hadn’t been drafted for the massive project. Renderings show the new hotel will be ferociously unattractive, an even uglier version of the sprawling beige boxes currently found in the heart of town. Residents of the Woodlands community will have open views--for which they paid a premium—marred by the Sheraton, and several homeowners from the area said they worried about their property values if the hotel is indeed built. With only one entry to the hotel, many of the twenty speakers against the project mentioned their worries about increased traffic congestion on already congested McBean Parkway.

An architectural elevation of the proposed Sheraton. Blech.

Then there was the matter of whether there was a need for more rooms in SCV. A woman who works at the nearby Hyatt came forward during public comments to say that she and her coworkers had taken a 20% cut in pay and hours because of low occupancy rates. Hyatt manager Chris Aldieri restated her concerns and said that more banquet space was needed to drive hotel demand in the area, not just more rooms. Unfortunately, the proposed Sheraton would provide only about half of the 13,000-15,000 square feet that Aldieri and others said would be desirable. Though those from the Hyatt were obviously biased towards self-preservation, their point about generally low hotel occupancy rates seemed sincere.

Mayor Ferry asked the much-needed “If there’s no business in the area then why are they going to build a 200-room hotel?” sort of question, but no answer was given. I hope someone will respond to this question the next time the issue is brought up.

Finally, there were some concerns about the Kew Fault and the safety of the site. The fault was discovered during the Northridge earthquake and runs through the Greens property. I don’t know all the technical jargon, but what was essentially the no-build zone around the fault was recently moved 50 feet after some kind of geological reassessment. Conveniently, this move makes the proposed Sheraton possible. Woodland homeowners had been reassured (some said guaranteed) that the fault would prevent any building that might obstruct their views, but things seem to have changed in the applicant's favor. The situation made many at least a little suspicious.

Before all of the comments I’ve summarized were made, Jeff Lambert, the former-boss-who-still-has-friends-in-City-Planning argued for the project on behalf of Brisam Valencia LLC. His higher-pitched, at-times faltering voice was followed by the smooth baritone of Allan Cameron, who spoke on behalf of the appellants. During remarks for the appellants, several concerns about adequate public notice and the availability of requested materials from the City led City Attorney Carl Newton to suggest that the matter be continued to another date. This would give interested parties enough time to gather and review information. The City Council and speakers were all in favor of this, so there wasn’t a lot of debate tonight. Still, the CC had a chance to give some brief comments before more heated discussions that will surely follow. At first blush, it was clear that McLean wanted the developers to really consider the need for more banquet facilities, and Weste asked that the developer give some thought to mitigations for those in the Woodlands homes and to consider increasing banquet space at the hotel or in the immediate area. Kellar said he had some concerns as well, but did not elaborate. At least to me, it seems that the concerns aren't of the magnitude that will lead Councilmembers to vote no on the project. Still, Lambert has drawn his line in the sand saying he simply can't downscale the number of rooms in the project. With limited flexibility to make concessions to the City Council, we'll see how this plays out. I just hope to minimize the amount of time that I have too look at/listen to/think about J. Lambert.

In the end, a motion was made to continue the hearing to an indefinite date and that motion was unanimously approved.

Finally, we moved onto Public Participation. Linda Ejedawe said that she was troubled by safety issues with our city’s new(ish) bus company, MV Transit. Bus drivers, she claimed, were treated poorly and made to work long hours so that they were driving with little sleep. A bus driver named Victor came forward to echo her remarks, saying that 20 bus drivers, many of them experienced, were fired when MV took over driving City buses. He said their motivation was cutting costs, as the company saves $5 an hour when they employ bus drivers with little experience instead of bus drivers with a decade or more of experience. He also found working conditions stressful and generally unpleasant. Both speakers went to speak with City staff after their comments.

Finally, Alan Ferdman spoke up for civilized bikers at Route 56, but didn’t find a sympathetic ear.

Closing fun fact: when it comes to the “Route” in "Route 56", City Manager Ken Pulskamp appears to says “ROWT” instead of “ROOT.”

[1]Here's the agenda for you, dear reader--check out the item on the Sheraton for more renderings and details and such

New and Unimproved, Part I: Trader Joe's

2009-09-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

When the old Trader Joe’s closed its doors on August 28, there was a chance that things could get better. Alas, they have not. When I visited the new store on Saturday, what I found—apart from mini cookies and pineapple salsa—was unrealized potential. There is more stuff and space, to be sure, but the sole manifestation of Trader Joe’s in Santa Clarita has undergone a slight but unwelcome change in character.

As I strolled the new, expansive aisles of concrete stained a hideous shade of terra cotta, I found myself longing for the familiar embrace of the Cinema Park store with its maze-like aisles barely wide enough for two carts, oppressively low ceilings, and harshly industrial lighting. The comforting sense of claustrophilia I once experienced at TJ’s has given way to an uncomfortable sensation of agoraphobia. The slightly longer and wider aisles of the new store are entirely too accommodating. It’s as if they no longer have enough delicious things to fill the space, so a store that once spoke of overwhelming abundance has given way to one where emptiness plays a much larger role. It’s like moving into a newer, larger house without buying very many new things. Worse, this open space makes more room for people, the least enjoyable component of the Trader Joe's shopping experience.

While the character of the store has changed, the basic layout is the same. Frozen victuals reside in the middle aisle, freshly harvested chunks of plants and animals are stacked on the right wall, and live and shorn flowers decorate the entrance. The wine section and selection are larger, doubtless to accommodate those who will be mourning the loss of the old store with a drink.

The clientele, like the store itself, is unimproved. Most of the shoppers were middle-aged mothers from Valencia. Their sun-damaged, freckled cleavage peeked out of summer dresses while they toted the two bratty kids who had suckled at said bosom. These mothers competed for free samples, the better hummus flavors, and pink-and-white-striped bags of Kettle Corn with fierce and unapologetic intent, seeing other shoppers as mere obstacles to the fulfillment of their instincts to gather. It's comforting that despite the changes, there are some things you can count on.

If the dress code and complete obliviousness to the people and world around them weren’t enough indication that these shoppers were from Valencia, suspicions were confirmed as nearly all of them handed in a coupon for a free reuseable bag at check-out. Obviously, these promotional mailers had not found their way to the barrios of Newhall nor the trailer parks of Canyon Country.

It was at check-out that my dissatisfaction with the new store crystallized. On one of the street signs that mark the various stations were written three poignant words: San Fernando Road. At first, I tried to convince myself that this anachronism was a harkening back to an older, better era of SCV. Of course, I realized it was really nothing more than ignorance of the valley TJ’s calls home. As the checker passed my pretzels and salad greens over a laser beeping in recognition of familiar bar codes, I resigned myself to staring at the uninspiring murals on the opposite wall and sighed.

When I left with my groceries, I entered a parking lot that is just one nightmare traded for another. Though there are now many more parking spots than there were at the old location, there’s also the behemoth Best Buy next door. This means that Christmas Eve will be a perfect storm of people running to Trader Joe’s for wine/cheese/appetizers while others run to Best Buy for over-priced electronica. I can’t say with absolute certainty how it’s all going to work out, but I’m fairly sure that at least one Claritan will be hit by a car in the parking lot. Odds are pretty good that it will be someone who deserves it.

Happenings: Decoro, Diane, and Dung Bins

2009-08-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Sorry for posting an un-edited version earlier.

Waiting half-an-hour for a City Council meeting to start is rather like paying $5 to be punched in the face—why make an investment whose only return is pain? But wait the people of Santa Clarita did until, at last, just after 6:30, the City Council deigned to show up.

Mayor Pro-Tem Laurene Weste offered the convocation[1]. “There is more to Labor Day than a long weekend,” she began, “It’s a working man’s holiday.” What Weste’s speech lacked in interest and relevance it made up for in brevity. She finished in a couple of minutes.

Next, Mayor Ferry called forward sixteen Boy Scouts to lead the flag salute, thereby explaining why the room was so inexplicably full (though a lot of people were also there to gripe about Decoro). If each scout lived an average of three miles (or ten minutes) away from City Hall, each scout arrived at 5:45 and left after pledge, and each scout brought one family member to watch them, then a total of 96 miles and 37 man-hours were spent to make possible the flag salute and a photo with the City Council. Rest assured, it was one of the finest “Ready, begin!”s I’ve ever witnessed.

Thereafter, a representative from SoCal Edison came forward to hand out two big checks. $30,000 went to the Boys & Girls Club for a “comprehensive academic enrichment program.” The Valley Industrial Association also received a tidy sum ($25K) to fund their work force readiness program.

After this substantial and meaningful presentation came one that fell squarely under the category of “Are you serious?” Certificates of Recognition were presented to a handful of local manufacturers and businesses for being in full compliance with the County Sanitation District’s industrial waste requirements. Indeed, awards were given out for following the sanitation rules for a whole year.

Finally, award-a-thon ended with a nod to Laurene Weste. She was recognized for winning the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s Government Leadership Award. Laurie Ender congratulated Weste and noted with a grin that half of those recognized at the event were also from Santa Clarita, reassuring us of our valley’s superiority to the one down south.

With the award portion of the evening concluded, we went around the dais for news and updates. Laurie Ender was in back-to-school mode with her mentions of Teen Scene Unplugged and a suggestion that parents join the PTA. Bob Kellar asked us to be mindful of struggling local charities. Marsha McLean described how a portion of our local redevelopment money would be seized by the State. She said that were it not for the unified support of the League of California Cities, Santa Clarita and other cities might have had much more money taken away. She also added, cynically, that the State “could only borrow the money—they couldn’t steal it outright." During her turn, Laurene Weste sang the praises of free carts that Blue Barrel will be supplying specifically for the disposal of animal feces. She recommended them highly to those with livestock, suggesting “one-and-a-half carts per large critter” based on personal experience. This manure-collecting service isn’t being offered out of the goodness of Blue Barrel’s heart, though. It was one of several “services” the company agreed to offer in lieu of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fines to the City for not maintaining a modern fleet. This fine point was not discussed, alas. Finally, Mayor Ferry ended with a reminder of many important ribbon-cutting events in the near future, like the new Old Town Newhall unveiling. He also made a joke about the bike lanes on Decoro that was not well-received.

Upon moving onto the Consent Calendar, it became clear that there weren’t too many contentious items. Homeowners from the Shadow Oaks community came forward to formally request that they be kept abreast of all meetings and developments concerning an EIR for an extension of Via Princessa. One woman made specific requests that the City be mindful of dust control, wildlife, and road debris clearance as the project progressed.

Then came a nasty little spat between Ferry and McLean over what seemed like nothing. It began when Diane Trautman, Vice-chair of the Planning Commission, came forward to make a comment on Item #8, which would temporarily defer development impact fees to stimulate the local economy. Trautman wanted more specifics from City Manager Ken Pulskamp about the plan. After her questions, Councilmember McLean followed up by asking the City Manager about why meetings on the fee deferment hadn’t been more transparent and inclusive of the public. Councilmember Ender and City Manager Pulskamp began to respond, noting that the deferment was just one part of a 21-point plan that had already been approved in May.

Before the discussion got very far, Mayor Ferry stepped in and made it clear that he was upset with the questions posed by Diane Trautman. He said it wasn’t behavior in keeping with the norms or expectations of someone serving on one of the City’s commissions. He went on to point his finger at McLean, calling Trautman “her [McLean’s] commissioner,” and implying that McLean was having Trautman do her bidding in bringing up the issue of the fee deferment. McLean sat aghast at the accusation. A snappy, indignant exchange between Ferry and McLean followed, each trying to get the last word. Again, this seemed like much ado about nothing, but perhaps Mayor Ferry was feeling especially defensive, trying to avoid City-vs.-City quarrels in front of the public.

There was a brief truce as several artists came forward to thank the City for its final approval of an Arts Commission (Item #9). Then they were back at it.

McLean said “When I have something to say or something to bring up I will do that. I want to say publicly, I did not approach Ms. Trautman to come speak […] for me.” Ferry then apologized if he had over-reacted, but restated that he wanted to firmly lay down the norms of behavior with commission members, whom he suggested can bring up issues at venues more appropriate than a City Council meeting. He ended on a friendly note, suggesting that his little fight with Marsha McLean was just like what happens among family members and was already behind them. “Don’t freak out out there,” he advised. Don't worry, we won't.

Then we moved on to Public Participation. A number of Claritans came forward to express their horror, disbelief, outrage, disgust, and sense of betrayal over the bike lanes that were painted along Decoro last week. The addition of the lane for those who travel on two wheels reduced the street from four car lanes to two, and that was simply not OK. Local homeowners claimed that the bike lane was unnecessary and/or dangerous: “In the 15 years that I’ve been here I’ve never seen a bike on Decoro…nobody rides up Decoro on a bike,” said one man. (How dare they call Jeff Wilson, Maria Gutzeit, and those two other people who bike “nobody”!) One woman said she shouldn’t be inconvenienced in getting to work to accommodate someone’s “hobby.” Another said of the restriping “I find it completely absurd,” and yet another said she had seen four near-collisions as a result of the new traffic pattern. I can’t recall anyone expressing their support for the bike lanes other than the party behind a single written comment.

Councilmember Laurie Ender called the whole thing a mistake and said that a friend had yelled at her in the market for the atrocities committed against Decoro drivers. She is highly exposed to the Moms-who-drive-all-day contingent, and I imagine it was not an easy week for her. Bob Kellar also called the new road paint a mistake. McLean and Weste were less sweeping in their condemnations, but they too acknowledged problems.

The Decoro issue had not been agendized, and Mayor Ferry wanted to keep it that way. He said that changing the road stripes back to four car lanes with either no bike lane or a narrower bike lane could be done without putting the item up for public discussion. Ender agreed, hoping that things would be fixed quickly, but McLean wanted a chance for the community to give more input. That matter was loosely resolved when Pulskamp suggested that he investigate further. He said he would proceed with the suggested corrections only if the clear majority were in agreement that they're needed. (They are.) Else, the matter will come up for more discussion before the CC.

There were a few more comments that weren’t terribly interesting and with that, the meeting ended. It shall reappear in a slightly altered form on September 8th. By that point, the City Council might be able to figure out its position on which matters should be handled in-house and which should be addressed with the public's participation.

[1]Here's the agenda

Happenings: Tapped Out By State Budget Plan

2009-07-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

I did a bit of a double take at the ATM yesterday. After putting my now antiquated Washington Mutual Card into the Chase machine, the screen displayed a message that California Registered Warrants (IOUs) were no longer being accepted. I found this disconcerting. It’s not that I had a registered warrant that I wanted to deposit. I’ve just always thought that a state with a trillion-and-a-half dollar economy ought to have enough cash on hand to pay its obligations. Of course, what we have instead is a massive budget deficit.

Earlier today, though, we heard encouraging news that California legislators and Governor Schwarzenegger had a budget break-through that could resolve the deficit without raising taxes or cutting important social services (insert disbelief here). The Signal[1] has been updating an article on this agreement as more details begin to emerge. Unfortunately, it seems that part of balancing the budget will involve raiding the coffers of Santa Clarita and other cities and counties throughout California. According to the Sacramento Bee[2], $4.7 Billion will be grabbed from cities, counties, and special districts.

The League of California Cities is appalled by this. The organization is one that Councilmember McLean has served with great enthusiasm over the past several years, and I'm sure that she will be making her dismay known over the coming days. So too (probably) will City Manager Ken Pulskamp, who is—brace yourself--"President Elect of the League of California Cities City Managers Department." The first paragraph of the League's press release from this morning is pasted below:

California’s legislative leaders and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have agreed on a proposal to “balance” the state budget with illegal raids of local government gas tax, public transit and redevelopment funds, according to recent court decisions and a legal analysis obtained by the League of California Cities, as well as a “loan” of local government property taxes that is unlikely to be repaid. By relying on illegal mechanisms and fund shifts, this budget resembles a Ponzi scheme that the League of California Cities condemns in the strongest possible terms. [3]

Assuming the budget deal is approved by the State, the seizure of local funds will present a significant challenge to the delivery of the City of SC’s services and projects. More importantly, though, this budget deal levels a tragic blow against the perceived power of Marsha McLean’s tap dancing. Several months ago, she posted a YouTube video in which she danced in a periwinkle pant suit and white tap shoes while warning state legislators to “stop tap dancing around the issues and act responsibly; you must not balance the state budget on the backs of cities and counties.”[4] Perhaps naively, I thought her spot was working, imagining her as a tap-dancing angel of fiscal resposibility on the shoulders of those in tense negotiations. I had a great deal of confidence in McLean's shuffles, ball-changes and brushes, but her message and dancing prowess appear to have gone unheeded in Sacramento. Perhaps if K-Puls and the CC had made more compelling clips themselves[4], the City's message would have been more persuasive.

I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about the implications this new budget balancing plan has for our City (i.e., inconvenience or disaster) if it gets passed. A vote could come as early as Thursday. At least our City Leaders knew this was coming. For now, I congratulate McLean on a battle well tapped but, it appears, lost.

[1]Here's the story over at TMS
[2]SacBee

[3]Read the rest of the press release here

[4]Here are links to all of the videos:

Tap-dancing, sassy Councilmember McLean

City Manager Pulskamp talks over drone of traffic

MayorDude with Council, attending

Happenings: Ferry Ferdman Face-off and Mr. Holt's Molding

2009-07-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

I look forward to few things in a City Council meeting[1] as much as Laurie Ender’s convocations. From her Valentine’s Day “What I Love about SCV” musical montage to handing out piggy banks while quoting Gandhi, Councilmember Ender’s openings are always a treat. Today’s, though, was kind of boring. She worried aloud about the approaching fire season and all of the wildfires soon to be devouring our hillsides and homes. This lament was, of course, followed with praise for the brave men and women who fight the flames. After recommending that we brush up on fire safety, Ender capped things off with a poem written to honor firefighters entitled “It’s My Job”. It was the sort of awkward but well-intentioned ode that one expects to read in an email with a picture of an eagle carrying a flag in one talon (perhaps a firefighter’s helmet in the other) and a row of animated GIF angels fluttering beneath.

Next, it was time for the awards and recognition portion of the evening. More than a dozen certificates and trophies were handed out for the recent Santa Clarita Fourth of July Parade. I found this hard to justify. 2009’s parade was about as lackluster as they come, and Weste’s claim that it was “The most exciting and the best that we have ever had” makes me wonder whether we were at the same event. Despite Mayor Ferry’s earnest attempts to drum up the audience, applause for award recipients was brief and perfunctory, rather like the parade. Don’t get me wrong; I love the thing and go every year. But let’s not assume that just because a parade happens that it’s the best in Claritan history.

When it came time for councilmember reports, we heard the following: Laurie Ender advocated the SCV "staycation"; in the surprise to end all surprises, Bob Kellar talked about golf (specifically a golf benefit for the senior center); Marsha McLean spoke about budget and transportation woes; and Laurene Weste eulogized community stalwart, volunteer, and all-around nice guy Sheldon Allen in whose memory the meeting would adjourn. During his turn, Mayor Ferry encouraged us to call 911 when we see intoxicated driving or the potential for it. This was, of course, mentioned in light of the recent drunk-driving incident which, as Ferry put it, deeply saddened the community.

Before moving onto City business, Ferry went against his usual M.O. and responded to a letter in The Signal. In this letter, Alan Ferdman complained about an 11% increase in Sanitation District Fees, which amounts to about $20 a year. This was the first volley in a spat betwixt Ferry and Ferdman which, alas, would prove more annoying than amusing.

After the members of the Santa Clarita City Council made their presentations, the joint Redevelopment Meeting convened. Some non-controversial actions were approved. Among them were the approval of new street light installation and paying $160,000 as a settlement to Carquest Auto Parts, whose property the City bought as part of their Newhall revitalization.

As for the CC Agenda itself, only Item 17, the formal ordinance to establish an Arts Commission, was discussed. This item represented the culmination of many months (years, even) of trying to boost support for local arts by establishing the commission. Dr. Michael Millar, trombonist and music lecturer, looked at the Council and said “Thank you for this going through…I hope” which, of course, it did. Approved without any comment at all were several other noteworthy items. Among them: allowing the City Manager to award contracts for some road projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act during the CC summer hiatus; adopting of the amended bikes-on-sidewalks ordinance; and creating a Joint Powers Authority to keep channel 20 alive that will use $190K in City funds.

During a public hearing on a water/sewer connection in Golden Valley, Alan Ferdman requested to speak. He talked about the unrelated sanitation fee increases that Ferry had responded to earlier in the evening. He was clearly a little aggravated, calling Ferry “Frank”. Eventually, though, he did make a point related to the matter at hand, inquiring as to why water/sewage connection fees had increased by more than 50% over a matter of years when the CPI justified no increase of that magnitude. Ferry didn’t respond to him this time, but Laurene Weste did try to graciously address his concerns. Ken Pulskamp, speaking for the first time in the meeting, said no homeowners would be impacted by the fee (well, not directly) and that it was better to do it during on-going construction than after construction was finished.

Finally, we arrived at Public Participation (before 7pm!), and heard the sad story of Mr. Holt and his dog. Kenneth Holt lives in an area where illegal fireworks are a "growing problem." While they certainly annoy him and his wife, they really bother his dog. It goes "out of control" every time a firecracker crackles, suffering from considerable "emotional anxiety." In one recent incident, the dog ripped down Holt's window shades and tore off the door molding when it heard fireworks in the early evening hours. Apparently, he calls the Sheriff’s Department repeatedly every year, but the problem has not been remedied. He closed by hoping the problem would be fixed and vaguely suggesting that the City pay to fix his house damage.

Then Alan Ferdman came forward again, choosing this time to address Mayor Pro Tem Laurene Weste instead of Mayor Ferry directly. The issue was the same--sanitation fee increases. Ferry, however, was the one who responded. He pointed out loudly and forcefully that “everybody in the community needs to flush that toilet” and claimed that Ferdman's accusations were insulting.

With that, the meeting adjourned. Due to the summer hiatus, we won’t see the City Council in the same place again until August 25th. Until then, we must simply wait and endure.

[1]Here's the agenda

Happenings: Open Space, Discounts-that-Aren’t, and Awesome Fire Games

2009-05-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s meeting was business-as-usual with a smattering of CC firsts: Ken Pulskamp validated public comments, the Council made a 30-second commercial during the meeting (and on the first take! way to go!), and Public Participation was over in a blissful ninety seconds.

Before these unprecedented happenings could happen, however, things got rolling with recognitions and proclamations. COC Chancellor Diane Van Hook[2] received recognition as Woman of the Year from the LA County Commission for Women and County Board of Supervisors. Far more interesting was Mayor Ferry’s proclamation of Santa Clarita as host for the 2009 Western States Police & Fire Games. Literally thousands of police and fire professionals will spend a week competing in baseball, paint ball, motor cross, archery, equestrian, karate, and dozens of other competitive sports and events. Mayor Ferry said he will even take part in a dodge ball game, at which he good-naturedly joked: “C’mon! I’m the biggest freakin’ target in the United States!” To get in a “freakin’” of my own, these games sound pretty freakin’ awesome--part summer camp, part Olympics, part good excuse for dodge ball. Ferry proclaimed the games open the middle of June.

The logo pays homage to the iconic Magic Mountain and the even more iconic tree-from-City-Logo [3].

Next, members of Council got a chance for show and tell (minus the “show”). Laurene Weste filled us in on the Sanitation Board meeting that preceded this evening’s City Council meeting. She said Santa Clarita has done its very best to maintain water quality and that much more information is needed before fees triple to treat high chloride levels in our water. A fee increase has been delayed, at least for now, in the name of more-information-is-needed. When it was her turn to talk, Councilmember McLean discussed the "Save Your City" initiative[4]. This includes a website that allows cities to stick up for themselves against a state government trying to give them the shakedown for local money to balance the State budget. Other cities have posted what amount to commercials of opposition on the website. Ferry delivered Santa Clarita’s own version that was taped and that should soon be available for viewing online.

Ours isn’t quite as good as Compton’s, but it’s in the same spirit: “Take your hands off of the City’s money, not just Compton’s, but every city”. In our favor, the Santa Clarita video is more concise (this video should have stopped at the 2-minute mark). [5]

Next, the joint City Council/Redevelopment Agency (which looks alarmingly like the regular old City Council) convened. A first reading of the City’s plan to extend eminent domain powers drew a few angry comments. Alan Ferdman hit all the main points. He said that even if the City wouldn't overtly use eminent domain to obtain a property, the threat would be just as effective. He drew an analogy of someone holding a gun to another person’s head while demanding a donation--one that would be in everyone’s best interest, of course--and promising not to pull the trigger. It was a clunky analogy, but apt. City Manager Ken Pulskamp took the “Really, what this does...” approach to responding (i.e., you all disagree, therefore you do not understand; let me explain so you will agree with me; I’ll talk slowly). Ferry, who has been annoyingly even-keeled and reasonable lately, noted that while two residences would be up for grabs via E.D., all other homes would be protected. Furthermore, the two seizable properties would get their own hearing and be taken only at the discretion of the Council. That's all fair enough, but I'm still annoyed that Pulskamp pretends like the City is *always* able to negotiate a deal to everyone's liking in these eminent domain proceedings.

As for highlights on the Consent Calendar, several prominent Claritans were upset by plans to purchase 140 acres near Placerita Canyon. This would become part of the City's permanent open space. The property , though, is contaminated, which caused many to wonder whether the City wasn’t over-paying to take a toxic burden off somebody else’s hands.

Rick Gould responded, stating that only about 5% of the acreage is not-buildable and that only a couple of acres are actually contaminated. Thus, purchasing the parcel would preserve some areas that could theoretically be developed while also providing some important open space linkages in the southeast of SCV. City Manager Ken Pulskamp said that the recommended course of action for treating the contaminants was actually to take no action at all, and that there was no real danger to the public. The purchase, made in part with Open Space Assessment money, will be made.

Next came discussion of an item to restripe parts of Lyons Avenue and Bouquet Canyon Road to make three lanes. J-to-the-Wilson gave an earnest entreaty to think about bicyclists, those curious people who move on two wheels instead of four and who might fare better with the status quo. Andrew Yi, City Traffic Engineer and general transportation whipping boy, came forward to give what amounted to a “Sorry, but there are more drivers than bicyclists.”

Moving down the agenda, we came to an item that explained how Blue Barrel Disposal was faced with $470,500 in fines from the City for breaking part of its franchise agreement (i.e., not having a fleet younger than a decade). Instead of paying up, the company and City tentatively agreed to implement some waste diversion programs. These include manure collection (any customer may request a manure bin and have it collected weekly) and one mailable sharps collection container per household of those who generate sharps, such as diabetics or druggies. Laurie Ender wondered aloud whether these and the three other programs were worth $470K. Apparently, they kind of are, but the compromise was also a matter of take-what-you-can-get.

Having spoken out against the open space purchase earlier in the evening, Jim Farley rose again to speak out against the City’s levying of the Open Space Assessment for the third year. Farley called it an “illegal tax,” citing consultation with a top—but unnamed—attorney in this area of law. The California Supreme Court decided a very similar tax to buy open space in Santa Clara was unlawful, and both Farley and Cam Noltemeyer said the two assessments were all but identical (meaning, by extension, that SCV’s assessment was similarly illegal). The City took the “we’re not going to respond” approach and passed on engaging the issue.

All in all, the Consent Calendar was approved, the only change being an allowance for a 90 day (vs. 60 day) reading/circulation period for the One Valley, One Vision Environmental Impact Report. I am still creeped out when I type that name.

Unfortunately, there was more meeting to be watched. Fortunately, it included angry people.

A “Stormwater Pollution Prevention Fee Rate and Methodology Adjustment” was discussed at some length. The adjustment (up to this point it had been called a reduction) would mean that about 86% of parcels would see their rates go down, saving $3.50. However, the other 14% of property-owners would get screwed, seeing their rates increase by over $100 in some cases. The fee adjustment was meant to more fairly assign costs to those whose properties shed water rather than let it percolate into the ground. Calculations of charges were based on outrageous figures of how much impervious surface (concrete, buildings, etc…) the average large parcel has. Many speakers came forward to say that they, as people with large but mostly natural properties, would be paying far more than their fair share even when their land plays a vital role in allowing rainwater to seep into groundwater basins.

“The methodology is obviously flawed” said Laurene Weste. Councilmember McLean said “In selling this … it pretty much always says a fee decrease." She called this framing disingenuous because when the CPI increases, the council can also vote to increase the fee. McLean had a “real problem” with several other aspects as well. Yeah, this wasn’t such a good one for the City. City Manager Ken Pulskamp then did what is quite rare and called the public's comments "persuasive", agreeing to take a closer look at the methods and numbers. The adjustment will undergo a fair bit of its own adjusting, it seems.

The last big matter was contracting an EIR for the North Newhall Specific Plan. Homeowners from Placerita were especially concerned about a connection from Lyons Avenue to Dockweiler Drive and what it would mean for development of the Casden property. Alas, they’ll just have to wait on the EIR.

‘Twas 8:54 and after a last-minute Public Participation comment on the Lyons to Dockweiler connection, we adjourned.

[1]The Agenda, for all you insomniacs in search of a cure

[2]I've never met her, but she is a woman that a good friend of mine dislikes let me say…immoderately.
[3]To learn more, go to the source
[4]Save SCV from the money-grabbers in Sacramento, y'all!

Happenings: Trust God, Not SCV

2009-05-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s two-hour City Council meeting determined that the power of eminent domain is scary, unless you’re the one holding it; sex offenders shouldn’t live here (officially); and it’s OK to trust in God[1].

After the introductory song-and-dance, the meeting got rolling with councilmembers making their reports. Marsha McLean decided to talk about Prop 1A. She gave one of her patented “I’m-not-gonna-tell-you-how-to-vote-buuuuuuut-you-may-want-to-consider…” talks on how to vote on the proposition come election day (i.e., NO!). Santa Clarita oughtn’t be propping up the rest of California with higher taxes and the State will be in poor shape regardless of whether 1A passes or not, she argued. When it came time for Mayor Ferry to finish up his remarks, he made sure to point out that it was a certain City Manager’s birthday![2] After a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday to You!”, Councilmember Ender asked, wryly: “There is no place you’d rather be on your birthday, is there?” Pulskamp replied “No place.”

Next, the Redevelopment Agency convened. The matter of a planned traffic circle ruffled a few feathers. A local Claritan and a couple of councilmembers wanted to make sure that pedestrian safety was being considered. Kellar noted that we’re “really not that accustomed to them [traffic circles] in Western states,” but assured the City that he had seen them in action and that the traffic circle would be fine for automobile and pedestrian alike. This must be what it's like when a small town in the Dakotas gets its first traffic light.

Far more serious was the City Council/Redevelopment Agency Public Hearing on the matter of eminent domain. The City wants 12 more years of the power to used E.D. to get Newhall renewed and revitalized. After a lengthy presentation that tried to express how eminent domain was an important tool but one that would not really be used (very Eastern philosophical, no?), many speakers came forward to express their opposition. A handful of these people were Spanish-speakers who had to deliver their testimony with the aid of a translator. Among the English-speaking crowd were renters in the area, Newhall business owners, and property owners. All were untrusting of the City’s request for twelve more years of E.D. authority and made anxious by the implications for their personal interests and personal properties.

Their sentiments were perfectly reasonable. After all, one should be suspicious when any person or polity says “We want to be able to force you to give us your property when we deem fit—we’ll pay you for it, but we get it when we want it. And by the way, we want to have this power for another twelve years. Just trust us...” It’s a request that would only fly in Newhall, which isn’t bright, shiny, and expensive enough for the planning department’s taste.

I found myself growing deeply annoyed with Pulskamp as he delivered his response to the concerned residents. He started by giving a quiet little “Maybe I can make some comments…” At this point, the Spanish-speaking people went into the Century Room to have a real-time translation of the ensuing commentary. Quoting quite choppily, Pulskamp said: “If the redevelopment agency wants to build a community center, if you want to build a road, if you want to build a library, it is for the public good […] Those are things that are needed for the community. […] When that is necessary, we go out and negotiate with each and every property owner. […] Every single time we were able to work something out with the property owner without having to use that tool [eminent domain]. If there is a recalcitrant or reluctant property owner […] the community cannot be denied that benefit because of the one property owner.” To call a library like the one being shoved in Downtown Newhall “necessary” when there is another library blocks away is a gross perversion of the word. And I just loved how he said that the City was always able to reach a deal with the property owner. Somehow, I think having an “If you tell us no we’ll force you out” card in your back pocket might help get people to fold.

There was concern over whether people would be forced out of their homes, as two residential properties were specified as fair game for eminent domain seizing. Because these are rental properties, though, they don't seem to really count. Apparently, if you rent a property, build a rapport with your landlord, and create memories and relationships there, it’s still not really your home. It soon became apparent that Pulskamp thought it would be OK to allow E.D. for these properties because they don’t fit in with his vision of what Santa Clarita should be: “It just doesn’t seem like there oughtta be a house there,” he remarked of a house in an commercialized/industrialized corner of the City. Someone needs to put a sock in the City Manager's underwear drawer and let him know it’s OK. Or perhaps we could skip the analogy and say it's alright to let some corners of Santa Clarita remain less productive than they potentially could be; not every place in this miserable valley needs to look like Valencia.

Props go to Mayor Ferry for trying to make the City staff be less duplicitous about the issue (e.g., “We’re not going to use eminent domain it…except we want to have the option to” and “It’s not going to affect residential properties…except that's exactly what it will do in two particular instances.”) The whole thing was annoying and Pulskamp and McLean strayed several times into the realm of condescension, especially towards the public speakers. They seemed to think that the only reason someone could be against the proposed extension of eminent domain powers was because they didn't understand. In any case, no action was taken tonight; it was just a Public Hearing to be revisited on the 26th of May. I've grown shrill and started to ramble, haven't I? Sorry.

The Council sped quickly through the consent calendar, which included a second reading that formalized an ordinance to keeps sex offenders from living almost anywhere in SCV.

The last big item was Councilmember Bob Kellar’s pet proposal to add “In God We Trust” to the City Logo. “I sincerely in my heart feel we need to get back to some of the basics that make this nation great,” he said while introducing his plan. He continued by quoting pithy statements made by politicians in other California cities that adopted similar measures. He closed by proposing that the people of Santa Clarita vote on the idea on the April 13, 2010 ballot.

The reaction was universally positive. Joe Messina said it was important to remember God and that we were serving “Something bigger, higher, and better than yourself.” (Bigger, higher, and better than SCV? Surely you jest!) Apart from a number of public speakers, there were also 15 cards written in support. Unfortunately, just as the City Council got into a discussion of whether “In God We Trust” would appear just on the big City Hall logo, on City letterhead, at other public buildings, etc. and whether the Council could just approve it that night rather than going to a ballot vote, my Internets died. My connection to the electronic world was revived only in time to hear Laurene Weste giving her “aye” to some pro-In-God-We-Trust motion. For specifics, go to The Signal or KHTS[3], the latter of which will probably have a better written story.

Personally, I’m all for the In God We Trust addition. Unless you’re a godless heathen (redundant? not quite), it's a nice gesture, and one I'm certain the people of Santa Clarita will endorse. After all, those four words are just the ticket for soothing the many souls troubled by over-consumption, infidelity, self-absoprtion, and the other vices that are the hallmark of Claritan life. To close with a more generous tone, perhaps those words will inspire us to do better.

[1]Agenda
[2]That makes him a Taurus, like yours truly. Taureans are boring homebodies who value comfort and stability, which may explain why we both heart SCV. :-/
[3]KHTS

Happenings: SCV's Own Stimulus

2009-04-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

Councilmember Marsha McLean began tonight’s City Council meeting by reciting a Dr. Seuss-esque poem from a Cowboy Poet[1]. The verse was about getting things done, and it was dedicated to Kenny P.[2] and others who accomplish oh so much in this City of ours.

Thereafter, we were encouraged to donate our organs as part of Donate Life month. I recently had to renew my license, and after hearing about all the wonderful ways that my innards could potentially save and improve lives, I regretted writing “No, they’re mine!” next to the donation check box on the renewal form. If you possess a more gracious soul than I and happen to have any spare livers, kidneys, hearts, corneas, and so forth, there will be an iced bin outside of City Hall where you may deposit them.

Next, the City Council members had a chance to go around and share their little reports with their fellow councilmembers and the tens of Santa Claritans watching the meeting. Laurie Ender was deeply distressed that her young son and his friend, when taken to the new skate park, couldn't quite skate with the rough-and-tumble older kids and heard the F-bomb being dropped with reckless abandon. She suggested thinking about a 12-and-under skate hour (enforced on the honor system...) during which time one would hear the F-word just as often, but uttered by higher-pitched voices. Then there was much rejoicing over the successful Earth Day event and Cowboy Festival by Weste and McLean and the other sort of obligatory, quickly forgotten updates and encouragements.

Then it was time to put the meat in meating as we moved onto the real business of running a city. Under the heading of Newhall Redevelopment, there was an uncommented-on item to increase funding for the next stage of the library project (architectural, engineering, and infrastructure services). About $1.7M will be used to design the library that promises to save Old Town Newhall from sinking into destitute obscurity.

The recommended actions on all Consent Calendar items were taken in a similarly comment-free fashion. Some highlights included passing an ordinance to restrict sex offenders to residing in places at least 2000 feet away from trails, parks, and paseos (does such a place exist in SCV?), approval of a sort of progress report on keeping Public Access Channel 20 alive, and the awarding of the much-hyped new street-sweeping contract, which probably deserves an entire post of its own.

After this excitement, there was a Public Hearing to decide whether a 4-lot subdivision in the Happy Valley community would be approved. The applicant, Mr. Norris Whitmore, was just not a likeable man, rather like the same-named Mr. Whitmore on Lost…except not so rich and powerful. Some neighbors came forward to voice opposition to subdividing a very large, quiet lot into 4 large-but-not-nearly-so-large-as-before lots. Whitmore countered by saying he had scaled back the subdivision from 5 lots to 4. Still, views would be marred and the community of the neighborhood irrevocably changed by the project; we were treading on very familiar ground. When Whitmore argued that the Happy Valley neighborhood had several two-story homes, like the kind he would build, the real estate inclined Councilmember Kellar pointed out that Whitmore was responsible for most of these homes, and that he was driving the decent people of Happy Valley to become more and more defensive against his unwelcome developments. Ultimately, though, Whitmore’s subdivision was approved. No one was surprised.

After this matter was decided, a Tolling Agreement involving the County Sheriff’s Dept. and contract cities in LA County (i.e., us) was briefly discussed. Part of the surcharge that the City pays to the County was used in a settlement between a Compton sheriff and three women whom he raped. Clearly, that’s not what we should be paying for, so this agreement will remedy the unjust spending of contract city funds.

Finally, it was time for Skampy to shine during his delivery of a 21 point plan to save the City of Santa Clarita from financial ruin. Began KPuls, “These are very unusual economic times.” (Wait, what? When did that happen!?) “The City is not immune…” He then drew a comparison between other cities, which are doing nothing but waiting for federal aid, and Santa Clarita, which will lead its own way out of the recession by implementing a 21-point plan. Unfortunately, we had to hear about all 21 of these points[3].

Each point was a mini action plan of sorts drawing on many different sources of funding and aiming to make the City business-friendly by a number of different means. Several of the suggested actions would subsidize permit fees to lower the costs of doing business in SCV. For example, #4 (“Film Incentive Program”) would make it cheaper to film within the valley with permit subsidies. This particular item struck a chord with a number of people who are dismayed to see the film industry leaving Southern California, its rightful home. There were also some clever streamlining ideas, like a “Development One-Stop” on the first floor of City Hall that would offer all pertinent development permits in one place. Of course, there were some more questionable ideas, too. Kampman proposed an additional 2% tax on hotels. This would produce about $400,000 a year that could be used to attract big events to SCV and enhance tourism. Still, raising taxes during times such as these isn't a necessarily intuitive course of action. Then there was the "Think Santa Clarita Valley/Shop Local” campaign which, while lavishly praised, I think is over-rated. I have never once been influenced by any of that Shop Local! advertising. Sorry—there’s just no getting around the fact that they have better paper towels at the Wal-Mart in Long Beach, and I’m not going to sacrifice my quality of life in the name of shopping locally.

Most comments supported Pulskamp’s plan, praising it for its boldness, creativity, and promise. The Don Fleming (FLEMWATCH ALERT!) came forward to give his blessing and offer a tortured string of awful car puns (e.g. being “steered in the right direction”). Alan Ferdman, however, wanted more general fund dollars to go towards the Community Center in Canyon Country, not a select few mega-money-makers in Valencia. Of course, a community center doesn’t generate cash the way an auto-dealer or shopping mall does, so it will have to wait. Having never been to a community center in my entire life, I feel quite OK about supporting the money-makers now and the community center later.

After everyone had weighed in and given their support, Ferry closed with a little spiel about fear, washing his own car, and hope. Then the Council voted, and the plan was unanimously approved.

During Public Participation, there were remarks made about homeless shelters, motorcycles, and non-profits being charged for space at Earth Day and other City events. As you might have guessed, all of these matters will be looked into more thoroughly.

[1]Agenda
[2]Note: I will be trying out a number of nicknames for City Manager Ken Pulskamp during this entry.
[3]Blackjack! Read the 21 points here.

Happenings: In God We Trust

2009-04-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

Even with no explicit mention of the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, tonight’s meeting contemplated the role of God in Santa Clarita. More precisely, the Council considered whether God’s name belongs on city seals and in dance studios, but I will address those topics as they chronologically arose in tonight’s summary of the CC meeting.

The meeting got off to a late start[1] as a closed session runnethed-over its allotted time. The City Council discussed the latest pony coming round the litigation carousel (a law-suit over landslides). Only after staring at the “City of Santa Clarita City Council Meeting Will Begin Momentarily” banner for 16 minutes did the meeting at last began.

Councilmember Ender convocated by discussing autism and Autism Awareness Month. She read one mother’s comparison of living with an autistic child to ending up in Holland when you planned to go to Italy. Ender then segued into recognition of the City’s development of Project Lifesaver. This collaborative effort gives wristbands that can be tracked by law enforcement to what Project Lifesaver International describes as “Alzheimer’s, Autism, and Special Needs Wanderers.” It’s quite literally Lo-Jack for people[2]. The program will surely give peace of mind to families of autistic children and others lacking self-sufficiency and prone to “wandering.” Finally, there was a resolution to recognize Autism Awareness Month, and many came forward to take pictures beneath the City Seal, as goes without saying.

The next recognition went to the California Mother of the Year who just happens to live in Santa Clarita. Myrna Condie was lauded for her extensive volunteering efforts and active role in foster care and mothering/grandmothering. One wonders how this award is given (are the children interviewed?) and its implications for familial dynamics (“you better listen to me—I’m the best damn mother you could’ve got!”). Bob Kellar gave a very nice speech in praise of Condie's many virtues, and she was called forward to be recognized and, you guessed it, take pictures.

Thereafter, Rick Gould (Director of Parks & Rec) gave an update on the City’s anti-gang task force and general gang-related progress. The Community Court Diversion program has successfully kept a number of little creeps from Santa Clarita from having to go through the San Fernando juvenile court system. These creeps then do community service and probation in SCV. Gould continued by noting that the City continues to do an excellent job of preventing graffiti and promptly eradicating it wherever it happens to arise. One such place—the new skate park—struck a chord with the Mayor. Explicitly summoning the persona of MayorDude, he said it was OK for kids to snitch on their peers who tag the skate park or anything else. After this announcement, the City’s graffiti tip line was flooded with calls coming from children who had been closely watching the City Council meeting, just waiting for permission to reveal the identities of skate park taggers. After this little summary, there were yet more pictures with the City Council beneath the City Seal.

With the presentations concluded, it was time for councilmembers to make their general comments. No one had anything particularly interesting to say—Arbor Day and Cowboy festival approaching, etc.—until it came time for Councilmember Kellar to talk. He observed that a number of cities (Victorville, for one) have added the words “In God We Trust” to their City Seal. Kellar thought this would be an excellent idea for Santa Clarita as well, helping bring SCV “back to basics”, and asked the Council for their opinions on agendizing his proposition. Everyone on council agreed it was worthy of discussion, and Kellar pre-emptively suggested that the matter could be decided by SCV voters during the next election rather than by the Council itself. So agendized “In God We Trust” shall be, giving God-haters throughout Santa Clarita something to chew on for a couple months.

When it came time for the Consent Calendar, most of the discussion was focused on Item 2, a second reading of an ordinance that would allow bicyclists in Santa Clarita to ride on sidewalks with certain restrictions. Maria Gutzeit called the ordinance “bike-washing”, essentially lip-service to the Bicyclafia that makes the City seem more interested and invested in bicyclists than it really is. She brought in a bike shoe that looked very difficult to walk in and asked how she should be expected to walk (vs. ride) through crosswalks (as the ordinance would require), and how impractical and potentially dangerous it could be to allow riding on sidewalks only in the direction of traffic (as the ordinance would require). I was hoping she would slam the bike shoe on the podium, gavel-like, but she elected not to do so. Her points were clear nonetheless.

While some, like Gutzeit, targeted specific parts of the ordinance, others were for scrapping it altogether. There were many offers to take the councilmembers riding to see what it’s really like bicycling the mean streets of Santa Clarita. One bearded man enthusiastically offered to let the female members of the council ride with him on his tandem bike (“Men folk, you’re on your own,” he said.)

Ferry gave an apt metaphor of digging through bicycle and vehicle codes as opening Pandora’s Box. Everyone is trying to limit liability, and reading the code reveals just how pervasive these liabilities are and how tricky they are to account for. Laurie Ender, for example, raised the specter of a bicyclist riding through the crosswalk and taking out kids and asked who would be held responsible. Rather than belabor the discussion, Mayor Ferry decided to leave things unresolved for the night. They tabled the item to some time before summer break, and encouraged bicyclist input during the interim.

Other stuff that got passed without much comment included an update to integrated waste management code (now goes to a second reading) and a directive to City staff to aggressively pursue County transportation grants and national Recovery Act funds.

During Public Participation, it was time for more God. A certain Ms. Johnston of a certain Santa Clarita dance studio has contracted with the City for many years to offer dance classes in the Seasons catalog. However, she received a letter that informed her that she would no longer be listed because her students dance to “Christian spiritual music” (along with many other types). Johnston appeared to be a perfectly lovely lady, and her removal from Seasons was troubling. If she choreographed some post-modern lyrical dance interpretation set to Native American religious chants that no one could understand, we know the music wouldn’t have been made an issue, despite being as explicitly religious as Christian music. Furthermore, where does one draw the line for religious music? Apparently, Johnston spoke with staff who asked why she couldn’t use music like Britney Spears, but even Ms. Spears has been known to invoke Buddhist/Hindu and Christian faiths (e.g., “I’m Miss bad media karma…I’m Mrs. ‘Oh my God that Britney’s shameless’” are lyrics from the highly unlistenable “Piece of Me”).

What almost certainly happened is that some annoying parent called in and bitched about the music, terrifying some hack into taking unnecessary action. I have spent some time trying to imagine who such a person might be. Did her daughter complain about the music being lame, and the mother decided to invoke the “separation of Church and State” argument to get more Lady Gaga and less Lifehouse? Is she a mother whose existence is so utterly care-free and empty that she has time to meddle in that which most of us would consider to be not worthy of our time? One can only speculate as to just what brand of ridiculous the parent who brought about this change in dance studio contracting is.

This is the woman trying to fill the minds of impressionable young children with dangerous messages about Jesus and loving thy neighbor and being a good person.

Typically, parents who didn’t like the music in a dance class would go to a different dance studio…Lord knows there are enough of them. But in Santa Clarita, that is not how things work. That which we do not like should change for us because it’s never a problem with our values and our worldview; it’s a problem with their values and their world view. The meeting closed with promises to delve into the issues brought up by the public both in regards to Calgrove and the dance studio.

[1]Agenda here
[2]Lifesaver International

Happenings: The Coup that Wasn't and Mini-Crises

2009-03-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

A coup! A coup! Aye, a coup! Laurene Weste has discarded that pesky “Pro-tem” title and claimed the Mayor’s chair for herself! So I thought when tuning into this evening’s City Council meeting, where Weste sat in the seat of power and called the meeting to order[1]. With a velvety plum jacket in addition to the usual glasses and shock of blonde hair, Weste looked a bit like one of the friendly wizard professors from Harry Potter, about to preside over a lesson in magic…or usurpation(…or magical usurpation?). All too soon, though, it was revealed that Ferry remained Mayor, and Weste was just doing her Pro-tem-ly duties.

The obligatory Awards/Recognition portion of the program was up first. Recognized were the College of the Canyons Cougars for their performance in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship Finals. The other recognition went to the City Aquatics staff for their support of FBI water recovery training and general excellence. In short, it was an awards ceremony for those good at skating on frozen water and for those good at providing recreation and training in liquid water.

Weste kept the meeting moving at a brisk pace as she invited her fellow councilmembers to make general comments. Laurie Ender reminded Claritans that the skate park will be opening on Friday the 27th. Bob Kellar encouraged everyone to attend the golf tournament benefiting The Boys & Girls Club (“The whole family wants to go!” he less-than-convincingly claimed). In what would be the first of several mini-crises, Marsha McLean asked City Staff how well prepared Santa Clarita is for AB 32 and SB 375, two measures that will reduce California’s greenhouse gas production by curbing transportation emissions, improving energy efficiency, and combating sprawl, among other actions[2]. Finally, Laurene Weste ended the comments by reminding us that Cowboy PoFest (minus the Po, obviously) is fast approaching, that Old Town Newhall will soon look prettier because of streetscaping, and that she is “anxiously optimistic” about CEMEX-resolving legislation. Weste also asked City Manager Ken Pulskamp about the feasibility of a community garden. In a previous meeting, she asked him to direct City Staff to investigate the potential for starting such a garden in Santa Clarita, which I happen to think is an excellent idea. He replied that staff members have made progress by visiting other community gardens and “taking pictures.” Really, Pulskamp? Really?

With that, we moved onto the Consent Calendar, which was approved with but one remark. That remark came from a bicycle safety instructor. He was concerned about issues of right-of-ways and liability/responsibility in a proposed ordinance that would allow some use of sidewalks by bicyclists. McLean was also troubled by one of the rules that would have bicyclists dismount to walk their bikes across crosswalks (mini-crisis #2). Everyone’s fears seemed to be quelled by City Attorney Carl Newton’s assurances that the ordinance was drafted to ensure the utmost safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers and with full knowledge of liability issues. The ordinance was passed to a second reading. Other elements of the Consent Calendar were even more mundane (e.g., traffic signal light replacement).

Next, there was a public hearing that had to do with storm water pollution prevention fees, which are collected from essentially all property owners served by storm drains. The title of this item implied that there would be a reduction in the fee from $24 to $21.50 per resident, so I wasn’t quite clear on why the whole thing wasn’t just approved sans presentation. Councilmember McLean clarified why in mini-crisis #3 (the most helpful of all the mini-crises). It’s more of a fee restructuring based on property permeability, etc. than an across-the-board fee reduction. 86% of parcels would see lower fees, but 14% would see increases, and fees could be changed in the future. It’s a matter I can’t quite summon up to passion to investigate more fully, but if you find the urge to, please review Agenda Item #9[1]. In any case, the Council’s actions tonight got the ball rolling on this fee restructuring, and McLean made certain that there would be appropriate transparency in communications between the City and property owners.

During Public Participation, we had another case of homeowners suffering because of City-approved big commercial projects sited near homes. A Claritan gentleman spoke about noise and light pollution coming from the Golden Valley Shopping Center. The City will investigate further, it seems.

[1]Here’s the agenda, a tried-and-true cure for insomnia.
[2]A brief presentation by Alexander Clayton (Cal Poly, Pomona) on these bits o’ legislative fun.

Happenings: SCValentine's and Kid Soldiers Ain't Cute

2009-02-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

Finally, SCV Gets Her Valentine

Mrs. Laurie Ender delivered an unforgettable invocation to tonight’s City Council meeting[1]. Simply smitten with Santa Clarita, she put together a video Valentine’s Day message for the valley we all love. To my knowledge, this is the first instance of a city councilmember dedicating a love song and photo montage to SCV. The tribute was set to the Plain White T’s[2] “1, 2, 3, 4” and went something like this:

[…]There’s only one thing, two do,
[photo of squirrel in tree]
three words, four yooouuu…
[photo of town center fountain]
I love you (echoes).
[photo of park]
There’s only one way, two say,
those three words,
and that’s what I’ll doooo…
[photo of basketball hoop]
I love you… [continues for several minutes]

Both restrained and intimate, chaste and impassioned, I found the video to be slightly unsettling in the best way possible. Mayor Ferry called it “one of the better invocations” he has seen in twelve years.

Hooray for La Berge
Next came the traditional City recognitions. Mayor Ferry held up a heavy-looking plate emblazoned with city seal and said that “we only give this thing away” to people who are especially deserving. It went to Captain Anthony La Berge, the man who was (and is) charged with keeping Santa Clarita safe. After Ferry described how La Berge has helped significantly improve local safety, the other members of Council had a chance to thank him individually. When it was Bob Kellar’s turn, he shouted “Sweet Lord!” at the prospect that he--retired LAPD-- should speak kindly of Captain Anthony La Berge, of the Sheriff’s Department. Of course, he ended up saying something nice and sincere. La Berge then posed for a picture (he’s shorter than I thought) and thanked the City for the recognition on behalf of his entire crew. He took the opportunity to introduce some sergeants and other people who have been instrumental in keeping SCV secure, and warned Claritans: “don’t make it easy for people to victimize us.”

Next, it was time to bask in the glow of our status as most business-friendly city in LA County. Here, I was surprised at the restraint shown, perhaps because the celebrations begin to wear thin after a few months.

Meeting Going, Going, Gone
Individual reports from councilmembers were generally unremarkable. Comments ran the gamut from the stimulus plan to Valentine’s Day to the celebrity waiter dinner.

The Consent Calendar was approved in under one minute. Sweet Lord! (that was me, not Kellar). If you care to look at what passed or, more correctly, what recommended actions were taken, read the agenda[1].

There were two comment cards turned in for Public Participation, but about six speakers. The last five or so were high school students from Valencia and Canyon, members of the “Human Rights Watch Student Task Force.” They came to speak out against child soldiers around the world and to describe their mission to collect red hand prints in protest of children being forced to lay land mines, serve as decoys, or engage in bloody conflicts. The Council took decisive action, liberating all child soldiers serving unjustly in SCV’s various military engagements. Actually, the decisive action was posing with the students for a photo beneath our stunning, picturesque city seal. The photo will surely serve as a vision of hope to oppressed child soldiers worldwide.

The meeting ended just fifty-one meetings after it began. All were pleased.

[1]The Agenda
[2]I know that apostrophe doesn’t seem to belong, but it’s how they decided to name their band. Can we fault them for being products of an ungrammatical school system?

Happenings: Another Council Meeting Endured

2009-01-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

It is a tradition as old as Clarita herself: honoring silver-haired, do-gooding society ladies during City Council meetings[1] with a plaque and photo ‘neath our less-than-attractive city seal. This is precisely what happened tonight with Eileen Blanchard. However, she was honored not for general community service but for serving as president of Santa Clarita Republican Women Federated. Despite my right-leaning tendencies, it bothered me a little that our supposedly non-partisan City Council honored Mrs. Blanchard for work on behalf of the GOP in SCV. She seemed to me a perfectly lovely lady, and accepted the recognition very sincerely and graciously, and I’m sure she’s done some wonderful things. Still, I know I would be annoyed if they honored a woman who had been the president of Santa Clarita Democratic Women Federated (were such an unlikely creature to actually exist). Thus, in the name of consistency, I have now spent some hundred-and-fifty words being critical about a well-meaning gesture that I should probably just have left alone.

Once the opening ceremonies concluded, City Council members had the opportunity to make general comments and reports. Mayor Ferry elected to describe his “Hit the Trails” bike ride over the weekend along a path that finished in Bridgeport. “I haven’t ridden a bike in over a decade” he said, “It hurts! … not fun!”. The crowd giggled with delight at this most recent instance of the Mayor’s almost charming self-deprecating humor. Ferry then promoted the Mayor Dude program that will begin in earnest this Friday. For those unfamiliar, the Mayor Dude program is an impossibly bad idea where Ferry chats, twitters, and emails students in Santa Clarita about, well, being the Mayor…or something.

Next, it was time to put the meat in meeting with four public hearings of the Santa Clarita Redevelopment Agency. Two of the four explicitly involved eminent domain for construction of the new library in old town Newhall. Councilmember Marsha McLean went to some pains to justify this language. She began: “The words eminent domain… they sound awful, sometimes”, and then asked City Attorney Carl Newton to explain why E.D. could be a good thing. Newton explained that eminent domain is “the power of a public agency to acquire property for the public good”, and that property owners are “guaranteed to receive fair market value, that is, just compensation” along with a number of other benefits in exchange for losing their place of business. The benign seizing of formerly private property is nothing to worry your pretty little heads about was the message. And apparently it was well-taken, as all four public hearings ended with taking the recommended action and without comment. Thus, Santa Clarita is moving closer to construction of its Newhall library II (A.K.A. tax-generating consumer magnet).

When we moved to the Consent Calendar, everyone was in a fuss over a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at COC. The MOU included provisions that allowed community groups to perform on about 1/3 of the weekends at the center, which community groups obviously liked. It also had profound symbolic importance, concretely (i.e., financially) signifying the City’s support of the arts—excuse me, the Arts.

However, the nature and extent of this monetary support were the primary cause for planned dissolution of the MOU. TimBen Boydston was among the many disappointed at the planned action. He argued “I think a long-term relationship should be a long-term relationship,” (i.e., between the City and COC PAC). Other speakers saw the City Council’s proposed dissolution as a means of backing out of an important obligation or a means for COC to make more money at the community’s expense.

Diane Van Hook, COC Chancellor, was generally supportive of the action, saying it could help her school book the theater for the 30% of dates when it was available to community groups but sat unused. Van Hook said that the MOU wasn’t working in its present form, but clarified that “That doesn’t mean we don’t want an MOU”—they’d just like a better one. Joan MacGregor of the Board of Trustees then came forward and urged the Council to not dissolve the Memo of Understanding (which, again, Van Hook had basically said was OK to dissolve). Even more confusingly, she said she was speaking on behalf of the entire board. As Laurie Ender put it, “Yeah, I’m lost.” City Manager was more flustered than lost, his placid exterior stirred by MacGregor’s opposition to what had been a done deal in his mind. He said “I’m fairly dumbfounded [oxymoron alert!], to tell you the truth.” He had nothing more to say than that he wanted a continuation so that both the City and COC could discuss the issue further, and that’s exactly what the City Council decided to grant all parties involved.

Mayor Ferry then called a rather long 15 minute break, which meant he either (1)had to to go #2, or (2)had to talk to some people. I assume it’s the latter.

15 minutes later…

Micah Chase, who Ferry thought should have been in Las Vegas or at TGIF for his 21st Birthday instead spent it working the cameras and tech angles for the meeting. Everyone sang him a moderately enthusiastic Happy Birthday, which was nice.

The discussion of Canvas Street/Linda Vista was less so. Ugh. For the forty-fifth time, we had to talk about too many cars on too little street. The usual procession followed a brief staff presentation. It was led by Nadine Teter, who asked for an emergency gate. Many residents came forward and talked about how the City was trying to address their traffic issues with a “limited tool kit,”, one that couldn’t tackle the actual problems of too much noise and too many cars. People were upset that a study performed by the City didn’t appropriately sample the neighborhood’s daily traffic patterns (only 6 hours were covered). All 17 written comments were in opposition to the action recommended by City Staff as well, and the sentiments seemed to lean towards trying a road vacation (removal of public right-of-way).

Mayor Ferry strongly cautioned homeowners that they would be liable if sued over a death on a privatized road and that they would incur maintenance costs, but many were still determined. Things ended unresolved, and the City will continue to try to address this ultimately unsolvable problem at some future date.

One of the final orders of business was council appointments to various little committees. The Council shuffled around the members serving on various committee and gave Laurie Ender some more appointments which she was apparently pleased to be taking. I would have written down who was going where if it mattered terribly, but it did not, does not, and will not.

Finally, there was an opportunity for Public Participation. Only Alan Ferdman came forward, and he praised the City for fixing sidewalks and doing other stuff that cities ostensibly receive tax dollars to do. With that, the meeting ended, and I rejoiced.

[1]The Agenda is here

Happenings: Art! I Commission Thee

2009-01-13T21:18:00.001-08:00

Carl Newton, our ever-vigilant City Attorney, began tonight’s City Council meeting[1] by revealing the outcome of a closed session. With the faintest glimmer of defiance in his eyes, he announced that the Council authorized a defense in three approaching litigations. The most notable of these is a lawsuit from Community Advocates for Healthcare SCV and SCOPE challenging approval of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hopsital EIR. This reminder of the impending HMNMH action made some smile, others scowl.

Presentations Aplenty
Per usual, there was a slew of presentations and the requisite photos of honorees with council members. Mayor Ferry gushed over the girls of Saugus Cross Country for being CIF Champions for the third time. He said it was only the coach’s plea for a more “modest” celebration that kept him from throwing a parade in the team’s honor. Troublingly, he was being serious.

City Clerk Sharon Dawson then got a chance to leave her swivel-chair and receive some much-deserved recognition. A representative from the City Clerks Association of California explained that Dawson was joining “an elite group of city clerks” this evening with the designation of Master Municipal Clerk. Apparently, just 5% of California’s city clerks attain this level of mastery of their clerking craft. When Dawson’s eyes grew misty, Ferry assured the audience that “Those are very genuine tears,” as many of us were quite suspicious of her sincerity.

Finally, City Environmental Services staff members were praised for Arundo removal, Arundo being that noxious weed fast invading the Santa Clara River.

Master’s College Has a Dream and a Plan
The Master’s College wants to grow, and they want to grow masterfully. Naturally, then, they appeared this evening to seek approval of a 10 year master plan and expansion project that will include a 42-unit single family development, modest open space dedication, and extension of Dockweiler, all in quaint little Placerita Canyon.

Downsides of the expansion included considerable grading, a negative impact on neighboring communities due to increased traffic and construction activity, and destruction of oaks. To be precise, 114 oaks would have to be removed, though apparently none of these would be the sacred “heritage oaks.” About 300 oak trees would be graciously allowed to remain, and additional trees would be planted as part of the new landscaping.

TimBen Boydston expressed the sentiments of many when he commented that this project was “The kind of development we can look up to and look forward to, where most of the issues are addressed for most of the citizens.” (He offered this as an instructive contrast to a recent, unnamed Master Plan that wasn’t so peachy. I wonder what Master Plan that would be…) Members of the Placerita Canyon Property Owners Association were also present to grant their blessing.

When it came time for the councilmembers to weigh in, Kellar offered high praise, and Ender was delighted about job creation and a proposed trail connection. McLean, however, ended the love-fest when she said “there are some concerns I have, though, and some questions.” (gasp!) She wanted to know the timeline between grading and planting. There were questions about permeable pavement and slopes and noisy water tanks and median width and Dockweiler. Laurene Weste, too, voiced some concerns over the style of oak tree planting, roadway buffering, chapel use, and gave a rather tangential description of how glorious performances at the Master’s College are and how more people should get to know it. Mayor Ferry kept a big list of these little requests, and most were added as qualifications to the approval of the Master Plan.

Ultimately, the plan was approved and passed to a second reading, so expect the Master’s College to grow.

Art Please!
Lastly, there was a discussion of the arts. (For the uninitiated, art in Santa Clarita consists of mediocre cover bands singing in the park, pseudo-murals in Newhall, and inexplicably large, painted bears that dot the local landscape.)

City staff had prepared a study on the feasibility and implications of creating an Arts Commission. The result of their work was a 25-page report and a recommendation that the City Council decided on one of four courses of action: (1)Work to form a community-wide non-profit, (2)Keep the existing Arts Advisory Committee structure, (3)Form a hybrid Arts Advisory Committee/Commision with a community-wide non-profit, or (4)Establish a City Arts Commission.

Most everyone was in favor of making a new Arts Commission. Musicians, actors, ballet aficionados, animators, et al. came forward and were heard. They postured, pleaded, demanded and dreamed. It was an unending procession, a thousand variations on the same theme: give us an Arts Commission, and we shall give Santa Clarita Art! The unending ended at 9:43, and Bob Kellar made a forcefully supportive statement in favor of, you guessed it, forming Arts Commission.

Laurie Ender and Laurene Weste leveled some very serious concerns against Kellar’s optimism. There were fears of prohibitive operational costs including stipends for commission members and competition for the time of City staff. McLean followed and tried to play compromiser, suggesting that certain members of council were getting hung up on the word “commission.” She read the role the commission would play and said “There’s nothing scary about that.” The 501(c)(3) structure--which would prove a necessity for obtaining grant funding--could come later, she said, while giving a second to Kellar’s motion for making a commission. Mayor Ferry preferred the idea of an Arts, Park, and Recreation Commission. He argued that a formal body meant to support the arts needn’t be so myopically focused on the arts alone. After all, City Council members must weigh in on issues with which they’re largely unfamiliar, or as Ferry phrased it, “We’re not experts on none of the things that are brought to us.” No one else seemed to like his idea for this sort of joint commission.

The back-and-forth continued for some time, and the councilmembers took sides. McLean and Kellar kept saying that their fellow councilmembers were making things too complicated. Weste insisted that McLean and Kellar weren’t recognizing the inherent complexity of funding and establishing the commission. Ender, on whom we can always rely for snappy summations, expressed her concerns thusly: “I don’t want to give them a car without any gas” (i.e., form an Arts Commission in name only, but without the funding or staff resources to accomplish anything (which is kind of what happened anyway)).

Ultimately, Kellar’s motion carried with the votes of McLean, Ender, and Kellar (obviously). Applause and one man’s disturbing, animal-like yell came from the arts-friendly audience upon approval.

Despite about a month since the last City Council meeting, no citizens elected to address the Council during public participation. And that’s something we can all be happy about.

[1]Here is the agenda

SCVenger Hunt: ANSWERS

2009-01-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry to be so tardy in my posting of the answers to the IHeartSCV Christmas SCVenger Hunt. I am sure that many of you endured sleepless nights while waiting to learn the solution to each tantalizing clue. So, without further ado...

General Clue:
It's a four-letter word that is very Santa Claritan. It can answer the question "Where should I go?" But, if you try to get there, you'll keep going in circles.

West.

Clue 1:
The first clue, “Walk Amongst the Stars”, sent you to the Western Walk of Stars, specifically that of Melissa Gilbert of Little House on the Prairie. The music provided as a hint was from the show's opening credits. Once you reached Gilbert's star--or rectangle--a 5th-grade style pencil rubbing or photo served as proof of your visit and Item 1 in your collection.

Clue 2:
The second clue, “I Hart SCV”, directed you to William S. Hart’s autobiography My Life East and West (its title is the exact opposite of the clue: "Your Death West or East"). After determining the target book, a visit to the library, the Hart gift shop, or the online Google Book site allowed you to collect the following line on page 315: “And then I forgot all about it.” This quotation is from a part of the book where a woman accuses Hart of fathering her illegitimate child.

Clue 3:
The final clue, “You Can Lead a Horse to Water”, directed you to City Hall via a picture of its semi-iconic fountain. Here, Laurene Weste often puts in late nights at work, but no more than once or twice a month. Item 3 was a flyer taken from anywhere in City Hall (e.g., lobby). I suggested vector control pamphlets for including West Nile Virus, but any City produced flyers were acceptable.

The "I Heart SCV" T-shirt has been claimed, but fear not! One enterprising young Claritaphile recently manufactured her own wearable homage to the

Claritawear. Whether you're being sincere, ironic, or ambivalent, it's the right way to clothe yourself.

SCVenger Hunt: CLUE 3

2008-12-21T22:25:00.000-08:00

I can now present the last of the clues for the IHeartSCV Christmas SCVenger Hunt. If you think you have gathered all the items to which you were directed in this hunt, send an email to iheartscv AT gmail DOTcom and you will be given the prize pick-up location if the prize remains unclaimed.

For instructions and the first clues click here.
For the second clue click here.

Clue 3: You Can Lead a Horse to Water

The sculpture pictured above resides in front of a building in Valencia. A woman whose name is just one vowel away from the answer to the general clue has put in some very late nights in this building—usually no more than one or two a month.

Walk into the building of interest. As proof of your visit, take one of the flyers available to you in the lobby. (One along the lines of vector control would be nice and in keeping with the theme of this SCVenger Hunt, but any flyer will do.) Good luck.