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204 SANTA CLARITA

I was very concerned about the long-term problem of Elsmere dump, if it was
built. We got the heaviest rains in Newhall Pass, and this microclimate which
encompassed Elsmere Canyon was not understood well.
Council meetings were long. Chip Meyer criticized me for running the
meetings briskly, sometimes denying people the opportunity to speak because
they had not filled out the required cards in time. However, we were also denying
folks an opportunity to speak when they could not stay until past midnight to take
their turn, and the council was not at its best in the wee hours of the morning. 9
With the flags out on Lyons Avenue for the duration of the Gulf War, we were
dubbed “America’s most patriotic city.” On George Washington’s birthday our
flags and a local Army Recruiting sign were hit by vandals, who sprayed red paint
10
on them. I could understand anti-war sentiment, but this was sick.
In February I attended a seminar in Washington, D.C., where I met numerous
officials from the Eastern Bloc. There I made a casual remark to Vladimir
Sotirov, a member of the Bulgarian parliament, about Santa Clarita being a large
but young city. The result was his invitation to visit Sofia, his country’s capital,
which was undergoing significant change as power was passing from the
Communists to the United Democratic Front. He said, “We can’t pay your way,
but if you will come to Sofia we will show you good hospitality.”
I said I would be glad to make a visit. His response was, “Great! When can
you come?”
“July.”
“July? We may not have a government in July!”
On February 23, 1991, The Signal published a letter from Ed Schullery, who
raked me over the coals on the issues of taxation, garbage dumps and growth. I
was amazed that the editor responded with a lengthy note. He corrected Mr.
Schullery’s statements, and I hoped this meant a change in policy. I was wrong.
Steven Wells criticized the conduct of the council meetings, saying that public
hearings ought to be held at the top of the agenda so people would not have to
wait for hours to testify. He was right. We changed the order of the agenda. It
only took one person pointing out this problem to bring about change for the
better. 11
The growth in the Hispanic population was significant. Ernest Moreno was
serving on the Santa Clarita Community College District governing board in
1991, and Gloria Mercado served on the William S. Hart Union High School
District board from 1997 to 2001. With thirteen per cent of the population,
Latinos were a presence in the city, but Latino representation at the municipal
level was limited to the Parks Commission. Meanwhile Louis Brathwaite of the
Planning Commission was suffering ill health, and this was creating an occasional
problem with the quorum. Louis never did recover completely from the illnesses
that struck him a week after his retirement from Federal service, but he served
longer than any other commissioner. 12
Newhall’s Walk of Western Stars inducted Hoyt Axton, Hugh O’Brien and
Denver Pyle in a late-March ceremony. Milt Diamond, the owner of The General