President's Corner - December 1997

As 1997 winds down to a close, SCOPE completes, with the City of Santa Clarita, a decade of service to the community. Many of the people who supported forming Santa Clarita were or are SCOPE members. The goals and objectives of SCOPE and Santa Clarita have sometimes been disparate, but often have been parallel, and each has strengthened the other.

The original concept of "a SCOPE" grew out of Jan Heidt's idea that Homeowner's Associations could collectively garner significant power to be a strong political force in the Santa Clarita Valley. While that movement did not reach fruition, a number of cityhood volunteers felt a common bond with each other, divorced from any personal profit motive, but dedicated to the environment and making Santa Clarita a better place to live. We had become "veterans" in the campaign for cityhood, and felt we could do more. With the initiative of Karen and Allan Cameron, people met, discussed objectives and goals, and a fledgling SCOPE ensued. The fundamental objectives of SCOPE are to:

Promote, protect and preserve the environment of the Santa Clarita Valley.
Work to provide a high quality of life for residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.
Monitor, review and take action on proposals which would impact or affect the environment, ecology and/or quality of life in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Provide a forum for the people of the Santa Clarita Valley in which issues involving the environment, ecology or quality of life can be heard and discussed.
Foster the education of the members and the people of the Santa Clarita Valley on matters involving environment, ecology and quality of life.
Promote community planning and design which exhibits superior attention to quality, aesthetics, sensitivity to the environment and consideration of community goals and needs.

These objectives of SCOPE, and the work of the membership to meet them, indicate that SCOPE is not an "ad-hoc" group concerned about a few planning issues, but is a dedicated organization with basic and long term goals, throughout all of the Santa Clarita Valley. If you want to distill SCOPE's objectives even more, it is to: Educate Discuss Take Action "Education" is the start. Many people are not fully informed about projects or events, and SCOPE has operated as a clearinghouse, disseminating information. SCOPE has also sponsored seminars on environmental issues, has given presentations to the City Council on planning matters, and has given many citizens fundamental training on the planning and environmental process.

"Discussion" has also been a key central focus. For the last decade SCOPE has provided a forum in which similar, contrary, unique, and new ideas can be presented in a common forum. We have debated elements of a development among ourselves, just as we have debated elements with the developer, or with others with other interests. Come to SCOPE and you will be heard, as will everyone else. "Taking Action" has been the most controversial, but has also produced positive benefits to the Santa Clarita Valley, in accordance with our objectives. 'Taking action' sometimes means no more than speaking at a public hearing, or writing a letter on a matter. Such appearances sometimes yield positive results, as witnessed by the fact that SCOPE asked the Old Road extension in Significant Ecological Area #64 (the Valley Oak Savannah) be removed, and the Council agreed. 'Taking action" also sometimes means going to court.

As the Judicial Branch of government is a legitimate place for citizens to present their grievances, SCOPE has no qualms in working with this element of the government to resolve issues. What have been the results? Adequate fire fees for new fire stations. Adequate fees for new schools. Adequate fees for new libraries. Recognition of significant ridgelines and hillsides Recognition of significant biotic habitat 'Taking action' has worked, and made SCOPE a significant influence in SCV land use decisions, to secure adequate mitigations of impacts caused by growth. On this 10th anniversary, I want to personally thank Richard Silverstein and Chip Meyer for their past roles in this office.

I want also to note the passing of Gil Callowhill, Dorothy Riley, and Jack Ancona, all SCOPE members and individuals who worked to make our valley better. We appreciated, and are in debt, to their presence and participation. We miss you. And thanks to all of you, for your support. SCOPE is not an "I", but a "we". Let's go on and do another ten years. We have every reason to do so.

--Michael Kotch

[home] [guestbook][inquiry] [contact information]