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97-541: The Santa Clara River was named by Spanish explorers for Clare of Assisi . The valley later became known as "little Santa Clara" in deference to the Northern California mission and city of Santa Clara, California . In time, "little Santa Clara" became "Santa Clarita". The Santa Clarita Valley is bordered by the Lake Piru area, including the community of Val Verde , Los Padres National Forest , and Castaic Lake to

194-567: A metal recycling facility at the Ormond Beach wetlands, deposited process wastes and wastewater from the smelter from 1965 until 2004 on what was allegedly a former open dump operated by the City of Oxnard until 1962. The waste pile contains an estimated 112,900 cubic yards (86,300 m ) and the facility has been designated a Superfund site. Other large, polluting industries were cited at Ormond Beach wetlands before environmental concerns highlighted

291-466: A Lenten service in the church of San Giorgio at Assisi. Inspired by his words and knowing that marriage was rapidly approaching, Clare went to Francis and asked him to help her to live after the manner of the Gospel. On the evening of Palm Sunday , 20 March 1212, with the consent of Guido II, bishop of Assisi, Clare left her father's house accompanied by her aunt Bianca and another companion, and proceeded to

388-492: A community of 1,800 homes and Wagon Wheel with 1,500 apartments and condos. The water is also provided to industrial customers and farmers near the plant. Initially pipelines needed to reach additional farmers served by the Pleasant Valley County Water District with 15,200-acre-foot a year (18,700,000 m ) were not finished until 2016 but the district was able to temporarily use the brine line to get

485-480: A detailed feasibility study in 2014 and found that the impaired groundwater in the south Oxnard Plain is suitable for treatment by reverse osmosis at an acceptable recovery range of 72 to 80 percent. Many local agencies, particularly those in the Calleguas Creek Watershed, have built or are putting in desalters to treat salty groundwater. The treated water can be used for drinking supplies which will make

582-568: A few days later Francis sent her to Sant' Angelo in Panzo, another monastery of the Benedictine nuns on one of the flanks of Subasio. Her sister Catarina unexpectedly joined Clare 16 days later and took the name 'Agnes'. This caused a tremendous uproar in Clare's family as now two of their girls had refused marriage and left the family. Clare's uncle Monaldo, who was head of the family, came to Sant' Angelo with

679-623: A framework for sustainable, local groundwater management for the first time in California history. In response, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors passed an emergency ordinance that halted well-drilling in the Oxnard Plain. Groundwater levels experienced a decrease during the 2012–2013 drought . Calleguas Municipal Water District, a water wholesaler, serves about 75 percent of Ventura County's population. Calleguas ships state water from

776-484: A group of men to bring Agnes back. He confronted Agnes forcefully while Clare was praying for her sister's safety. In the end, Monaldo left empty-handed as he and his men failed to force Agnes to return home. The sisters remained with the Benedictines until a small dwelling was built for them next to the church of San Damiano , which Francis had repaired some years earlier. The dwelling was built hastily, as Francis and

873-488: A large areas of artificial fill stretching from Newhall Ranch Road up to Copper Hill Drive. The valley is bisected by the San Gabriel Fault , which runs through the center of the valley along a NW-SE axis. The much smaller Holser Fault runs east-to-west between the south-eastern Topatopa Mountains and the present day community of Valencia . Neither fault line has been active since the early Holocene era. The valley

970-550: A newly constructed shrine in the crypt of the Basilica of Saint Clare, where her relics can still be venerated today. Clare was canonized on 26 September 1255 by Pope Alexander IV , and her feast day was immediately inserted in the General Roman Calendar for celebration on 12 August, the day after her death, as 11 August was already assigned to Saints Tiburtius and Susanna , two 3rd-century Roman martyrs. The celebration

1067-558: A pair of Saracen armies attacked the monastery of San Damiano and the town of Assisi. Both targets were successfully defended as Clare prayed to Christ, present in the Blessed Sacrament . In her later years, Clare endured a long period of poor health. She died on 11 August 1253 at the age of 59, one day after having her Rule approved by Pope Innocent IV. Her last words are reported to have been, "Blessed be You, O God, for having created me." On 9 August 1253, two days before her death,

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1164-723: A problem with Clare's lifestyle of strict poverty. Gregory IX was the Cardinal Huglino who had previously known and worked with Clare and her order at San Damiano. During this time, he came to care for Clare and she became very dear to him. Gregory IX worried that the health of the sisters would suffer unduly under the strict vow of poverty Clare wanted. During a visit to San Damiano, Gregory IX urged Clare to give up her way of strict poverty, stating that "if you fear because of your vow, We dispense you from it", to which she immediately responded, "Holy Father, never and in no way do I wish to be dispensed from following Christ!" At that moment,

1261-552: A series of marshes, salt flats, sloughs, and lagoons prior to the expansion of agriculture. The Santa Clara River is one of the largest river systems along the coast of Southern California and only one of two remaining river systems in the region that remain in their natural states. The Oxnard Plain faces the Santa Barbara Channel portion of the Southern California Bight , extending from the abrupt transition of

1358-571: A short period, the order was directed by Francis himself. In 1216, however, Clare reluctantly accepted the role of abbess of San Damiano. As abbess, Clare had more authority to lead the order than when she was the prioress and required to follow the orders of a priest heading the community. Clare did not care for titles or power within the Order, and took on the role of abbess only on the instruction of Francis. Clare referred to herself by such terms as mother, handmaid, or servant rather than an abbess. She

1455-584: A significant role in encouraging and aiding Francis, whom she saw as a spiritual father figure, and she took care of him during his final illness. After Francis's death, Clare continued to promote the growth of her order, writing letters to abbesses in other parts of Europe, including Agnes of Prague, with whom she had formed a close friendship. However, with Francis gone, she faced another challenge. The fourth Lateran council of 1215 decreed that any new religious communities that had not yet been approved would have to adopt an established order. This established order

1552-469: A year after Clare's canonization, and her remains were transferred there on 3 October 1260 from the church of St George, also in Assisi. Her bones are now in the crypt at the Basilica, having been rediscovered in 1850. In art, Clare is often shown carrying a monstrance or pyx , in commemoration of the occasion when she warded away the invading soldiers of Frederick II at the gates of her convent by displaying

1649-722: A year. The facility was the first paying customer for the Calleguas Regional Salinity Management Project. In 2008, the city started up a desalination plant near the Oxnard Transit Center that treats the brackish groundwater from nearby wells. The water supply in the Oxnard Plain has been expanded by a $ 71 million Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) built by the city of Oxnard. The plant scrubs treated sewage water to super-clean levels that can be used on crops, by industrial customers, and for water landscaping. The water can also be injected into

1746-454: Is Soledad Canyon which contains the communities of Vincent, Acton , Ravenna, and Agua Dulce . The Santa Clarita Valley is underlain by Quaternary alluvial deposits and coarse-grained Pleistocene age conglomerates dominated by sandstone of marine and non-marine origin. The far eastern end of the valley features predominantly coarse-grained Tertiary age formations of sedimentary origin. The southern end of Bouquet Canyon features

1843-628: Is remembered in the Church of England and other churches of the Anglican Communion with a Lesser Festival on 11 August. Oxnard Plain The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California , United States surrounded by the mountains of the Transverse Ranges . The cities of Oxnard , Camarillo , Port Hueneme and much of Ventura as well as

1940-420: Is among the longest stretches of continuous, linear beaches in the state. The high quality soils, adequate water supply, favorable climate, long growing season, and level topography are characteristic of the Oxnard Plain where the top cash crops are strawberries, raspberries, nursery stock and celery. Ventura County is one of the principal agricultural counties in the state and it is a significant component of

2037-668: Is bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains , the Santa Susana Mountains , the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Santa Barbara Channel to the south and west. The topography of the plain is relatively level. It has been formed chiefly by the deposition of sediments from Santa Clara River Valley and the watershed of Calleguas Creek before they flow into

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2134-677: Is home to the 262-acre (106 ha) theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain which includes the gated waterpark Six Flags Hurricane Harbor . It offers a variety of family-oriented activity centers such as the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, Copper Horse Riding Ranch, and the Cube (formerly Ice Station Valencia), restaurants and shopping centers, golf courses, cinemas and theaters, luxurious day spas, outdoor recreation areas like Castaic Lake , Placerita Canyon , and Santa Clarita Woodlands Park , as well as acres of parkland, animal sanctuaries like

2231-464: Is hundreds of miles to the south and gave its name to the nearby city of Santa Clarita . The early California missions were founded by Franciscan Friars, who had a special devotion to Saint Clare. Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico , celebrates its Santa Clara Feast Day annually on 12 August, as the feast was celebrated before the 1969 calendar change. The first convent in Cuba, Convento de Santa Clara de Asis ,

2328-698: Is located in the northeastern extreme of the Ventura Basin Province, a petroleum-rich sedimentary basin with a long history of oil and gas production. The valley features a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ), approaching a semi-arid climate , with hot, dry summers and mild, moderately rainy winters with rare snowfall. Temperatures often exceed 100 °F (38 °C), even 110 °F (43 °C), on hot summer afternoons but rarely dip below 32 °F (0 °C) on cold winter nights. The valley lies within plant hardiness zones 9b and 10a. Late spring and early summer mornings are often overcast due to

2425-648: Is susceptible to wildfires. Although wildfires are most common in summer and fall, they can occur throughout the year during drought conditions, such as in December 2017 . Wildfire risk is highest when Santa Ana winds blow through the area from the Mojave Desert. Notable wildfires in the Santa Clarita Valley include the Buckweed Fire , Sand Fire , Rye Fire , Tick Fire , and Maria Fire . Santa Clarita lies on

2522-696: The California Gold Rush . Cattle ranching declined drastically when a drought hit the area in 1863. James Saviers bought property in Rancho Colonia in 1862. He was a blacksmith and farmer who grew and sold eucalyptus trees used to protect crops from the seasonal Santa Ana winds that originated inland and brought strong, hot, extremely dry winds to the treeless plain. Settlers Gottfried Maulhardt and Christian Borchard along with Christian's son, John Edward, and nephew, Caspar began farming with 30 acres (12 ha) of wheat and barley in 1867. New markets for

2619-744: The Castaic , Newhall , Saugus , and Sulphur Springs school districts. Junior high and high schools are part of the William S. Hart Union High School District , except for Castaic Middle School which is in the Castaic Union School District. The unincorporated mountain communities of Acton and Agua Dulce are served by the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District , which serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are three institutions of higher education in

2716-551: The Order of Poor Ladies , a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition. The Order of Poor Ladies was different from any other order or convent because it followed a rule of strict poverty. Clare wrote their Rule of Life, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. Following her death, the order she founded was renamed in her honor as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as

2813-458: The Oxnard Strike of 1903 unified them, as their efforts brought the industry to a standstill until their demands were met. In 1911, J. Smeaton Chase noted the "prosperous fields of beans and beets" as he descended from the Santa Monica Mountains onto the Oxnard Plain during his 2,000-mile (3,200 km) horseback journey from Mexico to Oregon . In his book about the journey, he describes

2910-590: The San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles Basin via Newhall Pass to the south; Antelope Valley via CA 14 through Soledad Pass to the northeast; the San Joaquin Valley via I-5 through Tejon Pass to the northwest, and Leona Valley via San Francisquito and Bouquet canyons. Downstream lies the Santa Clara River Valley , which was given the moniker Heritage Valley by the tourism bureau representing Piru , Fillmore , and Santa Paula . Upstream

3007-591: The papal bull Solet annuere of Pope Innocent IV confirmed that Clare's rule would serve as the governing rule for Clare's Order of Poor Ladies. Her remains were interred at the chapel of San Giorgio while a church to hold her remains was being constructed. At her funeral, Pope Innocent IV insisted the friars perform the Office for the Virgin Saints as opposed to the Office for the Dead. This move by Pope Innocent ensured that

Santa Clarita Valley - Misplaced Pages Continue

3104-467: The "sleepy little coast village of Hueneme" as a "ghost of a once flourishing town" due to the establishment of a beet sugar factory. The once busy port had drastically declined as passenger and freight traffic shifted to the railroad. Although agriculture has long been important to the economy on the Oxnard Plain, the booming growth in the 1960s of the cities located on the plain expanding by building housing, highways , and associated infrastructure over

3201-634: The 1790s. The destruction wrought by the livestock and shortages of wild plants that they used for food may have made the missions appear to be the only viable alternative to a disintegrating way of life . At its peak in 1816, the mission had over 41,000 animals including 23,400 cattle, 12,144 sheep. The 4,493 horses constituted one of the largest stables of horses of the California mission sites. The Chumash culture, including political and social relationships between communities, trade, and inter-village marriage patterns, could not be sustained as more and more Indians abandoned their traditional way of life and entered

3298-469: The 1960s to take advantage of the ocean for cooling. Reliant Energy purchased the Mandalay Generating Station from Southern California Edison in 1998. The Oxnard City council tried to prevent a third plant from being built in 2012. After years of legal tussles, the 45 megawatts (60,000 hp) McGrath Peaker Plant was built by Edison next to the power plant at Mandalay. This plain

3395-413: The Benedictines feared further conflict with Monaldo and other relatives of Clare and Agnes. Other women joined the sisters, and they became known as the "Poor Ladies of San Damiano". They lived a simple life of poverty, austerity, and seclusion from the world, according to a Rule which Francis gave them as a Second Order (Poor Clares). San Damiano became the centre of Clare's new religious order, which

3492-546: The Blessed Sacrament and kneeling in prayer. Pope Pius XII designated Clare as the patron saint of television in 1958 on the basis that when she was too ill to attend Mass , she had reportedly been able to see and hear it on the wall of her room. There are traditions of bringing offerings of eggs to the Poor Clares for their intercessions for good weather, particularly for weddings. This tradition remains popular in

3589-504: The Delta to Oxnard, Port Hueneme, and Camarillo on the Oxnard Plain and Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and unincorporated areas in the east county. These areas also use groundwater and surface water supplies but these sources have increased in salinity. The source of the salts is a combination of agricultural, industrial, and residential activities in conjunction with salts in the imported water. The United Water Conservation District funded

3686-617: The Gentle Barn and Gibbon Conservation Center , over 70 miles of paseos and trails for hiking and biking, and more. The valley is also home to a number of historical sites, such as the oil drilling town Mentryville , Walk of Western Stars, and William S. Hart Ranch and Museum . The Santa Clarita Valley has a rich Western heritage, and since 1994, it has hosted an annual Cowboy Festival , which attracts more than 10,000 visitors each year. Elementary school students in Santa Clarita are served by

3783-487: The Oxnard Plain for the first time in 2019. Ormond Beach is a 1,500 acres (610 ha) broad, flat, coastal area on the south side of the Oxnard Plain that historically contained marshes, salt flats, sloughs, and lagoons. The expansion of agriculture and industry have drained, filled and degraded much of the wetlands over the past century but the area does have a dune-transition zone–marsh system along much of two-mile-long beach (3.2 km) that extends from Port Hueneme to

3880-640: The Oxnard Plain to further settlement by Europeans. Control of the area was transferred to the United States under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 and California became the 31st state in the Union in 1850. Many Mexican residents and residents who had immigrated from European countries became U.S. citizens. Many of the Spanish and Mexican rancho families benefited when the cattle market peaked between 1848 and 1855 due to

3977-860: The Oxnard Plain. One is the Oxnard/Hueneme system which serves the City of Oxnard, the Port Hueneme Water Agency (City of Port Hueneme, Channel Islands Beach CSD) and the Naval Base Ventura County ( Point Mugu and the Construction Battalion Center). A second pipeline serves agricultural uses in the Oxnard Plain. The third system supplies water to the Pleasant Valley area located between Oxnard and Camarillo. United rates for non-agricultural uses are at least three times more than agricultural users are charged as required by

Santa Clarita Valley - Misplaced Pages Continue

4074-470: The Pacific Ocean. The alluvial deposits from these rivers are generally a few hundred feet (30 metres) thick and lie over Pleistocene and Pliocene sedimentary rocks . The Santa Clara River is one of the largest river systems along the coast of Southern California and only one of two remaining river systems in the region that remain in their natural states and not channelized by concrete . Prior to

4171-760: The Philippines, particularly at the Real Monasterio de Santa Clara in Quezon City and in the town of Obando, Bulacan . According to the Filipino essayist Alejandro Roces , the practice arose because of Clare's name. In Castilian clara refers to an interval of clear weather, and also to the white or albumen of the egg. Many places, including churches , convents , schools , hospitals , towns , and counties are named for Saint Clare, Santa Clara , or other variants. Lake Saint Clair between Lake Erie and Lake Huron

4268-655: The Poor Clares. Her feast day is on 11 August. Clare was born in Assisi to the Offreduccio household during the High Middle Ages , the eldest daughter of Favarone or Favorino Sciffi, Count of Sasso-Rosso, and his wife Ortolana . Traditional accounts say that Clare's father was a wealthy representative of an ancient Roman family, who owned a large palace in Assisi and a castle on the slope of Mount Subasio . Ortolana belonged to

4365-516: The Pope had no more objections, and during his second year as Pope reapproved the Privilegium Paupertatis . Following the Order's approval from the Pope, Clare wanted to make a Rule based on Francis's teachings, which her sisters would be able to follow long after she died. Clare began writing her own Rule, keeping Francis's teachings at the forefront of her mind. Her Rule especially emphasized

4462-631: The Santa Clara River, and the Santa Clara Avenue Oil Field north of U.S. Highway 101 near El Rio . There are also several smaller abandoned oil fields. Oil facilities are interspersed with agricultural land uses both east and west of Oxnard. Human settlement at over 5000 B.C.E. has been documented in nearby coastal sites. These prehistoric sites may contain middens , milling stone sites , large villages, cemeteries, and tool making sites. The diversity of natural resources along with

4559-587: The absolute non-possession of property. She had her Rule approved by both Cardinal Rainaldo and Pope Innocent IV. Clare's Franciscan theology of joyous poverty in imitation of Christ is evident in the Rule she wrote for her community and in her four letters to Agnes of Prague . As Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II battled Pope Gregory IX for control of Italy during the Crusades era, separately in September 1240 and June 1241,

4656-554: The access to the railroad network . In 1903, this transition in agriculture labor practices found Japanese and Mexican sugar beet workers and labor contractors united in protest as the growers, backed by financiers, slashed the wage rate by 50 percent and sought to eliminate independent labor agents. The workers formed the Japanese Mexican Labor Association to press their concerns. While one ethnic group can often be pitted against another to undermine labor solidarity,

4753-536: The adjacent Santa Monica Mountains also demonstrate the long history of human habitation. Many of the sites are located adjacent to permanent water sources as the presence or absence of water is a crucial predictor of site location in Southern California. Many of the archaeological sites on the plain have been disturbed by erosion, farming, gophers, bulldozers, and other cultural and natural sources of disturbance. Spanish explorers made sailing expeditions along

4850-452: The agricultural expansion, installation of drainage systems, and other disturbances, this broad, flat, coastal area contained a series of marshes , salt flats , sloughs, and lagoons. Historically, Calleguas Creek flood flows spread across the floodplain and the deposited sediment created the rich agricultural lands of the Oxnard Plain. With year-round agriculture in the floodplain, concrete channels and dirt levees have been built to contain

4947-416: The agricultural interests. As of 2014 , farmland values in California were at historic highs and the agricultural industry was optimistic and even confident about the future. Pesticide use is an issue in the interface between agriculture and residential areas along with public uses such as schools. While the vast fields of fertile soil were appreciated for the agricultural bounty that could be produced,

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5044-535: The areas of growth. A growth control ordinance was adopted by the city of Ventura in 1995. "Save Open-space and Agricultural Resources" (SOAR) was the name given to these plans that would limit housing and commercial development on farmland surrounding the cities. Jean Harris and other activists pressured the Oxnard city council to present a measure to the voters. Oxnard, Camarillo and Ventura County SOAR initiatives were overwhelmingly approved by voters in 1998. Under SOAR,

5141-465: The berms. Southern California Steelhead were declared endangered in 1997 and the fish ladder on the structure was deemed insufficient. The National Marine Fisheries Service determined that fixing this was a high priority since it is the first structure the steelhead encounter when attempting to migrate from the ocean. United released water from Lake Piru to specifically recharge the Fox Canyon in

5238-570: The boundary between the WWF -designated California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion to the southwest, and California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion to the northeast. Resident species of note include bobcat , coyote , red-tailed hawk , and desert cottontail . The Santa Clarita Valley is about 20 miles (32 km) from the Burbank Bob Hope Airport , and about 35 miles (56 km) from Los Angeles International Airport . It

5335-434: The canonization process for Clare would begin shortly after her funeral. Pope Innocent was cautioned by multiple advisers against having the Office for the Virgin Saints performed at Clare's funeral. The most vocal of these advisers was Cardinal Raynaldus, who would later become Pope Alexander IV and, in two years' time, would canonize Clare. At Pope Innocent's request the canonization process for Clare began immediately. While

5432-658: The chapel of the Porziuncula to meet Francis. There, her hair was cut, and she exchanged her rich gown for a plain robe and veil. Fully cutting a woman's hair was a symbolic act showing that she was no longer bound by the laws of man or society but rather that she followed the will of God. Francis placed Clare in the convent of the Benedictine nuns of San Paulo, near Bastia. Her father, along with other members of her family, attempted to convince her to return home. At first, they tried to persuade her by enticing her with wealth, and

5529-680: The city in January 2023. The Camrosa Water District serves nearly 30,000 people in Camarillo and the Santa Rosa Valley along with agricultural customers. The district, which covers 31 square miles (80 km ) is headquartered in Camarillo. Camrosa completed the Round Mountain Water Treatment Plant, a desalting facility, in 2015. It cleans up brackish groundwater and produces 1,000 acre-feet (1,200,000 m ) of drinking water

5626-459: The coast of southern California between the mid-1500s and mid-1700s. In the 18th century, Spain began the colonization and inland exploration of Alta California . They established a tripartite system consisting of missions , presidios , and pueblos. Mission San Buenaventura was founded in 1782 next to the Ventura River , 10 miles (16 km) upcoast from the Santa Clara River. The Oxnard plain

5723-526: The economy with a total annual crop value in the county of over $ 1.8 billion in 2014. There is strong public sentiment for retaining agricultural production, as reflected in the SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) initiatives that have been approved by voters. This plain has been formed chiefly by the deposition of sediments from the Santa Clara River and Calleguas Creek . This plain contained

5820-420: The factory. The railroad continued with tracks heading east out of Oxnard and eventually being extended to Santa Susana in Simi Valley. Traffic on the coast railroad line was rerouted through Oxnard in 1904 with the completion of the Santa Susana Tunnel as this became the most direct route between Los Angeles and San Francisco . Agriculture as an industry, as differentiated from family farming, began with

5917-412: The farmland and open space outside each city's urban growth boundary could not be rezoned without voter approval through 2020. The City of Ventura SOAR regulations expire at the end of 2030. Ballot initiatives in 2016 proposed to extend the growth control ordinance for another 30 years. As measures to renew SOAR were placed on the ballot county-wide in 2016, an alternative proposal was put forth by

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6014-412: The flow. This has delivered increased sediment to Mugu Lagoon and flooding during extreme rain events. The 16.5-mile-long coastline (26.6 km) is among the longest stretches of continuous, linear beaches in the state. With the Port of Hueneme , Channel Islands Harbor , and Ventura Harbor along with a number of breakwaters , jetties and groins , this is one of the most engineered coastlines in

6111-492: The formation of a marine layer off the coast that moves inland overnight. These clouds typically retreat out of the valley by midday. The valley is part of a "wind-tunnel -like-corridor" that connects the high desert with the Oxnard Plain on the coast. This funnels the Santa Ana winds which spreads wildfires and has been called one of the "most dangerous wind and fire corridors in Southern California." Characterized by dry hills covered in brush and chaparral , Santa Clarita

6208-434: The grain opened up when a shipping wharf was first constructed in 1871 at Hueneme. Irish immigrant Dominick McGrath arrived in 1874 with his wife and children to begin farming on the plain. Johnnas Diedrich, with his bride, Matilda, began a new life of farming in 1882 having come from Hanover, Germany. New Jerusalem was founded in 1875 along the south bank of the Santa Clara River. The community, eventually renamed El Rio,

6305-425: The ground from where it can be pumped out months later for use in the drinking supply. When the final permits were in place, the AWPF began providing water to a lake at the River Ridge Golf Course in 2015. Water from the lake is used to irrigate the golf course. Gradually, pipelines begin serving city parks, street medians, and all the landscaping in new developments including two along the Santa Clara River: RiverPark,

6402-426: The ground, ate no meat, and observed almost complete silence. This was in accordance with the strict teachings of poverty assigned to Clare by Francis. Francis and Clare believed that through poverty they could become closer to Jesus as they would live the way he did. They were not inconvenienced by this lifestyle, but rather they believed it was a blessing, as they were following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. For

6499-419: The importance of restoring the area to serve as a dynamic habitat for a wide array of native plants and animals. Over the years, many communities have attempted to control the Santa Clara River by establishing dumps along the banks to create levees that would keep the river from flooding adjacent lands during occasional years with heavy winter rains. Three dump sites about 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream from

6596-459: The mission . The severe decrease in the Chumash population was in response to a complex set of social, economic, and demographic factors. Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821. With the secularization of the missions by the Mexican government in June 1836, their lands were granted as rewards for loyal service or in response to petitions by individuals. Most of the arable land was divided up into large ranchos by 1846. This opened up

6693-457: The most important house in the order, and Clare became its undisputed leader. By 1263, just ten years after Clare's death, the order had become known as the Order of Saint Clare . Unlike the Franciscan friars , whose members moved around the country to preach, Clare's sisters lived in enclosure , since an itinerant life was hardly conceivable at the time for women. Their life consisted of manual labour and prayer. The nuns went barefoot, slept on

6790-453: The mouth of the river came under the control of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District by 1988. They continued to use the sites until they were closed in 1996. Municipal wastewater treatment facilities, industrial dischargers, and power generating stations are point source dischargers along the coast of the Oxnard plain. Water quality at the numerous beaches has been very good with a few exceptions. Two power generating stations were built in

6887-422: The noble family of Fiumi, and was a very devout woman who had undertaken pilgrimages to Rome, Santiago de Compostela , and the Holy Land . Later in life, after being widowed, Ortolana entered Clare's monastery. Clare's younger sisters, Beatrix and Catarina, followed her into religious life. (The latter took the name Agnes and became an early abbess in the order. She established it in additional communities, and

6984-405: The northwest, Sierra Pelona Mountains and Angeles National Forest to the north and northeast, San Gabriel Mountains to the east and southeast, and Santa Susana Mountains to the south and southwest, and Ventura County and the Santa Clara River Valley to the west. To the west-northwest lies the Topatopa Mountains . Santa Clarita Valley is connected to a wide array of other nearby valleys:

7081-421: The privileges of nobility through marriage, but she resisted each attempt, professing that she would have no other husband but Jesus Christ. Finally, when they tried to use force she clung to the altar of the church and threw aside her veil to show her cropped hair. It was only after seeing her cropped hair that her family relented and left her in peace. In order to provide the greater solitude Clare desired,

7178-472: The railroad across the Santa Clara River at El Rio and then due south to where the town of Oxnard was being established. The Oxnard Brothers built the American Beet Sugar Company factory on land in the middle portion of the plain that they bought from James Saviers. He became a judge and an honorary justice of the peace: Saviers Road was named after him in the new city of Oxnard that arose around

7275-696: The region less dependent on imported state water. The remaining salt concentrate will be sent out to sea through the Calleguas Regional Salinity Management Project. This $ 220 million pipeline project started in 2003 and stretches from the marine outfall into Simi Valley. That pipeline services desalters in Simi Valley, Moorpark and the Camrosa Water District in the Santa Rosa Valley. The city of Camarillo water system serves about two-thirds of its residents. It imports about 60 percent of its water from

7372-485: The rich agricultural land. Several methods were tried to encourage the building in compact, connected ways and reduce urban sprawl into the agricultural lands. "Guidelines for orderly development" were adopted in 1969 by the County of Ventura to encourage urban development to be located within incorporated cities whenever or wherever practical. Eventually greenbelt agreements were established between cities to further define

7469-468: The saint, Pope Urban IV officially changed the name of the Order of Poor Ladies to the Order of Saint Clare in 1263. On her deathbed, Clare was heard to say to herself, "Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for He Who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be You, my God, for having created me." Some 600 years later in 1872, Clare's relics were transferred to

7566-429: The sand dunes and wetlands along the coast line were considered useless except as places to dispose of solid and liquid waste. This at least dates back to 1898 when the beet sugar factory sent the wastewater discharge through a pipe to Ormond Beach. Various other areas near the coast were used for dumping trash and oil-waste, much of the time with local government encouragement and supervision. The Halaco Engineering Co. ,

7663-465: The state water code. The Vern Freeman Diversion Dam, built by United Water in 1991 on the Santa Clara river, channels water to shallow basins designed to replenish the aquifer. For decades before the structure was built, earthen dams were constructed in the river to divert water to farmers and replenished the aquifer. The berms would have to be rebuilt whenever winter rains created a flow that breached

7760-563: The state water project through the Calleguas Municipal Water District and 40 percent is pumped from three wells. The North Pleasant Valley Desalter Project is a $ 66.3 million project to treat brackish well water. The project began construction in September, 2019. The city held a ribbon cutting ceremony in November 2021 as the plant began to operate. After extensive testing and adjustments, the plant started producing water for

7857-414: The state with complicated coastal geography . Saltwater intrusion from the ocean has occurred in the southern Oxnard Plain due to the overdraft of groundwater . The Santa Clara Irrigating Company was formed in 1870 and drew water from the Santa Clara River, using a ditch system to irrigate the grain crops. Early settlers began pumping soon afterwards to support farming activities with what at first

7954-527: The steep rocky shore at Point Mugu in the Santa Monica Mountains on the south to the Ventura River on the north. Prominent on the southeastern horizon are Conejo Mountain and Boney Peak . The Oxnard Plain contains a considerable petroleum reserve with several active oil fields – the Oxnard Oil Field , east of Oxnard, the West Montalvo Oil Field , along the coast south of the outlet of

8051-575: The temperate climate with a long growing season produced a lengthy archaeological record of human activity along the coast. Calleguas Creek and the Santa Clara River were populated with many Native American villages as evidenced by archaeological sites such as the Calleguas Creek Site that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Several sites have also been documented at Mugu Lagoon . The numerous archaeological sites in

8148-552: The unincorporated communities of Hollywood Beach , El Rio , Saticoy , Silver Strand Beach , and Somis lie within the over 200-square-mile alluvial plain (520 km ). The population within the plain comprises a majority of the western half of the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura Metro Area and includes the largest city along the Central Coast of California . The 16.5-mile-long coastline (26.6 km)

8245-534: The valley: College of the Canyons , California Institute of the Arts , and The Master's University . Clare of Assisi Chiara Offreduccio (16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253), known as Clare of Assisi (sometimes spelled Clara , Clair or Claire ; Italian : Chiara d'Assisi ), is an Italian saint who was one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi . Inspired by the teachings of St. Francis, she founded

8342-605: The water to the farmers during the drought. Formed in 1950, the United Water Conservation District battles groundwater overdraft through a combination of aquifer recharge and providing alternative surface water supplies. The District encompasses about 214,000 acres (87,000 ha) and owns Lake Piru and key facilities along the Santa Clara River that are used to manage groundwater supplies. The United Water Conservation District provides wholesale water delivery through three pipelines to various portions of

8439-464: The whole process took two years, the examination of Clare's miracles took just six days. On 26 September 1255, Pope Alexander IV canonized Clare as Saint Clare of Assisi. Construction of the Basilica of Saint Clare was completed in 1260, and on 3 October of that year Clare's remains were transferred to the newly completed basilica where they were buried beneath the high altar . In further recognition of

8536-462: Was ranked as a Double (as in the Tridentine calendar ) or, in the terminology adopted in 1960, a Third-Class Feast (as in the General Roman Calendar of 1960 ). The 1969 calendar revision removed the feast of Tiburtius and Susanna from the calendar, finally allowing the memorial of Saint Clare to be celebrated on 11 August, the day of her death. Construction of the Basilica di Santa Chiara began

8633-400: Was a more reliable source. In the modern era, much of the groundwater has been rendered useless for agricultural or potable uses by salt-water intrusion. Unlike coastal Los Angeles and Orange County, Ventura County has no barrier in place to prevent the ocean water from intruding into the inland aquifers. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act signed into California law in 2014 created

8730-530: Was along the route between Ventura and Hueneme. Lima beans became the dominant crop as they could be grown with very little maintenance. Farmers were actively growing trial fields of sugar beets in 1897. In 1887, as the railroad was constructed from Los Angeles to the town of San Buenaventura , the Montalvo station was established on the plain on the north side of the river. In 1898 the Montalvo Cutoff brought

8827-409: Was declared a saint herself in the mid-18th century.) As children, Clare and her sisters were taught the ways of Christianity by their mother; they all became very religious and devoted to prayer. When Clare was 12 years old, her parents wanted her to marry a wealthy young man; however, she protested and said that she did not want to marry until she turned 18. As a teen, she heard Francis preach during

8924-447: Was dedicated to Saint Clare, as well as her namesake city and its cathedral, Catedral de Santa Clara de Asís . Columbus's ship known as Niña , which visited Cuba twice, was officially named Santa Clara . Clare is one of five characters in the oratorio Laudato si' , composed in 2016 by Peter Reulein on a libretto by Helmut Schlegel , the others being an angel, Mary , Francis of Assisi, and Pope Francis . Clare of Assisi

9021-413: Was known in her lifetime as the "Order of Poor Ladies of San Damiano". San Damiano is traditionally considered the first house of this order; it may have been affiliated with an existing network of women's religious houses organised by Hugolino (who later became Pope Gregory IX ). Hugolino wanted San Damiano as part of the order he founded because of the prestige of Clare's monastery. San Damiano emerged as

9118-502: Was navigated and named on her feast day in 1679. The Saint Clair River , St. Clair Shores, Michigan , and St. Clair County, Michigan were also consequently named for her. Mission Santa Clara , founded by Spanish missionaries in Northern California in 1777, has given its name to the university , city , county and valley in which it sits, nicknamed " Silicon Valley " since the 1970s. Southern California's Santa Clara River

9215-539: Was used for grazing herds of livestock which required thousands of acres. The traditional way of life of the Chumash people became increasingly unstable and unsustainable on the Oxnard Plain with the introduction of these animals. They also experienced further disruptive contacts through the increasing number of Europeans and Americans that visited the California coast looking for pelts from fur-bearing animals such as sea otters , and trade in hides and tallow beginning in

9312-424: Was very shy and did not like giving orders. On the rare occasions when she would give orders, she would do so with great humility and shyness. Clare would purposefully save the most tedious tasks for herself because she always wished to take care of her sisters. Clare sought to imitate Francis's virtues and way of life so much so that she was sometimes titled alter Franciscus , 'another Francis'. She also played

9409-679: Was very similar to the Rule of Saint Benedict , which was the common rule that monasteries followed. Clare vigorously fought to keep her rule of strict poverty. Ultimately, when the other priests and bishops refused to accept her rule of strict poverty, she sought to get a special privilege from the pope. If granted, this special privilege of poverty ( "Privilegium Paupertatis" ) from the pope would allow her order to keep living in strict poverty as they wanted. But, although Innocent III had approved Clare's privilege and his successor Honorius III had no problem with it, Gregory IX, successor of Honorius III did have

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