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A Little Change
June, 2011 - Issue #80
At some point we have to give up on the idea of a fresh start, understand we must make do when we can't have a do-over. It's not always a pleasant realization.

Nowhere is this more apparent than politics. Some politicians genuinely think they get to begin the world anew. They speak passionately about sweeping changes and fundamental reform, but the political machine has far too much inertia to accommodate that. It's a rushing train that wants to run the familiar line; a lot of time and effort are needed to slow it down, much less change its course.

This month, we consider changes coming to Santa Clarita - the messy, incremental, corrective, unglamorous sort of changes that might just turn out to be the most important kind of all.

Let's Stay Together
The 2010 Census wasn't taken just to produce delightful statistics about how many Americans exceed 100 years of age (70,490), are married (54.1 percent), or primarily speak Yiddish (158,991). It has a secondary purpose, serving as the basis for allotting and adjusting political representation. With 176,320 residents in the City of Santa Clarita and perhaps another 100,000 in surrounding areas, the SCV doesn't have enough people for exclusive representatives. The State Senate and Assembly require a single rep for about every 931,000 and 466,000 residents, respectively. That means Santa Clarita's population is only entitled to 30 percent of a State Senator - an arm and a leg's worth.

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is in the process of lumping us together with other cities to define political districts with the right-sized population. It's a chance to tweak and redraw boundaries, and the fact that citizens are in charge, not politicians, means there might be some meaningful improvements. The City Council passed a resolution requesting that the redistricting committee keep the Santa Clarita Valley intact rather than dividing us among different districts. As for who will join us, there are likely communities in Ventura County or the San Fernando Valley, but curiously, the Antelope Valley doesn't want to share a district with us. That's right, the AV is rejecting the SCV. We'll see if the committee listens.

Brown Comes to Town
Governor Jerry Brown stopped by Santa Clarita, perhaps drawn by our reputation as not the worst place in California. He discussed budget challenges at a meeting that was a town hall in name, if not spirit. Rather than a lively exchange of questions and answers involving everyone, it was a by-invitation-only event held with folks from local government, education and law enforcement. These were groups he wanted to address as budget cuts or tax extensions will directly affect their operations and jobs. The meeting took place in the Hart High Auditorium. The low ceilings, brick veneer walls, and metal folding chairs made for a no-frills venue befitting talk of the severe budget deficit.

Whatever your political bent, at least we can be encouraged that California's legislators have realized the budget is a mess and that we've run out of quick fixes. "You can't do everything," as the governor said. In the spirit of working together, Assemblyman Cameron Smyth was among the Republicans joining Brown for the budget discussion. There wasn't much new said, as might be expected. But political analyst and writer Joe Mathews found the real story of the visit. Apparently, students in a science class knew Brown but not Smyth, even though he went to Hart, lives in and represents Santa Clarita. Fixing the state of politics might require Claritans to be a little more aware of who represents them.

Bulb-Outs?
Yes, bulb-outs. They sound like something you would visit a dermatologist to have removed, but landscaped peninsulas (which sound nicer than bulb-outs) were recently completed along Creekside Road. The 13 auto dealers got together with the city and started a Landscape Maintenance District initiative to improve the look of the numbingly-vast bazaar-o-cars. Dealers ponied-up about $1 million for new cross walks and landscaping. Don Fleming said improvements will allow customers to "cross-shop" various dealers. New benches will also be welcomed by those who like watching other people purchase vehicles.

The most interesting part of the whole story is the fact that this was a story. It was in the news, and the city heavily promoted the improvements, with four-fifths of the city council showing up to celebrate the fact that Creekside is now criss-crossed with uniquely-colored strips of pavement. There were even balloons. Symbolically, the to-do reveals something about how the game is changing in Santa Clarita. It's been "new everything" up to this point - even Newhall's restoration is more "start-from-scratch" than "fix-up." But as we start building inward, as once-new developments begin to age, and as revenue from new construction declines, the process of maintaining and fixing-up will replace fresh starts. This regime change won't happen anytime soon, but it's coming. Here's to hearting the little changes that may make things a little better in Santa Clarita.
This column is intended as satire and a (sometimes successful) attempt at humor. Suggestions, catty comments and veiled threats intended for the author can be e-mailed to iheartscv@insidescv.com.
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