Happenings: Hunker Down

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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