Yadda yadda yadda- new Daily Brief.
News
- Northridge-sized quake likely in next 30 years: So likely in fact, that the scientists at the USGS and So Cal Earthquake Center put Southern California chances for another monster sized quake at 97%, according to a report released yesterday. As you can imagine, lots of media coverage on this one; I think this Long Beach Press Telegram report is the best, but you should also check out the Southern California Earthquake Center which features high-res maps of California; Santa Clarita, of course, is surrounded by red, orange, and yellow zones. I guess the only good news is that there’s only a 3% chance of a magnitude 8 quake in the next 30 years. And to think I was worried! Over at City Hall, someone’s looking prescient right now; the city will hold an earthquake drill tomorrow at 9:30 am.
- Paramedics may strike on May 2: There are some 60 paramedics who work for American Medical REsponse in the Santa Clarita Valley, and they’re set to go on strike on May 2 if a deal for better wages and benefits isn’t worked out with company management, Katie Geyer reports in today’s Signal. Geyer spoke with the union and details some of their gripes here. Over at the Daily News, Jerry Berrios says that if a strike should happen, EMTs from other areas of the state would be brought in to the SCV, AV, and other parts of LA County. Berrios says the company plans to outfit the ambulances with “turn-by-turn” GPS systems so that out-of-town drivers don’t get lost in the meandering streets of the SCV.
- 12 year old boy admits starting fire: KHTS reports today that a “12 year old boy admitted to starting afire that burned just over two acres Saturday night in the wash behind Creekside Road.” The unnamed boy told investigators that he had been playing a lighter near the dry brush in the riverbed. A Sheriff’s Sgt. told KHTS that charges “may or may not be filed” though if they didn’t file charges against that 10 year old boy who started the Buckweed fire, I can’t imagine they’ll charge this boy. Then again, this fire might have threatened that mighty SCV economic engine- Auto Dealer row. Link
- Local Gay & Lesbian group wants more training for Hart Staff: The Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays group says the Hart District has made strides in educating staff and students on how to be sensitive to students who are gay or lesbian, but that it could do more. Dave McEachern, the president of the local chapter, says the “biggest problem is that no one is training the teachers not to allow students to use the word ‘gay’ or ‘queer’ in a derogatory manner.” McEachern says that staff and students should realize that “many gay and lesbian high school students have not made their sexual orientation public.” Overall though, he says Hart is doing a fine job, much better than when he was a teacher there. Sharon Cotal reports.
- Closing arguments in Castro Trial: For the last few weeks, the trial of Esperanza Castro has been underway at the San Fernando Courthouse. She stands accused of killing her husband Ramon in March of 2006. Parimal Rohit has been covering the trial, but today Jim Holt has an article on the prosecution’s closing statements.
- Pellet guns and pizza not a good mix: SCVSheriff.com reported yesterday on an incident at the Vincenzo’s Pizza in Saugus in which a man reportedly brandished a pellet gun after following two women out to their car. The fuzz was called in real quick and a “short pursuit was initiated which ended on West Galton Road.” Once they pulled the man over, they found a pellet gun in his car. Jose Castro, the suspect, is a 37 year old Hispanic man and he was arrested on Assault with a Deadly weapon charge, among others. Details.
Miscellaneous
- On coveting the shiny SCV Man/Woman of the Year License Plate frame: InsideSCV mag says getting the award depends on how much “volunteer goodness” you have in you. They list the nominees in their new May issue.
- Jeff Lambert top local lobbyist: It’s been a few months since the City’s lobbyist information system went online, and I’ve been monitoring it as new clients and new projects are updated on the site. One thing stands out: former city planning boss Jeff Lambert is the top local lobbyist, according to the site. He represents some 17 individual projects and companies. Browse through the list to get a hint of what’s going to be on future city council agendas.
- Two from Senator George Runner: The ultra-conservative State Senator who reps a small slice of the SCV both conducted an interview and was the subject of one recently. In the first, he talks to a state fire chief; that’s posted over at SCVTV.com. In the second, he’s interviewed about water, crime, and transportation issues by Best Syndication.com.
- Epic failure at new restaurant: Rattlers has moved to the new Centre Pointe Parkway, and the restaurant that’s opened in its old location, Cowboy Cantina, has been getting quite a few reviews on the popular Yelp website. Unfortunately for Cowboy Cantina, the reviews haven’t been good, with one user even taking pictures of her raw, bloody chicken. Link
- I Heart on how to get what you want in the City of Santa Clarita: I Heart is no stranger to Santa Clarita’s controversies, and he’s examined two recent ones to determine how one might go about getting what they desire from the folks on Valencia Blvd. “If I were writing The Art of War for SCV, I’d advise people to speak loudly, but infrequently,” he writes in the May InsideSCV. Sage wisdom