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A2 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

The Top 10 Stories of 2024 As we look back on 2024, the following pages present recaps of the top 10 news stories, as determined by The Signal’s editorial board. The stories are presented in no particular order.

Landfill’s problems likely to linger longer

back in June, but left it open for an amended argument, which he also ultimately rejected in October.

By Perry Smith

Signal Senior Staff Writer

The problems at Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic have been ongoing for approximately two years, with no clear end in sight and no exact cause for its problems determined.

The landfill is settling at a faster than normal rate, it’s producing leachate at a faster than normal rate and there have been concerns raised that its pollution could be tied to a cluster of cancer cases in the area, which is currently under study.

Since no one has reported the official cause, there’s also been no report of any timeline for a solution.

What all of this really means is that the landfill’s problems will likely be resolved in the courts — and with more than 1,500 plaintiffs suing the landfill over their claims of health problems, it’s unlikely the lawsuits, or any of the landfill’s issues, will be resolved in the short term.

Start of the year

Back in January, the landfill offered an ominous warning to residents: The smell will get worse before it gets better.

This bore out as complaints about the smells coming from the landfill increased throughout 2024, reaching an average of about 2,000 per month, according to the figures shared at a recent community advisory committee.

Also in January, a report of an explosion was one of two injury-related incidents at the landfill in 2024; the second involved a contractor trapped under a truck while working on the leachate issues.

But the concerns were just beginning to worsen.

Toward the end of February, the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control issued an alert stating the landfill illegally dumped toxic waste at a facility in Gardena after trucking it away from the Castaic landfill, according to an alert the DTSC sent to The Signal.

The offenses were the most serious classification on the DTSC website, representing “a significant threat to human health or safety or the environment” because of either the relative hazardousness of the waste or the proximity of the population at risk.

According to the DTSC, Chiquita was found to be illegally disposing of hazardous waste — landfill leachate that contained toxic levels of benzene, a carcinogen — at a facility that is not permitted to treat hazardous waste.

The following day, The Signal published a story about an effort by residents to shut down the landfill.

Landfill response

One of the biggest ways the landfill has tried to compensate those impacted by Chiquita Canyon Landfill is by its community relief fund.

That fund has delivered

County concerns, future

Photos by Habeba Mostafa/The Signal

Castaic and Val Verde residents gathered at Hasley Canyon Park twice in 2024 to protest the ongoing issues at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill that they say are causing health problems. Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (below left), D-Chatsworth, joined both protests and has called for the landfill to be shut down and residents to receive more help from the county and state governments.

more than $2 million to local residents to date, the bulk of which has gone to pay for relocation costs, according to the landfill.

Residents began to raise questions about the fund though once the lawsuits began to materialize in federal court.

The landfill has held a handful of informational seminars about the benefits that are being made available to residents through a third-party administrator.

The seminars followed residents’ requests for more information and transparency about the help available from the landfill’s community relief fund at the May meeting of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill Advisory Committee, and some of those questions remain unanswered.

In a letter from the CEO of Waste Connections, the landfill has said it will not release how it determines who gets what benefits, which it considers a “work product.”

Residents impacted by the landfill say that they have concerns about accepting the money while they are in a legal fight against the landfill in fear that the landfill will use their personal information against them.

In response to the

landfill’s legal victory in October, its representatives issued a statement: “Chiquita is pleased with the ruling to dismiss the lawsuit against Chiquita Canyon,” according to a statement from the landfill Friday shared via email by Chiquita Canyon spokesman John Musella. “This ruling confirms the county has conducted the necessary environmental reviews and Chiquita can continue to operate. As the EPA and other regulatory agencies have concurred, the landfill’s regular waste disposal operations are not affecting or contributing to the elevated temperature landfill event.”

Ongoing legal morasse

Earlier this year, frustrated legal counsel for the state’s Air Quality Management District took the landfill to task in front of the hearing board for making “misleading” statements about the potential health impacts of the damage and not disclosing the leachate issues when they were first discovered.

During a meeting of the AQMD South Coast District Hearing Board, legal counsel for the landfill said Chiquita was “making extensive efforts to address this reaction and

committing significant resources to address this reaction and scores of employees and contractors to fix problems,” according to Megan Morgan of Beveridge & Diamond, attorney for landfill operator Waste Connections, during her opening statement.

Morgan and the landfill’s legal team was back in front of the hearing board in August when the landfill was criticized for not addressing its problems quickly enough. Another abatement order was issued that month limiting the landfill’s work as its impacts were severely affecting residents who were only about 1,000 feet away from the work.

Other legal efforts surrounding the landfill include moves surrounding about 2,000 lawsuits being adjudicated in federal court, due to the fact that they’re being consolidated into one trial, which could start in 2025. At this early stage, it would be too early to tell, and an out-of-court settlement also is possible.

While a separate legal effort

by Castaic and Val Verde residents to sue LA County to force its closure came up short, residents may still get their wish on the landfill’s closure in 2025.

A judge initially denied the Feburary lawsuit from residents

Katherine Quezada/The Signal

The Chiquita Canyon Landfill held multiple seminars throughout 2024 to help residents affected by the landfill to gain more information on the landfill’s community relief fund, though some residents are still questioning the benefits.

The judge’s ruling in October left critics frustrated with L.A. County, saying they felt the county didn’t do enough, citing the county’s refusal to declare a state of emergency.

Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger Barger has strenuously defended the office’s decision and also called on state officials who have declined to get involved, despite their ability to do so unilaterally, and calls from members of the Legislature, including Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth.

Not long after the case was dismissed, the landfill threatened L.A. County with legal action, after talk began to surface that the landfill was nearing its legal capacity unless it was given permission to expand.

Barger said toward the end of October she had no intention of granting such permission. She said the water board’s decision not to give the landfill permission to respond is why Chiquita Canyon Landfill now has a dwindling capacity to accept waste that could run out in January.

“I want to emphasize that the landfill is likely to run out of capacity to bring in new waste in a short amount of time, unless they are able to obtain authorization from the Los Angeles Regional Water Board to move into a new cell within the landfill,” she wrote. “Moving forward, county departments will keep the CAC apprised of updates on the remaining capacity within the landfill for the disposal of waste at the monthly CAC meetings.”

Water officials denied the landfill permission to put waste into an additional cell because of its lingering problems and the agency’s cited inadequacies with the landfill’s response to those problems.

“Neither the initial response nor the revised master plan include an adequate approach to contain the subsurface smoldering reaction,” according to the California Water Boards’ Sept. 25 response to a Chiquita Canyon Landfill appeal of the order not to allow expansion. The agency also said the landfill’s planned repairs were deemed inadequate.

Latest concerns

After residents claimed there are clusters of cancer patients among those living near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, Barger wrote a letter in October asking for an investigation.

Barger announced in October she was asking the county’s Cancer Surveillance Program to look into residents’ health concerns.

The program, which is administered by the USC Keck School of Medicine, operates independently of L.A. County Public Health.

“The concerns regarding cancer clusters are serious,” the letter stated. “Identifying increases in cancer cases and identifying a definitive cause can be challenging. Given your expertise in analyzing cancer trends, we believe your insights will be invaluable.”

It was co-signed by Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County Public Health director.

The Cancer Surveillance Program’s mission is to monitor and identify cancer disparities by delivering high-quality, complete, and robust data to reduce morbidity and mortality, according to a statement from the county. The program is more than 50 years old.

Schiavo’s first legislative act following her re-election in November was to introduce legislation in the new session intended to make sure residents who receive landfill assistance are not taxed on their benefits, which could then jeopardize any other government assistance they may be eligible for. Schiavo announced the effort shortly after former Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, introduced a federal version. That effort is expected to be carried on in the 119th Congress by Rep. George Whitesides, D-Santa Clarita.

THE SIGNAL · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024 · A3

A4 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

Van Hook’s dismissal leads to series of changes at COC Governing board put Van Hook on leave after 36 years in charge at the college; her retirement, personnel changes, canceled facilities contracts, board makeover ensue

By Tyler Wainfeld Signal Staff Writer

The landscape of College of the Canyons and the Santa Clarita Valley as a whole changed on the evening of July 10.

Emerging from a nearly fourhour closed session meeting, COC governing board President Edel Alonso announced that then-Chancellor Dianne Van Hook would be placed on administrative leave.

That followed three prior meetings regarding Van Hook’s annual evaluation, combining for more than 10 hours of closed-door talks.

Less than two weeks later, Van Hook announced her retirement from the college.

It marked the end of a 36year relationship that started in 1988 — Van Hook was placed on leave just a week after the anniversary of her taking over at COC — and saw the college expand from 200,000 square feet of classroom, lab and office space to more than a million, including a second campus in Canyon Country to go along with the original campus in Valencia.

In terms of personnel, there are more than 230 full-time faculty members at COC, nearly quadruple the number there when Van Hook started, and more than 30,000 students are served per year. Last spring’s graduation conferred 3,215 degrees across 129 majors.

No reason for Van Hook’s dismissal was provided by any of the governing board members, and all questions were referred to state laws surrounding personnel matters.

So, what could have led to the removal of the person who many COC supporters have said turned “College of the Crayons” into what is now seen as the crown jewel of the Santa Clarita Valley?

While this was disputed by former board member Joan MacGregor at one of her final meetings — she resigned Aug. 5 after sitting on the governing board since 1993 — the move came on the back of the release of a campus climate survey in

Habeba Mostafa/The Signal

Former College of the Canyons Chancellor Dianne Van Hook presided over her final commencement ceremonies in the spring of 2024 after being placed on administrative leave shortly after, ending her 36-year tenure at the college.

Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal

David Andrus, formerly a political science professor at COC and president of the college’s Academic Senate, was named acting chancellor and then interim president of COC after Dianne Van Hook’s removal. which nearly half of the employees who submitted responses stated they have experienced psychological harm while working at the college. Other issues brought up in that survey were nearly 20% of respondents saying they didn’t feel welcome at the college.

MacGregor said on the

evening of July 10 that rumors of the faculty unions calling for Van Hook’s removal were untrue and that none of the unions had ever asked her for a vote.

“They’re not behind this, if we’re talking about the faculty and the classified representatives,” MacGregor said at the time. “As far as the employees

of this college, you heard some of them speak. We’ve seen the results of the climate survey, but that’s not the issue. It is not the unions. It is the employees that I care about. It’s not the brick and mortar that’s important at a college. To me, it’s the faculty member, the teacher in the classroom with the students.”

Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal

(Above) The new College of the Canyons governing board after being sworn in on Dec. 18. (Below right) Sharlene Johnson is sworn in as a COC governing board member before being named president of the board. (Below left) Edel Alonso is sworn in after being the only COC board member from the start of 2024 to remain on the board for 2025.

A flurry of changes ensued at the college in the following months.

Stepping up to lead the college in an interim fashion was David Andrus, formerly a political science professor at COC and a former COC Academic Senate president.

Shortly after that, Diane Fiero announced she would be leaving after serving as deputy chancellor. Sharlene Coleal also stepped down as assistant superintendent of business services.

There were also some big facilities projects that were canceled during the latter half of the year.

The Advanced Technology Center, originally supposed to cost $22 million before further research found that the true cost would be closer to $38 million, was canceled as an off-site facility due the high cost and its apparent inability to be what the college needs for a career technical education building.

The original plan was to have a 30,000-square-foot facility on Valley Center Drive, just west of Golden Valley Road and north of Soledad Canyon Road. However, college officials said in September that the facility would not be large enough for what the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers recommended in its 2019 report.

After handing $10 million to Intertex, the developer of the original project, for the land and plans, college officials began exploring the possibility of having a larger ATC on the Valencia campus.

Design services were approved for just that in November. The idea, Andrus said at the time, is to have something closer to the 111,000 square feet that that NCATC recommends.

“The 2019 (report) was the baseline, and we have had internal conversations about where we think the ATC can go on campus,” Andrus said at the time.

“We’ve had programmatic conversations in terms of what needs to go in there. We certainly have a desire for a square footage that we would hope mirrors the 2019 report, which is about 111,000 square feet. Whether or not we can get there, we don’t know.”

The ATC project is set to be funded through Measure E bond funds, of which there is just under $100 million left after voters approved $230 million to be procured in 2016 for facilities upgrades.

A building for low-income student housing was also scheduled to be built on the Valencia campus using state funds — via lease revenue bonds after the original plan for grant funding was changed by the state Legislature — but the board voted to return the $61.8 million to the state. College officials said during that Oct. 10 meeting that an extra $5 million would likely be needed to fulfill the project, and that there would be no guarantee that the college could sustain such a project.

Sanjana Sudhir, the student representative on the governing board, said there are thousands of students who would have benefitted from it.

“Student housing is such a vital cause that several organizations, including (Associated Student Government) and the Statewide Student Senate, have supported currently,” Sudhir said at the time. “I will be frank, this frustrates me that the students are not being recognized or appreciated. The board should be trying to help the students in any way, shape or form, and this resolution does not try to solve the student housing crisis.”

Perhaps the final domino to fall was a total makeover of the governing board.

Prior to Van Hook’s dismissal, Chuck Lyon resigned from the board. His seat was eventually won by Darlene Trevino, who ran on a slate with Fred Arnold and Sharlene Johnson. The latter two also won their elections.

That left Sebastian Cazares, who decided not to run for reelection, and Jerry Danielsen out of the picture after they presided over the period of change for COC. Carlos Guerrero was appointed in October to fill MacGregor’s seat, while Alonso was the lone board member to retain her seat following the Nov. 5 general election.

Johnson was named president of the board after she, Trevino and Arnold were sworn in Dec. 18, making her the first person to hold that position other than Alonso in four years.

THE SIGNAL · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024 · A5

Home is where the heart is.

This year, we opened two long-awaited spaces for housing, hope, and healing.

Thank you to everyone in the Santa Clarita Valley who has extended a helping hand!

A6 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

Town Center makeover? Mall plans prompt flurry of activity

By Perry Smith

Signal Senior Staff Writer

One of the biggest stories of 2024 actually began in 2023.

Actually, it started back in 1992.

The Valencia Town Center, which opened 32 years ago, has had quite a year, with news developing throughout, and its new owner, Centennial Real Estate Corp., has stayed pretty quiet for most of it.

But through word of mouth, inside sources, social media leaks and community outreach, quite a few of the details have come to light, many of them reported here in The Signal for the first time.

The story really started up again in January 2023, with the news that the Westfield Valencia Town Center is defaulting on its $195 million loan for the mall property.

Of course there were warning signs earlier for those watching closely.

The city may have seen the writing on the wall earlier, from the reports that the mall property’s former owner, UnibailRodamco-Westfield, was getting rid of its U.S. properties, to the fact that just before the pandemic, a massive redevelopment was announced, then scuttled, then never heard from again.

Centennial has repeatedly said it’s very supportive of the city’s help and guidance in revitalizing the area and intends to be a partner in the development of such an important property.

In December, the city of Santa Clarita learned what Centennial thinks that partnership should be worth to the city.

The latest reports indicate Centennial is asking the city to subsidize its plans for a 1,500-space parking garage to the tune of $60 million to $75 million.

Here’s what happened in 2024:

Silent support

Centennial started 2024 the way it ended 2023, not giving away much in terms of its intentions.

However, the project’s representative began signaling support for the city’s already-underway efforts on outreach for a Town Center Specific Area Plan.

The city is hoping to turn the 111-acre property right off Interstate 5 into a destination shopping center like Irvine Spectrum Center, which is about 72 miles south on the same freeway.

While Centennial hasn’t said what it’s planning yet, it did release several examples of other projects in the same vein: “We do feel confident in saying that Valencia Town Center has the potential to become a multi-use, live-work-play destination similar to Hawthorn, Fox Valley and MainPlace that seamlessly and aesthetically combines retail, restaurants, entertainment, luxury living and office space in a single master-planned campus,” according to an email from Michael Platt, Centennial’s executive vice president for mixed-use development.

The goal with the TCSP is to provide any developer with the feedback the city received from residents about what they want to see on the property, according to city officials. The city started its outreach before it knew Centennial would have

Signal file photos

Signs showing the Valencia Town Center being owned by UnibailRodamco-Westfield were taken down in 2023 after it was purchased by Centennial, with the idea to make it a “multi-use, live-work-play destination.” ownership.

In February, a public meeting was held at City Hall that gave the public a glimpse of the city’s ideas so far and asked for residents’ input. The city released its environmental impact review in March.

A new framework

Senior Planner Dave Peterson, who’s been leading the outreach and planning effort on behalf of the city, said there were a few reasons the city wanted to create a flexible set of guidelines for the centrally located lot.

Santa Clarita planners spent months trying to combine these wishes with goals to create guidelines for Centennial’s future “place-making” plans intended to last decades, he said.

The housing element in the plan also calls for the city to “strongly encourage” the developer, in a likely buildout scenario that calls for 2,200 units, to create 440 of the units as “affordable housing,” meaning priced for those making less than 80% of the area’s median income.

City planners referred to the 2,200-homes figure as a “practical maximum,” but he also said that the TCSP is intended as a framework, and the execution of plans is up to Centennial.

“We analyzed the demolition of what would be the food court, the JC Penney, the Sears box, a very small portion of (current outdoor mall shopping area) The Patios, which would largely remain intact, and then some portions of the wing of the mall The Canyon is located,” he said.

Some of the possible elements looked at by city planners included a hotel and convention center space in the southern portion of the site.

The Texas developer is a “vertically integrated

owner-operator that has 32 properties in 17 states covering more than 21 million square feet,” he added.

Rumor mill churns

With so much attention on the mall, information leaks and a few peaks here and there were inevitable.

And as Centennial began to solicit contracts for its new and future tenants, a series of “show-and-tells” provided some glimpses of what’s being planned.

A brand-new Costco with a gas station and the placement of 450 “upscale” residential units at Valencia Boulevard and Citrus Street, with underground parking with a first floor dedicated to retail, were among the first bits of information to come to light.

When asked about the developments on numerous occasions, Platt has issued variations of a similar statement: “While it’s too soon to announce definitive redevelopment plans for Valencia Town

Center today, those plans and discussions are well underway.

We are working side-by-side with the city of Santa Clarita officials to maintain the essence of what Valencia Town Center has always been to the Santa Clarita community and to build upon that to create a transformative and modern mixed-use campus that attracts locals and visitors alike.”

The plans being discussed with potential tenants include a three-year rollout for the first phase, according to a source who later withdrew the information posted online.

The Costco would be located in the fairly large, regularly vacant parking lot portion of the shopping center next to the Chick-fil-A. The city also has mentioned its desire for a conference center, but there have not been any details leaked from that just yet.

But what has been discussed is a multistory hotel, as well as a 300-unit senior-housing building.

An effort to draw in families has included talk for a fullsized Dick’s Sporting Goods store that would have an adjacent field/facility for customers, as well as some sit-down dining options, such as Capitol Grille and Il Fornaio. The latter, a popular Italian option, would be near the current Cheesecake Factory, according to the plans discussed.

Questions abound

Courtesy map

This map, courtesy of Centennial, shows the exact areas of the Valencia Town Center that the developer purchased in the hopes of redeveloping it into a destination center.

There have been countless hours of discussion and public outreach from the city of Santa Clarita about the future of the mall, and the discussion became much more prominent once the sale was announced.

But there have been some major questions along the way as well.

Many of those have lingered as a result of Centennial’s unwavering reticence about its pending plans.

One of the earliest questions was in the language for the affordable housing component in the city’s framework for the area. There was initially

discussion over whether the city was planning to require 20% of the housing to be affordable or whether the wording would be the less-definitive “strongly encourage.” Ultimately, the number of affordable units designed will be determined based on plans that have not yet been presented.

There also have been questions raised as to what, if any, limitations could be placed on a developer in terms of housing with the current state of housing laws.

The developer also made a pricey request in December: Centennial is looking for $60 million to $75 million to pay for its parking garage in order to get started on the first phase of development.

The ask is without precedent in terms of the city being requested to hand over that much money from a developer in order to complete a project.

The Santa Clarita City Council members who were asked about the request shortly afterward expressed numerous concerns about that being a part of the very first discussion of the plan.

“I’d like to see what staff can discuss with them on different options, but I do have a concern of simply fronting that amount of city capital into a project that is very specific to one area,” said Santa Clarita City Councilman Jason Gibbs, adding he would need to know how that might impact the city’s budget and its ability to meet its other goals.

Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda shared disappointment that that was the starting point of the discussion, but both Gibbs and Miranda noted that it was early and there’s much more to hash out.

“Yes, we want a Costco, and yes, we want more shopping and yes, we want a conference center, and yes, we want more shopping and a town center that’s people-friendly and children-friendly to visit,” he said, but added there are a lot of things the city could do with $60 million to $75 million.

THE SIGNAL · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024 · A7

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A8 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

Santa Clarita says goodbye to Saugus swap meet

By Maya Morales Signal Staff Writer

After 60 years of business the Santa Clarita Valley Swap Meet was closed in October with plans to become a “mixeduse” development plan for 318 homes and warehouse space.

The swap meet was hosted on the grounds of the Saugus Speedway off Soledad Canyon Road that has roots back to 1926, when a rodeo was hosted there for the first time, continuing into the 1950s.

In 1939, auto racing on the dirt track became a local tradition and in 1956, the track was paved. After the 1994 earthquake, however, the bleachers were deemed unsafe and later destroyed.

In 1964, according to longtime owner Doug Bonelli, the SCV Swap Meet opened on the speedway.

The swap meet’s imminent closure was a topic of discussion since February after there were online rumors circulating that the swap meet was going to be shut down at the end of the month. Bonelli had assured people the swap meet would not close by the end of the month, but he did warn then that he was not certain how much longer it would be open.

Plans for a mixed-use partnership on the swap meet property by Shadowbox Studios, the international studio company, and Integral Communities, a home developer, were obtained by The Signal revealing they had plans to build six 11,000-square-foot sound stages and a commercial parking structure. And there would be 318 residential units subdivided into five lots, along with recreational amenities, that became known as the Riverview Project.

The residential portion would have four residential planning areas on approximately 28 acres, with 122 detached singlefamily condos and 196 attached townhomes — 22 identified as affordable for low-income households.

The fifth area was proposed to be an industrial component that would have 116,790 square feet of light manufacturing or warehouse space and 10,000 square feet of office/mezzanine space with a maximum building height of 39 feet after Shadowbox backed out of the project.

When the project was brought to the Santa Clarita Planning Commission in July, members questioned everything from where the swap meet would be relocated to, to discussion of the property being in the city’s Job Creation Overlay Zone, intended to increase jobs and housing with mixed-use development.

Peter Vanek, with Integral Communities, had told the commissioners if they were seeking wholesale changes to the project that already met the city’s code, then he might have to walk away from the project.

At the same meeting, city staff said they would work further on the project with the developer and come back in September to review the plan.

The fate of the swap meet was discussed briefly at the July meeting, after Vanek showed no intention of continuing to host it on the property and Bonelli had said that his family was at the age where they could no longer manage the business and

Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal

The Santa Clarita Valley Swap Meet had its final day of business in 2024 at the site of the former Saugus Speedway, which is now slated to be developed into a mixed-use space with 318 homes and warehouses.

were ready to close up shop.

Several frequent vendors said they understood the Bonelli family’s right to sell the land and encouraged them to do so, but they would have liked to hear about a plan on what will happen to the swap meet if the sale goes through.

One vendor at the swap meet said they thought the city should have bought the property and turned the Saugus Speedway into a historical site where they could continually host the swap meet and honor the history of the speedway.

Other vendors said that the College of the Canyons should take the responsibility for hosting the swap meet, even if it was just once a month.

Loren Beracci, a Valencia resident who had been a vendor since 1971, said keeping the swap meet open would be beneficial not just for the vendors but for the community.

“I just think if there’s some way they can keep it for the people who really need this place, and that doesn’t just include the

people who sell. It’s the people who come in to buy who need this place because they can get stuff (groceries, tools and household items) they need for a lot cheaper,” said Beracci.

Christina Evans, former Canyon Country resident, had been a vendor at the swap meet for 15 years and said that her and others’ main concern was what will happen to their colleagues whose income primarily depended on their sales from their booths.

“I would say about 85% of the people that come and sell here, it is their only sort of income,” said Evans. “That is my concern, and I haven’t seen anyone address it.”

Evans said the vendor community within the swap meet is very close to one another. Each vendor would look out for each other, talk frequently about their sales, and discuss their lives away from the tables making sure they were doing well. For them it was hard to think of another vendor potentially losing their way to provide for their family.

And leaving to another swap meet was difficult because the nearest ones would be the Antelope Valley swap meet in the north or the swap meets in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles area in the south, most of which had a vendor waitlist because of limited availability.

In September, the Planning Commission denied the development plan because of the developer’s refusal to adjust the number of moderate and lowincome homes being built. Failing to come close to the requirements would have meant other properties would have to be reassessed, which the commission wasn’t willing to do.

After the denial, Bonelli said the swap meet would continue to stay open, but he still wanted to sell the property and needed to speak to his family about what would happen next.

Bonelli said he was remorseful for the hardship and the uncertainty was putting on his staff, vendors and customers.

Then in early October, he announced that the final day of

Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal

Vendors and shoppers at the final day of business for the Santa Clarita Valley Swap Meet said it was one of the highest-attended days of the past few years.

the swap meet was going to be Oct. 27 after trying to close the swap meet for years, and mentioned it was happening soon regardless of the pending development plans for his property.

For the last day, he welcomed vendors, staff, and shoppers to wear costumes in the spirit of Halloween and had many activities to offer everyone.

Bonelli hadn’t mentioned any changes of ownership status however, there was reason to believe the development project still had a future after Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Laurene Weste appealed the Planning Commission’s rejection of the project in September.

The council made a bargain with the developer, in exchange for letting the plan go below even the minimum estimate for that housing in favor of market-rate units, Vanek agreed to spend about $500,000 on city projects. Half of the money would go toward a trail that would connect the project to Ruether Avenue, $100,000 into the city’s low-income housing fund, and $150,000 toward the restoration of the Pardee House that is planned to become a museum as part of the Santa Clarita History Center in William S. Hart Park.

In November, City Council members unanimously approved the council’s second look at Riverview development plan for 318 homes on 35.2 acres split into five parcels with 22 designated as low-income, including 3 acres of warehouse space for the commercial component.

The last day of the swap meet, a line of hundreds of shoppers wrapped around the fence into the parking lot, but that did not stop those who came out to support and enjoy what they called a “Santa Clarita Valley institution.” Some 600 vendors and 37 employees were brought in, according to Bonelli.

Saugus resident Bob Bence said he’d been going to the swap meet for 20 years, sometimes just to take a stroll through the place with a cup of coffee and not really any intentions to buy anything. On that final Sunday he brought his two sons with him.

“These guys,” he said, referring to his boys, “don’t ever come. They said, ‘Hey Dad, I’m going to go with you because it’s the last day.’ I’ve never seen the parking like this.”

Now that the swap meet was closing down, Bence said he’d have to find another swap meet to visit in a new area.

Security guard Steve Schlund said the last time he saw the swap meet packed like that was in the 1980s when his mom was a vendor.

Schlund picked up the security job at the swap meet about a year ago and said he met so many nice people and was going to miss seeing them every Sunday.

“It’s unfortunate,” he said.

“I’ve enjoyed the people here.

And I’ve had a lot of customers.

A lot of repeat customers.”

As for what was going to happen to the vendors, Bonelli said he expected that the vendors would be fine and find other places to sell their goods. Now, he was planning on spending time with his family and catching up on much-needed rest after running the business.

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A10 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

Courtesy photos

An investigation into a reported shooting in Canyon Country in April is part of what has been documented to be an ongoing gang war in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Gang war leaves locals worried

residents, Angel Aguero, 20, and Jaime Gutierrez, 34, arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in a pair of July 2023 incidents, which also resulted in the death of another suspected gang member in an officer-involved shooting.

By Perry Smith

Signal Senior Staff Writer

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station has dealt with crimes associated with gangs for decades, but periodically, incidents act as flashpoints that can trigger upticks in the violence.

One such incident occurred in March 2023 — a gang-related double murder at the community pool in The Villages apartment complex in Newhall during broad daylight — that left even longtime residents shocked and concerned about a potential uptick.

They had reason to be.

This past year has seen dozens of violent incidents in a city that’s regularly ranked among the safest in the nation. Many of them have been tied to an ongoing gang conflict.

The SCV Sheriff’s Station regularly investigates gang-related activity that, when local, is often connected to three areas that have separate affiliations: Canyon Country, Newhall and Val Verde.

Walnut Street in Newhall has seen an especially sharp rise in the concentration of incidents, with many of them being associated with gang-related criminal threats, which can involve physical violence or the use of firearms to create fear in a neighborhood.

Struggles for territory from forces within the SCV and outside of it — with local law enforcement largely staying silent about both — have put residents on edge.

Here’s a look back at how the problems have escalated in 2024:

Rough start to new year

One of the first stories about violent crime in 2024 demonstrated a challenge that detectives who investigate these crimes face frequently, regardless of whether it’s gang-related: The brutality of an incident can make it harder for law enforcement officials to locate willing and cooperative witnesses.

The witness in a fatal stabbing outside of a Newhall liquor store in an area frequented by gang members six days before the double-murder declined to show up to court, so the case was dropped, according to the L.A. County DA’s office.

Homicide detectives have been quiet about the motive for Steven Castro, who was arrested and charged, but ultimately released. No other arrests have been made in connection with the stabbing.

In February, the SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies encountered the first of what would be a number of occurrences that year: a shooting near Whites Canyon Road and Stillmore Street led to a man being driven by a private party to a hospital with a gunshot wound. The man survived his injuries and station officials did not report any arrests in connection with the incident.

See something, say something

Courtesy photo

Two shootings were reported on the night of June 17, one resulting in a fatality, and both of which are being investigated to determine if gang activity was connected. of the rivalry primarily between two local gangs, which were believed to be local. The problem would later grow in scope.

A pair of shootings within 10 days of each other left a man in the hospital over words that were clearly gang-related. The Signal is choosing not to identify the gangs at the request of law enforcement officials who have said that such attention creates an ongoing public safety concern.

However, it was impossible to ignore the incidents. There were a half-dozen shootings, including two with serious injuries reported, starting March 27.

In the middle of June, tragedy struck again with a pair of shootings.

Another noninjury shooting on Walnut Street preceded a fatal shooting around 7:35 p.m.

June 17 near the intersection of Newhall Avenue and Lyons Avenue, according to station officials.

Homicide officials confirmed gang-related activity was suspected, although the victim’s family members denied that Fernando Bernabe was in a gang.

Self-transports

Another problem that SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies face with gang-related investigations is that the actions of the suspects and victims are often associated with attempts to hide their association with a crime, even when the person is a victim in need of immediate medical assistance.

There were several incidents

when victims showed up to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital before any shooting was reported to the SCV Sheriff’s Station, a self-transport, as they’re frequently known, which can be a bit harder for first responders to track and more dangerous for the victim.

Several instances occurred during the past year.

In the March 27 shooting, a man flagged down a woman she did not know at the intersection of Jakes Way and Sierra Highway. He had been shot in the chest and needed help, according to SCV Sheriff’s Station officials.

A similar incident happened in April.

In May, a bullet-riddled truck showed up at the hospital’s parking lot to take in a gunshot victim. The older-model black Chevy Colorado LT was later seized as evidence.

On July 4, deputies responding to a shots fired call on Walnut Street became wrapped in another whodunnit.

As deputies arrived, they got a second call from a woman who said she had been shot in her car.

The woman reportedly called the station from near Wiley Canyon Elementary School, with station officials giving her location as the 25200 block of Avenida Dorena.

The woman with a gunshot injury to her arm was driven to Henry Mayo “by private transport” by a man deputies described as “completely uncooperative.”

On July 8, a man called in

his own gunshot injury not far from the Rainbow Glen Market in Canyon Country.

Wheels of justice

Whatever one’s views of the modern state of criminal justice, since the pandemic, the system is rarely accused of being too swift.

There are a number of court cases associated with the various crimes mentioned in this article, but the more serious the crime, the slower the procedures tend to take around the collection of evidence and preparation for court.

And given the recent change in the DA’s office, there could be a reevaluation of whatever progress has been made in a number of cases.

A case in point would be the double-murder from March 2023.

Both of those suspects, 18-year-old Anthony Martinez Ortiz and 16-year-old Steven Rosas, have yet to face the first step of a potential trial in their respective cases.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6, when the evidence will be presented to a judge in San Fernando who will decide whether there’s enough to merit a trial.

Similar to those murders, in the death of Bernabe, the suspects were picked up within days of their alleged crimes.

Both Omar Garcia Ramirez and Jose Corona Duarte have little progress to report on their cases, which have not yet had a preliminary hearing.

Neither have the two SCV

Gang war

In May, court records obtained by The Signal detailed detectives’ reports on what Walnut Street residents, as well those living around Valle Del Oro and Jakes Way, have been witnessing for months: a gang war was taking place in Newhall and parts of Canyon Country.

The records from a pair of shootings investigated by the SCV Sheriff’s Station’s Juvenile and Gang Team showed the growing violence and danger

Signal file photo

A double homicide in March 2023 at The Village Apartments in Canyon Country is believed to have reignited a longstanding local gang rivalry.

An SCV Sheriff’s Station official said the public-safety threat posed by criminal gang activity is something the department views as extremely serious.

Deputies work to combat the crimes with undercover operations, late-night surveillance and hours of pouring through evidence from search warrants.

The SCV Sheriff’s Station’s Crime Prevention Unit is a dedicated team at the station that reviews regular crime reports and recommends resources accordingly. Those deputies, each assigned to a different part of the community, also work with specialized units, like the Crime Impact Team and the Special Assignment Team, to assist in that work.

But cooperation from citizens ultimately is critical in bringin case to court and convincing juries, according to station officials.

And incidents like a shocking display of brutality in Newhall during the first week of October demonstrate the violence and recklessness of some of the youth involved in the gang activity.

A Newhall man was left in intensive care last month with a beating and through-andthrough gunshot wound to his pelvis after asking local gang members to stop tagging his Newhall apartment complex on Pine Street, according to court records. The two men tried to stop a group of at least 10 boys after they entered the garage and began filming themselves tagging the walls and causing problems around 7:30 p.m.

Detectives know that the awareness of this type of behavior in some neighborhoods does not help them do their jobs at all.

“I will say, there is a hurdle that we do cross, which is cooperation with the public and cooperation with identifications and things like that because of that fear whenever you’re dealing with anything related to gangs,” said Detective James Van Horn, who’s part of the station’s dedicated team that works on gang activity.

Robert Jensen, a spokesman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station quoted a seminal figure in policing principles, Sir Robert Peel, saying, “‘The police are the public and the public are the police,’” when asked about the obstacles that deputies may face.

All law enforcement officials rely on the community to be their “eyes and ears” to solve crimes.

“Even the random tips we get from CrimeStoppers,” Jensen said, referring to the department’s anonymous reporting service, “we look at every one of those.”

Anyone who has information about the incident above can report it to the SCV Sheriff’s Station at 661-260-4000, or the information can be provided anonymously by calling “Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-TIPS (8477), using a smartphone by downloading the “P3Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store or by using the website, lacrimestoppers.org.

THE SIGNAL · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024 · A11

A look at crime and punishment in 2024

By Perry Smith

Signal Senior Staff Writer

The city of Santa Clarita is generally ranked among the nation’s safest, but due to a myriad of factors, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, its main law enforcement hub, has seen rising reports of crime for the last several years.

However, the second half of 2024 has seen that trend start to change.

Many feel these crime trends weighed on L.A. County voters who made two significant changes to the criminal justice system at the polls in November: They approved Proposition 36, which reversed the mindset that brought about Proposition 47, which lessened the penalties for a number of crimes; and the Nov. 5 political unraveling of the person responsible for bringing charges to bear, District Attorney George Gascón.

Interestingly enough for the SCV crime and punishment landscape, just as voters were heading to the polls in November and creating this sea change of undoing some previous reforms, the crime rate for the area continued to mirror a countywide trend of crime reports trending down.

There are a number of reasons why the criminal justice system in Los Angeles County is likely to keep evolving in 2025, between changes in the DA’s office, changes in policy and new technology meant to make policing the roads much more efficient.

Here’s a look at some of the top storylines that impacted the law enforcement picture in 2024 and likely to do the same next year.

(Above) Katherine Quezada/The Signal, (Below) Maya Morales/The Signal

(Above) Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies and L.A. County Fire Department personnel investigate a reported arson fire on July 28. (Below) California Highway Patrol officers search a reported stolen vehicle on Nov. 24.

Trends continuing, then stop

For the first part of the year, the reports from the SCV Sheriff’s Station officials continued to indicate that crime was trending in the wrong direction for them.

Local law enforcement officials noted some increases in crime were due to the fact that during the pandemic, crime reached its lowest levels in decades due to so many businesses being closed and people largely staying indoors.

Regardless, in January, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department released its official crime numbers for 2023 on its Transparency Promise web page, which reflected the increases in crime that law enforcement officials have been discussing publicly for months.

Robberies within city limits rose by nearly 40% between 2022 and 2023, with 89 reports in 2022, and 124 — an average of about one every three days — being reported in 2023.

(Above) Courtesy photo, (Right) Habeba Mostafa/The Signal

(Above) Newly sworn-in L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman addresses Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station personnel during a visit to the station in December. (Right) SCV Sheriff’s Station Capt. Justin Diez speaks at a news conference in June for fire safety.

For the first 11 months of 2024, that figure was 84, which is a reversal of the trend seen at the beginning of the year.

In May, Sheriff’s Station officials reported that PartI crimes — incidents ranging in severity from burglaries to murder and a wide range in between — were up nearly 22% in the city for the first four months of 2024 compared to the same time last year. In the county, that figure is nearly 36%.

Even as late as the fall, station officials reported that crime appeared to be slightly up: “Overall,” SCV Sheriff’s Station Capt.

Justin Diez said, “city crime is up 3%, county crime is down 3%,” leaving the station up 43

crimes over last year.

However, just a couple months later, the trends were reversing.

Throughout the SCV, the total number of Part-I crimes was down 0.66%, for the first 11 months of this year compared to the same time last year, Diez said.

It wasn’t the only changeup L.A. County saw in its criminal justice system.

Voters say goodbye to Gascón

Within hours of being sworn in, Gascón enacted a series of sweeping reforms that law enforcement officials ranging from those within his own office to those charged with street-level enforcement of the

law decried as making their jobs impossible.

The political enemies made with his sweeping, unilateral changes may have ultimately been his undoing.

Regardless of the why, exactly, what was clear about November’s election was voters’ call for change in the DA’s office, which former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman was happy to heed.

Hochman attacked what he labeled as “soft-on-crime” policies from his incumbent opponent, who, similar to the LASD, had to explain the continually rising post-pandemic crime numbers. He won by more than 19%.

Adjusting to the surge in crime reports in combination with a widescale elimination of bail also created challenges for deputies and police officers throughout Los Angeles County that lawmakers sought to help with.

Frequent reports of organized retail theft gangs — brazen collections of thieves who would enter a store en masse, empty its shelves and then leave with little or no consequence — became a regular feature on the news, leaving voters frustrated and calling for stiffer consequences. Officers repeatedly described themselves as handcuffed from being able to hold suspects they would see multiple times in a week.

Lawmakers began to create stiffer sentences for organized retail theft, but ultimately Proposition 47, which in 2014 changed some theft and drug crimes, such as shoplifting and possession, to misdemeanors, was a voter-approved ballot measure. That meant the change had to be put to voters under state law.

Proposition 36, which many voters saw as an answer, did three things: It increases punishments; creates a new treatment-focused court process for some drug crimes; and requires courts to warn people convicted of selling or providing illegal drugs to others that they can be charged with murder if they keep doing so and someone dies.

New tech

License plate-reading cameras are probably the biggest new tool in the arsenal for local law enforcement officials, courtesy of the city of Santa Clarita.

In November, the city

approved a half-million-dollar contract with Flock Safety, which operates a national network of the cameras that services local law enforcement by constantly scanning license plates for anything that might be reported stolen or just entered into the system by a law enforcement agency.

In addition to providing a ton of extra, constant eyes on the road for criminal behavior, the tools are seen as a way to help a short-staffed department.

“The ALPR (automated license-plate reader) technology is something that’s changing pretty dramatically,” said Santa Clarita City Councilman Jason Gibbs, an engineer whose day job includes working with launch systems, describing how the cameras use nascent and emerging artificial intelligence tech to not only read plates but also car details, with the ability to share that information with law enforcement to help fight crime and improve safety.

The city of Santa Clarita’s contract states the ALPR cameras only capture photos, with no live feed or surveillance monitoring. The chosen locations for the 35 cameras in Santa Clarita similarly will be picked based on a strategic geomapping of the area.

Diez said a patrol deputy legally can run any license plate through the system without a cause or reason, adding even the hardest working deputy making the most of their free time might be able to check several dozen during a shift while looking for anything suspicious.

The camera and data tools from Flock, which was started in 2017, represent a gamechanger in that respect, he said.

“The cameras though are running potentially thousands of plates per minute, more or less,” Diez said, “and really taking the human-error element out of it.”

Gibbs said he was a supporter of any tools that would help make the job of SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies easier, he said, but did ask a few questions about data storage. The data is supposed to be shared with other law enforcement agencies and deleted after 30 days, per the contract.

There was a question about whether there were any potential privacy concerns with the cameras, City Attorney Joe Montes said the national network does have pending lawsuits, but nothing in Los Angeles County.

The council also called for quarterly updates on the cameras and their status as part of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee briefings.

Challenges ahead

As the SCV Sheriff’s Station prepares for the new year, there are lingering morale challenges as a result of the station’s staffing situation, Diez recently said to Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda during a Public Safety Committee meeting at City Hall.

It’s a frequent concern Miranda asks about because both have discussed a problem the LASD is aware of and working on — there just aren’t enough deputies.

A staffing challenge has the station operating at about 65% of its traditional staffing level, despite having moved to a significantly expanded station off Golden Valley Road in October 2021.

Over the summer, another contract city for the Sheriff’s Department, West Hollywood, reported that the LASD’s staffing issues meant the department was unable to provide the city with new hires.

The department approved a more-than $1 million contract to help with recruitment, but it takes time to train deputies and prepare them for patrol, according to the experts.

In April, Lancaster filed a class-action suit that could impact Santa Clarita as a contract city: It claimed the LASD had been overcharging the city by not discounting the station for overtime patrols that were being used, as opposed to additional deputies — a practice in place for years, according to claims in the lawsuit.

Santa Clarita has the department’s largest contract, which could mean millions of dollars.

The lawsuit is expected to be in the courts next year.

A12 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

First by-district representative on City Council gets elected

By Tyler Wainfeld Signal Staff Writer

The first Santa Clarita City Council member was elected in a bydistrict election in 2024 — and another was appointed when only one candidate filed for candidacy.

Also in 2024, a pair of longtime local elected officials left public office as part of the representation shuffle of the Nov. 5 election.

Patsy Ayala made history when she beat Tim Burkhart and Bryce Jepsen for the right to represent District 1 on the City Council. In doing so, she not only became the first elected representative of a district in a city that had only known at-large elections since its inception in 1987, but also the first Latina to hold a seat on the dais.

“I’m very happy to take this obligation,” the former planning commissioner said after being sworn in, “and I am here

Photos by Habeba Mostafa/The Signal

Patsy Ayala (left, with microphone) was sworn in as the first by-district representative on the Santa Clarita City Council, while Cameron Smyth (right) left public service after 20 years, at the final City Council meeting of 2024. because I heard your voices, I heard your dreams, and I heard your concerns, and you can be sure I’m going to continue advocating and listening to those voices that led me here today.”

District 1 is made up mostly of Newhall with

a gerrymandered portion of western Canyon Country.

Councilman Jason Gibbs was appointed to represent District 3, which is mostly Saugus and some of Valencia. No other candidates filed prior to the deadline,

Map courtesy of the city of Santa Clarita

The approved map outlining the five electoral districts in the city of Santa Clarita.

allowing the former mayor to be sworn in for his second term without campaigning.

Due to the city moving to district-based elections following a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit, two districts were to be on the ballot in November, with one being a composed of a majority Latino population and considered the “remedial district” under the terms of the lawsuit settlement.

Former Councilman Cameron Smyth was not eligible to run for reelection due him not living in either of the two districts that were put on the ballot. He served as mayor in his final term on the council in 2024.

“I don’t know how many people get the privilege to be the mayor of their hometown,” Smyth said in his farewell speech at his final council meeting, “but I’m one of them, and it’s been the honor of my life. Thank you.”

Smyth had served on the City Council for 14 years and was mayor five times. He was first elected

in 2000 before being serving in the state Assembly from 2006 to 2012. He returned to the City Council in 2016.

Also bidding farewell to public service in 2024 was Scott Wilk. Due to term limits, the longtime Republican senator and assemblyman — and member of the College of the Canyons governing board before that — stepped down from his seat in the state Senate.

“This moment is bittersweet: I’m filled with gratitude for the honor to serve, yet nostalgic for the work left to do,” Wilk wrote in a Nov. 30 opinion piece in The Signal.

“As I reflect on my journey, I’m reminded of how blessed I’ve been to represent this remarkable community.”

Taking his place is Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, who previously held Wilk’s former seat in the Assembly. She beat Democratic candidate Kipp Mueller in the Nov. 5 general election, garnering 190,957 votes, or 52.4% of those counted.

“I am deeply honored

and humbled by the overwhelming support from the people of our region who saw through the attacks by an opponent who had both an overwhelming financial and significant partisan registration advantage,” Valladares said in a prepared statement issued Nov. 12. “This victory is a powerful message from voters who are ready for real change — not only on tone, but on issues like cost of living, public safety, and putting our community’s needs first.”

Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, kept her seat in the Legislature for a second term, defeating Republican challenger Patrick Lee Gipson with 119,654 votes going her way, or 52.8% of the total in that race.

“As a single mom, I know what a struggle it is to pay the high prices of housing, groceries, gas and utilities,” Schiavo said in a prepared statement issued Nov. 12. “That’s why during See COUNCIL, A15

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A14 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

City celebrates the openings of parks, trails and more

By Maya Morales Signal Staff Writer

The city of Santa Clarita celebrated a big year of groundbreakings and ribbon-cutting ceremonies that are believed to help improve the city and benefit countless residents.

In the Skyline Ranch community, Skyline Ranch Park became the newest park installment in the city in April.

Skyline Ranch Park marks the 38th official city park since Santa Clarita’s inception in 1987, when there were only eight.

2024 Mayor Cameron Smyth said that the park system is reviewed every year to ensure that “residents have ample access to the natural beauty of Santa Clarita outdoor activities that support both our physical and mental well-being.”

The new park features a baseball field, basketball courts that can be modified for different heights, pickleball courts to accommodate its growing trend, a multipurpose field and a halfmile walking path that connects to other trails and sidewalks.

The park’s creation began in 2018 after the space was selected for the views and for its ample space available at 10.5 acres, according to Smyth.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, children were welcomed to use the new playground and listened to upbeat mainstream music, while Smyth threw out the first ceremonial pitch on the baseball field and the city mascot, Sammy Clarita, participated in a game of basketball.

In Newhall, a new two-lane road was opened to be a dedicated access point off Newhall Avenue for a 50-acre business center.

It also was a major milestone for The Center at Needham Ranch, according to Smyth.

“To see it come to where we are now, it really is amazing and certain a couple decades in the making,” Smyth said after the ceremony. “I think the city is always looking at improving our jobhousing balance, and any time we’re able to add good-quality jobs within the city, it’s going to be beneficial for the residents.”

The project is considered a success, because it is filling the demand for industrial warehouse space.

The city and roller-skating community were ecstatic about breaking ground on a planned roller rink next to the Santa Clarita Sports Complex.

Resident Dawn Walker participated in the national resurgence of roller skating but quickly realized she did not have many people to skate with.

She figured she wasn’t the only one in this situation and started a Facebook group called the Skating Mamas of SCV. Smyth gave credit to the community groups, naming the Mamas specifically, as the drive behind what brought the city to celebrate the start of its

Photos by Habeba Mostafa/The Signal

City officials celebrated the opening of Skyline Ranch Park in Canyon Country in April, giving the city of Santa Clarita 38 parks in total. $25 million investment in a 25,000-square-foot “multiuse roller-skating rink.”

“What’s unique about it, is the ability for that space to be used for multiple recreational activities, like small-side soccer, pickleball, some temporary basketball courts there as well,” Smyth said after a recent planning discussion for the facility.

“So, we’re excited about that.

It’s more than just a roller-skating facility.”

The city said April 2026 is the tentative goal for the opening of the rink.

The groundbreaking of the David March Park expansion was also highly celebrated by the community. In part of the city’s Santa Clarita 2025 Strategic Plan to improve community recreational spaces, 8 acres will be added and there will also be upgrades, enhancements and additions to the site.

Additions will include a baseball field with shaded spectator stands, a brand-new basketball court with sport court lighting and shade canopies over the existing playground, a picnic pavilion and feature the city’s second exercise staircase with 116 steps leading to the ridgeline.

“Originally built in 2003 by the county of Los Angeles, the park was transferred to the city in 2016. This expansion will not only develop the land behind me, but it will also enhance the

Perry Smith/The Signal

Skating Mamas of SCV was credited with helping the city to break ground on a multiuse roller-skating rink, known as The Rink.

existing amenities at the current park site,” Smyth said.

He also added that the park is named after Deputy David March and “stands as a tribute to his courage and his sacrifice and serves as a reminder of how this community supports and loves our first responders.”

Another park that will be getting an update is the Old Orchard Park. In October, the city broke ground in front of a large turnout. Smyth mentioned the history of the park stating the park existed two decades before the city’s incorporation.

The park is about 5 acres of land and has been an anchor spot for students and families in the area. The playground will be updated with synthetic shade sails and feature inclusive elements such as a new swing set, accessible transfer points, an inclusive spinner and other Americans with Disabilities Act accessible equipment.

The playground’s surface will be upgraded to a rubberized surface that Smyth said is slip resistant and ADA accessible. A turf mound, faux rock-climbing structure, a rope ladder, a slide, and sitting ledges will be added for climbing, rolling and sliding.

The restrooms will be upgraded to meet current ADA compliance standards. The basketball court will be turned into a hybrid court that will have a pickleball overlay. In addition to the basketball court, a

multisport court will be added.

The final groundbreaking that was celebrated was the Pioneer Oil Refinery Park.

This park, once completed, will be marked as the 39th park and be located on a historic property off Pine Street, where a nearly 150-year-old facility represents the world’s oldest oil refinery in existence.

The plan for the park’s development has been split into two stages. Stage one includes a refurbishment of the refinery, building restrooms, a picnic pavilion, parking lot and infrastructure to make the park usable by next spring.

The second stage includes selfguided walking trails expected to include historical information about the area and aimed to be completed by fall 2025.

In expanding trails throughout the city, the Bouquet Canyon Trail was opened at Central Park in November.

With the opening of this new additional trailhead, Santa Clarita now has an extensive trail network of over 100 miles. The Bouquet Canyon Trail is 0.7 miles long and is a shared-use bike and pedestrian pathway that runs along the Bouquet Creek Channel.

“The trail provides lowstress, active transportation options, making it easy and safe for pedestrians and cyclists alike to reach Central Park,” said Smyth.

The trail supports the city’s effort to prioritize enhanced safety and convenience to both pedestrians and bicyclists and aligns with its non-motorized transportation plan.

For the final ribbon cutting ceremony of the year and for Smyth, the Valencia Community Center made a splash with a belly flop competition between first responders.

“I couldn’t imagine a better way to conclude my time in the city than opening another beautiful facility for the community and the dignity of a belly flop contest,” said Smyth.

He added that when he looks back on his time with the city it is the countless improvements and facilities that the city has opened that have benefitted hundreds of thousands of residents that have made a lasting impact.

The community center was once a YMCA building, until it was acquired by the city in 2023 and over the past year improvements have been made throughout the facility. Smyth said it will be a hub for activity, learning and fun.

The most anticipated feature being the city’s first indoor swimming pool.

After Smyth cut his final ribbon and opened the doors officially to the center, attendees were welcomed to tour the facility and watch the belly flop competition between first responders and city staff.

(Left) Perry Smith/The Signal; (Right) Maya Morales/The Signal

City officials officially open Needham Ranch Parkway in Newhall. (Right) City staff participate in a belly flop competition after the city cut the ribbon to open the Valencia Community Center.

THE SIGNAL · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024 · A15

Hart High replaces ‘Indians’ with ‘Hawks’

By Tyler Wainfeld Signal Staff Writer

After nearly three years, Hart High School got its new mascot.

Some celebrated the change from “Indians,” the original mascot for the Santa Clarita Valley’s oldest high school, to “Hawks.” Others denounced the move, calling it the erasure of history.

The mascot was unveiled during Hart’s open house in March.

Principal Jason d’Autremont said it aligns the school with others in the William S. Hart Union High School District that have alliterative mascots, and represents what the Hart community stands for.

“Hawks are symbols of strength, freedom and intelligence, characteristics of the Hart community,” d’Autremont said at the unveiling.

Getting to that point was a long process that was questioned at times. Community members said the local Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians did not get a voice, while one community member argued that the counting of the votes for selecting a new mascot disregarded some students and staff wanting to keep “Indians” as the mascot.

The district’s governing board voted in 2021 to change the mascot from “Indians,” citing a need to move away from a race-based symbol that the school has been associated with since Jan. 10, 1946. The board decided to make this change no later than 2025.

Not much happened for about two years until Hart’s 2023 open house, when an oncampus mural — created by students Hector Dominguez, Jeremy Baranda, Isabella Erickson, Lily Murachanian and Lux Morgan and overseen by art teacher John Fossa — was unveiled and nominations for the new mascot opened up. Those students were selected after a competition to see who could create a rendering of the best depiction of the land that the campus sits on.

The Tataviam band was collaborated with in creating the mural.

Photos by Dan Watson/The Signal

(Above) Hart High Principal Jason d’Autremont unveils “Hawks” as the new mascot for the school after it was “Indians” since 1946.

(Right) A hawk is perched on d’Autremont’s hand after being unveiled to students and staff at the final pep rally of the 2023-24 school year.

Board member Joe Messina was a harsh critic of the mural, which depicts a nature scene with a hawk, a bear, some trees, mountains, flowers and a river, saying it has no connection to the local Tataviam band.

Local activist Steve Petzold also criticized the mural as he sought to stop the mascot change process.

Mark Villaseñor, vice president of the Tataviam band, visited the mural early this year See HART, A17

COUNCIL

Continued from A12

my first term in office, we focused on delivering real results to our community — cutting costs, putting money back into people’s pockets, creating local jobs, investing in infrastructure, school and community support and more that lifts up our neighbors. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve our community and I am ready to build upon our impactful work to deliver even more.”

Locally, the COC governing board underwent a massive change following the election — and some other things that happened prior to Nov. 5.

At the beginning of the year, the board was made up of President Edel Alonso, Jerry Danielsen, Chuck Lyon, Joan MacGregor and Sebastian Cazares.

When the board’s annual organizational meeting occurred on Dec. 18, only Alonso remained.

Lyon resigned in June, citing a distaste for politics, after winning election in 2022. MacGregor also resigned, though she did so in August, well after the deadline for a special election for her seat to be consolidated with the general election.

Carlos Guerrero was eventually appointed by the remaining board members to replace MacGregor.

The other three seats were all won by members of the same electoral slate: Fred Arnold, Darlene Trevino and Sharlene Johnson. The latter was named president of the governing board at the organizational meeting, ending Alonso’s fouryear tenure as head of the board.

The William S. Hart Union High School District governing board

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Candidates for the William S. Hart Union High School District governing board (above) and the College of the Canyons governing board (below) participated in a series of forums leading up to the Nov. 5 general election, including ones hosted by The Signal.

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saw just one seat change hands. Aakash Ahuja defeated incumbent Linda Storli and challenger Gloria Mercado-Fortine.

“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my incredible team of volunteers, to the parents, teachers, and community members who believed in my vision, and to everyone who cast their vote for common sense,” Ahuja wrote in a news release after declaring victory. “This victory is a testament to the power of community and collaboration, and I’m deeply honored by the trust you’ve placed in me.”

Erin Wilson kept her seat on the Hart district board after being appointed in 2023.

For elementary school district governing boards,

most stayed as they were.

The Newhall, Sulphur Springs and Saugus school districts saw no changes, while the Castaic Union School District had one.

Erik Richardson defeated Steve Sansone after incumbent Janene Maxon retired.

While there were no changes on the governing board of the Saugus Union School District, a somewhat major election result occurred when Measure N, a $187 million bond measure meant to retrofit and upgrade facilities throughout the district, did not receive the 55% of votes needed to pass.

That was the only school bond measure of 35 on the 2024 ballot across L.A. County to not pass.

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A16 · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025 · THE SIGNAL

Saugus High shooting settlement closes tragic chapter

By Perry Smith

Signal Senior Staff Writer

More than five years after a teenage gunman tragically took two lives in a fatal shooting before wounding three others and then ending his own life, a $10 million legal settlement provided at least closure in the legal sense in December.

Despite countless hours of investigation by local and federal law enforcement, the public, surviving victims and families of the two teens killed — Gracie Ann Muehlberger, 15, and Dominic Michael Blackwell, 14 — there’s been no motive uncovered.

But motive wasn’t really the biggest part of the discussion for those involved in the legal battle between the victims’ families and the leaders of the William S. Hart Union High School District, which oversees Saugus High School where the shooting occurred.

For legal counsel on both sides, it was a question of liability: The plaintiffs were arguing the Hart district and Saugus High officials should have seen warning signs and problems with the behavior of the shooter, Nathaniel Berhow. The plaintiffs also had testimony planned that was intended to attack the school district’s response and policies.

The Hart district has maintained there was no indication that this was going to occur that they could have possibly foreseen.

Signal file photo

Two obelisks were constructed in 2021 at Central Park to memorialize the lives of Dominic Blackwell and Gracie Muehlberger, the two students who were killed, along with the shooter, in the November 2019 Saugus High shooting that also saw three students wounded.

The initial tragedy

One year after the shooting, former Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Detective Dan Finn shared his harrowing role in the response to the shooting.

Finn talked about some of what happened with The Signal in 2020, sharing the actions that earned him the Medal of Valor from his department.

He and off-duty Officer Sean Yanez of the Inglewood Police Department, who also was recognized, found each other on campus shortly after both made

Courtesy photos

Dominic Blackwell (left) and Gracie Muehlberger (right). entry and charged deeper into campus together.

They were the first to come upon the two students who were killed. Also injured in the shooting were Andrew Gardetto, Addison Koegle and Mia Page-Tretta. Berhow died in the hospital the day after the

shooting from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Almost one year after the shooting, the homicide detectives who investigated the shooting said they only looked at charges against one person after their monthsong investigation: the shooter’s mother,

Mami Matsuura-Berhow. The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office under then-DA George Gascón declined to press charges.

Victims’ lawsuits

In addition to the lawsuit against the district, Page-Tretta,

who’s become a prominent anti-gun activist in the years since she was shot, also filed a lawsuit against the online ghost-gun manufacturer that has since been resolved for undisclosed terms.

The settlement approved by the Hart district’s governing board in December with a unanimous vote — $5 million to both the Blackwell and Muehlberger families — resolves two lawsuits that were filed by the families in 2020.

After years of delays in the courts due to the pandemic and a lengthy discovery process, the families’ lawsuits were cleared for trial in September 2023 by Judge Stephen Pfahler.

The lawsuits eventually were consolidated and moved to a Beverly Hills courthouse that was one of the few courthouses in the county expected to be able to handle a trial of such complexity.

The plaintiffs sought to focus liability on the district, citing problems with its system of shared school security officers, its reporting systems and the training that the district uses, which is also shared by most law enforcement organizations.

One of the pretrial debates involved the use of security video of the shooting, which depicted Berhow opening fire in the school’s quad and then students scrambling for cover the minute that shots are heard. The plaintiffs sought to argue there was no one around for minutes in the aftermath of the shooting.

The Hart district argued that there was class in session at the time of the shooting and the teachers were following protocol.

“So to say that there was no one around until a few minutes later, people ran and dispersed because it was a shooting,” said Dominic Quiller, a partner in McCune & Harber, representing the school district, in an October hearing. “We have a training called, ‘Run. Hide. Fight,’ which their expert says is no good, but that’s what we had.”

Signal file photos

(Above) A couple of Saugus High students console each other following an on-campus shooting in November 2019 that saw two students killed and three others wounded before the shooter, a student, killed himself. (Right) Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies direct students onto a bus after being escorted away from the campus.

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THE SIGNAL · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024 · A17

HART Continued from A15 along with board President Linda Storli and d’Autremont.

Storli said at the next governing board meeting that both she and Villaseñor felt the mural looked like it should.

Petzold said at the time that it’s a “fake” mural that is simply the Tataviam band’s logo with color added to it while also criticizing the lack of a cultural center that was also meant to be built to honor the natives of Newhall.

“They’re supposed to have something educational in nature about the Indians; they don’t have that,” Petzold said.

An online petition began circulating in February seeking to reverse the 2021 decision to change the mascot. George and Jennifer Saldivar, parents of two Hart district students, spearheaded that movement, saying if the things that were promised haven’t been delivered, then the change shouldn’t go through.

Jennifer referenced a survey from 2020 that showed 49% of students favored keeping the mascot while 26% favored a change and 25% had no preference. She referenced another survey that had 661 students voting to keep the mascot against 40 voting to change it and 340 having no preference.

“The results of both of these surveys favor keeping the Indian name and continuation of supporting the mascot,” Jennifer said at a governing board meeting.

Students and staff voted on the new mascot during a oneweek period in the spring, with “Hawks” garnering 833 votes of the 1,106 submitted, according to d’Autremont.

Before that, 275 nominations were received in 2023 to figure out which potential mascots would be formally voted on.

derivative of the word, followed by 33 for “Indians” or “no change,” 21 for “Bison” or “Buffalo,” 22 for “Warriors” and five for “Eagles.”

However, the nominations for “Indians” or “no change,” as well as “Warriors,” were not part of that narrowing-down decision, according to an email from d’Autremont in response to a concern from a community

member. The reason given was that the “Indians” mascot was not allowed following the board ruling, and leaders of the Tataviam band, who were part of the discussion prior to that ruling, felt that the “Warriors” mascot would also not be appropriate.

Citing the Tataviam band’s work with Alemany High School’s change from “Indians” to “Warriors,” d’Autremont

said in the email that, “in hindsight, it was not a choice they would have recommended now.

Therefore, we also did not use ‘Warrior’ as a consideration.”

Students and staff at Hart High got their first look at the new mascot at a pep rally in May. Rachel, a 10-year-old Harris hawk, flew around a packed Hart gym before perching herself in the quad’s trees.

The rally also served as a sendoff for the “Indian” mascot.

A logo of a hawk was unveiled.

Some students cheered the new mascot while others booed.

When asked about the loud booing heard during the pep rally when the talk of change was brought up, d’Autremont referenced an earlier poll the campus took indicating an even split in the students’ sentiment.

“Any time you have such a monumental change to the oldest school in our district, we wanted to bring some sort of excitement to that process so the kids could rally behind something, and it was our senior rally,” he said. “So we’re sending our seniors off, and it was appropriate to send the Indian off as well.”

Brady Ellis, a senior at the time and president of the school’s Associated Student Body, said many felt the move was being forced on the school and recalled a poll taken his freshman year that indicated students wanted to keep the Indian as a mascot.

“It’s a little bit of a sore spot because not everyone wants to change it. There’s a lot of people who had strong feelings,” he said, pointing out some T-shirts students had made for the rally with the Indian mascot on it as a protest.

“But it’s gotten to the point that the district pushed it through. There’s not much we can do about it. So you just got to live with it, move forward and make the best of this new mascot,” he said.

said Nick Hane, an attorney for the Blackwell family. “They don’t think money is gonna make them whole in any way, and what they’re really looking for is change by the district, and it’s very specific.”

Speaking for the Blackwell family, he said while they wanted to see the justice system at work, there was a lot to consider.

“The family wanted to have their day in court,” Hane said, “but they had to balance that against the students and the teachers and their family members and the brothers and sisters, some of whom with respect

to the Blackwell family are all minor children still having to testify and relive it.”

The campus has acknowledged each passing year in a different way to suit students’ needs, according to current Principal, Geni Peterson-Henry, in a previous interview.

“It’s evolved each year as we grow in our healing,” she said, “and I think it’s trying to put a focus on healing and bringing people together as opposed to the awful events of the 14th or the shooting.”

The district sent the following statement to The Signal in response to a request

for comment on its decision to settle: “In November of 2019, Saugus High School was the sudden victim of an on-campus shooting, and while our entire community was devastated to its core by the tragic event, it most certainly caused unthinkable pain for the families who lost their children. Words of sympathy and condolence feel inadequate when speaking to those who have lost loved ones to gun violence, and while nothing can bring their children back, we do hope these agreements will help bring some closure for the two families.”

Photos by Katherine Quezada/The Signal

A mural created by Hart High students, with help from school staff and in collaboration with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, that was meant to honor the former mascot of the school has been questioned by community members and William S. Hart Union High School District governing board members for not being what it was originally meant to be.

Some nominated “Indians” or “no change,” while others wanted “Warriors,” but “Hawks” and “Bison” ended up being the final two.

Petzold argued that the committee assigned to look over the process ignored nominations for the first three. The Signal reviewed the nominations and found that 129 were submitted for “Hawks” or another

SAUGUS

Continued from A16

The arguments

The plaintiffs’ attorneys claim there were numerous warning signs the district either ignored or failed to act on.

“No one talked to the shooter, ever,” said Nick Hane, an attorney for the Blackwell family. “Not when he was a victim of domestic violence, not when his father died, not when his grades fell, not when he missed school, not when he quit the track team. None of the times that there were red flags did the school district ever talk to him.”

Nathaniel Berhow was on “no one’s radar” in terms of being at risk for such dangerous behaviors, Quiller said. The district’s previous counsel argued in the September ruling it could not protect students against an incident it characterizes as unforeseeable.

The Hart district originally asked for two separate trials — one to determine liability and a second to determine damages if liability is found. The judge rejected that.

The district argued the manufacturer of the ghost gun used, 1911Builders.com, is partly responsible for what happened and that the jury should be asked on the verdict form “to apportion liability among all responsible persons, including the manufacturer.”

Quiller argued that both the gun manufacturer and the mother have liability, with statements made in court referencing at least eight guns found in the 16-year-old shooter’s home.

It was clear in November during court arguments that both sides were preparing for trial.

Witness lists

Attorneys for both sides spent considerable time in 2024 working on the witness lists for the trial.

More than 40 people were expected to present more than 17 hours of testimony just on direct examination alone, which is why the trial was expected to be held in Beverly Hills and take up to two months.

One of the issues being argued was the potential relevance of Berhow’s records with the Department of Child & Family Services, which includes a domestic violence attack from his father, who later died.

As far as any references to the Homicide Bureau’s investigation of the shooting by the Sheriff’s Department, both sides agreed the evidence would be discussed and argued on a

Signal file photos

A vigil was held at Central Park a few days after the Saugus High shooting in 2019 to remember the lives of Dominic Blackwell and Gracie Muehlberger. case-by-case basis during trial.

Cowan asked for a statement of any stipulations agreed upon.

The expected witness list included a handful of school security experts and first responders the victims’ families were expected to call, as well as offduty first responders who were the first to arrive on campus the morning of the shooting.

Also on the list were members of the administration for Saugus High School at the time, including then-principal Vince Ferry, and several staff members from the William S. Hart Union High School District.

The three students who were shot but survived the tragedy were also on the witness list but now no longer have to testify on the stand, with the school district governing board’s unanimous approval of a lawsuit settlement Dec. 11.

Settlement terms

While the district agreed to give each of the families $5 million for their loss, nothing will ever be the same for them, the district or the campus, which just marked five years since the tragedy.

“This settlement is supposed to try and help make them whole for the loss of their son,”

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