It’s sad that I can’t tell whether this commenter on WRB is serious or being sarcastic about City vs County Leadership:
It is a damned shame that we over here in the City of Santa Clarita don’t have the caring, protective representation that Westside residents get from their Town Councils. Instead, Santa Claritans get conniving tyrants that couldn’t care less about how they are destroying this city, neighborhood by neighborhood, just so City Manager Ken Pulskamp can retire and move on to consulting, leaving with a hefty portfolio showing how he can get monster, inappropriate developments approved right on top of existing communities in spite of overwhelming opposition from community coalitions. And our weak, worthless, corrupt City Council is only too happy to abandon us while they happily hand this city over to their rotten city manager.
Live the dream, you lucky folks on the West side – DON’T ANNEX INTO THIS NIGHTMARE CALLED THE CITY OF SANTA CLARITA!
Let’s suppose s/he is serious for a moment, because the sentiments aren’t really difficult to imagine.
For real? Santa Clarita is a nightmare?
Sorry, I just don’t see it. In fact, I don’t see anything even resembling this.
Here’s what I see: a city with low voter turnout and an apathetic (meaning quite possibly happy) population. A council that is perhaps too chummy with developers, local business interests, car dealers and certain neighborhoods, but one that still manages to get things done for the community. I see a staff that may subscribe to New Urbanism ideals but is professional, competent, accessible and reasonable nonetheless. I see a fiscal picture that, while not rosy, nevertheless stands in stark contrast to other cities in this state. I see a road network that, while crowded at some points during the day, still manages to get me from one side of the valley to the other in 15-20 minutes.
On the other side, I see dedicated no-growthers who have re-branded themselves as defenders of 80′s style suburbia and foes of anything “high density” or affordable and who think that sitting in traffic -alone in their cars- for even a few minutes is akin to a violation of their personal human rights.*
Closer to home in my ‘hood, I see a new community center, a re-built and redeveloped Newhall, a new library, a Veteran’s Park, a Metrolink station, and an emphasis on walkability, affordable housing, new job centers, and alternate transportation, all values I hold near and dear.
And I’m supposed to think that these things are bad, nay, that this is a nightmare I just haven’t woken up to yet?
Nonsense. Of course there are areas the City could improve in (I remain really ticked that they re-striped Lyons into three lanes, but I recognize I’m a minority user of that roadway in this case), but life in the City of Santa Clarita is in no way, shape, or form a nightmare.
Enjoy the exile to the warm embrace of the County, guys. Come back to the table when you’re feeling a little more reasonable about growth, climate change, affordable housing, traffic, land use, local jobs, gas prices, and demographic changes.
*To be fair, the traffic-as-a-human-rights-violation meme applies to about 86% of the SCV’s population.
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ironically, it was the developers who kept the west side from becoming part of the city in the first place. Other than Castaic and Val Verde, most of the west side was not there yet in 1987, when these areas were included within the original proposed city boundaries, the developers, whose projects were already approved by the county, did not want the new city telling them where to develop. They pushed for the county to exclude them and got their wish. Sadly, the Castaic area had many strong supporters for cityhood at the time who were left out in the cold.
You know, the rolling hills of the yet to be built Stevenson Ranch were beautiful back then….:-)
Jeff:
I was just wondering – what do you define as job centers, affordable housing and alternative transportation in Newhall?
Gate/King will be a job center, as will the Disney studio.
Condos and town homes, proposed and existing, are scattered throughout Newhall and are more affordable than standard housing in other parts of town.
Alternative transportation primarily refers to Newhall Metrolink station which is a bus hub and train hub and to Santa Clarita Transit’s drop-off points on Lyons & Orchard Village road for commuter routes.
Disney studio is in unincorporated LA County
I always find the traffic complaint incredible and I wonder if we have that many housebound people folks in the SCV. The family spent last Saturday in the EVC (Eastern Ventura County-Camarillo and Thousand Oaks area) specifically at The Oaks Mall and the traffic on Hillcrest and Lynn Road which are primary commercial corridors in TO was absolutely OFF THE HOOK, and TO would allegedly be a No-Growther’s dream. And don’t even start to talk about what occurs in the main commercial corridors of the OC like Jamboree Road and Irvine/University Blvd.
On the commenter:
I was wondering what happened to Berta!
Hi Tim.
I am flattered you noticed I have not been posting much. I have been busy but I do try to read SCVTalk.com every day.
Unbelievably, I have nothing to add to the conversation lately. I still agree with the same people on the same issues and disagree with the same people on the same issues too.
I am interested in your opinions on the issues and candidates for the upcoming June election as I just received my vote by mail ballot. Thanks.
“Unbelievably, I have nothing to add to the conversation lately.”
Berta, points for being self-effacing!
Some days, we miss you.
Thank you…
Why Mike how nice of you to say so.
I just read the WRB article referenced. To make it clear to anyone reading this blog who may think otherwise, I did not write any comments criticizing the city. I am a huge fan of the City of Santa Clarita. Although I have no gripe with Supervisor Antonovich, I am happy living within the city limits. I also do not post using any pseudonym (s). I put my real name on any comments I make.
Here’s the way that I see it, and I may be completely ass backwards in my thinking, but at least I recognize that…
Anyway… wouldn’t it serve to the ADVANTAGE of those who are down on growth to be included in the city limits? As it stands right this moment, anyone in county territory effectively has ZERO voice. (As if Michael Antonovich has any concern about losing the votes of the people of Santa Clarita Valley… yeah, right.)
If they fold in with the city, they instantaneously have way more power over their elected officials (after all, our last election was that narrow).
Plus, if you’re inside the city… you pay LESS TAXES!!!! No Utility User Tax inside! Outside pays 7% last time I checked….
I agree that the city council is soft and too chummy with some select businesses and business owners.
Funny thing is, there’s a lot more development going in unincorporated SCV than within city limits, because it’s easier to do out there.
Also, the town councils don’t really provide “caring, protective representation” to anyone. All they can do is ask Mike Antonovich for favors. He treats them well but he’s getting old. I wonder if the next guy in his seat will be as caring.
Another strong analysis here Jeff and further evidence that incremental improvements and not a u-turn are needed to keep and improve upon the good decisions that were made in the past.
Gate King could be good when it gets built. Disney studios will only have 250 permanent full time jobs. The rest are location shoots. Those folks will come from all over So Cal so no real benefit there. So, if we have 250 jobs at Disney and 500 at Gate King, that would just about negate the impact from a 750 unit development by Casden. So, no real impact to our jobs \ housing imbalance. I’ll have to check out the rents at the Casden development in Westwood and I’ll post how affordable they are.
John’s right. The increased production days will be a shot in the arm and will probably be enough to make several auxiliary business viable. It isn’t necessarily that jobs will be created solely to support Disney, but that existing production work plus Disney might mean that many kinds of business that couldn’t quite make it here before would be able to now.