Canyon Country Magazine June 2023

City Plans to be ‘Out Front and Center’ on Cemex

By Perry Smith Signal Senior Staff Writer

Adecision this week by the State Water Resources Control Board puts Santa Clarita at the “front and center” of the effort to try and stop what’s been described as the nation’s second-largest aggregate mine from being put in the city’s backyard, officials said Friday.

A letter sent Thursday afternoon obtained by The Signal alerted CEMEX that its application seeking a beneficial use permit for the Santa Clara River is being re-noticed, which triggers a process for the state water board, according to an email from water officials.

The Mexican-based international mining company garnered permission from a federal court in May of last year to pursue a pair of 30-year-old contracts it has for mining sand and gravel in Soledad Canyon.

CEMEX has not responded to multiple requests for comment regarding its plans as of this story’s publication.

The mine’s efforts have been targeted by the city for decades. In the years since the contracts were awarded, there have been a number of efforts by local, state and even federal legislators that have successfully slowed the mine, including an agreement with the mining company itself — but not stopped it altogether.

However, a relatively recent court decision regarding CEMEX’s contracts and notice from the state board that it could re-apply for its permits have once again raised local concerns.

“The state water board has not determined whether to hold a hearing regarding the CEMEX water right permit application,” according to an email from Ailene Voisin, who works in the board’s Office of Public Affairs. “The next step in processing the application is to re-notice the application. The noticing period, once commenced, will be a 40-day period where the public has an opportunity to file protests against the application. While the date of re-notice has not yet been determined, it will likely occur in the next several months.”

While local and state officials were happy for the opportunity, Masis Hagobian, the city’s intergovernmental relations officer, said Friday that the water board agreeing with Santa Clarita’s view that the

public deserves a chance to protest CEMEX’s plans is just the first step.

“The real work is what comes next for us,” Hagobian said. “It’s no secret that we will be front and center in the process and submitting all of the information that needs to be submitted to demonstrate the unsuitability of the proposed project.”

The time and scheduling of what happens next is dependent on a number of factors, including the next steps taken by CEMEX, according to Voisin.

“Hearings on water right permit applications generally occur as a final step in processing of an application,” she wrote. “The processing time for water right permit applications is highly variable depending on a number of factors. Since each water right permit application is unique, we cannot provide an average length of time for an approval process.”

The process started again with Thursday’s notification, a follow-up to a 2019 notice from the water board, which let CEMEX know the process was no longer on hold.

“The United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled on the merits on Sept. 15, 2021, and entered an order on remedy on May 25, 2022,” according to Thursday’s letter. “The court’s May 2022 order vacated both the Department of the

Interior’s Board of Land Appeals’ decision and the underlying Bureau of Land Management decision to cancel CEMEX Inc.’s mining contracts. Via this letter, I am informing you that the Division is resuming staff processing efforts on the application.”

Regardless, the local and state officials who have helped fight the mine for decades are happy for the opportunity to once again express their concerns.

As City Councilwoman Laurene Weste said Friday, a lot has changed since the mining company was first issued the contracts.

“This is an extremely valuable and viable opportunity for the public,” Weste said, calling it probably one of the most important things that can happen in this valley.

“We need our groundwater and (the Santa Clara River) has got to be protected,” she added, “so I am thrilled at them for allowing the public an opportunity to evaluate and look at all the impacts that exist in this current timeframe.”

Members of the public can sign up for email notification of water right application notices by going to: public.govdelivery.com/accounts/ CAWRCB/subscriber/new?qsp=los_angeles.

Council member calls situation over gravel mine possibly the most important thing that could happen to SCV

Abandoned equipment stands at the CEMEX site in Canyon Country. The city is now looking to formally annex about four square miles of property, more than 2,600 acres, which includes the CEMEX property. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

Canyon High Grads ‘Destined to do Great Things’

By Rylee Holwager Signal Staff Writer

Family members, friends and loved ones sat waiting for a moment that they would never forget. Members of Canyons News Network appeared on the jumbo screens, welcoming and congratulating the class. Each student, or groups of students, who popped up on the screen did so in a different language, including Spanish, French and American Sign Language.

Canyon High School students entered, walking in a line wearing green and white robes down the sides of College of the Canyons track Tuesday.

Students waved to their loved ones in the crowd cheering for them.

“Taylor! Aiden! Jose!” cheered a few of the audience members.

The graduation classic of “Pomp and Circumstance,” performed by the senior members of Canyon band and directed by Mark de la Vega, accompanied the students every step of the way until they stood in front of their seats.

“Pomp and Circumstance,” shifted to a performance of the national anthem by the senior member of Canyon’s choir, directed by Kelly Casewell.

As the roaring applause and cheers began to lessen, Shellie

Holcombe, principal of Canyon High School, took to the stage.

“I would like to remind you the incredible journey that each one of you have been on,” said Holcombe. “You have persevered through challenges,

Abaincia, Aariel Myles Abelarde, Carlos Jerome Abrego, Gabriella Acevedo, Mea Acuna, Rylie Aguirre, Bethany Aird, Ryder Alam, Zoya Alarcon Mendoza, Julian Alcalde, Alexa Aldaz, Rose

Alexis, Scarlett Alvarado, Jasmine Amaya, Emely Amezcua, Gadelynn Anicua, Melanie Anschultz, Isaiah Aparicio, Kathelyn

Aralar, Kailiea Rene Archundia Castillo, Brandon Arellanes, Joshua Arellano Solorzano, Sebastian Arietta, Taylor

Arriaga, Eric

Asad, Saad Ascencio, Lisa Asmar, Christian Bables, Ciara Bagamaspad, Alexa Bagratyan, Elizabeth

Banuelos, Ryenne Barber, Adam Bejarano, Dominic

Benavidez, Emily

Bentz, Ryan Berkeland, Allison Bernabe, Ace Bernal, Ismael

Berrios, Matias

Best, Tyler

Biggs, Jaylen

Bodero, Joaquin

Bogharian, Joseph

Bonilla, Bianca

Botros, Giovanni

Botros, Marcus

Brombart, Westin

Bucaro Gonzalez, Jorge

Bucknor, Aiden

Burgos, Jaymee

Bustos, Jacob

Caballero, Andres

Cabrera, Haylee

Calderon, Oscar

Campa, Jordan

Campollo, Diego

Cano, Akari

Capistran, Brandon

Caravantes, Jonathan

Cardona Palma, Melissa

Carmona DeJesus, Dyara

Carranza, Amy

Carrera, Gonzalo

Carrillo, Angel Dallas

Carrillo, Brandon

Carrillo, Daniel Carrillo, Jimena

Carrillo Tello, Christian Castellanos, Alyssa

Castillo, Katherine

Castillo, Monique

Castro, Adrian

Castro, Galilea

Castro, Jonas

Castro, Michelle

Catalan Cortez, Jimmy

Cayetano, Angel

Chavez, Isabella

Chavez Ruvalcaba, Areli

Chiguichon Barraza, Stefany

Cifuentes, Erick

Coia, Cierra

Colby, Steven

Compton, Connor

Conklin, Dilan

Contreras, Jenelle

Contreras, Trinity

Canyon High School graduates cheer on one of the speakers during the school’s graduation ceremony held at College of the Canyons’ Cougar Stadium.

PHOTOS BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

Cali Lake Residents Face Pending Deadline

By Perry Smith Signal Senior Staff Writer

L.A. Homeless Services Authority officials were at Cali Lake RV Resort on June 5 ahead of a deadline the park was given to meet its revised occupancy permit.

Park owner Stewart Silver said he’s seeking more time for his residents, including some who aren’t having an easy time relocating from the park east of Santa Clarita, south of Agua Dulce.

In a statement, state officials said an extension would be possible if the park’s owner makes a good-faith effort to correct the violations ahead of a July inspection.

The park’s operators said the state’s changing rules regarding evictions has made the transition of 103 to 47 spots a challenge. The state’s order requires the park to eliminate the infrastructure in place for the spots, including its hookups.

But the park has been moving about 10 out per month, according

to Michele Savino, Cali Lake’s office manager and tenant.

State officials say the park’s owner is “knowingly collecting rents for locations not in compliance with health and safety,” according to an email obtained by The Signal. The same email made a distinction regarding Cali Lake’s side of the story — the agency said it has no authority to evict anyone at their planned June 19 inspection. They’re making it illegal for the landlord to collect rent if the park is noncompliant after that date.

Cali Lake’s operators also said they were warned of fines that could equate to thousands of dollars per day if they didn’t comply in time.

An email from Jennifer Hanson in the communications office for the state’s Housing and Community Development Department referred to years of effort to get Silver’s park in compliance prior to this month’s deadline. The email also pointed out that if the deadline is not met, the resulting action would be a suspension, not a revocation, of the operating permit. Hanson also pointed out Silver’s

permit for 103 spaces was conditioned on local land-use approval, which was not granted.

L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, authored a motion to look closely at the situation, assessing the number of residents impacted, spaces available, an overview of tenant protections and how the county might help. Barger’s motion calls for a county staff report-back date of June 27.

A notice shared by Cali Lake officials notes the deadline for the next HDC inspection is June 19.

“(Barger) wants to hear back from (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) as to how their outreach has fared and what have been the outcomes,” said Helen Chavez, Barger’s director of communications, in a phone interview.

Barger initially requested information in front of the board about the park’s situation in November.

At that time, a county Department of Regional Planning presentation discussed the state’s reasoning in its decision to reduce the occupancy, namely that the property is in a floodplain as well as being in a High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

to their new homes safely.

“We agreed to go down to the 47 spaces that we were supposed to go down to,” said park manager Savino. “The problem is, we were supposed to start in January, because the (eviction) moratorium was supposed to end on Dec. 31.”

When the moratorium was extended to March 31, that meant the park couldn’t begin the eviction process until April. Park operators said that just isn’t enough time.

Troy Gay, a park resident battling prostate and thyroid cancer, wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of moving, but noted the county officials he just had spoken to were going to try to help him relocate.

His RV runs, but part of the challenge for him is that the family that lives in the spot next to his essentially acts as his caretaker.

“Everybody’s like family here — that’s why I’ve been staying,” he said, adding his health situation has made things difficult and he was one of the 11 residents with a notice who have yet to move. “This is more family to me than my family was.”

Jim Lewandowski ISAWC 1413

Todd Walter ISAWC 10664A

Tom Baal ISAWC 7566

Chris Miller ISAWC 11780A “Serving Santa Clarita Valley And

Silver said Monday, June 5 that his main business is Avon, a vehicle-rental company, and he hasn’t taken a profit from Cali Lake in about four years. He wants to create as safe a location as possible for his residents, while making sure the environment is safe, he said.

Silver doesn’t want to displace anyone, and his park offers its residents a safe place and a community, he said, and three more months would go a long way in helping them transition

Savino said that, after the notice was sent out, almost a dozen residents found other places, but some have had a hard time finding a new park. Many parks have 10-year rules that forbid RVs built more than a decade ago from parking.

As a result, many can be seen on the street, she said, adding a number of the park’s former residents are now parked in a line near the intersection of Glenoaks Boulevard and Roxford Street in Sylmar, where they are parked and living on the street.

Some of the motorhomes in question at Cali Lake RV Resort. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

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CANYON

Continued from page 5

overcome obstacles, demonstrated the words determination and resilience, that is truly inspiring.”

In recognition of the long journey the students have been on, Holcombe gave the students an opportunity to stand and applaud their loved ones for the support that they have given in the last four years.

“I just want to thank my mom, dad and sister for always being there for me,” said student Brooke Danielle McCormick in a video playing at the graduation.

Holcombe spoke to all that the students have accomplished in their high school careers and the qualities they exemplified as their time as Cowboys.

“It is important to recognize that your success did not come without hard work, dedication and a willingness to push through tough times,” said Holcombe.

Following Holcombe was the valedictorian, or “top Cowboy,” Zoya Alam.

Alam ripped up a printout of her speech, meant to signify she was speaking from her heart.

“Our four years might not have been the journey that you imagined initially,” said Alam. “It might not have even been the ‘High School Musical’ that you might have pictured, right? But what it is, is our success story.”

Alam created a wave of applause as she asked for students who are attending COC in the fall, then those attending UCs, then those attending CSUs to clap, and eventually everyone clapped as a testimony to their success.

“All of us are destined to do great things,” said Alam. “Clap for yourself because you deserve it this year.”

Alam and then the salutatorian, Pablo Rodriguez, both talked about firsts for their high school experience.

They expected first dances, first exams, first club meetings, she said. What they hadn’t expected was firsts that included a school shooting and a pandemic.

“There’s no other way to say our class’s experience, as I think you guys can agree, has been unique,” said Rodriguez.

Nonetheless, they persevered.

“These four years have been full of firsts, both expected and unexpected, and the future will continue to bring firsts, both expected and unexpected,” said Rodriguez. “But whatever happens? We have made it through worse.

“Remember these four years and how we have persevered to become who we are today. Remember to communicate with those you love. Remember not to quit just because something is difficult at the moment. Remember to surround yourself with people who you don’t really enjoy being with so that push you can push yourself to be the best version of yourself. Remember the resilience we show this year in the last four years and the strength that we all have class of 2023 I’m excited to see where the future takes us.” 

Clockwise: Senior Class President Brielle Miller passes on the Senior Key to 2024 Class President Jackson Hastings. Graduate Saad Bin Asad.

BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

GRADS

Continued from page 5

Cooke, Haleigh Cooper, Aziz Corbin, Martina Corona, Abigail Corona, Jason Cowan, Sean Crawford, Elijah Cuervo, Melanie Cuevas, Brianna Culci, Alicia Daggs, Zachary Dalisay Crisostomo, Brianna Damian, Francisco Davis Lopez, Catherine De Jesus, Ethan De La Cruz, Melissa De La Fuente, Myzell Delafin Wedge, Kaitlin Dennis, Priscilla Denton, Dakota Desvarieux, Madison Devoe, Kaden Devoe, Kai Devoe, Rowen Do, Ryan Dodge, Hannah Dudley, Nora Dudra, William Dungrani, Jinal Duran, Adrian

Duran, Regina Eddy, Haley Edmiston, Gavin Engbrecht, Mikayla Ennis, Kobe

Enriquez, Rameses Reign Erazo, Molly

Espinoza-Diaz, Anthony Esquivel, Judah Estrada, Jayme Estrada Godoy, Pedro Fast, Hudsen Figueroa, Ernest Figueroa, Julian Fike, Eian Fisher, Kylie Flannes, Jenna Flores, Bryan Flores, Christopher Flores Gomez, Guadalupe

Floyd, Liberty Foley, Emily Fortich, Kristine

Franco, Emma Frutiz, Mia

Gage, Nuh

Galaz, Jayleen

Galvez, Antonio Garcia, Aaliyah

Garcia, Breanna Garcia, Brooklyn Garcia, Christopher

Garcia, Edgar

Garcia, Joana

Garcia, Johnny Garcia, Kael Garcia, Katherine Garcia, Levi Garcia, Nataly

Garcia Gonzalez, Dulce

Georges, Tatiana Gillies, Booker

Ginocchio, Rodrigo Gittelson, Tiana

Godoy, Samantha

Gomez, Nicolas

Gonzales, Samantha Gonzalez, Alexia Gonzalez, Carol Gonzalez, Laura Gonzalez, Mark Gonzalez de Leon, Krystel

Goshen, Daniel

Govea, John

Green, Savannah

Guerrero, Damian

Guillen, Kaylee

Gutierrez, Say

Haiduk, Dziyana

Hakimpour, Melody

Hakobyan, Noy

Hauser, Liam

Hazan, Maayan

Henen Shokri, Basant

Hernandez, Alyssa

Hernandez, Austin

Hernandez, Christian

Hernandez, Ciara

Hernandez, Geovanny

Hernandez, Jonathan

Hernandez, Karina

Hernandez, Kasandra

Hernandez, Mario

Herrera, Adriana

Herrera, Diego

Herrera, Jerame

Herrera, Naomi

Holyak, Vincent

Hoyle, Caleb

Ibrahim, Youssef

Infante Mancilla, Alexandro

Janes, Jaclynn

Javier Sosa, Jobani

Jimenez, Anabell

Jimenez, Isabella

Jimenez Rojas, Alexander

Johnson, Daniel

Johnson, Roman

Jones, Kamryn

Karkar, Chris

Katamba, Abdul

Kitzmiller, Nathaniel

Knecht, Kylea

Knollman, Reanna

Lacson Saludares, Ryan

Lambey, Xavier

Lampley, Jaylen

Laraway, Peyton

Lasam, Tristan

Lavo, Evan

Lazo, Jocelyn

Ledezma, Citlali

Lee, John

Leon, Lissette

Leon, Luca

Lira, Jonathan

Lloyd, James

Lofton, Luke

Lopez, Emily

Lopez, Kennidi

Lopez, Louie

Lopez, Ricardo

Lopez, Stephanie

Lucero, Alondra

Lugo, Valeria

Luna Doroteo, Melisa

Lusk, Kaya

Lynn, Noah

Macandili, Cassidie

Mack, Amaurie

Madera, Kiana

Maejima Gonzalez, Ryan

Makishima, Jessica

Makishima, Megan

Mancini, Emily

Maouas, Maian

See GRADS, page 11

PHOTOS

Acton Residents Voice Battery Storage Concerns

By Perry Smith

Signal Senior Staff Writer

Concerns over a number of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Acton drew a standing-room only crowd to the June 5 Acton Town Council meeting.

Residents of the rural community have been rankled by reports of the storage facilities, which are an increasingly popular energy solution.

Town Council President Jeremiah Owen said the council’s regular meeting usually draws about 10 to 15 residents, but more than 200 showed up.

“Our official position is: ‘Don’t put BESS in Acton — it’s not the right place for it,’” Owen said in a June 6 phone interview.

He said part of his concern, in addition to any potential fire hazard or flood hazard that could result from building in such an area, has been with the lack of outreach and transparency around the projects’ efforts. To that end, he also thanked L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, for the help from her office.

A spokesman for Hecate Energy, which previously had permission to start developing its Humidor BESS project, a 300-megawatt “utility-scale battery energy storage facility,” did not respond to a request for comment.

“The Humidor BESS will be a versatile resource that supports the efficient use of renewable electricity and will make the CAISO (California Independent System Operator) grid a more resilient and reliable system,” said Gabe Wapner, Hecate Grid’s vice present of business development, in a statement issued on September. “Energy storage

packs a one-two punch. It supports wide-scale deployment of renewable energy while mitigating energy costs for consumers.”

Owen said he had little information from Hecate or Humidor and wasn’t able to find out much about

See BATTERY, page 10

CREDIT:PHONLAMAIPHOTO

Continued from page 9

the speculation until he started digging around on the state’s website set up for California Independent System Operator, which maintains the power grid.

He said he was nearly brought to tears when Barger’s office was able to slow down a BESS project days before the board was expected to grant the operator a 35-year license.

When the Town Council first learned of the approved Hecate project through a county site-plan review, a letter was sent the morning of Feb. 9 on behalf of the Acton Town Council. Samuel Dea, supervising planner for the Department of Regional Planning’s North County division, responded that evening.

“The facility as proposed cannot be approved through the site-plan review process,” Dea’s letter noted. “As a result, the approval previously granted under RPPL2022008009 has been rescinded and the applicant has been informed that the facility as currently proposed is subject to a conditional

use permit.”

There has not yet been a hearing for that permit, Owen said, but he said the council is working with community members, including a local coalition called Acton Takes Action, to try to make sure the community stays informed of all future projects, and has a chance to weigh in.

Ruthie Brock said she formed Acton Takes Action about six years ago to fight potential industrial blight to the area . After only learning of the BESS projects through a casual conversation with a friend, she realized she would need to get the group back together.

“My job has just been to disseminate information out there,” Brock said, likening the close-knit community to a “mushroom.”

“You know, we live in the dark, and unless you’re on social media, you hear nothing,” she lamented.

An ATA rally over the weekend drew more than 100 to Acton Park, which is not a small crowd for a town of about 7,000.

Barger said Tuesday she’ll been

continuing to keep a close eye on the situation, which includes a motion she successfully introduced, calling for county staff to report back to the board with information on: the current procedures for approval of such projects; all of the BESS projects seeking approval in L.A. County; Edison’s forecast for power needs; and how the county can bolster its position in terms of its jurisdictional authority.

Part of the challenge Barger and county officials are facing is changing energy regulations from Sacramento, as well as legislators’ support for “Building the Electricity Grid of the Future: California’s Clean Energy Transition Plan,” which was unveiled by Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 25.

“The plan emphasizes the need for a diverse range of clean energy resources, including batteries, clean hydrogen, and long-duration storage, to meet the growing demand for electricity at all times of the day and throughout the year,” according to a summary of the plan in Barger’s agenda item.

More troubling for the county is

COC Aerospace Team Seeks Help for NASA Mission

College of the Canyons

that under Assembly Bill 205, which Newsom signed into law last June, the California Energy Commission has “exclusive authority, superseding the county of Los Angeles, to certify a site and related facility and the associated environmental impact report, whether the application proposes a new site and related facility, or a change or addition to an existing facility,” if the facility can generate at least 50 megawatts.

“I hear my constituents’ concerns loud and clear,” Barger said in an emailed June 6 statement. “New laws and policies grant the state authority to select sites and environmentally clear the development of clean energy solutions — like battery energy storage systems — without local government and community input.

“I support pursuing sustainable energy solutions. However, I believe the development of these solutions should balance community impact and concerns with energy infrastructure hardening goals.”

Aerospace and Sciences Team is regularly selected to participate in NASA HASP (High Altitude Student Platform) and NASA RockSatX missions, and is seeking the community’s support for its next mission.

The team’s initial space flight was in 2016 and has continued to reach for the stars each year since its first experience. The team is launching four experiments this year.

“The COC Team has established a strong reputation of professionalism at multiple NASA sites with their ability to deliver experiments that are ready for space flight,” said a statement released by the team.

AST competes with college and university teams from around the world for these opportunities. The COC team designs, machines, codes, assembles and tests its experiments for upper atmospheric and space research, which are then launched aboard NASA space vehicles.

“The community college team’s greatest barrier is funding,” the release said. “Unlike university teams, the COC team must raise all funds for materials, launch fees and student travel to (the) NASA site with their experiment. Our community can make a difference. We rely on donations from generous individuals and companies in our community. Your support is crucial to increasing diversity and persistence in STEM and making students dreams come true.”

Donation checks can be made out to HASP & RSX and mailed to College of the Canyons Foundation, HASP & RSX Account, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355. Donations can also be made online at tinyurl. com/35zwdkxb. For questions you may email the AST student advisor at teresa.ciardi@canyons.edu. 

Maravilla, Ashley

Mariscal, Isabelle

Mariscal, Noah

Marmon, Isaiah

Marron, Tannia

Martinez, Jesse

Martinez, Maddeline

Maybin, Sophia

McClendon, Riley

McCormick, Brooke

McCoy, Briana

McNeely, Damien

Medina, Daniel

Medina, Eladio

Medrano, Juan

Melchor, Mariana

Mendibles, Jayden

Mendoza, Briahna

Mendoza, Christian

Mendoza, Christopher

Mendoza, Samantha

Mercado, Alexander

Meyers, Skylar

Miledi, Mason

Miller, Andrew

Miller, Brielle

Morales, Joselynne

Morales, Pamela

Moreno, Kattarina

Mourthi, Jacob

Munesato, Rachel

Murillo, Ashley

Najera, Alice

Nelson, Sophia

Nguyen, Kieu-Duyen

Nguyen, Thomas

Oakley, Kaiya

Ogunjobi, Ayomide

Okafor, Chinonso

Oliveri, Andrew

On, Khang

Onuwaje, Crystal Gail

Orellana, Julio

Orona, Nathan

Ortega, Noel

Ortiz, Diego

Ortiz, Jimena

Ortiz, Jordan

Ortiz, Juan

Osorio, Maddix

Osorio-Pineda, Emanuel

Padilla, Jasmine

Pair, Phoenix

Palacios, Emma

Parsons, Charlotte

Paz, Ethan Gabriel

Pelaez Pleitez, Diego Perez, Myla Perez Huerta, Melany Perez-Torres, Erick

Phillips, Lincoln

Pineda, Alondra

Preciado, Bianca

Quintana, Haley

Racela, Robert Ramirez, Adrian

Ramirez, Bryan

Ramirez, Crystal

Ramirez, Haydee

Ramirez, Neftali

Ramos, Aaron Ray, Angelina

Reeser, Giselle

Regular, Amanda Isabelle

Renderos, Linsey

Reyes, Alexander

Reyes, Joseph

Reyes, Madeline Reyes, Natalie

Reynoso, Jorge

Rivas, Isabelle

Rivera, Moises

Rodarte Palma, Paula

Rodi, Carson

Rodriguez, Christopher Rodriguez, Danielle Rodriguez, Manuel

Rodriguez, Pablo Rodriguez, Sandy Rojas, Emily Rojas, Marco Rojas, Samantha Roman, Debbie Romero, Daniel Romero, Dylan Romero, Kate Root, Jenna Rouswell, Yaretzi

Rude, Thomas

Rugelio, Mariah Salamanca Pacas, Monica Salas, Ismael Salgado Flores, Saul Sanabria, Victoria Sanchez, Maximiliano Sanchez Macias, Leslie Santillan, Andrew Santos, Marcus Sasahara, Kasey Saumers, Nicholas Schifter, Tyler Searcy, Dakkota Sedano, Louis Serna, Seven Serrano, Amy Serrano, Norely Sevilla Murillo, Rheyana Shaw, Calvin

Silva Carreno, Hailey Sims, Jade Smith, Bella

Snyder, Kayla

Soltero, Hailey

Soria, Alexis

Soronio, Josephine

Sosa, Brenna

Sosa Ortega, Justin

Sowter, Connor

Spencer, Sean

Srinivasan, Navin

Staudinger, Nicole

Stavropoulos, Alexa

Steadman, Cody

Strong, Matthew

Sugar, Marina

Suwanaksorn, Christina

Tadeo, Marlon

Talamantes, Adrian

Tawara, William

Thirkettle, Lucas

Thomas, Eric

Tinoco, Deborah

Tirado Bustamante, Daniel

Tobar Santizo, Nathan

Torres, Jillian Randi

Torres, Valeria

Trainer, Samantha

Tran, Leo

Treasure, Kalie

Trujillo, Daniela

Tsuang, Cheyenne

Ukkestal Talamantes, Joshua

Valdes, Reese

Valentin, Elijah

Vargas, Alaina

Vaughn, Emily

Vaughn, Keith

Vela, Leonardo

Veloz, Sofia

Villeda Perez, Maguelyn

Villegas, Jessica

Viramontes, Emily

Virues Moreno, Alexandra

Wade, Hayden

Walston, Silas

Webster, Codey

Welch, Ava

Welsh, Ryan

White, Arnell

Williams, Ryder

Wilson, Jack

Wilson, Spencer

Yazdani, Melina

Zamora Fernandez, Lesley

Zepeda, Diego

Zepeda, Stephanie

From left: Graduates Jacob Bustos, Jaymee Burgos and Aiden Bucknor. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

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District-Based Map For Next Election Approved

By Perry Smith Signal Senior Staff Writer

The city of Santa Clarita has approved a district-based electoral map for the next City Council election, putting the remedial district and a district where Mayor Jason Gibbs lives in Saugus on the next ballot in November 2024.

The council approved an ordinance with the changes for a first reading in a 4-1 vote, which is intended to settle a nearly decade-long legal battle the city has waged over its elections. A second reading to formally codify the changes occurred at the city’s council meeting on June 13.

Councilman Cameron Smyth took the initiative to propose the motion for the ordinance as one of the two council members most impacted by the hearing.

Smyth, along with Gibbs, is up for reelection in 2024. And as of now, as a result of the map chosen, he won’t be able to seek reelection.

Smyth saw the move to districts and giving up his seat as the only way to put the legal challenges to rest and move forward together as a city, he said.

“If I had thought there was any other alternative for us to pursue, I would have done that,” Smyth said. “But given the totality of the evidence and the research that I’ve done over the last several years, I really just felt that there was no alternative than to move to districts.”

In terms of putting Gibbs’ seat on the ballot versus his own, he also said he wanted to give the mayor the opportunity to seek a second term and continue his work on the council.

“Given where I am in my career, along with the mayor, I felt that it was in the best interests for the long term of the city, for the mayor to have an opportunity to continue his service and to run for a second term, as opposed to me seeking a fourth term,” he added.

Councilwoman Marsha McLean was the lone vote against the ordinance.

The city’s contracted demographer started Tuesday’s hearing by reviewing the changes reflected in Map 113 over the previously proposed joint draft map.

The map’s revisions, which the city detailed on the website set up to explain the electoral changes, were largely aimed at unifying neighborhoods that were inadvertently split in attempts to balance the districts. Each district had to have approximately 46,600 residents in order to remain balanced for the city’s population, and the smallest district can’t have a population with a more than 10% variance of the largest population.

The map splits Valencia between district Nos. 2 and 3, with 2 on the west side of that; whereas Saugus is somewhat split between district Nos. 3 and 4. District No. 5 is largely Canyon Country, with the exception of a carveout of several neighborhoods that were added to District No. 1 to make the Latino-majority district with Newhall.

The city of Santa Clarita began a series of public meetings in February to decide on a district-based electoral map to settle a lawsuit filed by Sebastian Cazares and Michael Cruz back in December 2021.

The two filed suit alleging the city of Santa Clarita violated the California Voting Rights Act with its at-large elections, contending those elections disenfranchised the city’s Latino voters by denying them a chance to elect their candidate of choice.

The city has to date denied all claims that its elections have done that; however, city officials have said they’re settling on the advice of their attorneys, who have pointed out that to date, no CVRA lawsuit has ever been successfully defended.

The agreed-upon settlement terms, which were announced in April 2022, called for the city to adopt district-based elections until at least 2030, starting in 2024, and for one of those districts to have a Latino plurality, and that the district be on the ballot in the next election.

The latter provision created a potential for tension at Tuesday’s hearing in Council Chambers, because neither of the two candidates eligible for reelection in November 2024 lived in the so-called “remedial” district.

Despite the historic nature of the council meeting, and the more than $1 million the city has spent in fighting the lawsuit, attendance was once

3176 Honey Lane Fillmore, CA 93015

again light. There were about a dozen attendees Tuesday at City Hall, and three requests to speak virtually.

The city was first sued over an alleged CVRA violation in 2014, at which point it moved its City Council elections from April to November

to line up with the general election starting in 2016.

In the city’s April 2014 election, there were 15,871 ballots cast. In the November 2016 election, nearly 91,000 ballots cast.

The City Council took a five-min-

ute recess at one point, after public commenters became belligerent during council members’ comments. A handful of residents have implored the city to abandon the settlement and fight the lawsuit, citing the fact that Santa Monica, which is represented by the same firm that represents Santa Clarita, still has a case in front of the state’s Supreme Court.

Khan Scolnick, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, also previously has stated the unlikelihood of a city victory in past statements.

City Attorney Joe Montes said the Santa Monica case is expected to have oral arguments before the court in its case by the end of June.

“If the Supreme Court were to overturn the CVRA as unconstitutional,” Montes said toward the end of Tuesday’s hearing, in response to questions from Councilwoman Laurene Weste, “I think we would be having another discussion.”

In terms of his political future, Smyth said the move makes him ineligible to run as things stand now in 2024, but the seasoned politician — who’s also served several terms in the state Assembly — said that things could very well change.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, in that I’ve learned never speak in absolutes,” he said, “and 2026 isn’t that far away.”

MAP COURTESY CITY OF SANTA CLARITA

SCV Cyclist Defies the Odds to Ride Again

By Rylee Holwager Signal Staff Writer

“Iwas given a less than 1% chance of ever walking again,” said cancer survivor Jamie Alamillo. “So as soon as I was able to walk again I started — I started biking, doing marathons, half marathons, Iron Mans and triathlons.”

Alamillo was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an aggressive cancer that causes cancer to form in plasma cells, on Nov. 19, 2013. Three days later he went into surgery where he was told he was never going to walk again.

He underwent 37 rounds of chemotherapy and 10 rounds of radiation.

Defying the odds, Alamillo regained the ability to walk through a long and determined journey of physical therapy.

In celebration of being able to do what he once thought he would never do again, Alamillo participated in a 100-mile bike ride around Lake Tahoe in June of 2015.

“I rode on and off recreationally and riding just kind of put me at ease of the disease,” said Alamillo. “It didn’t feel like I had disease.”

Almost eight years later, he is biking again at Lake Tahoe. This time it is 549 miles to the lake from Santa Clarita.

Eight days, nine riders — all to raise awareness for the various types of cancers that exist.

“A lot of people don’t know the different types of blood cancer that’s out there,” said Alamillo. “My main thing was just to bring awareness towards blood cancers, and of course, any type of cancers.”

TOUR2CURE is Alamillo’s way to help others beat the odds, like he did, through raising money for cancer research and one day finding a cure, one bike ride at a time.

“When I’m biking, there’s just this fire inside of

me that I want to bike and I want to just promote and do the advocacy towards some blood cancers and raise money, raise money for cancer research,” said Alamillo.

Since TOUR2CURE’s formation in 2019, his team has raised over $850,000 towards their mission.

The Lake Tahoe ride’s proceeds are going towards

the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

TOUR2CURE began the Lake Tahoe ride on May 25 with a goal of $5,000 and Alamillo’s personal goal of raising $1 million by the end of 2023. At the time of this publication, they have currently raised $3,360 for this ride.

To donate, visit bit.ly/42fJT4u. 

University of Alabama Spring 2023 Graduate

Emily Kusulas of Canyon Country received a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics

Southern New Hampshire University President’s List

Jared Wieczorek of Canyon Country

Oregon State University Honor Roll

Marie I. Burdett, Sophomore, Psychology

Dae Hun Park, Post Baccalaureate, Computer Science.

Georgia Tech Graduate

Yang Luo of Canyon Country

Jamie Amamillo starts off on the Tour2Cure Santa Clarita to Lake Tahoe cancer research fundraiser bike ride started at the McDonald’s on McBean Parkway. PHOTOS BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

Participants prepare for the start the Tour2Cure Santa Clarita to Lake Tahoe cancer research fundraiser bike ride.

CALENDAR

Celebrate Spain

Friday, July 14 • 6-9 p.m.

“Celebrate” brings the history and traditions of people and places from around the world to the Canyon Country Community Center every second Friday from April to September.

CANYON COUNTRY COMMUNITY CENTER

Experience Summer at the Canyon Country Community Center Programs for Youth (5-17)

Also Summer Family Night • Senior Activities • Table Tennis and more www.santa-clarita.com/CCCC

CANYON COUNTRY LIBRARY PROGRAMS

June 20

9:30 a.m Storytime

4:30 p.m. Afternoons at the Library: DIY Musical Instruments

June 21

9:30 a.m. Cuenta Cuentos. Bilingual Story Time

June 22

3:30 p.m. Teen Crafts & Stuff: Musical Instrument Petting Zoon

–

CCCC GYM HOURS

Tuesday and Thursday Basketball

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bring your own ball or check one out with a student or government-issued ID

Monday and Wednesday Table Tennis

9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bring your own paddles

Friday Pickleball

9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

June 24

10 a.m. Sit and Stitch

June 26

1:00 p.m. Little Explorers

June 27

9:30 a.m Storytime

4:30 p.m. Afternoons at the Library: Board Game Engineering

June 28

9:30 a.m. Cuenta Cuentos. Bilingual Story Time

June 29

3:30 p.m. Teen Crafts & Stuff: Pendulum Painting

July 3

1:00 p.m. Little Explorers

July 5

9:30 a.m. Cuenta Cuentos. Bilingual Story Time

July 6

3:30 p.m. Teen Crafts & Stuff: Pendulum Painting

5:30 p.m. Astrology Beyond the Sun Sign for Adults

6:00 p.m. Club de Mujeres Latinas en Literatura

July 8

10 a.m. Sit and Stitch

Every Canyon Country Community Center 18410 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita 91350 (661) 290-2266 | santa-clarita.com/CCCC

July 9

1:00 p.m. Little Explorers

6 p.m. Worlds of Whimsy

July 11

9:30 a.m. Storytime

3:30 p.m. Afternoons at the Library: Poetry Craft

July 12

9:30 a.m. Cuenta Cuentos. Bilingual Story Time

5:30 p.m. Cement Poetry for Adults

July 13

3:30 p.m. Teen Crafts & Stuff: Found Poetry

July 17

1:00 p.m. Little Explorers

July 18

9:30 a.m Storytime

4:30 p.m. Afternoons at the Library: Dramatic Craft

July 19

9:30 a.m. Cuenta Cuentos. Bilingual Story Time

June 12 through July 28 Lunch at the Library

Monday through Friday, noon - 1 p.m.

As a part of the Summer Reading Program, the Santa Clarita Public Library will offer free, healthy lunches for children and teens 18 and under. There is no sign-up, application, income verification or identification needed. Meals are served to all children on a first-come, first-served basis.