Saturday, July 31st
Join us for summer refreshments and to meet other SCOPE members from 10 AM to noon.
Placerita CanyonNature Center Park 19152 Placerita Canyon Rd., Newhall
Directions from Highway 14 or Sierra Highway: Head east on Placerita Canyon Road approximately 1.5 miles. Park is on the right and has a signed entrance. Look for us at the picnic tables across the pedestrian bridge.
We look forward to hearing from you!
More Information: 661 255-6899
Board elections, update on SCOPE activities and local issues, suggestions and ideas from the membership.
NEWHALL RANCH: The Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the California Fish and Game department, is reviewing Lennar/Newhall's "404 Permit" and preparing environmental review documents, which are required for grading in the riverbed. You heard right, "grading in the riverbed." This is the first and most destructive step in the process of permanently altering the Santa Clara River in order to let the Newhall Ranch development get even closer to the water's edge. Click here for more background info on the permit.
The Army Corps extended the comment period on the Newhall Ranch project to Aug. 4th. You can still make your voice heard! See the bottom of this article, published in The Signal, for the address to send your comments to.
CITY SUPPORTS NEWHALL RANCH INSTEAD OF OPEN SPACE
As many people are aware, the Army Corps of Engineers is currently reviewing a permit that will allow Newhall Land to alter the Santa Clara River in order to build the massive 21,000 unit Newhall Ranch Project. It’s not just the river that would need to be changed. The original proposal included channeling as much as 80% of the tributaries.
Every environmental group from the National Sierra Club to local groups like Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment (SCOPE) and Friends of the Santa Clara River has long opposed the Newhall Ranch project. It is opposed by many agencies as well, although some, such as Ventura County and United Water settled in 2003 for strong conditions to protect them after bringing a lawsuit.
Concerns range from traffic, air pollution and greenhouse gases to water supply and quality, as well as protection of endangered species. The river permit is central to addressing these problems.
Questions surrounding the legitimacy of putting more infrastructure costs that benefit large developers on the backs of local taxpayers also abound. Should taxpayers have to pay for freeway and off ramp expansions that accommodate new development? How about expanded fire services and flood control? Expansion into new undeveloped areas is very expensive and more often than not, it is the taxpayer that foots the bill.
For instance, the need for a sanitation fee increase that will fund infrastructure to reduce chloride releases to the Santa Clara River is necessary to address the high salt content in imported water Imported water is required for new development because we no longer have adequate local supplies. Two council members opposed this increase.
But ironically, according to a letter written in August 2009, the City strongly supports full buildout for Newhall Ranch. They can’t have it both ways, and apparently, out of the view of the public, they have once again sided with a large, out of state development corporation against the interests of current residents.
The City also purports to want open space around its boundaries. They have used millions of dollars from the Open Space parcel tax assessment to purchase some acreage. However, this same letter, after carefully analyzing the amount of open space for each alternative, supports the alternative with the LEAST amount of open space. Of course that is the alternative supported by Newhall Land/Lennar Corporation.
The City's reasoning is that supposedly the least amount of open space will provide more building and more business space, and thus, more jobs. What are they thinking? With a 29% vacancy rate in local commercial property in town, anything that far out will be even harder to rent. Not to mention that the service jobs provided for most of the planned commercial will not provide a high enough salary to allow workers to buy or live locally. (This will obviously, create more commutes and local traffic, not less)
So the City must be talking about the creation of construction jobs. But we already have 30,000 units approved but unbuilt in this valley, way more than Newhall Ranch. Where are the construction jobs? Obviously no such jobs will exist if no one is buying houses. When the market picks up again, we certainly have an adequate amount of previously approved projects to hold us for quite some time.
So it seems that the City is speaking with a "forked tongue". While appearing to support the public on such issues as a sanitation fee increase, behind the scenes they are supporting the causes of such increases.
Last week, the Army Corps extended the comment period on the Newhall Ranch project to Aug. 4th, so you can still write a letter about all of this, if you want to. Just send your letter to:
US Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch,
Attn: CESPL-RG-2003-01264- AOA,
2151 Alessandro Dr. #110, Ventura, CA 93001
For more information, you can view the Newhall Ranch documents on line at:
www.dfg.ca.gov/regions/5/newhall/.
Click here to read SCOPE's letter to the Army Corps of Engineers and the California Dept. of Fish and Game outlining our objections.
Click here to read a joint letter from SCOPE, the Friends of the Santa Clara River (FSCR), and Ventura Coastkeeper to the Army Corps of Engineers with further objections.
| A view up the river approximately where a 4-lane road (an extension of Wolcott Way south) and bridge would serve later phases of Newhall Ranch. |  |
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Another view from the Newhall Ranch site, looking east from the future extension of Chiquito Canyon Road southward from Route 126, which would then connect to Pico Canyon Road/Lyons Ave extension in Stevenson Ranch. |
Regular Meetings:
- City of Santa Clarita -- The City is responsible for planning decisions within it's boundaries only. Most new development is occurring in the canyons beyond city limits, and to the west. Both of these regions are under County jurisdiction. The City can lobby the County on these issues, however, even if they are not part of the formal decision-making process.
- City Council --meets second and fourth Tuesdays at 6:30pm at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Bl, Council Chambers. Televised live on local cable channel 20 (SCVTV)
- City Planning Commission --meets first and third Tuesdays at 7pm at City Hall 23920 Valencia Bl, Council Chambers.
- County of Los Angeles The County is responsible for planning in all areas of thee Santa Clarita Valley that are not within the City boundary. This encompasses the Westridge and Newhall Ranch project areas, and also many of the developments that reach up our outlying canyons such as Elsemere, Bouquet, and San Francisquito.
- Board of Supervisors --meets Tuesdays at 9:30am at Hall of Admin (500 W. Temple St., downtown LA)
- Regional Planning Commission --meets Wednesdays at 9:30am at Hall of Record (320 W. Temple St., downtown LA)
- SCOPE --meets third Thursday of month at 7pm. Call (661) 255-6899 or email SCOPE for location.
- Water Issues
- Castaic Lake Water Agency --meets every second Wednesday of the month at the Rio Vista Plant (27234 Bouquet Canyon Road)
- Newhall County Water District
- Santa Clarita Water Company
- Valencia Water Company
- LA County Water Works District # 36
- Attend the meeting -- County meetings are held during the day, while City meetings are in the evenings. Often members carpool downtown for County meetings. Typically there is a limited portion of the meeting where the public is allowed to speak, and you are limited to 2 minutes at City meetings, and sometimes a little more at County meetings. They will accept handouts at the start of your time. Large posters or banners are prohibited inside at most meetings, but cannot be prohibited outside. The press is often present before and after major meetings downtown, so leave time to speak to them if you wish that additional forum.
- Call, fax, or email your representative -- This can wither be to inform, or in the case of the City Council, the members will often read your (short) letter during the public participation portion if you ask specifically that it be done.
- Contact the press -- The Daily News, the Signal, the Sun, and the LA Times and it's offshoot Our Times all provide local coverage with varying degrees of interest, accuracy and prejudice.
Phone 255-4395
Televised live on local cable channel 20 (SCVTV)
Phone 255-4330
Phone (213) 974-1411
Phone (213) 974-6411-- FAX (213) 626-0434
How to Participate:
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