NEW MATH: California is one of only...

NEW MATH: California is one of only three states that requires a two-thirds majority to pass school bonds. . . . On Nov. 2, voters will have a chance to change that equation to require only a simple majority. Local school districts are already talking about putting bond measures on the ballot next year if Proposition 170 passes (B1).

IDENTITY CRISIS: They know there’s a there there, people just don’t know where it is. . . . Forging an identity has been a problem since Santa Clarita’s birth. When it was just a few months old, directory assistance operators denied the place existed. Now, more than five years after parts of Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall and Valencia incorporated to form a single city, Santa Clarita has a new campaign under way designed to educate people to think of it as one large city and not four little ones. “It’s embarrassing to say, but there are people who live in this city who don’t realize they live in Santa Clarita,” said Mike Haviland, the city’s economic development director (B14).

VALLEY CHRONICLE: Joe Sperling prides himself on the extras he offers customers at his 11-acre Calabasas nursery. . . . To keep children amused while mom is color-coordinating the camellias and fuchsia and ferns, Sperling and his staff have been building a railroad line employing German-made miniature trains that travel back in time and through an Indian village, a Western town, and wide open spaces. He also gives away free bags of popcorn (B5).

RV PARADISE: Paradise by the dashboard light. . . . There is a local park where families can picnic in peaceful surroundings, far from gangs, graffiti, drug sales and competing boomboxes. And it’s all available to the public. For a price. RV users have numerous parks to choose from in Southern California, but few have amenities as plush as Soledad Canyon Preserve, which covers 226 acres and has two pools, tennis courts, two recreation halls, a fishing pond, a coin laundry and a low-tech miniature golf course (B1).