Tonight’s Santa Clarita City Council meeting lacked controversy, tension, and suspense. Most items were financial in nature–investment policy, bonds, fees, service contracts–and decisions were more formalities than turning-points. It was the kind of meeting you forget, even as it’s happening. But I persevered so as to recap, if solely for the sake of a few quotable moments.
“That’s a plus.”
Councilmember TimBen Boydston read some excerpts from President Barack Obama’s National Day of Prayer speech. Mayor Kellar then welcomed a Boy Scout Troop–“all the way from Canyon Country!”–to lead the pledge. It took an inordinate amount of time because the young scout at the helm added grave and dramatic pauses whenever possible.
“Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.”
Public participation was short and bitter. Elaine Ballace, who spoke shortly after the pledge, began, “Liberty and justice for all…unless you live in a mobile home park.” She complained about how the new(ish) mobile home ordinance has been put into practice and asked for more support from the council, naming some city staff members she’s found less than supportive (e.g., Erin Lay) of residents struggling to get by as rents continue to rise. Ballace ended with a rather foreboding proclamation: “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord!”
buy modafinil singaporeCity Manager Ken Striplin responded once public participation had concluded. His remarks were polite acknowledgements of speakers or refutations of some of the more outraged contentions. Updates from the council were protracted and routine, for the most part. Mayor Kellar spent some time encouraging residents to purchase banners for members/veterans of the armed forces. The banner program includes the display of large, personalized banners along the road for major, patriotic holidays. The families then get to keep the banner. While the costs of the banners are being partially covered by donations from local businesses, families must cover the rest. Kellar explained that this made sense–another city had covered all the costs in its banner program and eventually ran out of funds. This seemingly innocuous comment would become important later.
The consent calendar passed with the recommend actions on all items.
“Let’s pay for the whole deal.”
A few more items followed the consent calendar. First, the annual stormwater pollution prevention fee was set at $24.04 per year for an average 7,000 square-foot parcel. Councilmembers Marsha McLean and TimBen Boydston expressed some displeasure over county/state plans to increase the fee. This hasn’t happened yet, but it was clearly on their minds. In a rare, almost affectionate moment, Mayor Kellar remembered an amusing remark Boydston made when testifying about stormwater fees before the LA County Board of Supervisors. Kellar chuckled as he recalled Boydston saying, “God gave us rain and government’s trying to figure out how to tax us for it.”
The final items had to do with refunding Golden Valley Road and open space bonds, which saved the city some cash, There was no discussion or comment and the proposals were approved as written.
The meeting would have ended then and there, but Al Ferdman decided to submit a card for the closing round of public participation. He said he hadn’t planned on it until he heard a particular remark. “Then something happens that raises the hair on the back of my neck,” he said, building suspense. He explained that honoring veterans with banners was great, but not covering the entire cost was “shameful.” (Recall that Kellar had made a case for asking families to cover some of the costs.) Ferdman pointed out that the city spends almost $100,000 on holiday lights for Newhall and will be giving about $4M to Laemmle Theaters. Why, Ferdman queried, couldn’t it spare about $20,000 for veterans? “Kick in that twenty grand and let’s pay for the whole deal,” he emphatically suggested. The meeting then ended.