In the area of public safety, we will continue to fight against the governor’s disastrous realignment plan and we will work to preserve our vital public safety programs including: COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services); DISARM; and unincorporated patrols.
On July 1st of this year, I will be sworn in as Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board of Directors and North Los Angeles County will be one of my top priorities.
One of my primary goals will be to upgrade our Metrolink system that connects Santa Clarita Valley to Los Angeles and Palmdale. The MTA board unanimously approved my motion for the “Metrolink Antelope Valley Line Infrastructure Improvement Strategic Plan” last year, which called for a study and potential overhaul and upgrade of Metrolink service between the Antelope Valley and downtown Los Angeles. In March, MTA will hear the results of this study. Our key goal is to cut travel time to Los Angeles Union Station for Santa Clarita Valley residents down to 30 minutes each way by constructing grade separations, double-tracking, improving grade crossings and straightening track to allow for safer, faster train travel.
These efforts have carried forward to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), where elected officials from throughout Southern California voted to approve my motion to use High Speed Rail funds to pay for these upgrades and increase train speeds throughout the region – for example, on the Antelope Valley Line train speeds could be improved from an average of 37 miles-per-hour to over 100 miles-per-hour. As a result, High Speed Rail has come to the table with SCAG and MTA and the rest of the region and has committed to funding $1 billion worth of these projects over the next eight years.
On the highway side, this summer we will celebrate the completion of the I-5/SR-14 HOV Connector Project. Santa Clarita Valley residents have been living with the construction of this project over the past couple years and soon they will be among the thousands of daily commuters benefitting from the traffic relief it will bring to this regional bottleneck.
HOV lane construction on Interstate 5 between State Route 170 and State Route 134 is underway and when completed, will create a seamless HOV system between Palmdale and Glendale. I will push for MTA to begin planning the next HOV connector between I-5 and SR-134 so that North County residents can use this HOV system all the way out to San Bernardino.
While the state has shuttered many of its parks, all 172 of our county parks are open and many are being improved. County parks in the Santa Clarita Valley will see some dramatic transformations by the end of this year.
WilliamS.HartParkwill benefit from a new frontage and fencing project along with improvements to park lighting, museum facilities, and water and irrigation systems. A new interpretive center will be completed at Vazquez Rocks and new exhibit spaces, media displays and signage will be installed at Placerita Canyon Nature Center. Also, families in the Saugus area will benefit from new playground equipment at David March Park and completion of the first phase of improvements at Copper Hill Park.
For more information on County related services, resources and community events, please visit my website at www.antonovich.com or feel free to call my Santa Clarita Valley field office for further assistance at (661) 287-3657.
Sincerely,
MICHAEL D. ANTONOVICH
Supervisor, Fifth District