March 28, 2012 – Daily Brief — The SCV Talk Archive

A group of eight local Democrats asked the City of Santa Clarita to tighten up security around the storage and handling of vote by mail ballots at last night's City Council meeting. Carole Lutness says she's not criticizing, but would like to see the City store ballots behind a door with two locks and provide keys to that door to two different people (aka the Crimson Tide option). City Manager Pulskamp says the ballots are already very secure and Marsha McLean worries that concerns about ballot security would spread through social media. SIGNAL, I HEART

Also on the agenda last night, addressing cut through truck traffic in neighborhoods as diverse as Bridgeport, Friendly Valley and Benz Road. On the Bridgeport cut through, are semi trucks cutting through Bridgeport to avoid CHP traps of semi trucks using the Cross Valley Connector as a cut-through to avoid the weigh station on I-5? SIGNAL

City officials have to like what the Atlantic magazine is reporting today about the library takeover debate in 2010. The Atlantic talked to Bob Kellar & Darren Hernandez about the change. Kellar, the only one to vote against the rash move, says he hasn't heard any complaints about the city's libraries since LSSI took over operation last year. The magazine notes that hours have increased, but no one really knows how much LSSI is making off the deal, but as long as any extra money is going to Maryland rather than lazy library worker pensions, it's all good, right? ATLANTIC MAG

Good news in the Spring watch: Mayor Laurie Ender tours the new library, hard hat and all. CITY BRIEFS

Saugus Union school district denies hybrid home school/classroom charter school. On a 4-1 vote, the District said APART, which would "combine the home-schooling model with traditional classroom-based learning" was unsound educationally and dubious financially. It's the fourth such denial for the APART leaders. SIGNAL

Democrat Edwarad Headington and Republican Scott Wilk held a 'debate' yesterday at COC. But it wasn't much of a debate with the two candidates largely agreeing with each other on what needs to be done in California, with Headington going so far as to say he'd vote for Wilk if he wasn't running. McKeon & Strickland were no-shows, but Strickland may have had a valid excuse. Jim Holt's description of the thin crowd at the debate is priceless and a must-read. SIGNAL

Opposite Day #1: Speaking of Strickland, the CTA's endorsement of the Assembly candidate was eyebrow-raising enough that the LA Times took notice. The CTA told the Times it endorsed a Republican because Strickland is a Hart Board member "liked by local teachers." LA TIMES

Opposite Day #2: If a liberal teacher's union endorsing a Republican isn't enough for you, how about our current Republican Assemblyman Cameron Smyth voting with majority Democrats to help soften the blow to local cities following the end of redevelopment agencies? Smyth's support for AB1585 helped put the bill over the top in the Assembly; it now goes on to the State Senate where Smyth expects no or few Republicans will support it. KHTSCVTVNEWS

I received a fancy tri-fold mailer from Disney yesterday about the Studios at the Ranch project. The mailer touts the economic benefits of the project (2800 jobs at build-out, millions in new economic activity etc) and contains a detailed site plan for the Placerita Canyon property and some new artist renderings. It strikes me that Disney is trying really hard to sell us SCVers on this project, reminding us that Walt Disney himself brought film projects to Golden Oak Ranch in the 1950s. STUDIOS AT THE RANCH

An upgrade to the National Weather Service's radar equipment in Oxnard could provide more detailed and accurate weather prediction and information for the SCV SIGNAL

County supes orders audit into Sheriff's Department aero bureau on charges of conspiring to manipulate bidding on helicopter equipment. DAILY NEWS

Remember that other high speed rail project, the 150mph train that would whisk gamblers and partiers from Victorville to Vegas in as little as four hours? The Obama administration may loan $4.9 billion to the company to get started on the 200 mile rail project. There was talk of extending the Victorville stop to the Antelope Valley (or alternatively, Anaheim) at one point. Republicans have creatively trashed the DesertXpress project before as a high speed train for Hollywood Elites that goes from Disneyland to Las Vegas. HSR BLOG

The LA Dodgers may be purchased by an investment group that includes Magic Johnson KHTS

I got 10 out of 12 answers correct on the City's 25th Anniversary quiz. How did you do? CITY

Kevin Buck continues with part 2 of his touching column about watching his Marine son deploy to Afghanistan SIGNAL

Even I'm starting to feel sorry for Patricia McKeon and voter reaction to her somewhat vapid statements at last week's candidates forum. LTEs are predictably brutal