Stonecrest Residents in Favor of Annexation: Background

Background

Beginning 1991 - 2001
2002 - February 2006
Today March 2006
Santa Clarita Background

ANNEXATION BEGINNING 1999 - 2001

In 1999, a resident of Agua Dulce, came to some of the doors in Stonecrest alerting us of a giant mega-mine starting up in Santa Clarita valley on the mountain about one mile east of Stonecrest

The mine would be nothing like what we had seen before in our Valley. It was to be a mega mine. At 78 million tons, it is one of the largest mines in the country right here in our back yard. The company, then known a Southdown Transmit Mix Corporation has since been acquired by CEMEX, a Mexican owned company with world wide holdings. This got our attention.

Because this mine would impact the entire valley, the communities of Aqua Dulce, the City of Santa Clarita and county residents of Stonecrest banded together to try to keep the mining down to a historic levels. But this was not to be. The mining company wanted it all, with no regard for the residents of the Santa Clarita Valley. At one meeting with CEMEX they told us to ‘get out of the way because they were going to mine the valley and we had nothing to say about it’. The County Board of Supervisors, our local government body, ignored our concerns and approved the mine.

That was the beginning. A close relationship was formed among the residents of Stonecrest and Aqua Dulce and the City of Santa Clarita. After all, we had a common objective, “STOP THE MINE FROM DOMINATING OUR LIVES AND KEEP MINING TO A HISTORIC LEVEL.”

In late 2000 with this bond even stronger among the residents of Santa Clarita Valley, a home owner in Stonecrest looked toward the local government of Santa Clarita and liked what he saw. Here was a local government with the same interests. Here was a government that looked out for the benefits of the local residents, unlike the County government which thrust this mega-mine on our neighborhood. He approached the City and got the necessary information to start a petition to become annexed.

ANNEXATION 2002 TO FEBRUARY 2006

The petition was circulated and was met with overwhelming support. A cover letter was drafted and a package was submitted to the City of Santa Clarita on January 9, 2001. The level of support for annexation was the greatest the city had ever seen. Ninety three percent (93%) of those who were able to be contacted were in favor. This represented 74 % of the 426 home owners in lower Stonecrest. Remember, there was no upper Stonecrest at that time.

The slow process of annexation had begun. The mega mining issue went on in parallel. Now the city of Santa Clarita had the annexation ball. This consisted of several steps. Meetings were held and map surveys conducted. At this time the Landscape Maintenance District (LMD) was to remain with the County of Los Angeles.

In 2003 the County adopted a new policy. The County would no longer maintain LMD if they were annexed into the City. Thus the LMD had to become a city responsibility. There was also a protest hearing at City Hall to allow the residence to object to the proposed $24 storm water fee. No objections were noted

By this time, the community of upper Stonecrest was approaching completion. The builders of upper did not have a LMD the elected to pass the hillside maintenance on to the home owners as part of a Home Owners Association (HOA) responsibility. Several residents of upper Stonecrest approached the City and asked to join in on the annexation.

Because of the change in the LMD administration (County to City) a vote of the lower Stonecrest residents was required. In 2004 the residents of lower Stonecrest elected to have the City administer the LMD with ability to reflect the rate consistent with inflation.

Finally on March 4, 2005 the application for annexation was submitted to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). The LAFCO is the State-empowered Commission that makes the final decision regarding annexation. It was then expected that the process would take LAFCO some six to eight months.

In February 2006 LAFCO started a protest period to allow residents opposed to annexation to be heard. One gentleman from Upper Stonecrest went door to door in the 21 day protest period and collected enough signatures to stop the process. His true motivation for opposition is still a mystery. This gentleman convinced several residents to sign the protest, misleading them into thinking that they were in fact asking to have a vote. Unfortunately, many residents were prevented form reading the words at the top of his form that stated “I am OPPOSED to the Annexation…” Today, as they are now finding out, they signed an opposition letter to stop the annexation.

In March 2006, LAFCO realized they had committed a procedural error. According to law, LAFCO should have allowed a 90 day protest period.

TODAY MARCH 2006 ANNEXATION

On March 30, 2006 LAFCO started the clock on a new 90 day protest period. This protest period will end on June 28, 2006.

The gentleman from upper Stonecrest is still going around misleading residents. He is still asking people to sign the protest form under the guise of calling for a vote. The only difference with his new approach is that is he is now singing the praises of CEMEX. He is trying to convince us that a mega mine is in our best interest.

On the other hand, many residents of both upper and lower Stonecrest have joined together to combat his half truths and false allegations. We are doing everything possible to inform the community with the truth.

SANTA CLARITA BACKGROUND

Plenty of towns that dot the California landscape can claim a piece of the state's celebrated history in gold, oil, transportation and filming. Santa Clarita is no exception, but for one thing. In many respects, Santa Clarita is where it all started. Long before there were stagecoach lines, the Santa Clarita Valley was an important crossroads along ancient Indian trade routes. North met south and east met west at a craggy rock formation named, much later, for Bandido Tiburcio Vasquez.

Santa Clarita's topography lent itself to early filming. Silent screen stars like William S. Hart and Tom Mix used the valley to create the traditions that would define the "Western." Santa Clarita's Western roots shaped its ultimate transformation into a vibrant community of safe streets, award-winning schools, new technologies, and thriving industries. More than simple landmarks of yesteryear, today the Hart mansion, Heritage Junction, Mentryville, Vasquez Rocks, and the Placerita Nature Center vividly demonstrate the ways in which the people of Santa Clarita are preserving the past for the benefit of the future.

With its eight diverse communities, Santa Clarita residents are proud of its historic past, growing present, and promising future. The City of Santa Clarita, founded December 15, 1987, is comprised of half of the eight towns and includes Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall, and Valencia. The remaining five areas of Stonecrest (part of Canyon Country), Agua Dulce, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, and Val Verde are part of the unincorporated Los Angeles County called the Santa Clarita Valley. See more at www.scvchamber.com and www.santa-clarita.com