City Council expected to accept grant funds

Public safety has remained a top priority in the city of Santa Clarita’s agenda, and the topic will once again be revisited as the City Council is scheduled to discuss a grant that would help continue funding law enforcement and juvenile justice initiatives.

The City Council is expected to accept more than $329,000 in Public Safety Grant funds from the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller, nearly $2,000 more than the last allocation.

As requested by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, the grant funds the Career Offenders Burglary, Robbery and Assault Team. In 2000, the Schiff-Cardenas Crime Prevention Act helped provide local governments the financing necessary for programs like the COBRA program.

Funding would help the COBRA Team’s efforts to curb youth crime and “apprehend graffiti vandals and operate the city of Santa Clarita Community Court Diversion program,” which serves as an alternative to the juvenile justice system for first-time, non-violent offenders.

Every year, the city has qualified to receive grant funding for the program, which is awarded based on population. The minimum grant an entity can receive is $100,000, but Santa Clarita was eligible for $329,178 for this 2018-19 fiscal year, according to the city agenda report.

Also on Tuesday, a public hearing will be held before the City Council to consider its Landscape and Lighting District Annexation.

An Engineer’s Report for annexing parcels was conducted and prepared for the City Council to review in late May and is now recommended to adopt a resolution approving the report, which includes adding several parcels including the Sand Canyon Plaza and the future Oakridge Commercial Center.

As part of the ballot process, property owners would have to consider annexing into the streetlight maintenance district zone B and “authorizing a maximum annual assessment currently set at $81.71 per equivalent benefit unit,” the agenda report reads.

“If a majority protest among all parcel owners returning ballots not exist,” the City Council would adopt the resolution to approve the report and order the annexations of parcels into the district.