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February 7, 2011· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

February 7, 2011 – Daily Brief *

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

  • City expects that up to 500,000 people a year will visit the new Newhall Library, anchored at the north end of Main Street. A local commercial real estate says the opening of the library will be a “really positive step forward” and he plans to move his offices there. Other cities have seen an indirect economic benefit to surrounding businesses after opening new libraries SIGNAL
  • Defeating Sharon Runner will be tough for Antelope Valley Democrat Darren Parker, according to the Times. But he’s got a long list of endorsements and some support statewide LA TIMES
  • Irony: A right wing Congressman from Washington State is man who has killed McKeon’s Cemex bill, calling it an earmark that’s part of an omnibus bill that would “create entirely new spending programs, stifle job creation, expand EPA’s power to control the economy and kill jobs, block more American-made energy, and complicate Border Patrol’s ability to secure our border from criminals, drug gangs and potential terrorists.” Sheesh. And hopes for the Senate to pass the bill look dim too. Councilman Bob Kellar doesn’t blame McKeon though, just Congress. SIGNAL
  • Today is the first day of the new semester at COC and, thanks to a library expansion underway there, students are being warned that parking is going to be a lot more difficult. At least 300 spots have been removed for the expansion of the library. Students are being advised to arrive early and have patience. COUGAR NEWS
  • 16 men, two women arrested in Thursday night prostitution sting in Castaic. The sting occurred on Castaic road and was coordinated with the help of the Community Oriened Policing Services (LASD) and the LASD’s vice squad. Two Johns were also arrested after “interfering with a peace officer.” BOOM ‘EM BOYS
  • A woman kidnapped by her estranged lover in Palmdale surfaced in Santa Clarita on Saturday. She’s safe but had some “minor injuries.” The alleged perp is in jail on $100,00 bail. KHTS
  • The City’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.8% in Dcember from a high of 8.2%. Jason Crawford at the City is hopeful it will decrease further. But are these the kinds of jobs that will keep people off our freeways? “Major Santa Clarita businesses such as Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor and Aerospace Dynamics International Inc. are planning large-scale recruitment or expansion during the next year, Crawford noted.” SIGNAL
  • SCV School districts left to pay for unfunded special-education programs for some 300 students valley-wide. SIGNAL
  • But don’t cut the Enterprise Zone program; the businesses need their handouts more LA BUSINESS JOURNAL
  • Meanwhile, state tax credits for the entertainment industry appear to be having a good positive effect on Southern California’s economy. Film shoots were up by 15% last year and there are several new studio and production projects slated for the SFV and, of course, our SCV where Disney wants to build 12 sound stages at the Golden Oak Ranch DAILY NEWS
  • McKeon stubbornly refuses to cut from the Defense Department’s budget, even as many tea party-backed Republicans say the Big D is fair game. A libertarian at the Cato Institute accuses McKeon of going on a shopping spree. “He says Armed Services is the “real estate committee” where members secure contracts and bases for their districts.” KPCC
  • 2010 was a year of equilibrium in local politics, a year when the apple cart was nearly upset, but it’s all for naught now as the 80% of SCVers who know not, care not, and vote not will go on happy with the way things are. MYERS
  • The Signal likes the City’s new massage parlor ordinance, which it says will keep the SCV and businesses here from getting a black eye over prostitution SIGNAL
  • Dave Bossert likes serial government worker Sharon Runner over Darren Parker WRB

** I have it on good authority that Apple will open a retail store this year in Santa Clarita! The consumer electronics tyranny that Best Buy currently enjoys will at least have some competition!

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Comments (54)

  1. MikeFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:03 am
    The old school logo makes me weepy. I can’t wait 
  2. Samuel AdamsFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:15 pm
    Yeah, but I like the new logo better!
  3. Cheryl PhillipsFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:26 pm
    Yay – Apple Store in Santa Clarita!
  4. MikeFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:09 am
    Paul Anka headlining a Sharon Runner fundraiser? This might lock in the 65 and over vote. I hope he doesn’t start slicing at said fundraiser, since when he slices, he slices like a f’ing hammer. “The guys get shirts!”
  5. Alan FerdmanFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:38 am
    The Signal published another article today that had all the cheerleading flair of the Santa Clarita Magazine. Expectations are that the New Newhall Library will attract as many as “one-half million patrons each year”. That is 500,000 patrons per year. Which will be pretty difficult when the city only has 177,000 residents and the unincorporated area has 85,000. Get out your calculator, could that mean that every man, women and child in the entire Santa Clarita Valley would visit the Newhall Library an average of almost 2 times per year? What is does tend to show is, this adventure is being fueled by unreasonable expectations.
  6. Lori RivasFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:11 am
    The kids and I 5 people) go to the library at least 2x/week, sometimes more. So, we could account for 10 visits/week x 52 weeks = 520 visits. I think there are a lot of SCV’ers who go to the library a lot.
  7. Alan FerdmanFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:36 am
    Lori Thanks for the information. At your rate of usage, it would only take 5000 patrons to accumulate 500,000 library visits per year at a given location.
  8. WalkerFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:56 am
    This was my thought as well. My family (3 of us) are there a few times a week and we see the same patrons over and over again. I think those that do use the libraries tend to use them pretty regularly
  9. EricFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:54 pm
    I’m curious what other library patrons think…I just picked up a Nook and have begun checking out e-books from LA County. Audio books are downloadable to iPods. With more and more media stored “in the clouds”, will we need 3 branches in 5 years? At this point, if what I want is available in e-book format, I have no need to step into a branch and am content to use the “virtual” library. I hear very little about plans for e-books and our new libraries. Laurie Ender seems to have her heart set on a machine that prints books while you wait. To me, just seems like a high tech means to “old school” media. Input from anyone on the advisory committee is welcome. Has this even been discussed? Would like to know what % of the book/ media budget is slated for “e” content vs. hard copy. Also, would like to see the city make more effort to publicize “compatible” e-readers. May influence buying decisions of library patrons.
  10. Lori RivasFebruary 7, 2011 at 4:39 pm
    I have not heard this discussed at the Library Advisory Committee meetings, but, then again, Dubberly still has the committee “imagining.” There is something about our membership deal with ILS that will allow e-book downloads, something like what is available through COLA, but I haven’t looked into the details. I would hope that paper books would not fade away. There is something really magical about a child and a book, something that is missing with electronic media. Maybe it is that the child flips through random pages, maybe it is that the child feels a sense of accomplishment for reading a certain number of pages (an abstract idea on electronics), maybe it is just the low tech of it all, and the kid not being plugged in.
  11. EricFebruary 7, 2011 at 6:30 pm
    No doubt paper books are here to stay. And I agree, that particularly for young children, there is no substitute for the “real” thing. But, the demand for e-books at the retail level is exploding and I think there will be a similar demand from library patrons. The way people use libraries is certainly changing. Downloads of e-media will increase, and many people already do no more than pick up the books reserved on-line and return books they have finished. A “visit” to the library today is not the same as a “visit” was 5 years ago.
  12. Lori RivasFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:15 pm
    Eric, I appreciate what you are saying about this convenience, and how it plays into current and future library usage, but many many people do more than order a book and pick it up at the library. For my family, we order about 1/3 of our books, and browse the shelves for the remainder of our books and materials. We can go in to look under a specific subject, or just randomly browse. Right now, I am reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s _Bright-Sided: how the relentless promotion of positive thinking has undermined America_ — which I picked up off the “new book” shelf while browsing. Love the book. One of my very most favorite books of all time I discovered while browsing the shelves: _Night of Sorrows_ by Francis Sherwood. My degree is in Latin American Studies, and yet, after years of study and a fancy degree, this book was the first to humanize the Aztecs for me — not sugar coat, but humanize. Never would have read it without browsing the library shelves. Opened up humanity for me.
  13. Cheryl PhillipsFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:12 pm
    Here’s the Mayor’s February Message which gives you the info you are asking for above: ‘For those who enjoy reading books on electronic devices, E-books will be available at no charge for those who use a Sony Reader, Nook, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. (Library E-Books cannot be downloaded to a Kindle because Kindle does not permit downloads from sites other than Amazon.) There will be several hundred titles on E-books available through the City’s new library system, with more being added all the time.” Don’t think we will get the info on “what % of budget for e-content…….” I’ve asked for some standards like what will be the adult book budget and the children’s book budget, staffing levels of public service desks, etc. and none of this seems to fall into the Specific Plan discussions. The machine that prints books may be an income source for LSSI – not sure. Do know that there is a cost involved to print up these substandard paperback books. Ebooks are great and I do download them from time to time. It is another choice for all of us. I think this quote from Magazine Publishers says it all - “Think of it this way: during the 12 year life of Google, magazine readership actually increased 11%. What it proves, once again, is that a new medium doesn’t necessarily displace an existing one. Just as movie didn’t kill radio. Just as TV didn’t kill movies – an established medium can continue to flourish so long as it continues to offer a unique experience. And, as reader loyalty and growth demonstrate, magazines do.” And one more quote – “Did instant coffee kill coffee?” Some of us love to go to the library, love to be in the library, love to interact with the librarians and at times, just sit with our book, heavy in hand, crisp smell of new ink, crack of the spine, pages turning by little and big fingers – there’s nothing like a book!
  14. Alan FerdmanFebruary 7, 2011 at 3:58 pm
    Walker Precisely. You are using the definition of “Patron” as an individual, in much the same way I thought of it when I read the statement this morning. From the dictionary; Patron is a person chosen or named. One who buys the goods or uses the services offered especially by an establishment Therefore, if we are talking “Patrons”, 500,000 per year appears unrealistic. If we are talking “Visits”, both you and Lori have convinced me that may be a valid possibility. You have got to love the english language.
  15. MikeFebruary 7, 2011 at 4:03 pm
    I think the proper metric is “turnstyle clicks”. There will be turnstyles, right?
  16. Phil EllisFebruary 7, 2011 at 4:34 pm
    There are none now, why should there be? Digital and electronic books are currently available from the library and there should be no reason why they shouldn’t be going forward. I am sure that there any number of titles that will remain only available in book form. When I find an author I luck, I like to read his/her books in chrono order. I have not seen many of these books available in audible or digital form. Also, it currently takes 1-2 weeks to get the earlier books. Anybody that tells you that they receive their order overnight is neither ordering a new book or an older book.
  17. Library Card Carrying BookreaderFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:21 am
    First, the Valencia Library is the most used library in all of L.A. County. However, we do not know what metric or combination of metrics was used to make that claim. We know that about 20,000 books each month are brought in from other County Libraries to meet the demand at Valencia branch. However, the first questions that come to mind are, 1) is closing such an often-used library and replacing it with one somewhere else a good idea, and 2) will the “New Library,” through whatever combination of inter-library exchanges and shelved books, at least match what is provided now? Then there is the question with how the City came up with their projected numbers for the “new NewHall Library.”
  18. EricFebruary 8, 2011 at 12:23 pm
    After the new library is built, the Valencia Branch and the Newhall Branch will be 3 miles apart…a 6 minute drive according to Google Maps. Is it really necessary to spend millions to have two branches so close together? I could think of other uses for my tax dollars.
  19. Library Card Carrying BookreaderFebruary 8, 2011 at 1:37 pm
    Well, the Canyon Country Library is only 2.6 miles from the Valencia Library. So let us save some real tax dollars. Let us close the Canyon Country Library and sell it. The teeny-tiny-old-ready-to get-blown-away- according-to-Laurie Ender Newhall library is about the same three miles from the Valencia Library, —so let us close that too. Valencia Library, being about the same distance from both Newhall and Canyon Country, should stay open and we will just make do with that with no remodeling or expansion. However, we should let LSSI run it and throw out all those overpaid big union librarians and save some more money. Stop construction on the new Newhall Library (saving another $20,000,000), that isn’t anything but graded yet, and turn in it into a dog park, using ex-library volunteers appropriately cleaning up the, “you know what” for free…That’ll save even more, —and look at the added “open space!” Then pass a law requiring that you must drive everywhere, throw anyone out of town who does not have a car or cannot drive, and then dump the entire transit system. (We could put this together quietly during this summer’s City Council hiatus.) No one will even notice….Must be up to about $60,000,000 by now. Need I go on?
  20. EricFebruary 8, 2011 at 4:56 pm
    Google Maps says 6 miles between Canyon Country branch and Valencia branch. But since I have been using the Valencia branch the past few months, it just doesn’t seem overwhelmed, even with the Canyon Country branch closed. So if I think about the future and how e-books should reduce the need for shelf space, it seems absolutely plausible that we could make do with two branches…one on the East side, one on the West side.
  21. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:41 am
    “Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it” ~ Kanye West Go Pack Go.
  22. Mr PerezFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:38 am
    Football season is over Nate, let’s move onto a sport still being played. P.S. Nice lyric written by a Bears fan
  23. MikeFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:43 am
    Yeah, really. Ye would not be happy.
  24. Mr PerezFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:10 am
    I was actually happy for Aaron Rodgers and his Pack. That guy is a beast and a really stand up person. Good job!
  25. spineflower2February 7, 2011 at 11:11 am
    “Football season is over Nate, let’s move onto a sport still being played.” Naaaah, let’s celebrate some more. GO PACK GO!
  26. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:37 am
    #highfive Green and Yellow, Green and Yellow!
  27. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:35 am
    It has been over for you a few weeks now…. I still need to know about 1 and done… SON <- nice lyric written by a Packers fan.
  28. Mr PerezFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:31 pm
    Ya, the Pack proved me wrong. I’m man enough to admit that
  29. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 5:22 pm
    I look forward to rivialy. Respect. We can both agree on one thing… EFFF THOSE VIKINGS!
  30. Mr PerezFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:23 pm
    You mean Viqueens lol. Their coaching staff is nothing but ’85 Bears anyways.
  31. Mr PerezFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:24 pm
    And on a separate note there was an even bigger game on Sunday for football http://www.lflus.com/
  32. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:07 pm
    What the hell was up with the Bill O’Reily interview/argument? I was embarrassed for conservatives, it was completely disrespectful to the office of the president, embarrassment to journalism and just flat out rude and classless. I am jack’s complete lack of surprise.
  33. mikecFebruary 7, 2011 at 4:40 pm
    Nate, You took alot of S$%# over the past few weeks, but your team came out on top…a tip of the hat to you sir…also good luck on collecting on your wagers from your fellow scvtalkers!
  34. Mr PerezFebruary 7, 2011 at 4:56 pm
    I think the bet idea I posted for Bill and Nate was loser has to parade around in front of city hall in nothing but a speedo.
  35. spineflower2February 8, 2011 at 9:24 am
    I think that would make the rest of us the true losers.
  36. Mr PerezFebruary 8, 2011 at 3:33 pm
    I was thinking maybe everyone could feel my pain though
  37. ToddFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:48 am
    In fairness due to ReaderMama… Jeff, are you still drunk from the Super Binge Bowl? This morning its typos galore!!!! Feel better bud… A few glasses of water an some Advil should help that right away!
  38. ToddFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:49 am
    Oh yah and a for good measure there Jeff . :-p
  39. Jim FarleyFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:55 am
    Re: Signal story “Library May Fuel Economy”. Before I get going let me make clear. I am for public libraries and for a vibrant Downtown Newhall. The new library has to be a benefit for Downtown Newhall. That is hard to dispute. What I do find specious is that libraries help the economy overall. If someone goes to a shop in Newhall after a library visit does that not keep them from a shop elsewhere in the city? One academic study referred to in the article is the Penn Fells ‘Economic Value of Free Libraries in Philadelphia’. This study looks like it was designed to prove its case from the outset. As part of the survey respondents are asked how the library impacted their ability to learn to read, learn to use a computer, and get a job among other things. The available responses were: 1. I couldn’t have done it without the library. 2. The library helped a little. 3. The library didn’t help at all. This is a very flawed survey question. Where is this response or something similar “The library helped but I had other resources”? So 10% of the respondents had no other means to learn to read or get a job. What BS. The study then goes on to correlate house values to library proximity. Correlation does not prove causation. The study said they backed out other possible factors but didn’t say how. I don’t buy it. Again, free public libraries are a good thing. We don’t need bogus arguments to justify their existence.
  40. Joe GrandeFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:44 am
    I’m having a little trouble finding the news in this “news” story or the old in “old” town. I really don’t see how a new library will encourage me to shop where there is nothing to buy. There is plenty of shopping in Stevenson Ranch, and by withdrawing from the county library system and forcing me to go to Stevenson Ranch to visit a county library, the city will be encouraging me to shop there instead.
  41. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:38 am
    cut and copy from signal comments. I have a feeling you are not a book reader.
  42. Lori RivasFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:56 am
    I met Joe in the library; he is a genuine library user and book reader. He also spoke at the 8/24 City Council meeting, naming a few books that he had on inter-library loan, etc. He was an articulate and very funny speaker, garnering audience applause, in case you missed it.
  43. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:01 pm
    He must be checking all these books out for the Stevenson Ranch Library.
  44. Joe GrandeFebruary 7, 2011 at 2:28 pm
    Close Nate: the cut was from microsoft word and pasted both places by me. I check out a couple of books a week, as well as other materials. And I am much more likely to use the as yet unbuilt Stevenson Ranch library then the as yet unbuilt Newhall libary.
  45. NateFebruary 7, 2011 at 5:24 pm
    Good luck on that yet to be unbuilt Stevenson Ranch…
  46. MoneyFebruary 7, 2011 at 10:02 am
    An Apple store in Santa Clarita! Are you sure? That would be great.
  47. WalkerFebruary 7, 2011 at 11:58 am
    Agreed!
  48. JayceFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:29 pm
    Meh, I’d be a lot more excited for a Frys
  49. Mike MFebruary 7, 2011 at 1:29 pm
    COSIGN. Not that I’m against an Apple store – those are cool. But since Apple is such a small fraction of what I look for at Best Buy, I’d be happier to have a store that actually competes directly with it…
  50. MikeFebruary 7, 2011 at 2:04 pm
    For those that are thirsting for Fry’s or other grunge-era retailers, I just found the perfect Pandora station for you: http://bit.ly/hX5gE5
  51. NickelDimeFebruary 7, 2011 at 2:24 pm
    Fry’s offers nothing in the way of an Apple-store experience. Like comparing McD’s with Ruths Cris — both have food. That is, unless you prefer Alice in Wonderland/Astronaut/Emerald City kitsch, a Kryptonite cage full’o'RAM, cattle-herded cashier lines, open box “deals”, a door Nazi and a return process so arduous as to make one JUST LIVE with a failed purchase. In the spirit of Mike’s Pandora station, I offer this ol’ standby from the same era: Fry’s Employment Application Signed, NotaMacFan
  52. MikeFebruary 7, 2011 at 4:10 pm
    score!
  53. Joe GrandeFebruary 7, 2011 at 3:07 pm
    Fry’s isn’t actually a computer store and Apple isn’t actually a computer, but this is SCV: you must be thankful for what you get.
  54. Bill ReynoldsFebruary 8, 2011 at 8:03 am
    SFC Perez, my Vegas wager on the Steelers, two weeks prior, was sabotaged. Yes it was. Little did I know that Obama would subsequently pick the Steelers… By the way, on Newhall library drawing 500,000 patrons that will supposedly bring big revenue to Main Street – seems to me that $$’s spent there will be not be spent near other SCV libraries. So, will there actually be a gain in revenue for SCV?

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