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January 4, 2012· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

January 4, 2012 – Daily Brief

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

  • Councilman Frank Ferry’s wants Bob Kellar out as he endorses Ed Colley for City Council, calling the CLWA board member a man of “intelligence..integrity and courage” and saying he is an “excellent candidate” for the City Council. Ferry also endorses Laurie Ender. SIGNAL
  • Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami, also running for City Council, may have committed the cardinal sin (in literary and academic circles anyway) of plagiarism. SCVTalk’s own Mike D. uncovers the evidence from a recent post by Hatami on redevelopment agencies. The post, which appeared on the WRB, appears to lift several passages from newspapers, LAO documents, and other sources without citation. Reaching out to Jon Hatami for an official response; in the meantime check the explosive comments which appear to come from Hatami in which he calls Mike an “ass” and SCVTalk a “cancer” on the community SCVTALK
  • Update: Jon Hatami in a statement says “Did we cut and paste pieces from the research we did- of course we did. We went to numerous websites, journals, legislative articles, newspaper sites, and put together an article based upon the research of others. That happens all the time. Based upon the research we did, we drafted an article, and how this relates to the current situation in Newhall. It would have been more than easy to move all the words around, in order to not give credit, where credit is due. We didn’t do that. If anyone asked if we used the work of others to write our article, we would clearly say, “Yes.” This article was not turned into a legal journal or published as an original literary piece. It is a “letter” to the editor of a newspaper and blog site. It is “our opinion” based upon research of others, numerous articles, and how it relates to the current situation in our community.” Hatami has sent us a copy of the article in a Microsoft Word document, and it does indeed have endnotes for some of the lifted sections.
  • Ahhh damn: Steve Petzold is dropping out of the race for City Council. Citing the news that Frank Ferry is endorsing Ed Colley, Petz says he doesn’t want to “injure or damage the reelection bid of Bob Kellar.” Petz thanks his supporters “especially those at SCVTalk,” who encouraged him to run. Maybe in 2014 Steve!
  • In case you missed the late night drama, Mitt Romney defeated Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucuses by only 8 votes last night. It’s the closest finish in an Iowa caucus ever. Romney can’t seem to break 25% in Iowa, but New Hampshire is next week and he’s polling much better there. Analysis from Slate’s JOHN DICKERSON
  • Leon Worden has an interesting article on the proposed expansion of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, which is where most SCVers’ garbage ends up. Did you know the landfill uses falcons to scare off birds? Operators of the landfill want to expand it to 400 acres and allow it to operate beyond 2019 SCVNEWS
  • The other gravel mine: Daily News covers the proposed Sakaida Mine in Sylmar and residents’ attempts to kill it DAILY NEWS
  • The emergency winter homeless shelter is operating at 100% capacity and has burned through funding intended to last the entire season. But SCV residents have donated about $20k to help keep it in operation. The shelter actually had to turn people away in December for the first time in its history SCVNEWS
  • Are you liking the really hot weather? Well take a step back in time just one year ago to January 2, 2011, when the SCV got 1″ of the white stuff. Readers went wild, sending in pictures of snowball fights and snowmen. SCVTALK
  • Along the same lines, Carol Rock has a great retrospective on 2011 news events what it was like to cover them KHTS
  • Deputies get called out to search for a man and woman who reportedly robbed a Canyon Country man of jewelry. But it actually just turned out to be a family dispute. Go on. Shrug with me. SIGNAL
  • DUI driver asks cops to kill him. CHP officers tase him instead. Cue the Don’t Tase Me Bro jokes KHTS
  • The LA Arsonist case gets even stranger. The suspect’s mother was wanted in Germany on fraud charges following breast augmentation surgery. LA TIMES
  • Some Saugus Union District parents are upset that the District won’t open Emblem Elementary for another year. Citing construction delays and reduced enrollment (only about 125 students), the District says opening the school just doesn’t make sense SIGNAL
  • Looks like we may not need to worry about whether a California High Speed Rail line will go up the east side of the SCV or up the I-5 spine: a state board charged with recommending whether the state spend money on HSR has determined it’s not worth it SACBEE
  • John Boston’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 are distinctly SCV-flavored WRB
  • Art students dress up like famous paintings, take pictures for your enjoyment NEAT

Comments (59)

  1. ScvFanJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:00 am
    I wonder how Jon’s reputation would be TODAY had he emailed you the document, provided you an explanation and discussed the disagreement as adults? Man – his temper is HOT and rather scary.
  2. mikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:23 am
    “Silver Stars, Heart of Gold: The Steve Petzold Story” Next time, Petz! Thanks for remembering your base.
  3. LarMccJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:25 am
    What am I going to do with the 500 Petz 2012 shirts I just ordered?
  4. Phil EllisJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:48 am
    I’ll take one.
  5. PetzJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:56 pm
    Saugus Swap Meet-still have a bunch of Meg Whitmans at my house. Excellent for cleaning windows.
  6. LarMccJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:24 am
    I read the statement. There is nothing in there disavowing the Jr. High level rant yesterday allegedly coming from Hatami. This is even a bigger issue for me than the plagiarism issue. We already have one obnoxious big baby on the council. We do not need another one. I am publicly demanding that Hatami address if yesterdays comments were indeed made by him.
  7. LarMccJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:52 pm
    In regards to his comments yesterday, I got my question answered on his Facebook page. This may explain the Jon/Jonathan thing: “Mr. McClements, the last comment under Jonathan Hatami, was mine. The first few were made by a member of the campaign. He had good intentions, but it was wrong to respond that way. I am ultimately responsible, so I apologize for all of the comments.”
  8. NateJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:40 am
    Not a very good Juke from Juking Jon.
  9. mikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:46 am
    In his statement, Hatami admitted to plagiarism, he just doesn’t know what it means. Best part (emphasis added): “ Did we cut and paste pieces from the research we did – Of course we did. We are not trying to hide that. We went to numerous websites, journals, legislative articles, newspaper sites, and put together an article based upon the research of others. That happens all the time. ” Excuse me? It happens all the time before people get kicked off a newspaper or suspended from school. Furthermore, his bit about “bloggers” making a fuss over his ethnicity is some nonsense. You won’t find a single instance of me making any issue of his name.
  10. LarMccJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:57 am
    This line is a good one too: “I really did not think I needed to actually supply footnotes for opinion articles.” I was not an English major, but I think he is a bit off on this one. Also, I think the last name references were from Petz.
  11. NateJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:04 am
    Good thing he went through school before there was a turnitin.com
  12. AlpinerJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:24 am
    All he had to do was put quote marks around the comments and state where they came from and that he agreed with them. This is third grade stuff. Any support I had for him in the first place is now gone.
  13. MikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:39 am
    I’ll repeat this as long as this is his defense: a) Even with footnotes, you don’t take entire sentences verbatim or lift whole passages with minor tweaks and not quote the material. He offered it as though he wrote it. Open and shut plagiarism. b) Footnotes are an odd fit for an opinion column, so instead you give credit in the text. Also, see (a)
  14. NateJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:00 am
    He gets caught and tries to twist it into an attack on him. Poor lil’ me! I am under attack because I love Santa Clarita more than they do! The reason he was caught was because “his” letter was too coherent than his normal gibberish. It is times like these when I miss the “bearded” Johnny Randles! The articles he would write about Hatami! I doubt the Signal will ever publish a known plagiarist.
  15. RemStarJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:59 am
    in other words, this is what we’ve heard from Jon Hatami: “Did I copy, verbatim, the work and words of others and reuse it without attribution. Yes, of course I did. Did I present and represent those words as my own? Yes and I did so intentionally. Had I not wanted to do that, I would have reworked the copied text more rigorously in order to mask my appropriation of the intellectual product of other people. Did I produce a Word document, after the fact, showing a few endnotes? Yes i did, as part of my cover up, ummm, I mean, explanation. Did I think I could get away with this because my “research” (which is really a compilation of the research and thoughts of other people) was being “published” in a local “blog” rather than a professional journal? Yes, that’s correct. Do I have anger issues? Yes, and f’k you for asking. Does Adam need to get a life? Yes. Can I spell plagiarism? Yes, now I can, but I couldn’t yesterday. Do I believe Mike is stupid, simple minded, uneducated, a moron and an ass? Yes, and I hope to win his vote insulting him and his discovery of my “research”. Did I mean to fly off the handle? No, but let me take this opportunity to threaten you with a libel suit. What do I know about SCVTalk? Having just recently learned about this site (shortly after I got a hair up my ass urging me to run for council), I’ve concluded this site brings nothing positive to Santa Clarita, only focuses on the negative, only criticizes, is a cancer, is mean spirited, is extremely negative, non-productive, and worse than the National Enquirer. Wow. What an undisciplined hothead. Imagine how he would have reacted if he didn’t have a Juris Doctorate and such a “great life.” and besides, ANY college graduate can get into law school somewhere; sometimes it just requires going all of the way to Lincoln, Nebraska, to find a crappy law school that will admit them. What happened, Jon, you couldn’t get into Western State Law School?
  16. NateJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:03 am
    Classic! Footnote version of last nights comments!
  17. NateJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:18 am
    *sorry I meant cliffnote version, just had footnotes on the mind.
  18. RNDDUDEJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:04 am
    Remstar, great summation.
  19. RemStarJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:25 am
    Sorry for the typos. I was laughing so hard it was difficult to give it a good edit. Seriously, a sub name for SCVTalk could be “The Online Home People in the SCV Who Love Politics and Pray for Electoral Upsets.” So, how does a “smart person” with a law degree and the attractive professional background of a deputy district attorney who isntrying to take out an incumbent Councilmember proceed to alienate and anger this group? Seriously, the reaction is more troubling than the offense (which was quite disconcerting itself). This “law and order” guy would be a horrible police officer given his apparent complete lack of discipline and self control. But, really, what just happened?
  20. MikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:15 am
    Brilliant! With your dig at Nebraska, Tim will be back in the fray in no time
  21. Timothy Myers SR.January 4, 2012 at 11:39 am
    RemStar: I am a bit slow to rise to the defense of the University of Nebraska after their poor performance in the Capital One Bowl, but the law school is actually ranked 84 so a solid second tier law school. Compare that with my alma mater, Drake University, which is unranked in the third tier and Western State which is firmly in the fourth tier. http://www.top-law-schools.com/third-fourth-tier.html
  22. Coastal SageJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:00 am
    I read the news story on the proposed Sakaida gravel strip mine in Sylmar. Los Angeles County has jurisdiction over the permit, and the City of Los Angeles is likely to object. The news story reminded me of the day, in 2002, when I sat in the Board of Supervisors’ chambers and watched the Los Angeles County Counsel’s staff, with complicit Board of Supervisors members, take a “swan dive” intentionally violating the procedural due process rights of the Soledad Mine operator, CeMex, so that CeMex would end up with a County permit even though Supervisor Mike Antonovich “vehemently” opposed the issuance of the permits on behalf of his constituents. The game which was played in 2002 was for the County to take the swan dive at the Board of Supervisors hearing, then simply waive the white flag of surrender in the quiet confines of a Federal court room. In 2002 the City Council of Santa Clarita opposed the CeMex mine, and the City staff and lawyers had obtained the most perfect, detailed, sophisticated scientific expert witness reports on the negative health, air quality and traffic congestion impacts of the mine, which I had ever seen in 24 years of watching and participating in CEQA cases. The Board of Supervisors had all of the documents they needed to legitimately deny the mining permit under CEQA, at the City of Santa Clarita’s request. If the hearing before the Board of Supervisors had gone forward on the merits, the Board of Supervisors would have had to address the substantive content of those reports, and if the Supervisors voted to grant the permit, the City and other project opponents would have gone through the normal California court litigation process under CEQA. However, the goal of those members of the Board of Supervisors supporting the CeMex mine was to keep the case OUT of the California courts. As a result, once CeMex’s lawyer began his presentation on why CeMex should have been granted the County permit for the mine, a certain Board of Supervisors member became angry at the lawyer’s “bad attitude” (which wasn’t really bad or inappropriate), and the Supervisor made a motion to stop the hearing and deny the permit. The motion had the effect of denying CeMex its due process rights and also prevented the City of Santa Clarita’s representatives ever getting to make their presentation of evidence to support denial of the permit. The majority of the Supervisors “angry at CeMex’s rudeness” voted to deny the CeMex permit. Hundreds of Santa Claritans in attendance wildly clapped in favor of the rigged vote to deny the mining permit application without completing the hearing to which the mining applicant was entitled under California law. As the motion was made to stop the hearing and deny the permit, and as the vote was taken I sat there shocked at the sophisticated dodge by the County officials, who had wanted to grant the permit to CeMex without “embarrassing” Supervisor Antonovich in front of his 100′s of constituents in attendance. The clever maneuver of stopping the hearing before the Supervisors from being completed was, to me, like sitting in the stands at the 1919 World Series while knowing that the White Sox team members were throwing the games. Of course, in the year or so after that day at the Board of Supervisors hearing room, after CeMex filed a Federal court lawsuit against the County for denying their permits needed for the mine. The County Counsel’s office IMMEDIATELY sided with CeMex in court and a very presumptuous U.S. District Court judge awarded CeMex their permits, over the vehement protestations of the City of Santa Clarita and residents who would live near the mine. The City spent $100,000 or so in legal fees trying to undo, in court, the County “taking a dive” like the White Sox players did in 1919. However, the Federal judge (an old curmudgeon who hated California law, let alone CEQA,) was having none of it because the plaintiff mine owner and the defendant County were in agreement. So good luck to the City of Los Angeles, the residents of Sylmar opposing the strip mine and the retired firefighter pictured in the Daily News article to which SCVTALK links today. Because the County “threw the game”, like the White Sox players did, no one will ever know if Supervisor Antonovich actually opposed the CeMex mine permits in 2002, nor will anyone ever know whether he actually opposes permits the proposed Sakaida gravel strip mine in Sylmar. If a majority of the Board of Supervisors decides to approve the Sylmar mine, over the protestations of the City of Los Angeles, the Supervisors, County Counsel and County Planning staff will probably follow the same procedure as they did in 2002, “throwing the game” in a way which will not embarrass Supervisor Antonovich in front of his constituents.
  23. PetzJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:34 am
    The following is the official announcement issued this morning exclusively to SCVTALK.com ————————————————————————————— Steve Petzold is saddened to announce that he will not be turning in the required paperwork necessary to become a candidate for city council. I want to thank all of those who provided me with advice and messages of support, especially those at SCVTALK, friends, neighbors, fellow Realtors, and partners at my church. From the beginning, I indicated that my candidacy for office should not injure or damage the reelection bid of Bob Kellar. This morning’s announcement in The Signal that Frank Ferry would support Ed Colley made it clear that as a candidate, I may siphon votes away from Bob Kellar. This election will be about powerful personalities, and less about issues of great importance to the citizens of the Santa Clarita Valley. Tim Myers and a noted local political analyst have pointed out that Laurie Ender has an incredibly deep reach into her base area of support. The result of this would be that my campaign would largely be an effort to unseat Councilman Kellar. This cold fact is not acceptable to me given the close results in last council election. I am not delusional. From the beginning I knew that my odds of winning election to either seat were slim to none. It was my desire to campaign on Conservative principles applied to local issues. Needless to say this often put me on the opposite side of the widely held views of the electorate at large. Unfortunately, this factor is usually not found in the formula for electoral success. The desire to engage in public service is one to be admired. Each candidate has formidable work to do just to get their names on the ballot. Only after meeting with the city clerk does one really gain an appreciation of this fact. We should be appreciative of the effort that all candidates subject themselves to before entering the arena. God Bless all of you and the city of Santa Clarita. Steve Petzold
  24. JeffJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:38 am
    Cheers to you Steve! BTW, you already made an irrevocable mark on City Hall when you got the quotations removed!
  25. Capt. GeneJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:45 am
    Capt. Gene has met Petz, Capt. Gene likes Petz, but Capt. Gene would never support Petz for city council. Capt. Gene says Petz is on the wrong side of the Cemex issue.
  26. Phil EllisJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:11 am
    It is difficult to find a candidate that is in 100% agreement with your own views.
  27. Capt. GeneJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:58 am
    True, but Cemex is a litmus test as far as Capt. Gene is concerned. I starting to dig the third person thing.
  28. MikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 12:10 pm
    Don’t you mean “Captain Gene is starting to dig the third person thing.”
  29. Capt. GeneJanuary 4, 2012 at 12:47 pm
    Yes, that’s exactly what Capt. Gene meant to say.
  30. BertaJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:13 am
    Petz, well said.
  31. CCJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:34 am
    Not you AND Bachmann on the same day. Say it ain’t so.
  32. MikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:44 am
    This leaves Scott Wilk as my only past dinner guest who is on a ballot this spring.
  33. CCJanuary 4, 2012 at 1:40 pm
    I guess I’m not going to get that stipend for running his campaign.
  34. Quotation MarksJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:42 am
    Just when I was out out , they pull me back in!
  35. JaneJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:49 am
    Ed Colley and courageous – what has he ever done that was even the slightest bit courageous?
  36. Need for Involved CitizenryJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:07 am
    Ed consistently (except for the last SCWD vote where he did not like a portion of the new rate methodology) voted to raise Santa Clarita Water and CLWA rates in the face of ratepayer opposition… Now that was real courage to go along with how his collegues were voting!
  37. Capt. GeneJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:09 am
    He was endorsed by who? Frank Ferry? Oh, O.K., thanks, that makes my decision a lot easier.
  38. Coastal SageJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:24 am
    Does anyone have an explanation for why Mrs. Colley infrequently shows up to fulfill her obligations as an elected Director of the Newhall County Water District?
  39. MikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:33 am
    I know that was an issue in the first year, but I checked recently, and IIRC, her attendance record as of late is in line with the others. I don’t know about her performance.
  40. Coastal SageJanuary 4, 2012 at 12:03 pm
    She was AWOL for the developer-critical meeting needed to approve water service to the balance of the Tesoro del Valle project. As a consequence the motion-to-serve didn’t get the required 3 votes.
  41. spineflower2January 4, 2012 at 11:18 am
    Hmmm, he coinsiders his article on Bossert’s site to be just like a “letter to the editor”, yet charges that SCVTalk is “journalism” and can therefore be sued for libel? He’s going to need a chiropractor to fix his back after all this “Twist and Shout”-ing!
  42. Coastal SageJanuary 4, 2012 at 12:07 pm
    Food for thought: One trial court says bloggers are not journalists, and thus not entitled to the heightened standard of protection which newspapers receive in libel suits. See: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/12/crystal-cox-and-bloggers-as-journalists
  43. BertaJanuary 4, 2012 at 12:26 pm
    J according to http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/libel libel 1) n. to publish in print (including pictures), writing or broadcast through radio, television or film, an untruth (emphasis added)… Jon Hatami has admitted to copy paste activities of another’s work so Mike’s brief does not meet the legal definition of libel anyway!
  44. MikeJanuary 4, 2012 at 12:40 pm
    I think she’s putting a fine point saying that the common understanding of what traditional journalists are allowed to say may not apply to bloggers – or so said one court. Obviously the facts of the cases are wildly different, and there isn’t anything libelous here – or even unfair. Even still, I won’t discourage from making good on his threat to sue me. Someone needs to school him on the proper definitions of plagiarism and libel, and he isn’t taking our word for it.
  45. CCJanuary 4, 2012 at 1:33 pm
    It would add to our entertainment, but I wouldn’t want it to be at your expense. Poor Poor Jon. See-ya!
  46. ToddJanuary 4, 2012 at 1:31 pm
    Due respect counselor, but that ruling has to do with shield laws as to whether a journalist must reveal their sources, and not to libelous claims. As far as I’m aware, the actual malice standard set in NYT vs Sullivan applies as much to the common man as it does to journalists.
  47. AlpinerJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:22 pm
    Todd you are correct on that one.
  48. Coastal SageJanuary 4, 2012 at 6:57 pm
    Crystal, the blogger/journalist, thought the “actual malice” standard applied to her, because the person she “criticized” was a public person under classical definitions derived from the NYTimes/Sullivan case, but the Federal judge described in the Electronic Frontier Foundation essay disagreed.
  49. NOT Buck McKeonJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:10 pm
    My fault. I was at work and read only briefly and saw shield law, and latched on to the paragraph arguing that the judge misapplied the shield law. That being said, I would doubt that SCOTUS would uphold this. Chilling effect all over it. Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America and who’s name appears on my degree from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication didn’t have a degree in Journalism… would you suggest that should have been open to such actions? I believe, even this conservative court, would disagree. Guess its neither here nor there, as it appears that the people’s counselor has conceded that some form of plagiarism has happened by making a corrective action. Best libel defense is always the truth!
  50. CCJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:37 am
    Wow…just Wow!
  51. The Venturan formerly known as NDJanuary 4, 2012 at 1:31 pm
    Anyone who is paying attention reads this blog. If Hatami loses these readers, he’s left with the ignorant – who glance at the spamazines with the incumbents touched up on the front cover. So… if I’m Jon Hatami and I decide I hate all things SCVTalk… I’d go all Johnny Pride on this b*tch: roll the sleeves up, get cozy with SCV Magazine and hope for a special fold-out/pin up section replete with bulging biceps, cop cars, Ray-Bans, helicopters and the K-9 unit. That may be the lone untapped tug for the north Valencia Ender vote, who only have Frank Ferry to lust after on this Council. **shudders**
  52. CCJanuary 4, 2012 at 1:39 pm
    HA! True enough.
  53. BertaJanuary 4, 2012 at 2:58 pm
    Jon’s excuses, I mean responses: http://westranchbeacon.com/2012/01/hatami-campaign-responds-to-accusations-of-plagiarism/#more-40737
  54. ToddJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:21 pm
    Wait, so in one breath (here) he says his piece was footnoted. In his response on the Beacon, he admits to not providing a “documented footnote page.” So, did he (or someone in his campaign) or didn’t he (or someone in his campaign)?
  55. Phil EllisJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:50 pm
    According to his comments in the WRB, he doesn’t seem to understand the importance of the City’s boundaries – I wonder where he will spend his time campaigning. Since he is big on safety, I would hope that he understands that the City pays the Sheriff’s department to patrol in the City – at an increased level over the County.
  56. AdamJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:04 pm
    Jon’s whole demeanor throughout this whole thing kept tugging at something in the back of mind. Then a little while ago it hit me. http://youtu.be/aoMmbUmKN0E “Jon Hatami doesn’t read SCVtalk because it’s garbage! The Editor is Garbage!” “Jon Hatami is a man! He’s a DA!” I could just imagine everything Hatami typed last night being spoken the same way as Gundy.
  57. The Venturan formerly known as NDJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:23 pm
    Gah! Another “u-tube” video from the 2%.
  58. ToddJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:24 pm
    They call him FAT!
  59. brookJanuary 4, 2012 at 3:19 pm
    WELCOME BACK JEFF! Your brief was a refreshing read today! Congrats on the new degree!

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