Santa Clarita Valley community leaders headed to Sacramento en masse Monday, for the 10th annual KHTS AM-1220 Road Trip.

Every year, Hometown Station co-owners Carl Goldman and Jeri Seratti Goldman lead a delegation of more than 100 to the state’s Capitol, to meet with legislators and discuss local concern, as well as get legislators’ perspective on Santa Clarita Valley concerns.

The first day is scheduled for a discussion about water concerns, the recently voter-approved water bond and the chloride issue, all of which are hot topics in Santa Clarita Valley water politics.

Melissa Melendez, R-Elsinore, is scheduled to speak to about the budget picture for the state of California, and lead a question-and-answer session.

Melendez is working on two pieces of legislation with respect to Proposition 47, including an increase of the penalties for the possession of certain types of narcotics, as well as restrictions on gun ownership for convicted felons.

In addition, she’s worked on whistleblower protections and college savings legislation.

Monday night, state Treasurer John Chiang, who was elected in November after serving as controller, is speaking to the Santa Clarita Valley delegation about budget issues as the keynote speaker at a Monday night dinner.

Local leaders are hoping to discuss concerns about the state’s local control funding formula, and how it’s impacted Santa Clarita Valley schools.

Another major issue is the high speed rail, and the proposed routes that are being studied. Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean is planning to meet with representatives from Gov. Jerry Brown’s office regarding the high speed rail plan and the chloride issue.

Both the above-ground high speed rail route and the below-ground SCV high-speed rail options could have devastating impacts, McLean said.

The above-ground route would have obvious impacts, and cut the Sand Canyon community, as well as Acton and Agua Dulce, in half, she said.

“The above-ground route would pretty much cut through Sand Canyon, and it would go right by a school,” McLean said.

The overall tone of the high-speed rail discussion has changed, somewhat, McLean said, as many opponents have now come to see the high speed rail as eventuality.

The talk is no longer stop the high-speed rail by any means necessary, she said, it’s more of, “If and when this thing happens, you need to be respectful of our communities.”

The chloride issue is one McLean hopes to discuss, along with other local representatives, she said.

McLean sits on the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District board, which has been tasked by a state agency with lowering the amount of salt we send downstream to Ventura County in the Santa Clara River.

The low-end cost for such a problem is about $140 million, and the most expensive alternative was closer to a half-billion dollars. The board and local officials have criticized the chloride limit as arbitrary.

Supervisor Michael Antonovich repeatedly questioned a state water representative last week, over whether state bureaucrats should have the legislative autonomy to set arbitrary chloride levels for Santa Clarita Valley effluence.