On November 3, 1987 voters in the Santa Clarita Valley created a new city composed of the historic towns of Newhall, Saugus, Valencia and Canyon Country. It was the birth of the City of Santa Clarita.
One of the people responsible for putting Santa Clarita on the map and helping to govern the city in it’s infancy was Carl Boyer, the 3rd. Boyer will be telling the story of the events leading to the formation of the city and give an insider’s view of the first City Council to govern Santa Clarita when he appears before the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society on Saturday, June 2 at 2:00 pm at the Saugus Train Station, Heritage Junction in Newhall. Boyer’s talk will be based on his recently published book, Santa Clarita, The Formation and Organization of the Largest Newly Incorporated City in the History of Humankind.
The town of Newhall dates back to 1876, but in all that time governance of the community was in the hands of the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County. Efforts to create an incorporated city in the Santa Clarita Valley began in the 1920s when the Newhall Chamber of Commerce was formed. Although no serious movement to form a city was to take place for several decades, over the years people in the valley grew increasingly weary of county rule and longed for a day when a more local government could respond to their needs, such as building roads and preserving the valley’s rich history and natural beauty. The movement toward cityhood would be a long and hard road with much resistance encountered from County officials. Attempts to break away from Los Angeles County and to form a new Canyon County failed at the polls in both 1976 and 1978.
Finally in 1985, the emergence of various housing tracts and strip malls built without regard for adequate infrastructure in the valley prompted the creation of a city formation committee to be chaired by SCV Chamber of Commerce President, Louis Garasi. Other members of the committee were to include Connie Worden (Vice-Chair), Jo Anne Darcy, Jan Heidt, Jill Klajic and Carl Boyer. By 1987, Boyer would take over as chairman of the committee. An application for cityhood was filed with a county unit, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). The original proposal for a city called for a 90 square mile area of the Santa Clarita Valley, but county politics resulted in LAFCO approving only 39 square miles for consideration for a city. Interestingly, much of the area excluded from the proposed city was slated for pending real estate development. The new city would include most of the towns including Newhall, Saugus, Valencia and Canyon Country. Even in this smaller version, it would turn out to be the only city ever to incorporate with an initial population in excess of 100,000.
The long awaited day occurred on November 3, 1987 when over 67 percent of the voters approved the formation of the City of Santa Clarita. The first city council would consist of future congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, Jan Heidt, Jo Anne Darcy, Dennis Koontz and once again Carl Boyer. Boyer would become the third Mayor of the City in 1990. He did a repeat stint as Mayor in 1996. He was to serve on the first five city councils between the city’s formation in 1987 and when he finally retired from the city council after 11 years in 1998. Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society Board Member Laurene Weste became a city council member the year Boyer left and has served on the council since then, also serving as Mayor in 2001 and 2006.
Although development continues to challenge the quality of life in the valley, the City of Santa Clarita can claim many achievements since its formation in trying to preserve the city as one of the finest places to live in the Southern California region. Boyer, from the start has played an integral role in making this all happen. He can present a unique view of the events leading up to cityhood and how the city has been governed since its formation. The Santa Clarita Historical Society is honored to present one of the founders of our city at the Saugus Train Station. Signed copies of Boyer’s book will be available for sale as well. The general public is welcome and admission will be free.
For more information on this and other upcoming programs from the SCVHS, please call Pat Saletore or Alan Pollack at 661-254-1275, www.scvhs.org .