104 Degrees is altogether unpleasant, and those winds only add to the misery. Yes, tis the season to b**** about the weather on SCVTalk.
News
- Arrested coach had contact with SCV female students: Kevin Thomas, the 40 year old basketball/football coach arrested for sexual assault last week, had coached three Canyon High school girls recently, according to the Hart District. He had used the Canyon High gym to coach the girls despite the fact that he hadn’t gone through the District’s pre-employment screening process. And investigators announced this week that Thomas had recorded “incriminating” videos of presumably himself and his victims, and one of the videos was shot in a Santa Clarita hotel. District officials are contacting the girls’ families. Sharon Cotal has the report in today’s Signal.
- County budget finalized, Vasquez Rocks getting “Interpretive Center”: County Supervisors approved a $22.3 billion budget Tuesday, which is $346 million more than their proposed April budget, according to the Long Beach Press Telegram. Most of the additional funds will go towards hiring 246 more employees, including more officers who’s job it is to interview suspected illegal immigrants before they are released from jail. Among the other increases is $3 million for an Interpretive Center at Vasquez Rocks, the iconic ancient rock formation located near Agua Dulce. I’ll have to find out what an Interpretive Center is. Link
- One Valley, One Vision plan update: A draft of the new Santa Clarita general plan was detailed at a meeting Tuesday night, and the Signal’s Katie Geyer reports that the plan “encourages low-impact housing that properly uses insulation to save energy, and native landscaping to save water.” Also in the draft are details on the city’s plans to “improve paseos, bike paths, and trail linkages to encourage alternative methods of transportation.” Quote from Senior Planner Jason Smisko on Santa Clarita, cars, and global warming: “We know that global temperatures are increasing and that human populations are contributors to that. We recognize the greatest threat to our air resources is the automobile.” Link
- Cell Phone driving ban may cost negligent drivers more: The Times has an interesting story today on some unintended (or perhaps intended) consequences of the new ban on using a mobile phone while driving, which goes into effect on July 1. Lawyers and other experts say that after July 1, if a driver causes an accident while on a cell phone, the driver could face misdemeanor or even felony charge connected with the cell phone law, if the accident results in a death. Other effects are expected as well: for instance, your auto insurance carrier may revise your policy and forbid you from using a mobile phone while driving. All this is over and above the $20 first-time violator fee. Link
- Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics: More statistics on crime today from Signal reporter Parimal Rohit, who compares ‘n contrasts the recent FBI report with a new County crime report for Santa Clarita. Those two reports are consistent with each other, but the county report goes further and lists other crime categories like narcotics, gambling, and disorderly conduct. It also covers the entire SCV, not just the City. And here you thought the County didn’t know about your illegal college b-ball and NFL office pools. They know! Link
- 19th Senate seat race getting hot hot hot: Great article today in the Santa Barbara Independent detailing 19th Senate candidate Hannah-Beth Jackson and the race to replace Tom McClintock. The Independent describes the 19th District, pointing out how conservative Santa Clarita, Camrillo, Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks are contrasted with them liberals up in Ventura and Santa Barbara. The race, notes the Indepedent, is shaping up to be “a classic political battle of the sexes, matching the liberal Jackson against the conservative Strickland in an ideological clash featuring stark differences on issues like taxes, schools, and gay marriage. The race has more backstories than a Robert Altman movie, including special interest money, Machiavellian maneuvering over redistricting, and a burgeoning political dynasty in Ventura.” Count me in, I love political drama. Link
- Mayo officials practice for NBC attack: No not the broadcast network; Nuclear Biological or Chemical attack. The Signal reports today that Mayo health care professionals watched a video put on by Texas A&M on how to manage injured people in such an attack and also simulated a crisis using mannequins and triage techniques. Link
- Possible record breaking highs tomorrow: As Santa Clarita groans under the relentless pounding of the evil Day Star, WeatherUndergound.com says temps rise tomorrow and hit 108 in Santa Clarita in what could be a record-breaking day. The county has issued a heat and air quality advisory, though if you ask me, the skies in the SCV were crystal clear yesterday.
- SCV a target for strange theft rings: More arrests in the pharmacy/retail theft ring mentioned a few weeks ago, and SCV detectives are once again warning Toyota truck owners about catalytic converter thefts. At least seven Toyota vehicles had their catalytic converters stolen between June 10 and June 16 in some neighbhorhoods in Newhall and Stevenson Ranch. Why don’t they just steal the whole car instead of parts of it?
Misc
- Sac Bee to Senator Runner- Wake up! The Sacramento Bee says George Runner and other Senators are doing a disservice to the people of their districts by ignoring regulations that could help homeowners facing foreclosure. The Bee notes that Runner’s district -which includes the AV and a small portion of the SCV- are number 2 in the state for foreclosures and notices of default, but all Runner seems to care about is his get-tough-on-crime initiative. Link
- Santa Clarita mom featured in CNN article on vaccine/autism story: Kathye Petters-Armitage had one kid who was fully vaccinated against all types of childhood diseases and the child turned out fine. But before she had her second one, she read reports that vaccines can cause autism, so she had her doctor modify the vaccines. Anyway, it’s an interesting article on a controversial topic.
- LA Times profiles SCV: In the “Neighborhoods Guide,” the paper notes Santa Clarita’s unusual founding and the fact that critics “bemoan the countless housing tracts that have spread like the wildfires that also plague the region.” Despite the boring architecture and suburban sprawl, the Times says there are “one of a kind” gems in SCV. Hey, LA Times, don’t you know the strip mall was invented in Los Angeles? Don’t blame Santa Clarita; we just pefected your model. Elitist Schmucks
- Really blew it on that one: I saw Tim Myers’ column title and thought it was only about the lakers, but he actually wrote a defense of Ken Pulskamp who’s been under fire a lot on this blog and in the LTE section of the Signal. Myers, it seems, is tired of the bashing of Pulskamp. He characterizes his critics as thinking that “Ken Pulskamp, and indeed, every employee of the City, wakes up every morning, looks in the bathroom mirror, smiles broadly, and states “Today I am going to further execute my master plan of bringing the City of Santa Clarita to complete ruin.” He offers this defense: ” We humans must operate in a range of outcome bounded by our own limitations and frailties, and the needs, wants, and more particularly, the rights of others.” Column
- And Dave Bossert Responds: Bossert says he both agrees and disagrees with Myers’ commentary; his main criticism of Pulskamp and the City is that they lack an “overarching vision for the City of Santa Clarita, a vision that goes out 25 or 30 years, is inclusive of residents and city neighbors, and one that anticpates potential isssues that may arise from various decisions they make.” He says that there is a level of “arrogance” at the city. Link
- I Heart wonders if Saugus Bear was City Council Conspiracy: The bear, or another one like it, was tragically killed on the 14 on Monday. But before that, he was hanging around the Benz road area, site of much controversy over roads and traffic and angry residents. Could it be that the bear was sent to the area to distract homeowners to intimidate them? Or perhaps the bear was just interested in Old Town Newhall’s newly revitalized main street. Tee-hee!
- New Coalition forming: A new group calling itself the Santa Clarita Neighborhoods Coalition is forming with an emphasis on three guiding principals they want to see at City Hall: “integrity, transparency, and accountability.” At a June 12 meeting, the group talked about the revisions to the general plan, and how they would present themselves before the City Council. The email I received had the name removed, but my guess from the cheap seats is that Dave Gauny, TimBen Boydston, and perhaps the WeThePeople SCV crowd are behind it.
- Cam Noltemeyer argues for Development Monitoring System: What the heck is that, you ask? It’s a way for local government to judge whether it has the capacity to withstand potential developments. All sorts of things are mentioned: sewer lines, roads and traffic, schools, etc, and it’s all computerized. Noltemeyer says some city leaders liked the idea back in the 90s but it never took off. Link