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October 9, 2010· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

51 (or 52) most influential-I Need Some Help!

By Timothy Myers SR. — Tim Myers

So the SCV Business Journal released (sort of) the 51 (or 52) most influential folks in the Santa Clarita Valley.  A few notes on the current (unranked) choices, and a plea for some help, because I, who possess the conceit of being informed about the SCV, do not know who eight of the top 51 (or 52) are.

Elected Officials

One of the best ways to be influential appears to be to become an elected official.  That comprises 20% of the list, in no particular order:

Bob Kellar

Gloria Mercado-Fortine

Bruce Fortine

Cameron Smyth

Laurene Weste

Buck McKeon

Laurie Ender

Frank Ferry

Joe Messina

Mike Antonovich

Maria Gutzeit

Marsha McLean

Second Easiest-Public Advocate or Appointed Official

The second easiest way to get noticed is to work for some type of public funded entity or serve in an appointed position, or advocate before the same:

Kathy Norris

Jeff Hacker

Arthur Sohikian

Bill Kennedy

Rick Patterson

Dan Masnada

Hunt Braly

Jim Ventress

Scott Wilk

Steve Tannehill

Gail Ortiz

Ken Pulskamp

Jason Crawford

The Business Community Comes in a Distant Third

Jim Hicken

The Flemings

Gary Condie

Greg Amsler

Roger Seaver

John Shaffery

Education

Dianne Van Hook

Marc Winger

Dena Maloney

Judy Fish

A Strange Category

It appears that a good way to become influential is to lose a local election where 83 to 87% of local registered voters don’t vote, and not just narrowly but by a wide margin, to wit:

David Gauny

Suzan Solomon

Randy Moberg

Brian Koegle

And who was nominated but Did Not Make it (and there will be hell to pay)

Alan Ferdman

Paul de le Cerda

Paul Strickland

Additionally, for some reason, John Kunak, former Castaic School Board Member, and someone named Amber Raskin (who is she?), were nominated TWICE but did not make it.

And Finally, who are these People

Please SCV talkers, tell me who these “very influential folks” who I don’t know are:

John Dow

Bill McLendon

Rosalyn Wyman

Lois Bauccio

John Heys

Jenna Crawford

Dawn Abasta-Hovanisyan

John O’Connell

Comments (50)

  1. MikeOctober 9, 2010 at 3:36 pm
    Sue Solomon and Scott Wilk are elected officials. Also, this list is total nonsense.
  2. Timothy MyersOctober 9, 2010 at 5:13 pm
    Mike: Sue Solomon is still on the Newhall School Board, but her last “big” splash was a somewhat narrow loss for the Hart Board. Has Scott actually stood for an actually election yet? He either has not or was unopposed when he ran after being appointed.
  3. PoliticoOctober 10, 2010 at 7:24 am
    Scott is an elected official, end of story. The fact he ran unopposed has absolutely no relevance to his importance in the community.
  4. Cheryl PhillipsOctober 10, 2010 at 8:58 pm
    Agree – no one really cares, save for those who for whatever reason need to have their names on lists like this…………..
  5. TimBen BoydstonOctober 11, 2010 at 9:03 am
    Any list of this nature without Mr. Rasmussen on it is not very convincing. What would really be interesting to see is the names of the people who nominated the list. I think it is time for a SCV Talk / West Ranch Beacon 100 list.
  6. WalkerOctober 9, 2010 at 3:36 pm
    Aw, bummed that Amber didn’t make it. She’s doing great things for this valley and the fact that new schools/ideas are popping up all over this valley is a reflection of her/her efforts. Sure it might be a silent movement in the shadows of the SCV education world, but there likely wouldn’t be a WestCreek or an Einstein (as well as a few smaller efforts) if there hadn’t been an Amber. She’s the founder of SCVi
  7. Timothy MyersOctober 9, 2010 at 5:08 pm
    OK. That is why her name sounded familiar to me.
  8. Samuel AdamsOctober 9, 2010 at 4:06 pm
    John Dow runs the symphony and works to bring fine arts in the area. Jenna Crawford owns and runs the magazine InsideSCV. Rosalyn Wyman is involved in the SCV and works for Antonovich. Tim are you just upset that your name does not appear on the list?
  9. Timothy MyersOctober 9, 2010 at 5:09 pm
    SA: This was done by nomination this year (87 nominees) and if I had found out that someone nominated me I would have burned their house down to the foundation.
  10. Dr. Von MonsterOctober 13, 2010 at 3:48 pm
    Haha. Also, can the Dr. be nominated for the SCVTalk/WRB 100 list?
  11. VictoriaOctober 9, 2010 at 5:32 pm
    Lois Bauccio is head of the Child & Family Center’s Foundation.
  12. Silence DogoodOctober 9, 2010 at 5:52 pm
    It’s Rosalind Wayman. She is an awesome advocate for all of our area’s residents. You guys think you are ‘in the know’ and you don’t know Roz? She’s the Field Deputy for our area for Supe Mike. Yeah, the same position as JoAnn Darcy in another era. You guys have to get out more.
  13. Bill ReynoldsOctober 9, 2010 at 7:38 pm
    It sure seems like you are whining, Tim… no offense.
  14. DamageincOctober 11, 2010 at 8:59 am
    go a make a video chod
  15. ConcernedSCVMomOctober 9, 2010 at 7:45 pm
    I believe John Heys is the owner of Heys Plumbing.
  16. ScottEOctober 9, 2010 at 8:49 pm
    So plumber as in Watergate? OK, I get it….
  17. mikeOctober 9, 2010 at 8:15 pm
    Publishers of not one, but two (two!) spamazines make the list.
  18. ScottEOctober 9, 2010 at 8:47 pm
    New word…nice.
  19. Timothy MyersOctober 10, 2010 at 5:44 am
    Mike: Our second daughter used to work in advertising and she said those “large circulation” magazines are quite successful in selling ads, mainly because they convince the ad buyers that a lot of people are reading them because they are dumped free in mailboxes. Plus,the ad buyers create their own content for the magazines so they always like the product.
  20. NickelDimeOctober 10, 2010 at 6:31 am
    “Successful”? OK. Influential? Tough sell.
  21. WalkerOctober 10, 2010 at 7:24 am
    They generally go straight to the trash around here….unless my kids want to use them for collaging. I think they’re an odd choice as well.
  22. DamageincOctober 11, 2010 at 9:00 am
    Nice word.
  23. Petz2October 10, 2010 at 7:00 am
    Shamefully absent from the list was SCV Minuteman Roger Gitlin who helped to drive discussion and influence city council politics around the immigration debate this year. Cary Quashen, the founding director of Action Family Counseling has a huge influence on the parents, children, and families here in the SCV. One only has to attend a Tuesday meeting at Canyon High School to witness this for themselves. It is also strange that the new Hart District Superintendent Robert Challinor was absent from the list. His influence and leadership over the largest employer in this valley should not be under estimated.
  24. Timothy MyersOctober 10, 2010 at 7:07 am
    Petz: Mr. Gitlin and Mr. Quashen did not (and did not have anyone else) place their names in nomination. Mr. Chanillor did but did not make the cut. I do agree that Mr. Quashen and Mr. Gitlin would be much better choices than Messrs Moberg and Koegle, whose only claim to fame besides “service” on the inflated COC Foundation Board of Trustees was getting completely drubbed in a local election, and certainly more so than the publishers of vanity large circulation magazines.
  25. DamageincOctober 11, 2010 at 9:01 am
    HAHAHA GITLIN the town’s raging racist.
  26. Dr. Von MonsterOctober 13, 2010 at 3:50 pm
    I’ve only heard about Petz in a quasi-urban legend. I’m stunned that he’s real. Also, is he joking or actually part of the Gitlin Gestapo?
  27. cashOctober 10, 2010 at 9:02 am
    Jeff, is the a rhetorical question? The question should be what value is there to a top 51 list in the first place. In my mind all the list does is make it clear that the “clic” of influence peddling is alive and healthy, at the expense of the general public. Over the next year watch the decisions that are made and how those decision have be influenced by the people on this list. 100 people showing up at a council meeting to express they will on a certain matter, will be wiped out by the statement from one of those one the list.
  28. cashOctober 10, 2010 at 9:30 am
    Speaking of elected officials, here is another dandy for the hack. Breastfeeding mandate part of health care bill By Tracy Overstreet tracy.overstreet@theindependent.com Published: Thursday, April 1, 2010 10:20 PM CDT Amber Kuck is grateful for the lactation room provided by her employer, the Principal Financial Group, in Grand Island. She uses the room twice a day to express breast milk for her 13-month-old daughter. “If I didn’t have it, I’d have to do it in my car,” Kuck said of pumping milk. She breast-fed her son for nearly 15 months and used the same lactation center at the Principal to pump milk for him. “(Breast-feeding) is just something I’m going to do,” Kuck said. “It’s a special bonding time. ? It’s better for the baby, and cost is a major thing, too.” Soon, many more mothers like Kuck will have lactation rooms in the workplace. The federal Health Care Reform Reconciliation Bill mandates that employers with more than 50 workers provide a private place, other than a rest room, and time for a mother to express breast milk for a nursing child up to 1 year old. “It’s time to celebrate,” said Jane Miller, a nurse with the Women, Infants and Children program at the Central District Health Department in Grand Island. “It’s past time for Nebraska to address this issue.” Only Nebraska and Idaho lacked breast-feeding protections in state law, Miller said. Nebraska’s only provision was to excuse nursing mothers from jury duty if they presented a doctor’s note, she said. But now all states will have protections in the workplace for nursing mothers, Miller said. That means employees working in the JBS Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Grand Island will have breast-feeding accommodations like those their colleagues at Swift’s Greeley, Colo., plant already had courtesy of a Colorado breast-feeding law. Miller said numerous mothers in her WIC program have reported being ridiculed by co-workers at the Swift plant for trying to pump during breaks or having difficulty getting time or accommodations to do so. They have had to use the plant’s rest rooms or locker rooms, she said. “I’m going to look into this personally,” JBS spokesman Chandler Keys said. “We’re all about nursing moms and their babies.” Keys said he’s been told that mothers requesting time to nurse have been provided exam rooms in the plant’s health station. Pumped milk can be kept in the nurse’s station refrigerator, he said. But not all mothers may feel they can ask for accommodations, he acknowledged. Miller said she was working with one mother who asked her employer, Skagway, to accommodate her. The employee was surprised when she was not only accommodated but given the bosses’ office to do so. The result of being accommodated is employees who are more dedicated to their employers, Miller said. But there are other reasons to support breast-feeding. Those reasons are as clear as the “Affordable Health Care Begins With Breast-Feeding” pin that Miller wears on her lapel. “It’s for a healthier, happier America,” she said. Research shows that breast-fed babies are 40 percent less likely to have diabetes, 60 percent less likely to have recurring ear infections and 25 percent less likely to become overweight. Having fewer sick babies means less time off for parents to care for those children. Breast-feeding mothers also decrease their chance at becoming diabetic and lower the likelihood of breast and ovarian cancer, according to the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. Although the new federal mandate applies only to employers with more than 50 workers, Miller anticipates changes to occur in smaller businesses, too. “The standard becomes the norm,” she said. Miller testified before the Legislature last year in favor of LB499 — a bill to allow breast-feeding wherever a mother and her child would normally be. Because “wherever” could mean the workplace, there was concern about the bill, and it was killed in committee. The new federal law will help educate the public and improve the health of Americans, Miller said. Many mothers try breast-feeding their babies immediately after birth. The biggest drop-off with nursing happens at six to eight weeks when women, 76 percent of whom in Nebraska work outside the home, return to their jobs. If fewer than half of those mothers continued to breast-feed exclusively for up to six months, it could mean a savings in Nebraska of $26 million a year spent on Medicaid, time off work, formula, infant ailments and a reduction in diabetes in the state, Miller said. “It makes perfect sense from a public health and public finance issue,” said Cindy Johnson, president of the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce. But implementation may be difficult for some businesses, she said. “Some things are hard to regulate,” Johnson said. “It’s one of the government regulations that will have an impact on business.” Johnson said fewer than 10 percent of chamber businesses would be impacted by the new legislation. Just more than 50 chamber businesses have more than 50 workers. Scheduling may well be the trickiest part of the implementation. Kuck said that, when she returned to work, she had to take three breaks a day to pump milk. As the baby got older and ate less frequently, she got down to two breaks, then one for pumping at work. At the Principal, Kuck said, there are six nursing mothers now, who take turns scheduling time in the lactation center. If a work phone call lasts long and a mother misses her pumping time, it can mean having to wait three to four hours for another chance to pump. That can become painful for the mother as the milk continues to produce and build up in the breasts. Principal spokeswoman Joelle Kirchhoff said the company has supported on-site lactation centers for about two decades. “Overall, we are a predominately female organization and, as a whole, have a relatively young work force, which equates to having many working mothers as employees,” she said. “At the Principal, we strive to help our employees achieve a healthy work/life balance, and providing amenities such as this helps create a positive and accepting environment for our female employees and builds upon our culture as a great place to work.” Miller, who helped lobby on Capitol Hill in January for federal breast-feeding legislation, said the victory is for all families and the country as a whole. “Now that we have a federal mandate, we’ll continue to work on the state structure,” she said. “This is a huge step for the federal government to say this is important for newborns.”
  29. cashOctober 10, 2010 at 10:38 am
    What happened to Marlee?
  30. Timothy MyersOctober 10, 2010 at 4:42 pm
    She is still on. I forgot to put her down.
  31. cashOctober 11, 2010 at 5:09 pm
    You put her down by not putting her down!
  32. Phil EllisOctober 10, 2010 at 1:49 pm
    Tim, apparently you don’t get out much. I have met with at least six out of your unknowns. Brian Koegle has done more than just having lost an election. As you are an attorney, you should feel some shame that you don’t recognize Brian as the outgoing President of the SCV Bar Association. Brian is also a partner in the SCV’s largest law firm and was recently acknowledged as as up and coming lawyer. Not knowing Antonovich’s local deputy is also very telling.
  33. Timothy MyersOctober 10, 2010 at 5:47 pm
    I will still know him as the candidate that endured the equivalent of being taken out in public, pulling down his pants, and having Micheal Berger spank him about 100 times.
  34. DamageincOctober 11, 2010 at 9:02 am
    Go back in your hole. Phil
  35. GRAMPSOctober 10, 2010 at 4:02 pm
    Gee willicers, I thought the criteria to be on the list was to be someone who works behind the scenes. The majority of the listed folk are working in front of the scenes. Many of the names are the same we see all the time, time after time. While the work of these folk is important and appreciated they are not the only people in the Santa Clarita Valley carrying the load. The selection committe needs to grow a collective, “PAIR”.
  36. Timothy MyersOctober 10, 2010 at 4:45 pm
    GRAMPS: You are conflating the 51 most influential with the “Behind the Scenes” category in the “Newsmakers of the Year Banquet.” (Too many things to keep track of.) To defend the “committee” there were only 87 nominees to choose from, and other than maybe two of the 35 not selected were real no name light weights.
  37. WalkerOctober 10, 2010 at 5:06 pm
    Hmmm. From ‘this years rules’ “We are looking for people whose roles are largely behind the scenes.”
  38. Timothy MyersOctober 10, 2010 at 5:46 pm
    …”And after we put up the usual suspects this will be our excuse for throwing on a bunch of no name light weights.”
  39. Spence LeafdaleOctober 11, 2010 at 2:06 pm
    No, I read the rules. You evidently are confused about the campaign being commented on and failed to read and comprehend the rules.
  40. Tim MyersOctober 11, 2010 at 3:06 pm
    Spence: You were one of the nominees! What is your story?
  41. Spence LeafdaleOctober 11, 2010 at 5:48 pm
    Tim, The fact that I was nominated is of no consequence. I did not and do not expect to be recognized for what I do nor do I need to be! I am pleased to be able to volunteer my time, civicly, and exert some influence however affective and effective it may or may not be. My reward is realized when I take the time to contact someone or serve on a committee… and what I have to contribute is respectfully considered. Whether or not what I contribute is agreeable or incorporated into a decision, certainly, is not the point. Having my input considered as being both reasonable and rational is. Polyannish? You decide. Mr. Gramps hit the nail on the head, there are many women and men “carrying the load” here in the Santa Clarita Valley. They are doing so, “Behind the scenes.” Others have “posted” that rules were not followed in the past. I cannot not comment on that claim. However it appears to me the rules were not adhered to in this instance. Thanks for asking and thanks for your contribution to SCV Talk
  42. Spence LeafdaleOctober 11, 2010 at 5:50 pm
    Please disregard the not after cannot in the second sentence of the second to last paragraph.
  43. joescvOctober 10, 2010 at 7:45 pm
    Doesn’t anyone find it unprofessional that the Publisher of the 51 list also names himself in the Top 51?
  44. DamageincOctober 11, 2010 at 9:03 am
    Bingo. The 51 are set though they actually don’t even look at the list of nominees. Total SHAM!
  45. OlenkaOctober 11, 2010 at 9:58 am
    Ian Lamont is not the publisher of the 51 list and therefore did not name himself. And no, he wasn’t a part of the committee either.
  46. joescvOctober 11, 2010 at 11:49 am
    Who publishes the list then? Were his employees members of the committee? Clearly a possible conflict of interest.
  47. dorothymantoothOctober 11, 2010 at 9:01 am
    Dawn Abasta-Hovanisyan was the chair for this year’s 40 under 40. She is an active member of the SCV Jaycees and Vice President of the Board of Single Mother’s Outreach. Dawn is a powerhouse who is involved in many events and does everything with a positive, can-do attitude. People like Dawn are influential because they help us all see that no matter how much time or energy we have to offer, every little bit helps. I wish this list had more people like Dawn.
  48. Love Santa ClaritaOctober 11, 2010 at 2:45 pm
    Interesting discussion. However, where is the list of 87 nominees that Tim refers to? Do we know who nomiated who? I agree with the fact that they seem to automatically put all of the legislators and city councilmembers on the list. I do remember several years ago when McLean was slighted and named no. 51
  49. Tim MyersOctober 11, 2010 at 2:48 pm
    Love Santa Clarita: The nominees are on the website linked in the main story.
  50. OlenkaOctober 11, 2010 at 4:06 pm
    John O’Connell is the Senior VP of Corporate Benefit Marketing, Inc.

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