Lawmakers Spar Over Santa Clarita Road Plans

A controversy over road-building plans in Santa Clarita has generated an angry exchange of correspondence between U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) and Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Jill Klajic.

First, the councilwoman wrote to the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, complaining about a request by the city and McKeon for federal funds to build new roads in the western part of the city.

Klajic complained the planned roads benefit the more affluent west side of the city to the detriment of the poorer east side, and said they were a political payoff by McKeon to the Newhall Land & Farming Co., the area’s largest landowner and a major donor to his campaigns.

McKeon wrote back this week, differing with Klajic.

“Had you attended any of my town meetings over the last four years,” stated McKeon’s letter, “you would have heard the many complaints about traffic congestion and the need to address the problem voiced by the citizens of our community.”

McKeon also wrote “while projects submitted on behalf of the City may better position Newhall Land,” everyone else in Santa Clarita would also benefit.

When asked to respond to McKeon’s letter, Klajic said Thursday she did not read it. “I threw it away,” she said.

The fight over the highway improvements began Feb. 11, when the City Council voted 3 to 2 to request that McKeon try to acquire funds under the $150-billion Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, a federal transportation measure.

The city is requesting funding for improvements along the Golden State Freeway at Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia Boulevard and California 126, and also wants to expand Magic Mountain Parkway to six lanes between the Golden State Freeway and McBean Parkway and extend Newhall Ranch Road from the Golden State Freeway to Bouquet Canyon Road.

The total cost would be between $100 million and $125 million, according to Mike Murphy, intergovernmental relations officer for the city.

Construction there would unfairly benefit Newhall Land, which has several developments in the area, and the more affluent west side of town, Klajic complained shortly after the vote. Labeling the proposed roadwork “pork,” she called it a political favor from McKeon to Newhall Land.

In her undated letter to Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the House transportation committee, Klajic wrote that Newhall Land “happens to substantially contribute to Congressman McKeon’s election campaigns.”

In his March 19 letter, McKeon fired back: “I found this an offensive statement based on assumption, rather than fact.” He added it was the city government of Santa Clarita that picked where the road improvements would go, not him.

Marlee Lauffer, a spokeswoman for Newhall Land, pointed out that the sheriff’s station, hospital, mall and City Hall are all situated on the city’s westside, which she said shows the road improvements would benefit the entire community, not just Newhall Land.

McKeon and Klajic have butted heads before, when McKeon was a council member in the late 1980s. In his letter to Klajic, McKeon said he realizes the two must disagree on many issues. “I cannot, however, remain silent in light of your false allegations that I base my actions upon those who contribute to my campaign,” McKeon wrote.

Armando Azarloza, spokesman for McKeon, conceded that McKeon had received the legal maximum $5,000 campaign contributions from a Newhall Land political action committee in 1992 and 1996.

He said Klajic’s letter to Shuster would probably have little impact on the city receiving the federal funds and that the allegations she leveled against McKeon “were just a wedge to divide the community.”

Azarloza said he expects Shuster’s transportation committee to announce its decision during the summer.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, about a dozen people, most from the city’s business community, spoke out against Klajic and demanded that the rest of the council censure her for sending the letter to Congress without their approval.

One of their complaints was that Klajic had used official City Council stationery to write the letter, which they described as an attempt to mislead the transportation committee into believing the entire council shares her views.

Klajic stated in her letter to Shuster that her opposition to the road construction is a minority opinion on the council but she “believed it was reflective of the majority of residents in Santa Clarita.”

At the council meeting, Councilman Carl Boyer said he would think about voting for a motion to censure Klajic, but no such resolution was offered and the council took no action against her.

Klajic was defiant at the meeting, saying she would continue to voice her concern whenever and however she thought best.