Recall of Santa Clarita Councilman Launched

An unsuccessful candidate for the Santa Clarita City Council has launched a recall drive against Councilman Howard P. (Buck) McKeon, charging that McKeon bowed to the wishes of Los Angeles city and county officials who want to open a garbage dump just outside Santa Clarita in Elsmere Canyon.

The candidate, Andy Martin, also claimed Monday that McKeon is pro-development, noting that McKeon was the only council member who endorsed an agreement that would have let a developer build 1,452 units in Canyon Country in return for $55 million in road improvements.

McKeon, who served as the city’s first mayor, was on a business trip and could not be reached for comment Monday.

The owner of Howard and Phil’s Western Wear clothing chain, McKeon is a well-known figure in the Santa Clarita Valley. He was the top vote-getter when the city incorporated in 1987, receiving 9,657, or 12% of the vote.

Martin, an insurance agent, and Brad Amber, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy, are spearheading the recall effort, the first in the young city’s history.

Martin, who finished eighth among 10 candidates in the April council election, said McKeon failed to fight plans to open a dump in Elsmere Canyon, east of the Antelope Valley Freeway. Instead, McKeon was willing to let the dump be opened in exchange for land and money for Santa Clarita, Martin said. The city and county have established a joint powers agreement to develop and operate the dump, but the project must still be reviewed for its environmental impacts.

The council, including McKeon, voted to oppose the Elsmere Canyon dump in February. The council members had remained neutral on the dump for more than a year, saying they did not want to jeopardize the city’s legal standing to oppose the plan by speaking out prematurely.

Martin also blasted McKeon for supporting the 1,452-unit Santa Catarina project proposed by G.H. Palmer Associates. McKeon has said the project would provide badly needed roads the city cannot afford to build.

Martin asked a group of homeowners opposing the Santa Catarina project to support the recall. The homeowners declined to endorse the effort as a group, but some individuals offered their support, Martin said.

Martin said he hopes to begin collecting signatures this week. He needs to collect signatures from 15% of the 53,533 registered voters in the city to force a recall, City Manager George Caravalho said.

Martin ran unsuccessfully for the board of the Santa Clarita Community College District last fall. In the City Council race in April, Martin collected 1,643 or 6% of the vote.