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Big Numbers
February, 2025 - Issue #237
Santa Clarita turned 37 years old at the end of 2025. It's a throwaway, smack in the middle of life, definitely not a milestone kind of age. In a press release acknowledging the anniversary, City Manager Ken Striplin mentioned the SCV's many nice parks, some new artwork that should vaguely resemble an LED river and promised "top-notch customer service" for residents. But between yawns, attentive readers noticed a big number: $342 million. The city's annual budget now stands at over a third of a billion dollars, roughly the down payment on a new Valencia home. It's a big number, and citywide, we're rolling into
2025 with plenty more.

"Yet in ALL OF THESE RACES, the spread between winner and loser amounted to less than 6 percent of the total votes."
Big but Narrow
January is a month of settling in for politicians. Those representing Santa Clarita this year come from both parties. Our District 40 State Assemblymember, Pilar Schiavo, is a Democrat who won by over 12,000 votes. Our District 23 State Senator, Suzette Valladares, is a Republican who won by over 16,000 votes. And our 27th District Congressional Representative, George Whitesides, is a Democrat who won by over 7,000 votes. It must be gratifying for each of them to know that thousands and thousands more voters chose them over the competition. That's a big number. Yet in all of these races, the spread between winner and loser amounted to less than 6 percent of the total votes.
For decades now, pundits have noted that Santa Clarita has become more blue than red, but as this election attests, the valley remains politically ambivalent. The scales tilt depending on whether it's a major election, which party is in the White House, whether it's an incumbent and so on. Still, it's usually the case that victories are narrow and seats change between parties. At least that keeps things interesting, and given the rather interesting current political landscape, anything could happen in 2025.

Old is New: Bold Request
Santa Clarita's Old Road is set for some new lanes and bridges. In response to a December motion citing the Old Road's regional importance and "no other direct alternative freeway route," the LA County Board of Supervisors approved a $250-million plan to give it an extensive facelift. The multi-part, two-phase project will expand the Old Road from four lanes to six, add protected bicycle lanes and replace two bridges. Approval was unanimous. The end product sounds great; let's hope the intervening construction isn't too painful.
A different sort of big-budget project came before Santa Clarita's City Council in December. Centennial is set to re-develop what used to be the Westfield mall. They made a big ask for something not very exciting, a large parking structure, and also very expensive - up to $75 million. Maybe they hoped that asking around Christmas would appeal to the giving spirit of the city council, but they found Scrooge instead. Now-mayor Bill Miranda wouldn't seriously entertain the idea. He and others wanted more details and a compelling explanation of why it was in the city's interest to help fund such an expensive project. It sounds like there are a lot of discussions in store for this new year.

Hart by the Numbers
Last year, LA County approved the plan to hand over Hart Park to the City of Santa Clarita. That means that it's "so long and happy trails to you" for the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles, the longtime steward. As the city assumes its new mantle of custodian, there's a lot to tend to. This includes the mansion, well over 100 acres, lots of critters and the many thousands of items that comprise the Hart collections: film memorabilia, cowboy paraphernalia, furniture, artwork and possessions that made the house his home. The city posted a museum curator job to take on the task. It will be in the Library Services Division, with starting pay of $39.27 to $47.73 an hour.
For me, though, the biggest number to come out of Hart Park recently was 36. That was the age of Bertha, a member of the bison herd who had to be put down in December as her health was failing. She was practically as old as the City of Santa Clarita itself, and her old age was a testament to receiving good care. Let's hope a photo of Bertha makes it to the collections, another reason for Claritans to heart Hart Park.
This column is intended as satire and a (sometimes successful) attempt at humor. Suggestions and catty comments intended for the author can be e-mailed to iheartscv@insidescv.com.
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