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May 10, 2010· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

May 10, 2010 – Daily Brief

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

  • To reduce the amount of chloride in the Santa Clara River, the Sanitation district is considering a rate hike for SCV sewer services. The rate increase would be phased in over several years  SIGNAL
  • City of Santa Clarita economic analyst says retails sales in the SCV are slowly picking up, noting a 1% increase in sales at Westfield Valencia Town Center in the month of March. Westfield says they’re seeing more “traffic” too SFVBJ (Subscription)
  • SCVTalk commenters question David Gauny about his comments on annexation in last week’s Antonovich article on WRB SCVTALK
  • The Newhall Library is apparently getting a re-design after complaints that it looked like a ski lodge. At tomorrow’s city council meeting, staff is expected to show a newer design that features “Victorian elements” in the roofline, tower and front facade. The cost to change the look is $117,000 and could delay completion of the library according to THE SIGNAL
  • Five men were arrested on “inciting a riot” charges at their apartments in Canyon Country. I suspect the charges sound worse than they are SIGNAL
  • SCV Dodger fans head to Los Doyers stadium for SCV Dodger Day, which was a “hit” as usualSIGNAL
  • And a youth to adult boxing tournament at the Newhall Community Center pulled no punches either! SIGNAL
  • Letter writer  says local group democratically selected the fictional “Women in History” women because the women represented certain positive values for young girls to learn. Recall the choices for the Women in HIstory project came under fire last month- Barbie, Mother Nature and Betty Crocker were among the selections SIGNAL
  • New Henry Mayo ICU features 18 beds in private rooms equipped with free wifi access for family members tending to their loved ones. The new ICU will open in June SIGNAL
  • SCV Man and Woman of the Year named: Wayne Crawford and Mary Ann Colf get the prize KHTS
  • Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Teamsters vs Supervisor Michael Antonovich and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The battle? A Truck driving academy in a Sylmar neighborhood. DAILY NEWS
  • What caused last week’s mysterious 1000 point dip in the New York Stock Exchange? Investigators are probing computer software. Here’s hoping they probe some people too.  NY TIMES
  • Speaking of that, Robert Reich sums up my feelings on that matter pretty well ROBERT REICH
  • Letter writer asks why so much good news happened in town before the City Council election and coins a new term “the Timing Ferry.” LTE
  • Thanks to Mike D. and Tim Myers, we now know where the kingmakers of the SCV live. It’s not Placerita Canyon. Or Sand Canyon. It’s sleepy and boring North River tracts, comprising Bridgeport, Northbirdge, Northbridge Pointe and other areas north of Newhall Ranch Road. In his Sunday column, Myers, going off data our own Mike D. mapped out for us, shows how this part of town made the difference in the recent City Council election SIGNAL
  • Well, after mellowing for a bit, Dave Bossert of 2010 is sounding a lot like Dave Bossert of 2006. He all but declares war on the City’s annexation efforts today in a piece at WRB

Comments

11 · as published
  1. BrianMay 10, 2010 at 7:47 am
    I want to revisit the local police officer who rear ended and injured four last week. Saturday I turned right onto Soledad from Home Depot. I saw the police car at the red and accelerated away. When he got the green he closed the distance very rapidly. NOW I’m looking back at him and what is he doing? TEXTING or more accurately, data entry on his computer. His eyes were off the road for half the time. I know since I was driving in my rearview watching his constant head dropping and eye diversion. If I hit the brakes ….? Todays police car is built for a driver and an informations officer, not a crew of one which has them violating the law, each and every one of them. Safety first Officers!
  2. Linda StaedtlerMay 10, 2010 at 9:29 am
    I believe that officers are exempted from the cell/texting law.
  3. Your Web GuruMay 10, 2010 at 9:52 am
    Indeed that is correct. CA vehicle code 23123 states as follows: (d) This section does not apply to an emergency services professional using a wireless telephone while operating an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section 165, in the course and scope of his or her duties. Here’s the link to the entire vehicle code regarding wireless devices: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc23123.htm I’d like to think that law enforcement uses this particular exemption sparingly and only in the line of duty as it would apply in an emergency situation, but I wonder. If anyone has any insight from law enforcement perspective I’d love to hear it. I have seen deputies driving while holding a cell phone and wonder how they can expect to observe and respond when their vision and attention are obscured by a cell phone conversation. That being said, I never know (knew) the context of why they were using a cell phone while driving in what seems to be a routine patrol-like manner, but even still I would think that, even in our little bedroom community valley, their safety is paramount to their duties.
  4. lvogelMay 10, 2010 at 9:36 am
    Why? I mean the reason that the no ‘texting/cell’ law was put in place to begin with is because of the safety issue, right? Our sheriffs are human just like the rest of us, and as such are capable of making the same mistakes and bad judgement calls as the rest of our kind! It’s like when Maria Shriver was caught not once, but twice, talking on her cell phone…why the special treatment?! She should have been ticketed, but the excuse was that an ‘officer’ did not witness it, on the paparazzi…yeah, right!
  5. BrianMay 10, 2010 at 10:07 am
    I will not classify a patrol cars computer as a wireless device in that it is not voice based, but requires keyboard inputs and attention to be diverted from the road. These are police, people like me and you. They do not have special powers to overcome the sudden changes in traffic if they aren’t paying complete attention. I must call for the police to follow the law and add a second officer per unit to operate the computer, or make it voice activated. Safety and the existing law dictates no middle ground. No texting and driving! Anyone!
  6. Kevin D. KorenthalMay 10, 2010 at 10:37 am
    The library article you reference is entitled: Hart’s drug policy under scrutiny.
  7. Alan FerdmanMay 10, 2010 at 2:14 pm
    Talk about issues raising their ugly heads after the election? What about the currently proposed 67% Sanitation District fee increase to be implemented over the next 5 years? Who sits as the head of our local Sanitation District? Why it is Santa Clarita’s own Mayor and Mayor Pro-tem. Talk about having decisions made local? Our Sanitation District meets next Wednesday in Whittier at 1:30 PM. Isn’t that convenient for all Santa Clarita Residents? So, here we go again. This June, when the Public Hearings take place in Santa Clarita we should all be ready to share our views. Just like last year.
  8. spineflower2May 10, 2010 at 6:44 pm
    By my informal observations, about one third of all driving officers are either using the computer or their cell phone while driving. Legal or not, it’s unsafe!
  9. BrianMay 10, 2010 at 8:00 pm
    Sounds like something the Sheriff needs to comment on. As the police like to say, it’s just a matter of time until you kill someone by driving distracted. What are the stats on crashed patrol cars in the SCV? We never hear the cause or if distraction was a contributing factor. Hey Jeff! Sounds like a great article waiting for you.
  10. RemyCeoMay 10, 2010 at 8:59 pm
    Someone needs to tell Tim Myers that he got some facts wrong in his column. Turnout in district 1 (Summit) was 24.5% (850 of 3,469 registered voters cast ballots). This was a SIGNIFICANTLY greater turnout percentage than all of the North Valencia precincts and, in fact, one of the highest turnout percentages of the election. Also, a 200 vote plurality in a single precint is a huge margin. While Gauny should be ashamed of the shameless campaign he ran, he can be proud of the “home town” support he received from his neighbors. Sand Canyon axis? Huh? Gauny beat Ferry by 88 votes in Sand Canyon, but other than the Summit his areas of dominance were “Central Valencia”, “West Newhall” and “North Placerita.” This election was primarly New Valencia vs Old Valencia, with other communities serving as role players, and this year New Valencia won. As for 2012, it is far too early to speculate as to who will win Bob Kellar’s council seat. Can one say with certainty that Gauny will sweep into office while not knowing who his opponents would be? Absolutely not. For example, what would happen if termed out Assemblyman Smyth were to seek to reclaim a council seat? I’m not predicting that Smyth will run (in all probability he will not) but if he did he would certainly demolish Gauny. Let’s wait to see who runs, and what kind of campaigns they run, before we anoint anyone into office.
  11. mikeMay 11, 2010 at 6:52 am
    You’re right, I need to fix my map. The issue may have been with the earlier sheet put out by the city. I’ve gotta fix that. The 91355 vs. 91354 is an interesting comparison. Hart vs. Valencia, if you will. I think you will continue to see distinct voting patterns between the two groups. More likely than Smyth coming back (I’ll guess he goes for Anonovich’s seat) is Kellar sticking around. I’d further speculate that Kellar running would not preclude Gauny from running again, either.
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