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November 15, 2010· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

November 15, 2010 – Daily Brief

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

  • State appeals court rules that one of the boys molested by former Golden Valley High guidance counselor Roselyn Hubbell can’t sue the Hart District for negligence. The boy’s lawyer says he will appeal that decision to the state supreme court SIGNAL, SFGATE
  • 49 year old Canyon Country man arraigned for the attempted murder of a child. No details on what happened though SIGNAL
  • The remains discovered in Bouquet Canyon two weeks ago have been positively identified as Lynsie Ekelund, a college student who disappeared in 2001. Her alleged murderer is now in jail awaiting arraignment. NBC 4
  • A Hart High graduate tells what it was like to be stuck on the derelict Carnival Splendor cruise ship. He says after a few days the ship opened up the bar to everyone for free. He and some musician friends played music for the stranded passengers. SIGNAL
  • Mayo hospital touts its new electronic patient record system. Money quote of the week: “When I came to the Santa Clarita Valley, we didn’t have dial telephones,” Leiter said. “We had an operator. I don’t have words to express what this revolution represents. The change is mind boggling.” SIGNAL
  • 27 commercial, residential, institutional and industrial properties in Old Town Newhall will be considered for a “historical landmark” designation by the City’s Planning Commission SIGNAL
  • Holiday tree lighting ceremony at Mayo hospital set for December 5, will include music and entertainment put on by Henry Mayo staff, local school choirs, and dance studios KHTS
  • COC’s Hasley Hall used as a penitentiary for NBC’s “Chuck” TV show. Cougar News was there and has a great report COUGAR NEWS
  • Alongside Generals, Senators, and Foreign policy wonks, our very own Buck McKeon will be discuss foreign policy with a moderator at the Foreign Policy Institute’s “Restoring America’s Leadership of a Democratic World.” LINK
  • Want to know how redistricting will work in California in 2011? “It will use 2010 census data to draw 80 Assembly districts, 40 Senate districts, four Board of Equalization districts and — thanks to the passage of Proposition 20 — new districts for California’s congressional delegation. There are 53 congressional districts now, but that could change, up or down, after final census data are compiled. SACBEE
  • Dave Bossert hammers Signal for its editorial on the library takeover. “What a load of crap the paper is trying to spoon-feed again the uninitiated and gullible that still read that old media, advertising circular. The paper needs to actually start doing some investigative journalism instead of mocking residents that raise valid questions. But that won’t happen because the City of Santa Clarita pumps hundreds of thousands of dollars into that factually challenged ink splattered excuse for a local newspaper.” WRB
  • And Not a Ferry Fan is back with an anti-city video that starts off pretty good, but then descends rapidly into lameness YOUTUBE
  • Frank Ferry writes about the new bike lanes in the Valencia Industrial Center. SIGNAL
  • MRF Most Foul: the topic of materials recovery facility (an important part of a solid, green-minded recylcing program or simply a garbage dump depending on your perspective) is back with with this LTE who says he’s heard that the MRF is once again being discussed for a spot along Sierra Highway.
  • LTE Writer wonders why dog owners can’t pick up their own dog’s poop along paseos and walkways in the SCV. Did you know the City spends like $15k to fill those poop bag dispensers everywhere? SIGNAL

Comments

54 · as published
  1. Daddy Joe GNovember 15, 2010 at 8:32 am
    It’s time, I think, to stop referring downtown Newhall as “Old Town”. There’s very little of the old town left. Downtown Newhall now looks more like Disneyland.
  2. CCNovember 15, 2010 at 10:52 am
    Maybe we should change the name to Newhalland, or Ferryland, etc.
  3. Daddy Joe GNovember 15, 2010 at 11:25 am
    Or how about Wearesostupidwewillstandforanythingland?
  4. ThomasNovember 16, 2010 at 6:15 am
    Or Iamstillnotgoingtoshopthereland?
  5. CCNovember 16, 2010 at 8:21 am
    I drove through there last weekend and still didn’t see anything that would make me want to stop. I was hoping for a non-chain coffee shop (other than the Way Station), but nadda. I wonder what it would take for Intelligencia to open a shop out here….sigh.
  6. Need for Involved CitizenryNovember 16, 2010 at 12:27 pm
    Try Thai Pepper!
  7. cashNovember 16, 2010 at 1:30 pm
    Thank you Marsha.
  8. SFC PerezNovember 16, 2010 at 7:51 pm
    I would say I am patiently waiting for Dunkin Donuts to come here but its not bourgeoisie enough for California.
  9. MikeNovember 16, 2010 at 8:31 pm
    There is nothing noble in making coffee and donuts as horribly as dunkin does.
  10. SFC PerezNovember 17, 2010 at 10:55 pm
    I dont know the last time you have been there but their coffee far exceeds the quality of Starbucks for a regular cup of Joe. Starbucks, Peets, Coffee Bean are all over priced for their concoctions and I much preferred to pay $1.90 for a Large cup then $4.45. I guess its a Midwest/East Coast thing, kinda like pizza being 100% better if it’s NY or Chicago style compared to Cali style. But thats the beauty of having choices )
  11. SFC PerezNovember 17, 2010 at 11:12 pm
    And I GUARANTEE you Mike, if they opened up a DD anywhere in So Cal, it would be PACKED. That coffee is addictive like crack!
  12. MikeNovember 18, 2010 at 9:48 am
    Disagree! I dislike Starbucks more than just about anyone, but DD’s coffee is on the cheap. It’s rebranded Folgers. No wonder people load it with cream and sugar. And don’t get me started on the donuts. Used to be incredible. Now they don’t even make them on premises. I endorse Intelligentsia Coffee.
  13. SFC PerezNovember 19, 2010 at 8:24 am
    I agree that the donuts arent as good as they were in their heyday, but I remember both they and Winchells being like a gourmet bakery at one point. I still love their coffee and even had a cup of their Pumpkin coffee yesterday which was really good.
  14. navigatorNovember 19, 2010 at 9:43 am
    I remember back when my local Winchells made a great hamburger!
  15. SFC PerezNovember 21, 2010 at 8:05 pm
    Wow, never knew Winchells made burgers. I knew them for regular donuts, eclairs and creme puffs.
  16. Timothy Myers SRNovember 15, 2010 at 8:57 am
    When you have four City Council members, City Staff and four people at the Signal on one side, and literally every other engaged person from Dave Bossert and NotaFerryFan to Carole Luteness and Lynn Plambeck, I don’t know how the small minority in favor can stand the winds that are blowing. Probably because they know they will be reelected.
  17. Lori RivasNovember 15, 2010 at 9:11 am
    Here’s to hoping that A Mighty Wind blows down the LSSI decision.
  18. Daddy Joe GNovember 15, 2010 at 10:36 am
    Newhall redevelopment, a new $25 million library, LSSI, privatized parking enforcement, these things all have work arounds. After all, the council and staff have to eat. But the more they get away with, the more they’re going to try. What’s next? I hate to speculate.
  19. Bill ReynoldsNovember 15, 2010 at 3:28 pm
    Well Tim, you have to admit that the silver lining here with the library issue is the fact that we tax payers will have fewer union employees on our payroll. Ya gotta love that! Next, I think City Hall should privatize Newhall’s DMV. What an absolute disaster that operation is – poor location, inadequate parking and poor services.
  20. Timothy Myers SRNovember 15, 2010 at 5:30 pm
    Bill: My father in law is a Teamster and that provided a reasonable wage so that he could send four children to college (one to Harvard) and have a reasonable retirement, so you know where I stand on that issue.
  21. Daddy Joe GNovember 15, 2010 at 5:59 pm
    Back when I was in high school, opposing opinions that could not be refuted with logical argument were blamed on communist agitators. But I like blaming the union better. Fewer syllable.
  22. Bill ReynoldsNovember 15, 2010 at 6:30 pm
    Tim, are your and Gary’s employees unionized? As a young man I worked several union jobs and I have personal knowledge as to how distructive they are to productivity.
  23. BrianNovember 15, 2010 at 8:37 pm
    Bill Reynolds, a corporate shill who believes entire families should work, even the kids. Never mind that one good union job means maybe the wife can be home, opening up yet another position somewhere for an unemployed head of household. CEO salaries don’t bother Bill but working people really gets him outraged. What a guy! Who bought YOUR politician? The unions sure don’t have the money the corporations dumped to buy them! Do the math, genius!
  24. Bill ReynoldsNovember 15, 2010 at 9:54 pm
    Hello Brian. I’m feeling your pain; so sorry that you are feeling soooo much frustration. I realize that Nov 2nd’s GOP/Tea Party landslide shellacking of Prez B. Hussein was painful for you libs, but things will be better soon for America. It’s just one of those things you lefties will just have to live with. Ha!
  25. Bill ReynoldsNovember 16, 2010 at 7:47 am
    Brian, here’s an excellent article for you: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/129327-dejected-dems-wipe-away-tears-as-gop-celebrates
  26. Street KnowledgeNovember 15, 2010 at 9:30 pm
    Bill, I found your family seal. This explains everything: http://bit.ly/aM4WzT
  27. Bill ReynoldsNovember 16, 2010 at 7:33 am
    Tim, are you there? Hellooooo….
  28. Timothy Myers SRNovember 16, 2010 at 10:34 am
    Not unionized, and I have never worked in a union job, but I am not going to begrudge workers right to organize and bargain collectively. If managers can’t man up and negotiate hard but fair then they need to play from the ladies golf tees.
  29. Bill ReynoldsNovember 16, 2010 at 10:47 am
    I thought so…
  30. cashNovember 16, 2010 at 1:37 pm
    Our state is almost BK thanks to stupid political decisions and union greed. The wages paid for unskilled labor is bad enough, but the retirement benefits are simply unrealistic.
  31. Bill ReynoldsNovember 16, 2010 at 2:23 pm
    Absolutely true, Cash. Interesting that Myers supports union activity in California but denies them operating in his California company.
  32. DubiousNovember 16, 2010 at 2:39 pm
    Our only personal experience with Unions came when our high-school aged son got a part time job at a local supermarket. He was told he had to join the Union and pay dues. He was a hard worker and was soon “promoted,” but his hours were then cut and in the end, he was working harder and making less money. We went to the Union and they said they couldn’t do anything. We encouraged him to quit and concentrate on his grades so he could choose a career that didn’t require Union membership.
  33. Bill ReynoldsNovember 16, 2010 at 4:36 pm
    Unions are not for the ambitious.
  34. CastaicClayNovember 16, 2010 at 11:57 am
    Civil Service unions are what you are railing against. Private company unions are not hurting the budget! Please stop lumping all unions into on basket.
  35. cashNovember 16, 2010 at 1:41 pm
    Please stop beleiving that private sector unions are not hurting the budget. Labor cost have the greatest cost impact on all goods and services, civil service labor or not.
  36. drive66November 16, 2010 at 4:57 pm
    If you don’t pay a decent wage, who’s gonna buy all the crap we don’t make? Our economy is consumer based, if the consumer ain’t got no money, he ain’t gonna consume.
  37. CastaicClayNovember 16, 2010 at 5:28 pm
    How is it that private sector prices are busting the budget?
  38. DamageIncNovember 15, 2010 at 9:44 am
    How they caught Lynsie Ekelund’s killer was brilliant. The guy had commited the perfect murder but made the mistake of staying in the area.
  39. CastaicClayNovember 15, 2010 at 1:18 pm
    Put the MRF at the old Newhall Oil Refinery. Easy access from all sides of the valley and not many people live nearby to complain. Plant trees all around it to “hide” it.
  40. navigatorNovember 15, 2010 at 2:41 pm
    Hondo Oil was the #1 choice
  41. CastaicClayNovember 15, 2010 at 4:43 pm
    Was Hondo Oil the old refinery or is it part of the oil fields?
  42. navigatorNovember 15, 2010 at 4:52 pm
    If you are talking about the Pine Street Refinery, no, Hondo was not part of that. Hondo oil property takes up 3 separate parcels between Sierra Hwy and Hwy 14 across the street from the Gates King property.
  43. CastaicClayNovember 15, 2010 at 6:12 pm
    I was thinking of the old refinery located next to Beale’s Cut at the top of Sierra Hwy. between Newhall Ave. and the Valley.
  44. Leon WordenNovember 16, 2010 at 10:20 am
    Hondo and the old Newhall Refinery that you’re talking about are the same thing.
  45. CastaicClayNovember 16, 2010 at 11:52 am
    thx
  46. Coastal SageNovember 17, 2010 at 1:22 am
    I recall that the old refinery property was subject to a toxics clean up order either from the Water Quality Control Board or the Dept. of Toxic Substances Control Board. However ownership of the land was buried in a complex corporate reorganization, and the land owner basically ignored the state’s order. I wonder if the state has simply forgotten, or if they are doing anything to get the old refinery site cleaned up?
  47. Leon WordenNovember 17, 2010 at 1:43 am
    The property has flipped since then. An investor owns it now. I forget which one. He owns a bunch of property around here. This is a summary of a report from 1990: “The refinery soils and near surface groundwater was impacted with petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons and metals. The vertical and lateral extents of impacted soils were delineated, the nature and extent of groundwater impact were identified and several closure options and costs were presented. The Regional Water Quality Control Board accepted the assessment, and three toxic pits were closed under the Toxic Pits Cleanup Act (TPCA). Due to the change in property values, the appropriate remedial action and closure option has not been selected or implemented…”
  48. SCV LoverNovember 15, 2010 at 5:53 pm
    With LSSI we’re trading public employee pay and pensions for private sectopr pay and pensions. Rank & file public sector pensions are egrigious & need to be redone but so are private sector ceo pay & pensions. Wonder what the ceo of lssi’s pension & pay look like. I suspect they are quit a bit more than the head of the county library system’s
  49. Spencer LeafdaleNovember 15, 2010 at 5:57 pm
    The Hondo Oil Refinery site was actually the number two site. There was a bit of a glich in the tallying of the math. Gates-King was rated just a scoch higher in the final analysis. Mathematically that is. There was consesus on both Hondo and Gates-King. Regardless the Hondo site is a good as is Gates-King. Much work is still to be accomplished by the able staff at the City. Additionally, knowledgable folks at BURRTEC as well as the City are working hard too to ensure the site, that is ultimately selected, will be appropriate and acceptable. There is still much to be considered and decided. The project is much more complex than even I imagined. Rest asurred, as a member of the Site Selection Committe, I’ll be monitoring the progress as will/are others. Stay tuned.
  50. Need for Involved CitizenryNovember 15, 2010 at 8:18 pm
    In my time here, I’ve never seen any environmental work (testing or cleanup) at the Hondo site. Unless that happens and I would not expect that the owners would want a MRF or any sort of building constructed on the site that could trigger cleanup. They will want to let the sleeping dog lie. Someone please tell me the site is clean…. I’d be shocked if it is. I used to deal with these properties all the time and the usual remedy was leave it alone.
  51. Leon WordenNovember 16, 2010 at 10:23 am
    It’s not a sleeping dog … back in the early 1990s it was approved for an industrial park. I don’t remember the details anymore, but the development didn’t happen. One thing that DID happen during the course of that was with Beale’s Cut. The Newhall Refinery (Hondo) was in the city, but the border stopped at Beale’s Cut. They were (and are) the same owner. So an annexation went through, and Beale’s Cut became part of the city. Also, the property was conditioned in such a way that if & when the development happened, Beale’s Cut would come into city ownership for preservation. Make no mistake, the current owners of that & nearby property intend to develop it one day.
  52. Need for Involved CitizenryNovember 16, 2010 at 12:31 pm
    Well, when it is developed whoever buys it will need to do some pretty significant due diligence. I would not be surprised to see a 2-5 year clean up process.
  53. CastaicClayNovember 16, 2010 at 5:31 pm
    Isn’t “Hondo” responsible for clean up?
  54. JDNovember 16, 2010 at 10:21 pm
    I can’t believe there has been no mention of Antonovich’s man, Novak, taking the head position on LAFCO? The city can say goodbye to any westside annexations.
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