- Home and condo sales rose 2.6 and 1.5 percent respectively in the SCV in 2011, according to a Realtor's report. More demand for homes would equal median price increase right? Curiously, no- median home prices were down 10.2 percent to $364k for a home while condo prices declined 7.5 percent to $210k. The SCV still has an anemic supply of houses according to the report SIGNAL, SCV NEWS
- City Council wrap: Councilmembers made committee appointments, took on $93 million in debt as the Newhall Redevelopment agency was axed, and heard more complaints about that guy with the tennis court in his back yard in Newhall I HEART SCV, SIGNAL
- Meanwhile, the County has adopted a dark skies resolution for unincorporated areas that "promises to cut down on light pollution." This should be named the Petz' Sky Ordinance as Steve Petzold has been championing this freedom-slaying, liberty-crushing idea for yearsSIGNAL
- City Council candidate Jon Hatami has picked up an endorsement from former LASD Captain (and 2008 Council candidate) Bob Spierer. Hatami also was endorsed by Krissy McAffee, the mother of a 24 year old man who died of a heroin overdose two years ago. McAffee shined a spotlight on heroin abuse in the SCV before the City Council. SIGNAL
- Really Patricia blogger unearths SecState filing showing that Patricia McKeon has sunk $40k of her own money into her campaign for state Assembly RP BLOG
- Harry Welch, the former Canyon High football coach whose long career has had moments of great triumph and troubling accusations, may be in trouble again at his coaching post in Orange County. Mums the word but Welch has been placed on leave amid accusations of something involving a student/athlete. SCV NEWS
- When did we start dubbing ourselves Hollywood North? Neat profile of Santa Clarita's movie ranches in the LA Times; even Quentin Tarantino weighs in, saying "it's a blast shooting here," referring to P-Canyon's Melody ranch. "Most other western towns look like dollhouses. This has the complete look. It's fantastic." LA TIMES
- Speaking of celebrities and the SCV, Anthony Bourdain will visit the PAC on February 9. The Times says "renowned culinary bad boy will tell all." LA TIMES
- Hart Supe Challinor says the state budget for education is so bad that classrooms are bursting at the seams and the next thing on the chopping block may be athletics and visual/performing arts. He wants more money, plain and simple, telling
Leon WordenMark Archuletathat "We've got to make these issues real to our state legislators. They have to understand that if California is going to continue to thrive as a state, they can't fund educational programs near the bottom of the 50 states." SCV NEWS - Speaking of schools, this depressing but un-sourced stat on SCV students is quite troubling: "In the Santa Clarita Valley, home of the arguably best API scores in the State, 88% of the high school graduates need remedial math, English or both when entering college." Phew! I only needed remedial math upon graduating Hart HighCAL POLITICS BLOG
- Buck McKeon was "edgy" and "difficult to deal with" back in 1998 when he was attempting to close the deal on his now well-known "Friends of Angelo" Mortgage with Countrywide according to a liberal blogger who references the AV Press, which itself highlighted portions of the Darryl Issa report on the matter. Around the same time, Buck McKeon was going through the Howard & Phil's bankruptcy according to the blogger. DOWN WITH TYRANNY
- Pile on: spot the spelling error in a recent Buck McKeon mailer BUCK STOPS NOW
- Meanwhile, the Really Patricia? blogger speculates on why Assembly candidate Scott Wilk "released" the endorsement of his friend Tony Strickland. RP BLOG
- Thems Fightin' Words: What did you think of President Obama's STOTU speech? I found it aggressive and was refreshed to see Obama defend himself a bit. I also liked the theme: you know what, America's military is really good at killing people and breaking things, why can't we be good at other things too? Buck McKeon, taking the GOP line yesterday, says it was a campaign speech. SIGNAL
- Carl Goldman at KHTS says the SCV lost a "jewel" when Clyde Smyth died on Sunday night. "Clyde was all thats good about Santa Clarita. He would always give a straight answer, often flavored with his wry sense of humor. He didnt just talk the talk and he didnt just walk the walk. Clyde led the walk," he writes KHTS
- From housewife to apparent "community activist" and finally savvy political columnist, Pat McKeon dazzles in her red meat Democrat attack piece in the Signal today SIGNAL
- I don't usually link to him because I find him verbose and tedious but Chris Sharp's column in the WRB today on Romney is good. Romney gets painted as an inhuman stick figure who is overmanaged and over-groomed by the best paid minds in politics WRB
- John Boston says to increase traffic safety in the SCV, we ought to give driver's licenses to people only after they turn 40 WRB
- Speaking of traffic safety, LA Observed picked up on my Newhall Pass Disaster Planning Tool. We should build an iPhone app for this LA OBSERVED
- Facebook reports indicate a Gold's Gym is opening up in the old Borders space. Is Gold's Gym a right fit for Valencia?
- Big Picture takes you inside the Lunar New Year celebrations (Year of the Dragon edition) BIG PICTURE
Nine years of the Valley’s town square · 2006–2015
