Newhall Ranch Project

Should government subsidize the cost of increasing blight within our cities? One would think that such a question is beyond the pale of rational discourse. If government is going to do something about blight, wouldn’t it want to decrease it? Isn’t that, in fact, the whole purpose behind the state’s Community Redevelopment Act? Nevertheless, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will be asked to finance blight on March 24 in connection with the approval of the proposed Newhall Ranch project.

This project is the largest ever proposed in the county or state. It proposes the construction of more than 24,000 homes for an estimated 70,000 residents. And yet the project will only contain one junior high and one high school. The local Hart school district thinks that 2 1/2 junior highs and high schools are appropriate for a project of this size. The developer--Newhall Land & Farming Co.--believes that state and local taxes should be used to fund the majority of school costs within its projects.

Recent experience in bond elections has shown that the residents of Santa Clarita are reluctant to tax themselves for the school infrastructure costs of local development.

Occasionally the state has limited funds for new school construction. Consequently it has adopted an allocation mechanism based on need. Need is defined by the degree of overcrowding within the schools.

Newhall Land proposes to overcrowd all of the schools in its projects to take advantage of any state funds that might be available. Put the schools on year-round, multitrack double sessions and presto--you don’t need the number of schools that you thought you did.

Meanwhile, what happens to overcrowded inner-city schools if suburban land developers are soaking up limited school construction funds? You guessed it--increased blight, because money that should have been used to help children has been diverted to fatten a corporation’s bottom line.

This type of scam is likely to continue until the voting public wakes up to the realization that its pocket is being picked to the detriment of those who can least defend themselves--our children--and demands an end to such corporate handouts.

KEITH PRITSKER

Stevenson Ranch

* As a resident of Santa Clarita, I have yet to meet a fellow neighbor who is happy about this development. I don’t care how you slice it, the amount of traffic generated will make the Golden State Freeway and 126 a true parking lot.

As someone who works in the motion-picture industry, I don’t always get to work in my own backyard, so that journey at 6 or 7 in the morning will be even more of a challenge.

Last, but certainly not least, Santa Clarita is a beautiful place to live, and until we’re all driving electric cars, the smog from this development will certainly change the visual landscape.

MICHAEL MAY

Valencia