Councilwoman takes mayoral gavel from Smyth, looking forward to 'a great year' for Santa Clarita.After the oath of office was recited in front of the city seal, the gavel was passed Tuesday to Laurene Weste, making her mayor of Santa Clarita for 2006.

To provide the best possible service to the public in a cost-effective manner, a contract with Alma Gardening Company will include monthly landscape maintenance services along the Pico Canyon Road Median, announced Mayor Michael D. Antonovich. The maintenance will cover the Pico Canyon Road Median from approximately 170 feet west of Whispering Oaks Road to Stevenson Ranch Parkway in the Santa Clarita Valley. 

Continuing a steady decline that began mid-October, gasoline prices have hit a recent new low in Santa Clarita, averaging $2.263 for a gallon of regular unleaded at neighborhood stations.  However, this is still higher than last year’s early December average of 2.093, according to a survey conducted for The Signal by Randy Cressall, owner of the Valencia Chevron AutoSpa. Information from the Automobile Club of Southern California attributes the decline, in part, to increased oil production, forecasts for a mild East Coast winter and lower seasonal demand.