KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
President Trump signed a bill Tuesday making the Saint Francis Dam a national monument, according to officials.
“Today, I have signed into law S. 47, the ‘John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act,’” said the president in a statement.
Ninety-one years ago, the Saint Francis Dam broke and killed more than 400 people in Santa Clarita and the surrounding areas.
On March 12, 1928, three minutes before midnight, the dam broke and sent a wall of water down San Francisquito Canyon through Castaic Junction, Santa Clarita, Piru, Camulos, Bardsdale, Fillmore, Santa Paula and Ventura before emptying into the Pacific Ocean between Oxnard and Ventura.
The dam collapse created a 55-mile path of death and destruction, costing millions of dollars and destroying many homes and other property. It is considered the second deadliest tragedy in California’s history, according to officials.
Last month, Congresswoman Katie Hill, D-Agua Dulce, introduced the bill that would establish a national memorial and monument in an effort to commemorate the lives lost as a result of the destruction.
“The St. Francis Dam Disaster took place 10 miles north of my hometown of Santa Clarita and this memorial has been a priority for my community for many years,” Hill said previously. “I’m proud that in the 116th Congress we will finally be able to amplify the stories of the tragedy and provide a constant reminder of how critical infrastructure is to the safety and security of our communities.”
California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris introduced the bill in the Senate, which was incorporated into S. 47 and passed by the Senate on Feb 12.
“My City Council colleagues and I look forward to recognizing this very long overdue designation of the Saint Francis Dam disaster national memorial and national monument on the upcoming anniversary of this tragic and significant event in our community’s history, ”said Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste in a previous interview.
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May I suggest that you rewrite the story with the correct Facts as to how this bill became law. According to Congress.gov ( https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/47 ) Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is the one who introduced the bill in the Senate on 1/8/19. Senator Dianne Feinstein ( D-CA) became a Cosponsor of the bill on 2/5/19. Senator Kamala Harris is not listed as a cosponsor of this bill. This bill was passed in the Senate on a 92-8 vote and sent to the House.
Once S.47 reached the House of Representatives on 2/26/19, it was shepherded there by Congressman Grijalva (D-AZ) where it passed on a 363-62 vote, including Yea by Congresswoman Katie Hill (D-Aqua Dulce 25). This is NOT H.R. 1015 that Congresswoman Katie Hill introduced on 2/6/19 and was still in committee when S.47 was passed.
Please give credit where credit is due. The Saint Francis Dam disaster is deserving of Monument status. But please don’t credit to politicians for passing this bill who did nothing more than show up and vote.
Scott, thanks for the additional background.
If the purpose of your comment is to minimize the efforts of Rep. Hill and Sen. Harris in getting this legislation through, you are off-base and do not understand the process involved in getting complex legislation passed. S. 47 was the largest public lands bill considered by Congress in a decade. It combines more than 100 separate bills (including the Feinstein/Harris bills) that designate more than 350 miles of river as wild and scenic, add 2,600 miles of new federal trails and create nearly 700,000 acres of new recreation and conservation areas. The bill also withdraws 370,000 acres in Montana and Washington state from mineral development. The House then adopted the Senate version of the bill (rather than duplicate its efforts by passing the House bills, including the one sponsored by Rep. Hill.
Lorena- Can you please address Scott Cruit’s comments regarding your Saint Francis Dam story. News is based on facts. Why are your facts different from his. They should be the same if they are facts. Did you make assumptions?