What do you get when you add angry seniors, outraged Newhall neighbors, and a demand for ethics reform? You get tonight’s Santa Clarita City Council meeting, that’s what!
News
- Are high gas prices forcing motorists off the freeways? It might be happening, according to the Los Angeles Times, which did a story yesterday that took a look at traffic data, anecdotes, and other information about how crowded Southern California’s freeways are in an era of $4 a gallon gasoline. Some freeways, like Interstate 5 in the Newhall Pass, have noticeably less cars than this time last year. The Times even cites a source that says the commute from Santa Clarita to Los Angeles has gone down from 45 minutes in 2007 to 43 minutes in 2008, a decrease of some 3%. Transit and Metrolink ridership is up too. Others are skeptical, however. Link
- Seniors, “in a panic,” to protest TCU closure: Seniors will gather at City Hall today at 5pm to protest the imminent closure of the 27 bed Transitional Care Unit at Henry Mayo, Katie Geyer at The Signal reports today. The TCU, used by patients who aren’t quite ready to be released from the hospital, will be converted to beds for general use and ought to relieve overcrowding in the ER, according to hospital officials. Seniors who need TCU-type care will be sent to the Santa Clarita Convalescent hospital on San Fernando Road in Newhall. Daily News, Signal
- April real estate numbers incoming! No official word from the Southland Regional Association of Realtors (which tracks the SCV as a separate market) yet, but in Southern California in April, home sales were off some 43% from the same time last year and the median price fell to $456,000. It’s not all bad news though; sales in April increased 15% from March, and most reports are using words like “rebound” and “recovery” to describe the market. Foreclosures, however, are still up big over last year, but the SCV has been relatively insulated from the foreclosure crisis. More details in this LABJ report.
- City speaks out about Ethics Code: Mike Murphy, the City’s intergovernmental relations officer, spoke with The Signal’s Katie Geyer about the proposed Code of Ethics & Conduct document that will be discussed at tonight’s council meeting. Murphy says the five page document is meant to unify policies and principles that city staff are already expected to adhere to. In fact, he says there isn’t much that’s new in the document itself, telling Geyer: “There really wasn’t anything that we didn’t have in some form or other in our organization already…The one thing we are lacking is that we don’t have a document called an ethics code, which a lot of other jurisdictions have.” Meanwhile, Bruce McFarland also talked to Geyer about the document saying it wasn’t enough; he seems to want a full-blown city of LA-style Ethics Commission that would give the public a means to address supposed ethics violations by city council members or city staff. Impacting tonight at the council meeting.
- The Signal guide to the June primary: We have to vote again?!? Why yes, yes you do! On June 3, we’re being asked to vote on two confusing and somewhat contradictory propositions that deal with land use, eminent domain, landlord rights, and a whole lot more, as well as voting in the primaries for our valley’s elected representatives and their challengers. Cam Smyth, Buck McKeon, and George Runner have no challengers from their fellow Republicans and the same is true for their Democratic challengers in the fall, Carole Lutness, Jacques Conaway (Barstow) and Bruce McFarland. But in California’s 37th Assembly District, which includes parts of Castaic, there will be some June competition for the ballot. Finally, there’s the interesting 19th Senate seat race which includes a Stevenson Ranch and may be one to watch as a Santa Barbara Democrat and Republican Tony Strickland square off in November. And last but not least, the list of candidates running for LA County’s Republican Central Committee include many SCV notables, including Scott Wilk, Kevin Korenthal, Steve Lunetta, and Joe Messina. Parimal Rohit walks you through the names and proposition details here.
- More student/authority shenanigans at Hart District: It seems Hart is laying off the wrong people (there, can I say that?). For the second time in a month, an employee in an authority position at the Hart District is under investigation and has been put on leave for “inappropriate contact” with a student. There’s no details on who/what/when/where/how/why as the District is keeping tight-lipped on the matter, but both The Signal and KHTS say it may have happened at Canyon High. The last case of “inappropriate contact” involved a counselor at a local high school who reportedly engaged in “inappropriate” communications with a minor (texting and emailing were mentioned) but the Signal today says that that person -who will resign her position by the end of the year- may have had a “sexual relationship with an underage male student.” Isn’t that the kind of thing the police and DA prosecute? Link