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MESSAGE
STATE OF THE CITY
FROM CITY MANAGER
KEN STRIPLIN
What a difference 30 10TH ANNIVER
years can make. Thanks to
the foresight of our founding
members, Santa Clarita is now
benefiting from three decades
of City hood and the hundreds The year was 1987. The number one song of the year was
of millions of dollars that "Walk like an Egyptian" by the Bangles, Ronald Reagan was
president, American Bandstand was broad~ast live for the
stayed right here to fund local
last time the Ford Escort was the best-selling car and Santa
facilities, programs and services.
Clarita b~came the largest area to ever become a City in the
As you flip through this newsletter, you'll notice history of the state of California on December 15. The month
glimpses of the past peeking th rough the present
prior, residents in the communities of Canyon _country, Saugus,
reminding us not only of the amazing place our
City is today, but also of all the hard work and Newhall and Valencia voted on Measure U, which asked whether
dedication it took to get here. the area should become an official City. The final vote tally was
14,723 Yes and 6,597 No.
When the City was incorporated on December
Since that year, our community has evolved, grown
15, 1987, it was 39 square miles. Since then, more
and earned a distinct reputation for offering a high
than 30 neighborhoods have annexed to the City,
making Santa Clarita over 60 square miles and the quality of life, top-notch recreation and cultural
third largest city in Los Angeles County. experiences and has been consistently rated as
one of the safest cities in the state.
One of the things I am most proud of is our City's
With the creation of the City of Santa Clarita,
unwavering commitment to preserving the natural
beauty of our valley. Through the City Council's residents reaped the benefits of having their tax
dollars kept locally. Those funds have added up to
leadership we have dedicated nearly 9,000 acres
as open space and created 34 parks. Plus, we have many infrastructure improvements over the years.
fought to stop a new landfill and an aggregate Traffic circulation has been enhanced thanks to the improvement of several popular_ routes and
the opening of the Cross Valley Connector. As part of the City's 2020 plan, several bridges have
mining project from coming to our City.
been widened, and enhanced pedestrian and cyclist access has been added.
Being a city has also allowed for our
community to benefit from three Metrolink Those tax dollars have also added up to three libraries and one
stations, three libraries, two community more in the works. The photo to the left shows the Bamboo Cafe in
the 1960s. This cafe sat at the northwest corner of 10th and Spruce
centers, anti-drug programs for youth,
hundreds of sports and recreation programs, streets. This is now where our beautiful Old Town Newhall Library
an aquatic center, skatepark and is located.
traffic and road improvements.
Back in 1987 the area now known
as Aquatic Center Drive was a
Come be part of the 30th celebration!
Throughout 2017, we plan to have a manufacturing building for Merle
series of special events, contests and Norman Cosmetics. Now this area
festivities so you can participate in is the popular Sports Complex
our City's big 30-year milestone. Gymnasium. Santa Clarita residents
can take advantage of its full-sized basketball, pickleball,
volleyball, futsal and racquetball courts. And it couldn't
Sincerely, be named Aquatic Center Drive without our
spectacular Santa Clarita Aquatic Center.
Ken Striplin Residents can splash around in three pools,
City Manager including a SO-meter competition pool,
kstri plin@santa-clarita.com a 25-meter dive pool and an activity pool
complete with water play equipment and a
160-foot water slide!
