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Today in S.C.V. History July 27
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Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
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The city of Santa Clarita is now accepting short poem entries for the Sidewalk Poetry Project from residents and individuals with connections or ties to Santa Clarita.
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Returning for a fourth year, the “Fringe of the Woods Festival” will again be held Aug. 9-11 at the Mile High Theater in Lake of the Woods/Frazier Park.
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The Val Verde Historical Society will host Back to Val Verde for Val Verde's 100! on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. This all day picnic and celebration will feature food, music, games and raffles.
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Can you help us identify these thieves? The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station is seeking the public's help in identifying two grand theft suspects. On June 22 two suspects stole a white 2019 Toyota Tacoma tailgate from a vehicle in Valencia.
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The city of Santa Clarita and DrinkPAK! are seeking talented creators for Maker's Marketplace, a curated shopping experience at the city's largest holiday event, Light Up Main Street.
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Outgoing Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Foundation President Gloria Mercdo-Fortine recently received high praise for her tenure as president of the foundation for the past four years.
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Here we are at the end of July and preparations for the fall season are already underway at most of our member schools. As is the case most every year, school administration and athletic faculty should be aware and ready to immediately implement the rule changes enacted the previous year.
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The California Department of Transportation announced the southbound Interstate 5 will be reduced to one or two lanes from two miles north of Templin Highway (near the Whitaker Sand Shed) north of Castaic to Lake Hughes Road overnights Monday, July 29 through Friday, Aug. 2 for paving work.
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1870 - Armantha Thibaudeau, community leader during early 20th Century and co-founder of chamber of commerce, born in Kentucky [story]
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The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation announced earlier this month that Jey Wagner stepped down from his role as president and CEO effective July 8, 2024.
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(CN) — The California Supreme Court on Thursday rebuffed a union-backed challenge to the voter-approved law that exempts app-based drivers working for companies such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash from being classified as employees rather than independent contractors under the state's labor code.
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Daniel Rush has been named the head coach for The Master's University's cross country and track & field teams.
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Nothing says Santa Clarita like our beautiful mountains, pristine parks, paseos meandering through our neighborhoods, lush trees and amenities for residents of all ages.
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"Inside Out 2," the sequel to Pixar’s 2015 hit, is taking the worldwide box office by storm.
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In honor of World Suicide Prevention Day, the second annual "Game. Set. Hope. Charity Tennis Tournament" will be held Saturday, Sept. 7, beginning 9:30 a.m., at the West Ranch High School tennis courts.
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Building on California’s ongoing work and unprecedented investments to address the decades-long issue of homelessness, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday ordering state agencies and departments to adopt clear policies that urgently address homeless encampments while respecting the dignity and well-being of all Californians.
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1915 - Pioneer Juan Batista Suraco buried in a family graveyard, currently unmarked, in Bouquet Canyon near Benz Road [story]
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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters:
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The Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Public Health have centralized access to mental health and substance use services into one 24/7 call center at (800) 854-7771.
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Adopt a Pet and help the Castaic Animal Shelter "Clear the Shelter" with their kick-off Party on Aug. 10.
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4 Comments
Maybe not such a good idea to make agreements with these folks. They don’t seem to keep there promises, That’s why there was that tree sit in Stevenson Ranch – developer promise not kept. Now Tejon. I wonder how the Center for Biological Diversity, California Native Plant Society and Wishtoyo will make out. They took 15 million to settle on Newhall Ranch, Sort of strange with all the endangered species there. Now that they get this money they have agreed to submit letters saying they don’t oppose any of Fivepoint/Lennar’s projects in the SCV.
Don’t confuse the “tree sit” in Stevenson Ranch for the issues herein. They may be distantly related as in “protecting the environment” but the Tejon Ranch is a whole ‘nother thing.
Much like the Bixby Ranch properties along the California coast, these properties go back in history (whether or not you like it) and come with specific and important restrictions and grants.
As for “promises” made for these large (thousands of acres) ownership properties in California, I’m not a lawyer or licensed realtor so my only thoughts are my own.
Unless the State of California is willing to buy out the current owners (at a reasonable price) all of these lands continue to be privately owned. That prevails even if the current owners do not intend to maintain or manage the properties as other people wish them to do so.
Would it be a wonderful thing if all of the Tejon Ranch properties could be restored to their native conditions and preserved for the controlled and managed use for all of Californians? Absolutely!
But if that is what you want then you need to besiege Governor Newsome and the State Legislature to make that happen.
It’s not like we’re talking about pristine native eco-culture here; much of the property has been a working ranch for more than 120 years. Plenty of this information is available online. And don’t start me on Edward F. Beale!
I’m not pitching an argument for or against Tejon Ranch and it’s business concerns regarding development of parts of that gigantic property. That’s a lot of square miles of private property.
However, it seems to me that unless there is a groundswell of public opinion (not likely – most folks haven’t a clue what or where it is), changes will be up to the Counties involved, and the politicians affected, not to mention the landowners (corporate these days; no more Spanish Conquistador stuff)whose job it is to make a profit.
If more than 1% of Californians know who or what Tejon Ranch is I would be surprised. If 2% care whether or not the two developments were approved I would be equally surprised.
I know that we are not in the same world as California City out in the Mojave desert where a developer scammed people into buying lots of flat desert land back in the early ’60’s by promising a thriving and vibrant real estate market.
This is not that. The rules have changed enough so that is unlikely if not possible anymore. But property rights haven’t changed that much, and the right to develop a property still exists in California. It’s a lot more expensive now, and a lot more political than back then.
Back to the beginning; I would love to see the entire Tejon Ranch become a marvelous example of historic Californeo land holdings, with protected but still accessible access…within limits. Much of the agricultural property cannot be easily restored to pristine conditions. But maintaining some of it as historic (and useful) farming could be an important historic resource.
The highlands are mostly unscathed (at least so far under the current global warming scenarios) and could become a wonderful resource for those hardy enough to spend time in and traverse a wonderful part of California.
As for why Helen was booted out, I don’t know. I’ve only been on one trip through Tejon Ranch (maybe my last, I don’t know – even though I don’t belong to ANY groups) so her knowledge is greater than mine.
I would be remiss if I didn’t note that when big money is at stake, legal processes can certainly engender situations wherein nobody ends up happy: owners, users, and non-specific “stakeholders”.
I do believe that if Tejon Ranch and it’s supporters, antagonists, and all the other political aspirants cannot come together with a plan to both serve the property owners needs AND ensure access to the wonderful landscape and ecology, then all that wonderful land will be just there. Without us.
I too have been banned from visiting Tejon Ranch. I signed a petition opposing the housing projects there about 10-years ago. I totally forgot about it, but when you sign up for a tour the apparently they do a background check. Like Helen, I am not an activist and have never protested anything in my life (and yes, I am old enough to remember Vietnam.)
What I think is unfair about this situation is that the State of California paid the developers $16 million for a conservation easement which is supposed to allow some sort of public to access the property. But, the Tejon Ranch Company still owns the land, so they can choose who gets to go and who doesn’t. Apparently, they have decided that anyone who ever did anything in opposition to their projects can never have access to the land. I think this is petty. And whatever happened to free speech?
If this was truly private property I wouldn’t have a problem, but since my tax dollars were used to pay for public access to the site, I think this terrible.
What I do not get is where are the reporters when you need one. Will someone please tell us exactly how much property tax Tejon pays for those cow dung pastures? I pay $600/year for an empty 2.5 acre lot next door. $600 x 15,000 (grapevine) 20,000 (centennial) 3500 (village) = alot more than $15.8 in taxpayer dollars that Tejon is being gifted. Tejon Mountain Village was given the green light eons ago. They are using the term “tentative building lots” to put the lots on the market for a developer without paying tax on “building lots”. Everyone else who holds onto a lot and waits for a golden opportunity to sell has to pay property tax. The money they pay consultants and lawyers to prolong these environmental issues is chump change compared to what they would pay in property tax. So one could say it plays into their strategy to jerk around. They have one project up for sale and two in the down the line basket.