November 12, 2009 – Daily Brief

Sheriff’s Deputy beaten up by two men in traffic stop gone wrong. Perps escape but the Deputy didn’t suffer severe injuries thankfully. Cops are asking for any witnesses who were in the Golden Valley area yesterday around 8am. KHTS
Three Potential sites for Castaic High School will be discussed at a special Hart Board meeting next week. Intriguing that they’re going to hold this before the new members of the board are sworn in! Castaic High is Joe Messina’s baby! WEST RANCH BEACON
CLWA Board members have apparently been eating dinner together prior to official board meetings, which some say is a violation of the spirit (if not the letter) of the famous Brown Act, which forbids elected officials from meeting in secret. So to get around that, the Board is now inviting the public to their dinners. Yes. For real. SIGNAL (let’s all show up and call their bluff?)
Ralph Drollinger, the pastor in charge of Capitol Ministries and the controversial speaker at the 2007 Mayors Prayer Breakfast, has been stripped of his pastorship by John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church over “biblical concerns.” Capitol Ministries, which held prayer meetings and bible studies for Sacramento legislators, has closed up shop too. Recall that prior to Joe Messina’s 2007 MPB, controversy erupted locally when it was learned Drollinger had made statements about sinful working women and about Catholics. Drollinger lives in Santa Clarita and cited Biblical rules that he says bars him from giving his side of the story CAPITOL WEEKLY
Congressman McKeon wants a Congressional investigation into the Fort Hood shootings. He says in particular, “We must take a close look at the command environment which allegedly failed to respond to repeated warnings raised within Major Hasan’s chain of command.” VV DAILY PRESS, AIR FORCE TIMES
Veteran’s Day service in Newhall was attended by hundreds of people and veterans spanning seven decades of service. Also, the City, in concert with local businesses and donations, has installed 11 plaques commemorating “every major war in US History.” A space for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars remains. SIGNAL
The wonderful ladies at SCVMOMSBLOG.COM have developed a radio show and I was honored to be one of their first guests on Tuesday. We talked local politics and discussed how to stay informed on news and events in the SCV. They also talked about other subjects including the Patios at the mall. Give it a listen here (radio controls are on the left side of the page)
Sheriff’s station to receive an addition $200,000 for installation of those automatic license plate readers WRB
New ThinkSantaClaritaValley blog
New solar powered home development in Santa Fe Springs will save homeowners up to 60% on their electrical bills. Neat! LA TIMES
Letter writer says the parking spaces at Trader Joes are so small she can barely open up the doors on her Corolla. Here’s an idea- ride your bike! SCVTalk reader Petz guilt-tripped Trader Joe’s into installing bike racks for us and they did! LTE

Comments (25)

IHeartSCVNovember 12, 2009 at 10:12 am

RE: SCVMomsBlog Radio Interview Wow. That lament/question addressed to you by Andrea was delightful. (Roughly: is voting for “Joe Messina ’cause he’s got a freakin’ cool name” better than not voting at all?) Your response was gracious, perhaps overly so.

PetzNovember 12, 2009 at 10:46 am

The small parking spaces are probably linked to a city requirement that a certain # of parking spots be available. They shrink the size to make more spots. TJs was very gracious in responding to my request. They said that some employees commute on bike. Unfortunately they must have meant motorbikes since the small rack is usually crowded out with Ninja style motorcycles.

Timothy MyersNovember 12, 2009 at 10:47 am

SCVMomsBlog: You should have said better that vote is never cast than being cast out of complete ignorance?

JaneNovember 12, 2009 at 11:37 am

Sheriff’s Deputy – Not one person came to the aid of the deputy? The Signal reported that people drove by and honked their horns – yeah that did a lot to stop the attack.

JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 12:06 pm

The whole point that Andrea was making was that it’s very difficult to know where to get good information in this community. So are people supposed to just go out and vote because it’s suggested or stay home because they don’t feel educated enough? Maybe it’s time people start opening their minds to helping others understand the issues instead of ridiculing them for not being in the know. If we want to make a difference together, we first have to be on the same team. It’s not about what side you are on politically, it’s about where you stand as an human being. Let’s help each other out.

Berta González-HarperNovember 12, 2009 at 12:35 pm

Seems to me the question of where to site a high school in Castaic is a no brainer. Only one site, the Romero Cyn site, does not have significant problems that would prevent or seriously delay the placement of a high school on the property. In addition the Romero site has most of the necessary permits, which take years to secure, already taken care of. The property is owned by a local developer who has promised to grade the pad and get it ready for the actual school plant. He has experience in doing this since he performed this very task at Golden Valley High and McGrath Elementary here locally. The property the district already owns has too many problems and would probably never be approved anyway and the other one is next to the dump for pete’s sake! Castaic deserves its own High School and Valencia and Westridge deserve to be less crowded because Castaic has been shafted in the past. I don’t live in Castaic but my tax dollars pay for this stuff too and I say build Castaic High in Romero Canyon and soon! As to Joe Messina, I’m sure Joe will be there and I hope he has a chance to weigh in on this issue at that meeting.

IHeartSCVNovember 12, 2009 at 12:50 pm

@Jackie: “So are people supposed to just go out and vote because it’s suggested or stay home because they don’t feel educated enough?” Of course people should skip voting on matters they have no idea about. There’s no law stating that voters have to weigh in on every question on the ballot, so it’s only logical that people skip voting on the races/issues they know nothing about. And then: “The whole point that Andrea was making was that it’s very difficult to know where to get good information in this community.” What about the voter guides that come in the mail about two months before election day? They have candidate statements, balanced descriptions of the issues, etc., and all you have to do is walk to your mailbox to get it. If you wanted to get information on the community, you could google “Santa Clarita news” and links to The Signal and KTHS appear. I have no problem accepting that some people don’t know about local politics because they don’t have the time for it. I do have a problem accepting your argument that people don’t know about local politics because it’s hard to find the information.

JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 1:28 pm

I’m sure you don’t meant to be as condescending as you come off so I’ll just ignore that part. Is that where you get your news, The Signal? Are you up to date on all that happens in local politics because you open voter guides? Or are you able to read and respond to ideas and opinions on blogs like this one? The facts that come from those sources are great. But it was the very idea that there are other hidden gems online that can break down the issues in an easy to digest, REAL-LIFE format that is appealing to many moms. Some people are political junkies who have all day to decipher the spin some news outlets like to put out there. There are others of us who want to talk to real people about real issues that affect our families and the whole community. Andrea put herself out there, not to be berated but to be the voice of many others too afraid to speak up. Say what you want about how she voted but you’re judgment and condescension is what I have a hard time accepting.

MikeNovember 12, 2009 at 1:44 pm

If you were interested in voting in these elections and were of average resourcefulness, it was hard to get information about this election. It really did take unusual interest and motivation. I know more than a few smart, civic minded people who had little more than a clue this November. That said, if you don’t feel that you have enough information on any candidate in a race, it’s a good idea to abstain from that question. If I’m ever in that position, I move on to the next race.

JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 1:46 pm

I personally agree with that, Mike. But I run a community of 500+ residents and I’m not a fan of public flogging. Thanks

JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 1:48 pm

I especially love how intelligent I came across with my use of the word “you’re.” LOL

MikeNovember 12, 2009 at 2:25 pm

I thought the honesty on the part of the hosts was important, and I think they speak for many, many people in this valley. New to the area + engaged in the community + want to vote + coming across little info + not sure what to do + still want to vote Turnout was in the low teens and those who did vote elected people such as a woman that didn’t campaign and openly boasts about knowing nothing about her new position and a guy who dropped out of the race months ago. I think the question they posed to Jeff is the sort of question that candidates and those in the media should be ready to answer. I appreciate the honesty. I’m glad she voted for Joe. But next time, hopefully for the right reason.

cashNovember 12, 2009 at 2:56 pm

“Some people are political junkies who have all day to decipher the spin some news outlets like to put out there. There are others of us who want to talk to real people about real issues that affect our families and the whole community”. Not much of a big picture view. Politics is very real and the political decisions that are made have real impacts on real people and create real issues. I must say, that ignoring them does make life nicer, at least until they find your personal life.

cashNovember 12, 2009 at 2:58 pm

What do you mean you run a community of 500+ residents. I assume you mean you run, as in operate, a website with 500 participants.

cashNovember 12, 2009 at 3:01 pm

Jackie, never mind my comment. I checked out your site. It is very nicely done. Congratulations. Too bad we Dad’s don’t have such a site.

JeffNovember 12, 2009 at 3:02 pm

Hey let’s back off the moms! They do a fine job. I do blame people for being apathetic. But Jackie and Andrea aren’t apathetic. They are engaged and intelligent and wanted to vote. I just think it is hard to get good information in this valley. It’s one of the reasons I started this blog.

MikeNovember 12, 2009 at 3:06 pm

agreed. keep up the good work.

JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 3:23 pm

Cash, you are MORE than welcome at SCVMB. We have a Dads group there ( http://scvmomsblog.ning.com/group/dadsdadsdads) . The community is open to all (except children). After launching a parenting site for Warner Bros and writing for countless other sites, the “mom world” is what I know. And living here in the SCV for four year, I’ve discovered how difficult it can be to navigate it and feel at home. But the site by no means excludes others. It’s just meant as a resource for those who have children or take care of children locally. Otherwise, it would be called Facebook.

Timothy MyersNovember 12, 2009 at 3:38 pm

Jane, Mike and iHeart: Good discussion on engagement. People say that if you don’t vote you can’t complain. Well, from the number of complaints I hear compared to voter turnout I KNOW the denizens of the SCV don’t live by that creed!

AndreaNovember 12, 2009 at 4:19 pm

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the banter here. In fact, so much so that I considered not responding…but I can’t resist a good debate. Maybe that is from my years of competing on the debate team at the national level in high school or serving on the board of The College Republicans for four years at Pepperdine. By the way: I then used that experience to go on to teach high school History, Government, Economics and Public Policy in LAUSD. Issues of national, state and local politics were key discussions in my classroom…that is, my Los Angeles classroom. This brings me to my point: I am by no means ignorant about Public Policy issues as they relate to my life on a national/state level…but for some reason, since moving to the SCV five years ago, I haven’t had an easy time finding information on issues that affect my family locally. A member of a community should not have to rely on a Voter Registration packet to determine their vote. Instead, the issues should be accessible to all local citizens all year long. Isn’t that what it means to belong to a community? Jackie and I work hard to represent moms whose daily life doesn’t include time to sift through blogs that may or may not support the same values that they want to teach their children. They need (and want) the cliff notes. Give them both sides, a fair debate and time to talk to friends, teachers, councilmen and business owners to make up their own minds. I don’t regret anything I said. We represent the issues that moms face today. Our community is just like us…highly educated, intelligent…and uninformed. But each of them cares about our community. So to me, that is just a waste of hundreds of very valuable local resources!

PetzNovember 13, 2009 at 8:41 am

If Andrea is truly passionate about this issue , she should add a section to her blog and make a mission out of it. The voter guides are a great place to start and usually have reference to other web sites or sources of information about the candidates. To lament that one did not have information, is to concede that you really didn’t take the time to inform themselves.

PetzNovember 13, 2009 at 8:51 am

Petz suggests that you call Joe Messina at 661-257-9250 and interview him for a podcast about the issues that concern you. He would be a great guest and more than willing to give you his perspective of secondary education in the Hart District.

AndreaNovember 13, 2009 at 2:15 pm

Thanks, Petz. We’ll consider that. BTW- “to concede that [I] didn’t take the time to inform [myself]” is EXACTLY what we do not want whole communities to do anymore. That was the point Jackie & I were trying to make by bringing Jeff on in the first place. We have recently created a public policy group on our website where moms can join to discuss current events that matter to us. http://scvmomsblog.ning.com/group/publicpolicies (Which you are all more than welcome to be a part of..and we sincerely hope that you WILL) I hope that local politicians and media will use it as a resource to get a pulse on what matters to families in the SCV.

JaneNovember 13, 2009 at 2:24 pm

Andrea – “…I haven’t had an easy time finding information on issues that affect my family locally.” Describe easy. And those must be some really esoteric issues if you can’t find information in the SCV. I am often over-whelmed with the volume of information I get. But I read, talk with neighbors, and participate in the community. I wouldn’t say anything is hidden if you open your eyes. In my experience, people under a certain age expect to be catered too. If it isn’t Emailed or texted to them, they think it is difficult.

AndreaNovember 13, 2009 at 3:39 pm

Jane, It’s simple…Jackie & I represent a community that feels as though they don’t have easy access to political information. You might not agree and you might wish that they used your methods of education, but with absent husbands (commuting to LA), crying babies, meals to cook, carpool to run, non-profit organizations to support, homework to get done…at the end of the day, they just want to check their email and GO TO BED. Does that mean that they are less valuable to our community? Are their tax dollars less necessary to operate our city? We think no! Which is why we are committed to offering business owners and community leaders a space to reach them. Your comment about age is unfortunate, but doesn’t surprise me. Like it or not, times are changing! That’s a fact.

IHeartSCVNovember 12, 2009 at 10:12 am
RE: SCVMomsBlog Radio Interview Wow. That lament/question addressed to you by Andrea was delightful. (Roughly: is voting for “Joe Messina ’cause he’s got a freakin’ cool name” better than not voting at all?) Your response was gracious, perhaps overly so.
PetzNovember 12, 2009 at 10:46 am
The small parking spaces are probably linked to a city requirement that a certain # of parking spots be available. They shrink the size to make more spots. TJs was very gracious in responding to my request. They said that some employees commute on bike. Unfortunately they must have meant motorbikes since the small rack is usually crowded out with Ninja style motorcycles.
Timothy MyersNovember 12, 2009 at 10:47 am
SCVMomsBlog: You should have said better that vote is never cast than being cast out of complete ignorance?
JaneNovember 12, 2009 at 11:37 am
Sheriff’s Deputy – Not one person came to the aid of the deputy? The Signal reported that people drove by and honked their horns – yeah that did a lot to stop the attack.
JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 12:06 pm
The whole point that Andrea was making was that it’s very difficult to know where to get good information in this community. So are people supposed to just go out and vote because it’s suggested or stay home because they don’t feel educated enough? Maybe it’s time people start opening their minds to helping others understand the issues instead of ridiculing them for not being in the know. If we want to make a difference together, we first have to be on the same team. It’s not about what side you are on politically, it’s about where you stand as an human being. Let’s help each other out.
Berta González-HarperNovember 12, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Seems to me the question of where to site a high school in Castaic is a no brainer. Only one site, the Romero Cyn site, does not have significant problems that would prevent or seriously delay the placement of a high school on the property. In addition the Romero site has most of the necessary permits, which take years to secure, already taken care of. The property is owned by a local developer who has promised to grade the pad and get it ready for the actual school plant. He has experience in doing this since he performed this very task at Golden Valley High and McGrath Elementary here locally. The property the district already owns has too many problems and would probably never be approved anyway and the other one is next to the dump for pete’s sake! Castaic deserves its own High School and Valencia and Westridge deserve to be less crowded because Castaic has been shafted in the past. I don’t live in Castaic but my tax dollars pay for this stuff too and I say build Castaic High in Romero Canyon and soon! As to Joe Messina, I’m sure Joe will be there and I hope he has a chance to weigh in on this issue at that meeting.
IHeartSCVNovember 12, 2009 at 12:50 pm
@Jackie: “So are people supposed to just go out and vote because it’s suggested or stay home because they don’t feel educated enough?” Of course people should skip voting on matters they have no idea about. There’s no law stating that voters have to weigh in on every question on the ballot, so it’s only logical that people skip voting on the races/issues they know nothing about. And then: “The whole point that Andrea was making was that it’s very difficult to know where to get good information in this community.” What about the voter guides that come in the mail about two months before election day? They have candidate statements, balanced descriptions of the issues, etc., and all you have to do is walk to your mailbox to get it. If you wanted to get information on the community, you could google “Santa Clarita news” and links to The Signal and KTHS appear. I have no problem accepting that some people don’t know about local politics because they don’t have the time for it. I do have a problem accepting your argument that people don’t know about local politics because it’s hard to find the information.
JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 1:28 pm
I’m sure you don’t meant to be as condescending as you come off so I’ll just ignore that part. Is that where you get your news, The Signal? Are you up to date on all that happens in local politics because you open voter guides? Or are you able to read and respond to ideas and opinions on blogs like this one? The facts that come from those sources are great. But it was the very idea that there are other hidden gems online that can break down the issues in an easy to digest, REAL-LIFE format that is appealing to many moms. Some people are political junkies who have all day to decipher the spin some news outlets like to put out there. There are others of us who want to talk to real people about real issues that affect our families and the whole community. Andrea put herself out there, not to be berated but to be the voice of many others too afraid to speak up. Say what you want about how she voted but you’re judgment and condescension is what I have a hard time accepting.
MikeNovember 12, 2009 at 1:44 pm
If you were interested in voting in these elections and were of average resourcefulness, it was hard to get information about this election. It really did take unusual interest and motivation. I know more than a few smart, civic minded people who had little more than a clue this November. That said, if you don’t feel that you have enough information on any candidate in a race, it’s a good idea to abstain from that question. If I’m ever in that position, I move on to the next race.
JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I personally agree with that, Mike. But I run a community of 500+ residents and I’m not a fan of public flogging. Thanks
JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I especially love how intelligent I came across with my use of the word “you’re.” LOL
MikeNovember 12, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I thought the honesty on the part of the hosts was important, and I think they speak for many, many people in this valley. New to the area + engaged in the community + want to vote + coming across little info + not sure what to do + still want to vote Turnout was in the low teens and those who did vote elected people such as a woman that didn’t campaign and openly boasts about knowing nothing about her new position and a guy who dropped out of the race months ago. I think the question they posed to Jeff is the sort of question that candidates and those in the media should be ready to answer. I appreciate the honesty. I’m glad she voted for Joe. But next time, hopefully for the right reason.
cashNovember 12, 2009 at 2:56 pm
“Some people are political junkies who have all day to decipher the spin some news outlets like to put out there. There are others of us who want to talk to real people about real issues that affect our families and the whole community”. Not much of a big picture view. Politics is very real and the political decisions that are made have real impacts on real people and create real issues. I must say, that ignoring them does make life nicer, at least until they find your personal life.
cashNovember 12, 2009 at 2:58 pm
What do you mean you run a community of 500+ residents. I assume you mean you run, as in operate, a website with 500 participants.
cashNovember 12, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Jackie, never mind my comment. I checked out your site. It is very nicely done. Congratulations. Too bad we Dad’s don’t have such a site.
JeffNovember 12, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Hey let’s back off the moms! They do a fine job. I do blame people for being apathetic. But Jackie and Andrea aren’t apathetic. They are engaged and intelligent and wanted to vote. I just think it is hard to get good information in this valley. It’s one of the reasons I started this blog.
MikeNovember 12, 2009 at 3:06 pm
agreed. keep up the good work.
JackieNovember 12, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Cash, you are MORE than welcome at SCVMB. We have a Dads group there ( http://scvmomsblog.ning.com/group/dadsdadsdads) . The community is open to all (except children). After launching a parenting site for Warner Bros and writing for countless other sites, the “mom world” is what I know. And living here in the SCV for four year, I’ve discovered how difficult it can be to navigate it and feel at home. But the site by no means excludes others. It’s just meant as a resource for those who have children or take care of children locally. Otherwise, it would be called Facebook.
Timothy MyersNovember 12, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Jane, Mike and iHeart: Good discussion on engagement. People say that if you don’t vote you can’t complain. Well, from the number of complaints I hear compared to voter turnout I KNOW the denizens of the SCV don’t live by that creed!
AndreaNovember 12, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the banter here. In fact, so much so that I considered not responding…but I can’t resist a good debate. Maybe that is from my years of competing on the debate team at the national level in high school or serving on the board of The College Republicans for four years at Pepperdine. By the way: I then used that experience to go on to teach high school History, Government, Economics and Public Policy in LAUSD. Issues of national, state and local politics were key discussions in my classroom…that is, my Los Angeles classroom. This brings me to my point: I am by no means ignorant about Public Policy issues as they relate to my life on a national/state level…but for some reason, since moving to the SCV five years ago, I haven’t had an easy time finding information on issues that affect my family locally. A member of a community should not have to rely on a Voter Registration packet to determine their vote. Instead, the issues should be accessible to all local citizens all year long. Isn’t that what it means to belong to a community? Jackie and I work hard to represent moms whose daily life doesn’t include time to sift through blogs that may or may not support the same values that they want to teach their children. They need (and want) the cliff notes. Give them both sides, a fair debate and time to talk to friends, teachers, councilmen and business owners to make up their own minds. I don’t regret anything I said. We represent the issues that moms face today. Our community is just like us…highly educated, intelligent…and uninformed. But each of them cares about our community. So to me, that is just a waste of hundreds of very valuable local resources!
PetzNovember 13, 2009 at 8:41 am
If Andrea is truly passionate about this issue , she should add a section to her blog and make a mission out of it. The voter guides are a great place to start and usually have reference to other web sites or sources of information about the candidates. To lament that one did not have information, is to concede that you really didn’t take the time to inform themselves.
PetzNovember 13, 2009 at 8:51 am
Petz suggests that you call Joe Messina at 661-257-9250 and interview him for a podcast about the issues that concern you. He would be a great guest and more than willing to give you his perspective of secondary education in the Hart District.
AndreaNovember 13, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Thanks, Petz. We’ll consider that. BTW- “to concede that [I] didn’t take the time to inform [myself]” is EXACTLY what we do not want whole communities to do anymore. That was the point Jackie & I were trying to make by bringing Jeff on in the first place. We have recently created a public policy group on our website where moms can join to discuss current events that matter to us. http://scvmomsblog.ning.com/group/publicpolicies (Which you are all more than welcome to be a part of..and we sincerely hope that you WILL) I hope that local politicians and media will use it as a resource to get a pulse on what matters to families in the SCV.
JaneNovember 13, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Andrea – “…I haven’t had an easy time finding information on issues that affect my family locally.” Describe easy. And those must be some really esoteric issues if you can’t find information in the SCV. I am often over-whelmed with the volume of information I get. But I read, talk with neighbors, and participate in the community. I wouldn’t say anything is hidden if you open your eyes. In my experience, people under a certain age expect to be catered too. If it isn’t Emailed or texted to them, they think it is difficult.
AndreaNovember 13, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Jane, It’s simple…Jackie & I represent a community that feels as though they don’t have easy access to political information. You might not agree and you might wish that they used your methods of education, but with absent husbands (commuting to LA), crying babies, meals to cook, carpool to run, non-profit organizations to support, homework to get done…at the end of the day, they just want to check their email and GO TO BED. Does that mean that they are less valuable to our community? Are their tax dollars less necessary to operate our city? We think no! Which is why we are committed to offering business owners and community leaders a space to reach them. Your comment about age is unfortunate, but doesn’t surprise me. Like it or not, times are changing! That’s a fact.