Thursday evening, eight candidates for Santa Clarita City Council took part in a debate presented by KHTS AM-1220, The Signal and SCVTV.

Of the 11 candidates appearing on the ballot, eight participated. They were: TimBen Boydston, Frank Ferry, David Gauny, Daniel Henriquez, Harrison Katz, Marsha McLean, Henry Schultz and Laurene Weste.

The debate focused on a series of questions developed by the media partners and were not made available to the candidates ahead of time. Those questions involved the individual candidate’s qualifications, upcoming challenges facing the City and development standards. Specific issues like a potential tax increase from the Los Angeles County Sanitation District and our government’s transparency were also discussed.

The full program will be aired Saturday, March 13 at 6:00 p.m. on AM-1220 and video will be broadcast on SCVTV.com soon. Coverage was also provided in The Signal.

Below are podcasts of each individual question and all of the candidates’ remarks. To listen, scroll down to a question and click the play button for candidates’ responses.

Question 1
What are the biggest challenges facing the City of Santa Clarita in the next four years?

{enclose debate10question1.mp3}

Question 2
Several large developments have surfaced before the City Council, resulting in long battles between community groups and the developer. What is your position on development?
{enclose debate10guestion2.mp3}

Question 3
The Los Angeles County Sanitation District recently proposed a major tax hike for Santa Clarita residents to pay for a desalinization plant that would clean up water supplies between here and Ventura’s agricultural interests. To what degree do you think our residents are responsible for cleaning up that water, and what action would you take as this issue evolves?
{enclose debate10question3.mp3}

Question 4
What is your stand on illegal immigration, and what should the City do about it?
{enclose debate10question4.mp3}

Question 5
What experience makes you capable of overseeing a $200 million budget?
{enclose debate10question5.mp3}

Question 6
Some people in Canyon Country feel their area of the City has been passed over. What do you think of the way the city has handled Canyon Country, and what would you change, if anything?
{enclose debate10question6.mp3}

Question 7
How transparent is our City government, and what can you do about it?
{enclose debate10question7.mp3}

Question 8
How safe is Santa Clarita — and if you think the city should spend more money on law enforcement, what programs should the city cut to pay for it?
{enclose debate10question8.mp3}