When the city of Santa Clarita was formed two decades ago, community leaders decided there was strength in numbers. They drew the city boundaries to include four of the largest Santa Clarita Valley communities: Newhall, Saugus, Canyon Country and Santa Clarita.
The cityhood effort came during a period of major development in north Los Angeles County amid concerns that the voices of residents were not being heard downtown.
Now, the area is experiencing another development boom, and another group of unincorporated communities -- those on the western edge of the Santa Clarita Valley -- are talking about local control.
And once again, there is a debate about whether to go it alone or join with the larger city of Santa Clarita.
The west valley is a vast swath of homes, businesses and undeveloped land that stretches along Interstate 5 from the master-planned community of Stevenson Ranch north to the older, unincorporated towns of Val Verde and Castaic.
Some residents are pushing ahead with a cityhood drive, arguing that the area should have its own city council to deal with local issues. Others want to join Santa Clarita and still others want to stay unincorporated with government run by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the unincorporated area, recently granted $25,000 to study each option, and the city of Santa Clarita is paying for its own review examining the feasibility of annexing the area.
"I think that the area has grown to a degree that there is interest in looking at what the options are," said Dave Bossert, president of the West Ranch Town Council, an advisory panel to Antonovich on issues pertaining to Stevenson Ranch and other neighborhoods. "It's part of the evolution of the area."
A major issue is development. The north county area is the fastest-growing part of Los Angeles County. About 50,000 homes are slated to be built along the Interstate 5 corridor, including the 23,000-home Centennial development and the 20,885-unit Newhall Ranch.
Although neither is in the area being discussed, some smaller developments have raised concerns.
One is proposed for property behind Adele McPherson's house. But if she wants to protest it, she will have to take time off work and drive 30 miles to a county planning meeting downtown.
