Скачать или смотреть Santa Clarita City Founders Tell How They Did It

This video documents the formation of the City of Santa Clarita, told in 2009 through firsthand recollections of community leaders, elected officials, and commissioners who guided incorporation and shaped the city’s early planning, governance, and identity.

Participants (alphabetical): Carl Boyer III, Jo Anne Darcy, Louis Garasi, Rita Garasi, Dennis Koontz, Deann Longshore (for Todd Longshore), Mike Lyons, Howard "Buck" McKeon, Linda Storli, Laurene Weste, Jeff Wheeler, Connie Worden-Roberts.

Key moments

00:00 Welcome and purpose of the gathering
01:32 Introducing Santa Clarita’s incorporation leaders
03:10 Howard "Buck" McKeon on the fight for cityhood
06:45 Early opposition, skepticism, and the incorporation vote
10:02 Organizing the first City Council and city services
13:58 The oak tree ordinance and early environmental priorities
14:28 Remembering Jeannette Sharar
15:12 Remembering Louis Brathwaite
18:04 Planning Commission challenges and General Plan foundations
23:10 Rita Garasi on incorporation strategy and local control
28:12 Parks Commission vision: parks, trails, and aquatics
33:40 Remembering Todd Longshore and early parks leadership
38:15 Transportation issues, isolation, and regional planning
44:22 LAFCO approval and the final step to incorporation
48:30 Life after incorporation and long-term impacts
54:10 Reflections on leadership, community, and civic duty
01:00:12 Closing remarks and lasting legacy of cityhood

About this video

Recorded as an oral history event at Veterans Historical Plaza, this program captures reflections from Santa Clarita’s founding City Council, Planning Commission, Parks Commission, and city formation leaders. Speakers discuss the challenges of incorporation, the fight for local control, early policy decisions, and the values that continue to shape Santa Clarita today. The video serves as a primary historical record preserving the voices of those directly involved in cityhood.

Participants and roles

Howard "Buck" McKeon – Original City Council; first mayor
Jo Anne Darcy – Original City Council
Carl Boyer III – Original City Council
Dennis Koontz – Original City Council
Rita Garasi – Original Planning Commission
Connie Worden-Roberts – Original Planning Commission
Laurene Weste – Original Parks Commission (Host)
Mike Lyons – Original Parks Commission
Linda Storli – Original Parks Commission
Jeff Wheeler – Original Parks Commission
Deann Longshore (for Todd Longshore) – Original Parks Commission
Louis Garasi – City Feasibility Committee

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