January 9, 2008 – Daily Brief

Hi Maria. I’m Jeff. And a hearty welcome to you on behalf of all the readers at SCVTalk.

News

• Councilwoman Laurene Weste Injured in Auto Accident: The City Councilwoman was on her way to last night’s meeting when she was involved in a collision outside City Hall shortly after 5 pm. She suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Henry Mayo. KHTS says her injuries are “significant” but has a source who says she won’t need to be hospitalized for an extended period of time. The Council meeting was not postponed. KHTS Report
• Possible Gang shooting in Canyon Country: Another drive-by, this time involving three youths in a vehicle and three youths standing on a street in Canyon Country. The Signal says the two groups “exchanged words” then a “passenger in the vehicle fired at least one shot from a small-caliber handgun.” A 19 year old man suffered non-life threatening injuries. Deputies are on the lookout for a dark colored Ford Mustang.
• Council Shoots down Feinstein’s Cemex Plans: “I was under the impression the Senator wanted to help us. This is not help in any way,” Councilmember Boydston said of Feinstein’s two proposals to deal with the so-called Cemex Mega Mine in Soledad Canyon. The City’s intergovernmental officer said that the “buy out” option might not solve anything; the Bureau of Land Management would still own mineral rights and could lease those rights to another miner. Katie Geyer has a good article (and even spoke to McKeon about the issue), while Jon Dell also has an in-depth report.
• Speaking of McKeon: The 8 Term Congressman stopped by the Signal’s Newsroom yesterday while his bud Mitt Romney got stomped in New Hampshire polls. Parimal Rohit reports that McKeon talked about No Child Left Behind, illegal immigration, the real estate implosion, and said he would favor Bill Richardson if a Democrat had to be elected president. He wasn’t very kind to the Majority Party in Congress saying that the Iraqi Legislature has been more effective than the current Congress.
• Funky Bird Sculpture at new marketplace: Pat Aidem has the scoop on an interesting “Birds of Valencia” sculpture that will sit atop a man made lake at the new Bridgeport Marketplace when it opens this spring. The 17-foot tall sculpture features “60 birds with 5-inch wingspans taking flight from the water.” I like Public Art
• Kellar officially in:Santa Clarita’s Mayor officially submitted his paperwork to seek reelection yesterday. In a press release, the Mayor/Former Cop/Realtor said that “Las Lomas must be stopped” and remarked that public safety was one of his top issues. That coincided with the City Council’s approval of his $40k plan to address public safety topics. WRB has the press release.

Sundry:

• Did you know that the Oscar statues, yes those famous golden statues actors crave, are stored in Saugus? According to a photo caption in this story about the Academy Awards and the Writer’s strike, the coveted statues are housed in a storage facility in Saugus.
• McKeon Press Secretary a tall glass of water on a sweltering DC day: This is from way back in 2007, but MediaBistro.com, a popular politics and media blog, says Lindsey Mask, Buck McKeon’s press secretary, was one of the hottest media types in all of 2007. She’s “tall, blue eyed, beautiful blonde, she is super sweet too!” the blog says. I want a bigger picture. Link
• I Heart on City Council: Cemex, County Civic Center, Mayo Hospital Delay, Newhall Ranch, and much more in I Heart’s report. Featured quote on Mayo expansion delay: “This new tack means SCV’s 2007 buzzword of “collusion” must now be replaced with buzzphrase “strategic, quasi-slimy, manipulative delays”. That’s not quite as catchy, is it?”
• New Valencia.com site: I’m not sure how long this has been around, but Newhall Land has created a new website that’s just begging to be parodied. The site, designed to sell visitors on the joys of Valencia living, features video snippets from attractive women, hot athletic guys, a mixed-race family, and even an elderly couple, all touting the good life in Valencia. There’s also some amusing quotes from people in the photo-heavy website, I’ve posted them below. Don’t miss the map which shows Valencia, West Ridge and other Newhall Land neighborhoods in vibrant colors while the rest of the SCV, including Stevenson Ranch, is portrayed in lifeless, dull black and white.
  

Categories: Daily Brief
Tags: features