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May 6, 2011· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

May 6, 2011 – Daily Brief

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

  • Scott Wilk reports in from Norco saying the state redistricting commission has decided to chop up the SCV as far as Assembly Districts go. I second his motion to “bombard” the commission with notes advising them to keep us whole. WRB
  • Congressman McKeon lets slip the real reason one of the Navy SEALs’ helicopter crashed inside the walls of Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. He says the helicopter, thought to be a secretive stealth model with sound suppression features, collided with the wall of the compound, lost lift, and crashed. “It was not a mechanical failure,” as previously reported, according to McKeon. More on the enduring mysteries of the raid at POLITICO
  • So four days after SCVTalk broke the news that the High Speed Rail authority was taking a second look at a Grapevine alignment for the HSR system and all hell has broken loose. Supervisor Antonovich has come out against studying the Grapevine Alignment and our own Gail Ortiz is concerned that the I-5, which she calls our “lifeblood,” could be impacted by the “pie in the sky:”HSR system. Antonovich’s constituents in the high desert are conflicted; a resident in Acton says the SR-14 alignment would be highly disruptive to Acton’s Country Living lifestyle while the Palmdale Mayor says the study of the Grapevine Alignment would be “absurd.” Need I remind everyone we would likely get an HSR station out of the deal? LA TIMES, SIGNAL
  • The Hart District has voted to forward on the conflict-of-interest case over Board Member Gloria Mercado-Fortine’s involvement with charter schools to the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission. Fortine denies any wrong-doing but her day job is with one of the charters in question SIGNAL
  • Newhall School District once again tops in the SCV with a combined API score of 896. And Stevenson Ranch Elementary, part of the NSD, beat every other elementary school in the SCV with a score of 965. All this in a school district that is the most diverse in the SCV SIGNAL
  • And finally, one last bit of .edu news: the Hart District will wait until environmental studies are complete on the Romero Canyon site before “making any further decisions about the planned Castaic High School” SIGNAL
  • Mayors Prayer Breakfast comes and goes with a whimper, not a bang like it used to. This year the focus was on remembering SCV soldiers and Marines lost in battle SIGNAL
  • Buck McKeon publishes another oil-industry-friendly advice column for President Obama as gas prices continue to remain high WRB
  • Did you go to the Cinco De Mayo event in Old Town Newhall yesterday? Signal has some pics SIGNAL
  • Naturalist Wendy Langhans tells you about an SCV super-plant that’s used in a  variety of products KHTS
  • Best LTE I’ve ever read in the humble pages of the mighty Signal. What’s it about? The irony of the SEAL raid in Pakistan LTE

House Keeping Note Part 2: After much reflection and lots of good emails from readers, I’ve decided to turn comments back on. But, with a twist.

I added a feature that allows you to moderate yourselves, which helps remove some of the burden from me.

In the comments section you will now find a Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down symbol. If you like the comment, click the Thumbs Up. If you dislike the comment, click the Thumbs Down. After a certain amount of thumbs down clicks, the comment will be hidden from view, but a note will be shown that says, “Comment Hidden, click to read.”

I will still forbid comments but ask for emails on some posts. I think the format works well for many types of posts (wait till you see the Where in the SCV picture post!). But I was persuaded by your many emails in which you talked about how you used the comments to discuss and talk with each other, and not just about the day’s news. Anyway, it’s back on, and I hope the new feature helps us balance the discussion more. Thanks for staying with me through the experiment!

Comments (59)

  1. CCMay 6, 2011 at 8:49 am
    YAY!
  2. BertaMay 6, 2011 at 9:03 am
    Hi Jeff, glad you did not let a few bad apples ruin it for everyone else, thanks. You mention “Supervisor Antonovich has come out against studying the Grapevine Alignment and our own Gloria Ortiz is concerned that the I-5, which she calls our “lifeblood,” could be impacted by the “pie in the sky:”HSR system. “ Did you mean Gail Ortiz or is this another person?
  3. JeffMay 6, 2011 at 9:17 am
    I meant Gail. Sloppy this morning!
  4. MikeMay 6, 2011 at 9:26 am
    Thanks for hearing us out. Love that Classic® taste.
  5. NFICMay 6, 2011 at 9:35 am
    I wonder why Gail didn’t comment when the HSR was only affecting the Canyon Country end of town. Does she really think that there would be any real impact to the I-5, the most significant highway in the state built with Federal dollars (so modifying it would probably be difficult) or is the real issue that the HSR would now likely go through Valencia?
  6. CCMay 6, 2011 at 10:12 am
    Although it seems reasonable to run down the 5 corridor, there isn’t a current rail line that makes that trek. So everything would have to be new. Crossovers, tunnels, and just where would it go? I live in Valencia and wouldn’t object to a station close-by, but I think the decision is going to end up with trying to take advantage of current infrastructure. In any event, I hope they get on with it!
  7. NFICMay 6, 2011 at 11:45 am
    There is no sharing of infrastructure with the HSR and other train lines. The HSR folks made tht abundantly clear. At best, they could use some of the same right of way space if the railroad robber barons would allow them to.
  8. ToddMay 6, 2011 at 11:53 am
    99.999% of everything will be new with HSR, no matter what alignment they use. Current tracks are too winding and turn too tight. I remember hearing that the turning radius on a HSR train is 6 miles! (come to think of it, it might have been 2… but its big!) Now, if you look at the radius of the turn that Metrolink uses to go from north along Newhall/Bouquet to East on Soledad… that radius is 500, maybe 600 feet. A whole new rail system is going to be built. However, there are many places where they can take advantage of existing right-of-way. There you might be on to something.
  9. CCMay 6, 2011 at 12:18 pm
    Perhaps, but will they have to buy and move homes? I think this has a better chance of being sucessful along the 14.
  10. IHeartSCVMay 6, 2011 at 12:24 pm
    How does one define “successful” for a project that will, at best, be an enormous, bottomless drain on the economy?
  11. JeffMay 6, 2011 at 12:47 pm
    In what way would building a ginormous high speed trains system be an “enormous, bottomless drain on the economy”? Billions will be spent to shape iron ore into steal. To purchase land. To pay workers at Bomardier or Siemens or GE to construct locomotives and passenger trains. Billions will be spent to construct bridges and hire engineering companies. And that’s just the primary impact of HSR. There are secondary and tertiary impacts…like when the train system is built and a thousand people offload in the SCV, there will be a need to feed, hydrate, and entertain those people. There will be a need for taxi service etc. In other words, there will be tremendous amounts of economic activity in support of the build-out and operation of the train system. That’s why Palmdale is so upset at the prospect of losing their station.
  12. IHeartSCVMay 6, 2011 at 1:03 pm
    It’s a drain on the economy because federal tax dollars are paying for at least half of it–though I might reluctantly agree that paying to build a railway is better than paying out unemployment. And I don’t think many of those tax dollars are going to come back. Again, what business isn’t getting done because we’re missing a train through the Central Valley? The project will need more money every year to operate, which is why I called it a bottomless drain. Also, the secondary and tertiary benefits you mentioned are questionable. Sure, people all eat and drink and buy stuff, but all the train will do is change the location where people are doing these activities, not encourage more consumption.
  13. JeffMay 6, 2011 at 2:01 pm
    “I might reluctantly agree that paying to build a railway is better than paying out unemployment. ” Unemployment is insurance paid out, is it not? “Again, what business isn’t getting done because we’re missing a train through the Central Valley?. ” When is having an extra transportation option a bad thing? We don’t even know what businesses might be grown by having an HSR system in the state. Just as I-5 opened up the SCV for development, so too can an HSR system open up areas of the Central Valley to development or progress. “The project will need more money every year to operate, which is why I called it a bottomless drain.” That doesn’t deter me in the least if you consider the negative externalities of ever-increasing freeway traffic, carbon emissions, particulate emissions, and the consequent (and unmet) health care costs, transportation costs, and productivity costs that imposes on society at large. A train system reduces that in ways hard to quantify (at this point) but they are real reductions. “all the train will do is change the location where people are doing these activities, not encourage more consumption.” Not true. It opens up near areas to development. Suddenly places like the Central Valley or High Desert (if that alignment was chosen) aren’t so remote anymore. And even if it was true, so what? I’d rather have a train station and all the positive change that would bring in the SCV rather than have one in Palmdale.
  14. Capt. GeneMay 7, 2011 at 6:37 pm
    “Billions will be spent to shape iron ore into steal.” Couldn’t have said it better myself!
  15. NateMay 8, 2011 at 2:25 pm
    Capt. Gene would prefer just handing money over to private business opposed to actually getting something for it.
  16. Capt. GeneMay 8, 2011 at 5:01 pm
    Capt. Gene would prefer that people get to keep their money AS opposed to letting spendthrift bureaucrats take it and buy votes with it, or throw it away on overpriced pie in the sky projects.
  17. KevitivityMay 6, 2011 at 9:51 am
    Thank you, Jeff.
  18. lvogelMay 6, 2011 at 9:56 am
    I agree…One of the best LTE’s I’ve read in a long time!
  19. PetzMay 6, 2011 at 10:44 am
    While Petz does not wish to be a “stick in the mud”, the LTE highlights the frequent misuse of the word irony/ironic. Irony refers to the opposite of what one might expect. This is The United States of America where it almost exactly what one should expect, since we welcome immigrants, free trade, and have done more to help foreign nations and oppressed people than any other country in the history of the world. The letter really is a series of events which are not unusual at all in our country and there is nothing ironic about it. Fine LTE, except for the last statement.
  20. IHeartSCVMay 6, 2011 at 10:59 am
    Petz, after your bold stand for the proper use of quotation marks and this defense of irony, I offer my sincere thanks for fighting the good fight. You do have to give them the ironic title, though.
  21. PetzMay 6, 2011 at 11:31 am
    There is indeed irony between the title and the contents of the LTE. IHEARTSCV has the intellectual firepower to hang with Petz.
  22. PetzMay 6, 2011 at 10:25 am
    Petz is madder than hell at Obama this morning in the aftermath of the Osama killing and subsequent miscommunication from The White House. The president does not want to “spike the football”? Huh ? His whole presidency is about spiking the football in front of the American people while ignoring the rule book.
  23. PetzMay 6, 2011 at 11:28 am
    Petz will continue to tell the truth…..like or dislike really should not apply to the message, but to whether there is a violation of the board’s rules. Whether you like it or not !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  24. JeffMay 6, 2011 at 11:29 am
    Petz wouldn’t be Petz if that wasn’t true. The comment rating system will be fine-tuned over the coming weeks.
  25. CCMay 6, 2011 at 12:20 pm
    I sorta like the brown paper cover over Petz…hehehe.
  26. lvogelMay 6, 2011 at 2:28 pm
    Just curious, am I missing something in Jeff’s brief today regarding this quote? I don’t know the whole story behind this post. Is it possible to provide a link or give indication as to which story (above) this was relating to? Knowing where the ire stems from helps with the conversation conversation.
  27. NateMay 7, 2011 at 5:16 am
    You are always so angry.
  28. PetzMay 6, 2011 at 12:10 pm
    While the bearded liberal Jonathan Randles gave a fairly decent report of the “Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast”-not sure why he used a plural possessive since the Mayors do not sponsor it-Petz did want to bring his two cents worth into the discussion. First, the annual controversy is somewhat missed by Petz……the enthusiasm for the event has not waned. The room was sold out, standing room only. MC Joe Messina laid down the rules-no one is to criticize other faiths or churches-we are there in the spirit of praying for our country and elected leaders as the Bible instructs. Prayer was held in a variety of languages including Aramaic, Korean, Italian, and Spanish. Jim Ryun an Olympic runner and former Congressman from Kansas gave his testimony and told how prayer had helped him and his wife through the years. His wife also talked about how God strengthened her while Jim was traveling the world running at events. They had three young children which she had to take care of while he was away for long periods of time. There was not a dry eye in the house as Dante Acosta spoke about the faith of his son and how prayer had kept his family strong through this recent ordeal. He told about seeing the Army officers outside his door and saying a prayer before he opened it that Rudy only be wounded-and his acceptance of God’s will when the answer was No. Rudy was KIA, by an Afghan security guard. Dante is leading an effort that Afghan nationals should not be armed inside the secure areas where soldiers live. He encouraged us to help him in the effort “these soldiers do not have a union”. After the event, Petz shared a private moment with Dante Acosta since Petz has a son in the Army and could only hope that he could maintain such grace as Dante. In the conversation it came up that while Rudy was home over Christmas-he insisted that they watch the documentary Restrepo together-in which the medic (Rudy was a medic) was KIA. Personally, it was a morning Petz will not soon forget. The Mayors Prayer Breakfast is a great annual event with tremdous speakers. Joe Messina and the Dumanis Group should be commended for the time and effort taken to hold it.
  29. BertaMay 6, 2011 at 12:22 pm
    Petz, a very good job of summing up this special event, thanks. One small correction though, Spanish was not the language spoken during one of the prayers. It was Italian. No prayer in Spanish was spoken.
  30. Josh PremakoMay 6, 2011 at 12:26 pm
    What do beards or being liberal have to do with a typo? Furthermore, while Randles’ beardedness is a matter of public record, what is the basis for the “liberal” tag?
  31. PetzMay 6, 2011 at 12:36 pm
    Petz just likes to mess around with Jonathan. He is a fairly talented reporter who always pulls the short straw and gets assigned to Tea Party events.
  32. MikeMay 6, 2011 at 12:37 pm
    Isn’t “Mayors Prayer Breakfast” bad grammar, anyway. Josh, you must admit, Randles has a liberal beard. It’s awesome, but it screams “redistribution of wealth”. It’s the Omar Little of beards.
  33. MikeMay 6, 2011 at 12:41 pm
    oops, should be: …anyway?
  34. Josh PremakoMay 6, 2011 at 1:25 pm
    I admit nothing! It should just be the May’er Breakfast. See what I did there?
  35. MikeMay 6, 2011 at 1:10 pm
    Nice recap Petz. Seems like a really nice breakfast, short on the stunt casting of yesteryear.
  36. PetzMay 7, 2011 at 4:47 am
    How could anyone not like the content or tone this first person account by Petz ? Are people’s minds so small that they cannot express a coherent response and just hit a thumbs down button because they do not “like” him. Increasing convinced that the thumbs down is a cheap form of hate speech.
  37. BertaMay 7, 2011 at 8:50 am
    Petz it is something I have observed as one of the problems we are facing in this country. Some people do not hear what others are saying because they are prejudiced against them. A few definitions of prejudice are: a preconceived judgment or opinion, an opinion or leaning adversely without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge is obtained, an irrational attitude of hostility directed at an individual, a group, or their supposed characteristics. There is a decided prejudice towards anyone with a different or conservative perspective on scvtalk. Please do not be discouraged. Some of us are listening to what you have to say, whether we agree or not. Listening and respectful discussion is how we learn about one another. For instance, I did not know until your post on the Mayors Prayer Breakfast that you have a son in the active military. That is something we have in common. I do not vote thumbs up or down since I believe it hinders discussion. No one wants to be on the receiving end of multiple thumbs down so they mostly stop expressing their genuine opinions. It is not usually about the content of the comments but prejudice against the individual or supposed ideology anyway. It is truly unfortunate that as Santa Clarita residents and Americans we cannot engage in civil discourse.
  38. JerryMay 7, 2011 at 9:27 am
    BGH From the pot calling the kettle black again? You should practice what you preach.
  39. BertaMay 7, 2011 at 9:58 am
    Jerry as usual you surface only to dig at me. I do practice what I preach. I do not have prejudices against anyone, not even you or Al and am always willing to listen. If I agree with Al I say so and when I disagree I also express my opinion. The difference is that I would never ask you to refrain from expressing your opinion even if I disagree with you. Since you only comment to make negative remarks about me, and would prefer I not opine there really is no substantive discussion possible. Any comments I make are based on the facts as I understand them or are my opinions formulated after reviewing the facts, usually culled from multiple sources. Both friends and foes have commented to me that they perceive me as fair minded and always willing to listen to their point of view when discussing the issue (s). Sorry Jerry I know you want to demonize me and that some folks agree with your negative comments. Regardless of the negative opinions expressed regarding me personally, I will remain true to my values and principles.
  40. JerryMay 7, 2011 at 10:36 am
    Sure Berta. You’re perfect, it is the world that is screwed up.
  41. BertaMay 7, 2011 at 11:56 am
    Jerry, if you say so…
  42. Venturan (NDMay 9, 2011 at 7:48 am
    What happened to GRAMPS ? He frequently admonished BGH to wake up and go back to sleep. Something tells me he was involved with the screenplay for Inception .
  43. MikeMay 7, 2011 at 9:41 am
    I think it’s a question of temperament. Some people rub people the wrong way. I think Petz gets a low score because a lot of people don’t get his schtick. I do, but a lot of people take it at face value, missing the humor. The other guy who’s getting hidden? Let’s just say he’s not the most endearing sort.
  44. CCMay 7, 2011 at 1:22 pm
    I appreciate Petz, but I do get a chuckle when he gets his panties all wadded up!
  45. BertaMay 6, 2011 at 12:25 pm
    Jeff early on it is evident to see that only the more conservative bloggers are receiving “low ratings” so there already is partisanship at work here.
  46. MikeMay 6, 2011 at 12:39 pm
    I’ve given you a thumbs up a few times already today, but whining will always get the thumbs down.
  47. BertaMay 6, 2011 at 1:06 pm
    Mike I have not looked at any of the thumbs up or down nor have I voted. I made a simple observation whether you consider it whining or not.
  48. JeffMay 6, 2011 at 1:55 pm
    Democracy at work. SCVTalk is the only blue site in SCV.
  49. Venturan (NDMay 6, 2011 at 2:53 pm
    The silent majority now has a voice!
  50. Bill ReynoldsMay 6, 2011 at 12:47 pm
    Hidden due to low comment rating . Click here to see . I’ve been on the sidelines watching Master Blogger Jeffrey’s little experiment play out knowing full well that conservative commenters are THE target for marginalizing. I commend Berta’s observation. I suspect this comment will soon accompany Petz’s comments.
  51. Gang FangMay 6, 2011 at 12:52 pm
    I wouldn’t say so much “target” as “obvious choice”.
  52. Bill ReynoldsMay 6, 2011 at 2:02 pm
    Obvious, if you have a liberal agenda. This will be hidden as well…
  53. Alan FerdmanMay 6, 2011 at 2:41 pm
    Immediate, I5 HSR routing, push back should come as no surprise. With right of way taking a 1/8 mile slice through wherever it goes, stations requiring a minimum footprint of 1 square mile, train traffic at 8 trains per hour and the route cutting off cross traffic except for limited under crossings, this project will be a disaster for the remaining neighborhoods. Even as the route is finalized and not one shovel full of dirt moved, property values in the area will tumble as the prospect of the project is disclosed. This project translates to a heavy handed use of eminent domain no matter which side of the valley it traverses. If it occurs on the west side, forget annexation into Santa Clarita. The area will be so isolated from Santa Clarita remaining residents will be seriously considerating forming their own city. If it occurs on the east side, Canyon Country east of the 14 will be treated even more like a distant relative than it is today. From the Santa Clarita Valley’s perspective, the only good thing that could happen is if the HSR project is cancelled outright.
  54. MikeMay 6, 2011 at 2:50 pm
    ZOMG! Trains! People have never lived near trains before! What’s going to happen!?
  55. Alan FerdmanMay 6, 2011 at 3:07 pm
    What if were your house being taken?
  56. Bill ReynoldsMay 6, 2011 at 3:05 pm
    Anyone seen Nate? http://hometownstation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24469:monkey-training-clarita-2011-05-06-13-23&catid=26:local-news&Itemid=97
  57. yourwebguruMay 7, 2011 at 1:07 pm
    This comment rating system is almost as entertaining as the blog itself! It’s kind of like a virtual Gong Show.
  58. PetzMay 8, 2011 at 5:32 am
    Saving America is not a game.
  59. NateMay 8, 2011 at 2:27 pm
    I never realized Scvtalk comments were Saving America! Learn something new every day.

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