March 24, 2009 – Daily Brief — The SCV Talk Archive

Big Builder Online details possible Landsource/Lennar Deal: The trade industry website has quite a bit of detail on the plan Lennar laid out last week that could see it take “ownership of several significant developments now held in LandSource.” The article confirms much of what was posted on SCVTalk.com over the weekend, but gets into money and percentages as well. Though the article doesn’t mention anything about Valencia Water Company or Castaic Lake Water Agency, it does say Barclays Bank and “several hundred lenders” would forgive Landsource’s “$1 billion lien in return for the lion’s share of the company.” Big Builder Online
SCV’s Best in Sacramento: The 70 community leaders left yesterday on a bus to Sacramento to meet with legislators and other state officials on a trip organized in part by KHTS. The station says the “major topics of discussion will be water availability, transportation and education funding.” The report goes into what the group has heard so far about water availability. KHTS
City sales tax revenue takes a dive in 4Q08: The Signal has the story here. Revenue fell 15% from $8.6 million in 4Q07 to $7.3 million in 4Q08. City Manager Ken Pulskamp says he’s never seen such a precipitious drop in sales tax revenue. Gail Ortiz says there are no layoffs anticipated but some construction projects will remain on hold.
14 year old Canyon High student dies of heart failure: Sad story in Canyon Country today- The Signal says a 14 year old student was jogging in Granada Hills last week when he collapsed and died of “apparent heart failure.” Hundreds of Canyon high students turned out for the funeral yesterday.
Newhall School District revokes some layoff notices: The 10 school district says their budget picture is starting to clarify and as a result, they’re able to rescind some 45 of the 109 layoff notices they issued just a few weeks ago. Link
Elementary school student creates petition to save her teacher’s job: The 10 year old fifth grader collected about 100 signatures to show support for “three North Park teachers” who were to receive layoff notices. The young girl is also writing President Obama, Cameron Smyth, and Mayor Dude. Signal
Scientists concerned Salton Sea quakes could presage “Big One”: Some 42 quakes have shook the Salton Sea since Saturday morning, and the LA Times says scientists are concerned that an earthquake that starts near the Salton Sea could “ripple northwest along the San Andreas fault” causing “the Big One that devastates Los Angeles.” Of course science’s record of predicting quakes is less accurate than Jim Cramer’s predictions of the stock market, so take the report for what it’s worth: a reminder of the danger of living in SoCal (the San Andreas, I think, passes just north of Santa Clarita). LA Times “Great Shake Out” Simulation of Salton Sea quake, and PDF
Assemblyman Smyth wants sales tax holiday for energy effeicient devices: AB 150 would “provide a sales tax holiday for consumers who purchsae products that carry the Energy Star Designation,” the press release says. It would apparently take place every year on or around Earth Day.
Bossert complains about City’s 20th Anniversary book: The photo-rich book was released in 2007 and Bossert says it’s too commercialized and doesn’t mention his Alma Mater, Cal Arts, at all. So he got into a discussion about it with an unnamed city official who observed that Bossert was “angry.” You know what happens next, I don’t need to type anything further. WRB