Board Assails Santa Clarita on Dealings With County

Santa Clarita Councilman Dennis Koontz came to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Thursday looking for a favor, but received instead a tongue-lashing over his fledgling city’s dealings with the county.

Koontz asked the board to postpone approving changes in the county’s development plan for the region for 90 days to give the three-day-old city time to study the plan.

In answer to his request, Koontz got a reprimand.

“You put the City of Santa Clarita off to a bad start,” said Supervisor Ed Edelman. “I think that’s the general opinion around here.”

Last week, the board upbraided Santa Clarita’s attorneys for trying to renege on a promise to pay the county for millions of dollars worth of services, including fire protection and law enforcement. Although cityhood proponents had reluctantly promised to reimburse the county, City Council members say they don’t know if state law allows them to do so.

Warning Issued

But the board warned Koontz that the new city would have a tough time extracting any favors from the county if it didn’t honor the commitment.

“If you seek equity, you have to have clean hands,” Edelman said. “You are going to come back to the county and ask for things. There are memories around here that serve for a long time. You ought to get your house in order.”

“It’s absolutely vital you start out on the right foot,” Supervisor Deane Dana said.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who attended Santa Clarita’s first City Council meeting Tuesday night, joined in by lecturing Koontz on how the council could run its meetings more efficiently. During Tuesday’s session, the novice council members repeatedly turned to their staff and asked them how to do things.

For the most part, Koontz listened patiently. But when he tried on a couple of occasions to steer the subject back to the development plan, he failed each time.

“I know we are going to find ways to cooperate with the county,” Koontz told the angry board members.

But Koontz said he did not know if Santa Clarita would pay for the services, which could cost more than $2.7 million. He said reimbursing the county for the services, which he said should be provided at no charge under state law, could leave the city vulnerable to a lawsuit.

Board members postponed a vote on the development plan until Dec. 29, telling Koontz that they expect to hear whether Santa Clarita will pick up the tab for the services by then.

After the meeting, Connie Worden, who headed the cityhood formation committee, said she was worried about the rocky start the city is having in its relationship with the county.

“I think they need to resolve it expeditiously,” Worden said of the City Council. “It is clearly clouding every single issue.”