Delay of Santa Clarita Cityhood Proposed

Hoping to save Los Angeles County money, Supervisor Pete Schabarum on Tuesday proposed delaying the incorporation of Santa Clarita until the summer of 1988, even though a cityhood election could come this fall.

The proposal was quickly denounced by those who want to create a new city in the Santa Clarita Valley and who have been pushing to get the cityhood issue before voters in November.

Commonly, a new city can open for business within weeks, or even days, of voter approval. But Schabarum’s proposal, which he estimated would save the county $3 million, would push Santa Clarita’s start-up date to July 1, 1988--the beginning of a new fiscal year.

State law requires that a county continue paying for services such as police and fire protection, road repair and libraries until the end of the fiscal year in which the incorporation was approved by voters. At the same time, certain revenues, such as sales tax and other levies, returned to local governments by the state begin flowing to the new city instead of to the county.

Therefore, Schabarum wants to protect county coffers by delaying incorporation until a new fiscal year begins.

‘Awfully Large Subsidy’

“This seems to me to be an awfully large subsidy to the residents of a 40-square-mile area to the detriment of the remaining residents of this county,” Schabarum said.

But cityhood proponents decried the suggestion for delay, saying it would make the municipality’s financial transition much more difficult and leave the city council, chosen at the same time voters decide on incorporation, without a city to preside over.

“It’s unspeakably bad government, and Pete Schabarum really ought to know better. That is really reprehensible,” said Carl Boyer III, chairman of the Santa Clarita City Formation Committee.

The county is “singling us out for punitive action that is quite frankly unfair,” added Connie Worden, the movement’s vice chairwoman. “We have known we would be costing them on the order of $3 million, although we believe we have been paying more than our fair share for years in the Valley.”

Worden said Santa Clarita had expected to hold its first city council meeting in early December.

The proposal, which Schabarum announced at the Board of Supervisors meeting, will be on Tuesday’s agenda. Financial details of Schabarum’s proposal were not available.

Next Step, LAFCO

If Schabarum’s proposal wins board approval, the measure would go to the Local Agency Formation Commission. LAFCO approved the proposed 43-square-mile city of 90,000 residents last week.

The Board of Supervisors eventually must endorse cityhood before it can be presented to voters.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley, was out of town and could not be reached for comment.