I think Sarah Palin really knocked it out of the park last night. She’s not the greatest speaker in the world, but she delivered to the crowd. Republicans seem excited about the McCain ticket for the first time. What’s it going to mean? Election only 61 days away.
- SCV Detectives getting some new digs: Detectives working at the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station will move into some new office space on nearby Citrus Street, the Signal reports. The relocation into some 9,500 sq. ft. of office space for detectives is aimed at relieving overcrowding at the existing Sheriff’s station, which was built in the early 1970s. Jim Holt has a report. Link
- Republican committee says “Meh” to Hart Measure SA: The 38th Assembly District Republic Committee, comprised of local GOPers like BJ Atkins and Paul Strickland, refused to support the Hart District’s Measure SA, a $300 million bond measure the District wants voters to pass in November. The Signal says the committee basically took no action on the measure, which indicates a lack of support. Superintendent Jaime Castellanos didn’t exactly sound defeated in his quote in the paper, but he didn’t sound enthused either: “If we don’t get it this year, then we’ll just have to ask again next year,” he told The Signal. Link
- Dennis McCarthy on Area Man: Nice little column today from the Daily News’ Dennis McCarthy (who once wrote about your’s truly way back in 1987!) on a man named John Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant who worked his way up from being a hospital housekeeper to director of facilities for Providence Holy Cross. Ramirez lives in Santa Clarita and told McCarthy that “No politician can give you the American Dream. You have to work hard and earn it, whoever you are.” Column.
- Hampton Inn in Stevenson Ranch robbed at gunpoint: No injuries reported thankfully, but a clerk at the Hampton Inn was held up at gunpoint by a Hispanic suspect early Wednesday morning. The suspect jumped a counter and forced the clerk to hand over a laptop computer, his wallet, a cell phone and some $700 in cash. Cops say the suspect may have rehearsed the stick-up earlier this week after they saw him on some video surveillance tapes. Signal, KHTS
- GMAC Mortgage closes offices, lays off employees: The mortgage giant is laying off some 5,000 employees and closing all 200 of its retail offices, LA Land says. That would include a GMAC Mortgage office on Town Center Drive in Valencia, I think. Link
- Antonovich still trying to derail MTA Sales tax plan: Of all the LA County Supervisors, our supe, Mike Antonovich, has been more vocal about a proposed half-cent sales tax that aims to raise some $40 billion over the next 30 years to fund and improve transportation infrastructure in Los Angeles County. He’s still making remarks about the measure, which will appear on November’s ballot, and just last week told Burbank Republicans that the sales tax is aimed at building the “subway to the sea,” the proposed extension of the red line in LA from the west side to Santa Monica. In the past Antonovich has argued that the tax isn’t fair to places like Santa Clarita. Link
- Where City transportation gurus ought to be today: Senator Barbara Boxer is in LA today to solicit ideas and input for next year’s Federal Transportation Bill, that gigantic bill that gets renewed every few years and is usually laden with various local projects. The last time the bill was renewed it provided some $268 billion in funds for transportation projects. Surely the SCV can get a small slice of that, yeah? But what’s on the horizon for Santa Clarita after the Cross Valley Connector is completed in 2010? Times
- Hard to get a Vespa scooter: This summer I noticed more people in Santa Clarita -Newhall specifically- buy a scooter and use it to get around town rather than a gas-thirsty car. It’s an idea that makes sense if you can stomach the safety concerns- many scooters get 100 mpg or more, and if you buy the right model, you get style points as well. Well, LAist has noted the trend and has a story on just how hard (and expensive!) it is to get one stylish scooter, the popular Vespa brand. Link
- Security Company employs cute three wheeled electric cars: Not very intimidating if you ask me, but good on Maxwell Security anyway. Tammy Marashlian has the story.
- Lynne Plambeck on power line issue: The environmentalist writes in today’s Signal that the North Valencia power line/electrical tower issue is simply a result of Santa Clarita’s sprawl. “We cannot continue to build tract homes and sprawl out in the manner we have in past decades if we want to maintain our quality of life,” she writes, before noting that “neighbors are organizing as never before to take City Hall by storm.” She says this power line issue fits into other local NIMBY issues, like the debates over hospital expansion, the Avenues project, the Benz road brouhaha and more. What’s ironic about these power lines and electrical towers is that they are being built to deliver clean, renewable wind energy from up in the desert. Anyway, decent column, check it out.