After 36 years, eight successful re-election bids and a half-dozen years as “Mayor of Los Angeles County,” Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich hosted Wednesday his final State of the County luncheon in Santa Clarita.

Former SCV Sheriff’s Station Captain and Acting Asst, Sheriff Tony La Berge and Barry Goldwater Jr. (Photo by  Stephen K. Peeples)

Antonovich invited Barry Goldwater Jr. and took a trip down memory lane discussing his legacy in a valley that bears his name on several projects, as well as how he first got into politics.

His first successful foray into public office — where he served alongside future Gov. Jerry Brown on the nascent Los Angeles Community College District board in 1969 — was inspired by his fifth-grade teacher at the South Central Los  Angeles elementary school he attended.

Among Antonovich’s proudest achievements, in addition to the trails, open space and amenities the county worked on, are the partnerships that have been able to produce lasting improvements for the area’s quality of life, such as the SCV Economic Development Corp., and the growth of the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the event.

Antonovich was grateful to have the city of Santa Clarita as a partner on many of these lasting projects, said Antonovich spokesman Tony Bell.