Newhall Ranch Phase 1 approved, local politico reaction to a $14 billion budget deficit, the Signal newsroom joins the 21st century, candidate websites plus livestock in Saugus?- all a hop, skip or jump away in today’s Daily Brief.
News
- Landmark Village Approved by Regional Planning Commission: There’s but one step left before Newhall Land will officially be allowed to commence construction of Landmark Village, the 1,444 home Phase 1 project that will mark the beginnings of city-sized Newhall Ranch west of Santa Clarita. Members of the County’s Regional Planning Commission approved the project unanimously yesterday over objections from local environmentalists, which included water concerns, impact on the river, and the shooting of migratory birds who leave droppings on homes. Landmark Village will need final approval from the County’s Board of Supervisors before construction commences in 2009. The Signal’s Parimal Rohit was at the meeting and has a good article as does the Daily News.
- No Leads on Skeleton found after fires: Remember the bones unearthed on Thanksgiving day in the wake of the Buckweed fire on Whites Canyon in Canyon Country? Karen Elowitt has an update, and the prospects of identifying the dead man are not looking good. “We may never figure out who that man is,” a specialist with the Coroner’s office told Elowitt. Investigators may return to the site in hopes of finding more clues. Not online.
- Local Political Reaction to State Budget Deficit: The Signal’s Parimal Rohit spoke with Congressman McKeon, State Senator George Runner and Assemblyman Cam Smyth about the $14 billion budget shortfall and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plans to deal with it. Nothing really surprising in their unanimous response: cut spending, with Runner adding that it “is going to be interesting to see my Democratic colleagues ask for tax increases.” Link
San FernandoValley Fair back at Saugus Speedway: The agricultural fair drops the “San Fernando” part from its name and returns to the Saugus Speedway again this year, this time with authentic livestock. Pat Aidem says the there’s a firm agreement to hold the fair at Saugus Speedway during the last week of June. Expect moo cows, pigs, and other farm animals in a family-friendly, authentic ho down environment. Details- Romney announces 25th District Delegates: Quite a few familiar names here: Congressman Buck McKeon, Mayor Bob Kellar, and Paul Strickland will be Mitt Romney Delegates for the 25th District in the upcoming primary vote. If Romney wins CA-25, these three will be at the Republican Convention in Minneapolis. California is no longer a “winner-takes-all” state, so it’s possible that delegates for a losing candidate could still end up at the convention. Announcement
- First two lobbyists register with City Hall: Jeff Lambert and his firm’s employees and Arthur Sohikian and his firm are now registered lobbyists with City of Santa Clarita. Signal reports, not online.
- Laurene Weste injuries: The Councilwoman suffered a broken ankle and broken ribs in Tuesday night’s accident in front of City Hall. She’s said to be in stable condition. KHTS has a short update.
Miscellaneous:
- So Long Candy-Colored iMacs: So it appears that the Signal’s reporters and other staff will finally get some new PCs or Macinstosh computers to replace their aging fleet of slow-poke, low-resolution, hockey-puck miced Gen 1 iMacs from circa 1999. Most of the Signal’s newsroom operates on those ancient boat-anchors, so I imagine Creekside’s staff was happy to read an announcement in the Signal’s forums about its upgraded website, which is due to go live on January 28. “We are also replacing almost all our computers and servers with brand new ones also this month,” the announcement says. It’s amazing to me that a first gen iMac (which is probably less powerful than a first gen iPhone) could last so long. Welcome to the 21st Century.
- City Council Candidate Websites: The race for two seats on the City Council has been on the backburner for awhile, but it’s less than 90 days away now, so I thought it’d be nice to take a look at the candidates’ websites. All five candidates have created websites; some with blogs, some with photo galleries, and others with “news” items highlighting their accomplishments locally. First up is Parks Commish Laurie Ender, who’s blog posts are already familiar to SCVTalk readers, followed by incumbent Mayor Bob Kellar’s maroon website, which has an abundance of Kellar-centric photos and news items. Next up is Planning Commish Dianne Trautman’s good-looking and well-designed site, which links to her newspaper columns, priorities, endorsements and press articles about her. Finally, there are the websites for NCWD board member Maria Gutzeit, and former top cop Bob Spierer, both of which feel incomplete (it’s still early I suppose).
Photo Credit: Flickr User Bridgeport Mike