April 12, 2010 – Daily Brief

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

Five people are dead in the Newhall Pass after four vehicles collided on the rain-slick Interstate 5 last night around 12:14 am, the CHP says. Three other crash victims were taken to the hospital; their status is unknown. KABC says four of the victims were children and they were in the back-seat of the sedan above, possibly not wearing seatbelts. Southbound lanes remain closed now, with backups extending all the way to Lyons Avenue on the 5 and Soledad on Highway 14. Motorists are using the southbound truck bypass to get by the accident. KTLA, CHP INCIDENT WEB
The rain was heavy at times last night, but it should clear out today, the Signal says FORECAST
The City is looking to the state’s FPPC for guidance over two independent expenditure PACs that have sent mailers to homes in Santa Clarita ahead of tomorrow’s election but have failed to or were late filing disclosures with the City. One, the state California Republican Assembly has sent mailers in favor of Gauny. The other, G&L Realty-backed Citizens for Integrity in Government, has sent mailers in favor of the incumbents. Also, another unknown group paid for another mailer in recent days. Gauny says the PAC that supported him doesn’t have to file with the City since it’s a state organization. SIGNAL
So far, the City has received more mail-in ballots than it did in 2008, according to the City’s technology manager. It costs between $150,000 and $200,000 to run the election SIGNAL
Reminder: VoteSantaClarita.com has your polling place info. Polls open at 7 am and close at 8pm. You have no excuses not to vote. Don’t be a lazy apathetic person. Be engaged and vote! VOTESANTACLARITA.COM
Remember this guy? An IRS Agent in Santa Clarita threatened fellow agents and police that he was going to kill him as they visited his house to investigate allegations that he was filing false returns. Allen Bront is his name and he’s facing 55 years in prison KPCC
Newhall County Water District approves water for Disney’s Studios at the Ranch project, though Board member Lynne Plambeck is concerned that some of the water slated for the project might be contaminated with perchlorate SIGNAL
City says local buildings, roads and bridges can handle a large earthquake, but the people of the SCV? hmmmm, we’re probably not all that ready SIGNAL
I guess House Republicans are sticking to their pledge not to secure earmark funding for their Districts after all. The LA Times quotes Buck McKeon saying that the move is to change the culture of spending in Washington, and the GOP is hoping voters will notice in November. Cue list of local projects funded in part by McKeon’s earmarks; they include Mayo hospital, Cross Valley Connector, and many others. LA TIMES
Buck McKeon is actually somewhat nuanced on President Obama’s nuclear weapons efforts lately DAILY CALLER
Assemblyman Cam Smyth says state legislature is waiting to see what state income tax receipts look like before it commits to further cuts ahead of the new budget. Interesting article at the BURBANK LEADER
Local food pantry points out that the recent Portfolio.com report about Santa Clarita being one of the nation’s wealthiest communities isn’t all peaches and cream. “There are major pockets of poverty in this valley,” says Belinda Crawford SIGNAL
Ventura County cities are preparing to reap the rewards that the Tour of California brings to town. The state-wide bike race will not hit Santa Clarita this year, unfortunately. The VeCo Star talked to a City of Santa Clarita analyst who said the ToC brought in about $4 million total over the last two years VeCo STAR
Whoa- didn’t expect a PRO immigration reform march to occur this weekend, but apparently it did. 50 protesters along Railroad Avenue on Saturday SIGNAL
You know how this blog has been on fire during the campaign season with more news and innuendo than you can shake a stick at? Well Tim Myers says what’s really ironic is that 85% of Santa Clarita doesn’t even know there is an election. Great column SIGNAL
Roger Gitlin remembers Tim White, an LA County Sheriff’s Deputy and his step son. As a child, White was kidnapped by a molester but escaped with another kidnap victim. The story made national news in the early 80s SIGNAL

Comments (11)

Timothy MyersApril 12, 2010 at 7:35 am

This election, no matter how it turns out, is just going to be a treasure trove of numbers and analysis that I will make sure goes on for weeks. First off, does the slight increase in vote by mails engender a higher turnout or further cannibalization of precinct votes? Also, just how much less money was spent on this election compared to 2008? Early reports look like about one-third the money.

JeffApril 12, 2010 at 7:36 am

I thought it looked more like a couple year old Nissan Altima. KABC talked to a CHP officer who said the same thing KHTS. She refused to say whether the children were unbuckled, but she did say there were four children in the back seat of the car, and there were only three seat belts. Nothing so pointless as dying in a car crash. This is just awful. And once again our valley comes to a standstill because our single egress point is choked off.

Timothy MyersApril 12, 2010 at 7:37 am

Adult daughter works the Henry Mayo ER and ICU from 7 pm to 7 am Sunday into Monday and they brought the mother into the ER there. (Father went to Providence Holy Cross.) How does one even process the sudden loss of four children?

ReaderMamaApril 12, 2010 at 7:42 am

I watch parents leave school frequently with their children not buckled in. They are usually hispanic and probably not properly educated in the dangers. Also, their families are often larger than one car can accommodate. Sad. I can’t imagine waking up in the hospital to find that all four of your children are dead due to your own negligence.

JeffApril 12, 2010 at 7:53 am

It will take a while to clear the log jam. Railroad is backed up as far as I can see, perhaps to Circle J.

navigatorApril 12, 2010 at 9:25 am

I believe it was an Altima…or what is left of an Altima. Now that the CVC is complete are there any reports on how much it was used this AM to get traffic from the 5 to the 14? Newhall Ave was still packed but it seemed to move along a little better than it has in the past under this situation.

Timothy MyersApril 12, 2010 at 7:55 am

On the wealth index: I looked at the total list and Santa Clarita is pretty much exactly where anyone would have expected when one is familiar with other cities in the list, including Irvine, TO, Simi Valley and Ventura. In fact, if SC had been much lower than 51, it would have been a super bummer.

BrianApril 12, 2010 at 9:45 am

I was coming north on the 5 at 11 last night and the puddles were kicking my car around. I was doing less than 60, a number of cars almost ran into some cars doing 40 and there were a few, big pick-ups who were doing 80. A pucker trip for sure.

Pauline HarteApril 12, 2010 at 1:47 pm

4 children gone from one car. God, that is too horrible.

BrianApril 12, 2010 at 5:23 pm

I’m waiting for some heartless SOB to ask if they were illegals!

Berta González-HarperApril 12, 2010 at 9:23 pm

OK I’ll be the heartless SOB. Whether they were legal or illegal, the driver was unlicensed and therefore uninsured. Those innocent children paid for the adults’ irresponsible behavior. I pray they are with their Father in heaven now…

Timothy MyersApril 12, 2010 at 7:35 am
This election, no matter how it turns out, is just going to be a treasure trove of numbers and analysis that I will make sure goes on for weeks. First off, does the slight increase in vote by mails engender a higher turnout or further cannibalization of precinct votes? Also, just how much less money was spent on this election compared to 2008? Early reports look like about one-third the money.
JeffApril 12, 2010 at 7:36 am
I thought it looked more like a couple year old Nissan Altima. KABC talked to a CHP officer who said the same thing KHTS. She refused to say whether the children were unbuckled, but she did say there were four children in the back seat of the car, and there were only three seat belts. Nothing so pointless as dying in a car crash. This is just awful. And once again our valley comes to a standstill because our single egress point is choked off.
Timothy MyersApril 12, 2010 at 7:37 am
Adult daughter works the Henry Mayo ER and ICU from 7 pm to 7 am Sunday into Monday and they brought the mother into the ER there. (Father went to Providence Holy Cross.) How does one even process the sudden loss of four children?
ReaderMamaApril 12, 2010 at 7:42 am
I watch parents leave school frequently with their children not buckled in. They are usually hispanic and probably not properly educated in the dangers. Also, their families are often larger than one car can accommodate. Sad. I can’t imagine waking up in the hospital to find that all four of your children are dead due to your own negligence.
JeffApril 12, 2010 at 7:53 am
It will take a while to clear the log jam. Railroad is backed up as far as I can see, perhaps to Circle J.
navigatorApril 12, 2010 at 9:25 am
I believe it was an Altima…or what is left of an Altima. Now that the CVC is complete are there any reports on how much it was used this AM to get traffic from the 5 to the 14? Newhall Ave was still packed but it seemed to move along a little better than it has in the past under this situation.
Timothy MyersApril 12, 2010 at 7:55 am
On the wealth index: I looked at the total list and Santa Clarita is pretty much exactly where anyone would have expected when one is familiar with other cities in the list, including Irvine, TO, Simi Valley and Ventura. In fact, if SC had been much lower than 51, it would have been a super bummer.
BrianApril 12, 2010 at 9:45 am
I was coming north on the 5 at 11 last night and the puddles were kicking my car around. I was doing less than 60, a number of cars almost ran into some cars doing 40 and there were a few, big pick-ups who were doing 80. A pucker trip for sure.
Pauline HarteApril 12, 2010 at 1:47 pm
4 children gone from one car. God, that is too horrible.
BrianApril 12, 2010 at 5:23 pm
I’m waiting for some heartless SOB to ask if they were illegals!
Berta González-HarperApril 12, 2010 at 9:23 pm
OK I’ll be the heartless SOB. Whether they were legal or illegal, the driver was unlicensed and therefore uninsured. Those innocent children paid for the adults’ irresponsible behavior. I pray they are with their Father in heaven now…