Mea culpa! For being late ALL week long.
News
- Child pornography found on hard drive at COC: A teacher at COC found “substantial” child pornography images on an external hard drive on Thursday. Deputies jumped into action and reportedly obtained a search warrant on the home of the hard drive’s owner. No names or other details; COC refused to comment as of yesterday. Parimal Rohit reports.
- Housing downturn worse than in early 90s: At least according to some experts in this Times story. A firm that tracks real estate says home prices in Southern California are off 19% over this time last year, and sales are plummeting as well. One other interesting item in the report: home values in so-called “outlying” areas of Los Angeles are being hit hardest “where prices got pumped up artificially with the sort of crazy loans that no longer exist,” one expert said.
- And on the foreclosure front: We haven’t seen any of these in the SCV yet, but in other areas, realtors are outfitting “foreclosure buses” to carry loads of interested homebuyers on a tour of foreclosed properties. One SCV realtor is interviewed in the article; he gives tours of foreclosed Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley properties.
- Attendance at Six Flags Magic Mountain flat in 2007: As is usual for Magic Mountain, no hard numbers are given, but the LA Times reports today that our theme park enjoyed no growth (and no decline) in 2007. Worldwide, some 25 million people visited Six Flags theme parks. Disneyland, Universal Studios and other SoCal parks give out attendance numbers, but not Magic Mountain. Link
- St. Patrick’s Day in the SCV: Signal writer Jim Holt covers the requisite traditions, gathering places, and activities for Irish (and those who think they are) in the SCV.
Miscellaneous
- Guy doesn’t like City’s dog park: Over at the Signal’s blogs (hidden between the PR & advertising posts) is a rant from a guy who opposes the City’s first and only dog park in Central Park. “Why should all of us, incidentally, some of us are not dog owners, pay for the luxury of some of us? I never complain of taxes, because they are a necessity. I ask you, is it necessary for dogs to have a park at taxpayers’ expense? This is a total waste of my taxes. “
- KHTS endorses Kellar/Spierer: Vote for the Law Enforcement Duo named Bob, Carl Goldman says in a brief op/ed. “After careful consideration, KHTS is endorsing Bob Kellar and Bob Spierer. Our time spent with Spierer has revealed a bright, level headed, compassionate man, someone who will carefully weigh each issue and judge it on its own merits, not on outside lobbying,” Goldman writes. As a bonus, he opens up the op/ed thankful that there are no “whacko” candidates in the race this year. Link
- For once, a positive,uplifting mailer: It just wouldn’t be a real, genuine City Council race without mailers from mysterious groups appearing in our mailboxes would it? Yesterday in the 91321 at least, voters received one such mailer from…well…I’m not sure who exactly. The mailer encourages the recepient to “Vote for the Right Team in Santa Clarita’ and says Congressman Buck McKeon has endorsed Laurie Ender and Bob Kellar for City Council. On the list of what Bob and Laurie stand for are building out the cross valley connecter, fighting Cemex, more trails and parks, and cleaning up Whittaker Bermite. So what’s interesting about this mailer? Well it’s not negative, which is nice. Also, it has a return address to the Frank Ferry Committee, though Buck’s picture is on it, not Frank’s. Postage is paid by Victory Mail, the same group that mailed out open space mailers last year.Finally, it almost gives the impression that Laurie Ender and Bob Kellar are running as a team, even though Bob Kellar was presumably one of those “flip flopping” opponents Laurie Ender mentioned last week when she was endorsed by Buck. Anyway, here’s the link to a PDF scan.
- McFarland making a mountain out of a molehill: Dave Bossert doesn’t usually get along with Bob Kellar, especially over annexation, but the Mayor is being slandered by a “local political gadfly” (ie McFarland) Bossert says in a blog post about FormGate. Bossert also says McFarland was a Hare Krishna in the 1970s (ROFL. Is it true?)