Ballots to be mailed on May 25th.
Yesterday Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Laurene Weste and members of the citizens’ SCV Save Open Space Committee held a rally in support of the city’s proposal to create an Open Space Preservation District.
“Our children and grandchildren will thank us for having the foresight to protect this land from development. This is a legacy issue for our generation,” stated Councilwoman Weste. “We can continue to be one of the best places to live in America or we can become the next San Fernando Valley. With this Open Space Preservation district we can control our future,” concluded Weste.
Other statements:
Former Santa Clarita Mayor Carl Boyer: “Los Angeles County is the largest county in the world. If we don’t look after our open space – no one else will.”
Planning Commissioner Dennis Ostrom: “Being on the Planning Commission, I know something about planning. We can either have open space or filled up space.”
Planning Commissioner Diane Trautman: “Pennies a day will make a huge difference in our lives… this is a small investment for us to acquire the needed open space.”
Parks Commissioner Laura Houser: “The Open Space District will allow us to fulfill our vision of a greenbelt around the city.”
The Open Space Preservation District will:
Keep undeveloped land as open space natural parkland.
Proposition 218 mandates that once a parcel is purchased it can not be developed.
Have a Citizens Review Panel
A citizens review panel will examine district spending each year to be sure the money is being spent as promised.
Have an annual independent financial audit
By law, district spending must be audited every year by an independent accountant.
Strict Legal Restrictions
All district funds are restricted and cannot be legally used for any other purpose.
Hard Cap on Annual Contribution.
By law, the $25 assessment cannot be raised by more than $1 per year.