Every so often something happens in Santa Clarita that makes you pause, rub your eyes, and wonder whether anyone in Sacramento has ever actually visited our valley or possesses any common sense.

The state of California has decided that the perfect place to build a brand-new 278,000-square-foot courthouse and holding facility is right in the middle of the Valencia Town Center district. Not near it. Right in it.

Picture this: You are standing in the middle of the mall. You look across the street toward the McBean Transit Center. Now imagine an overwhelming eight-story monolith of a courthouse and holding jail dominating the entire scene. That is the “new Santa Clarita” they are proposing.

Here is what Sacramento planners have missed completely, full stop: The proposed complex is horrifically ill-suited to its surroundings. A total non-starter from the get-go.

This is not some country courthouse. It is an obtrusive, industrial-scale criminal justice complex with 24 courtrooms, a holding jail, secure law-enforcement access and a multi-level garage for nearly 300 vehicles. It would instantly become the tallest, most dominant structure in the entire city. And your state wants to drop this moronically conceived criminal-processing unit in the center of our busiest shopping, dining and entertainment district, where families go to eat, walk and relax.

We have already seen smash-and-grab robberies at the Apple Store, Macy’s and other shops. Now add a crime-processing factory drawing thousands of criminal defendants, witnesses,........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal