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July 19, 2012 – Daily Brief

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

  • An 80 year old man who was suffering from a recent diagnosis of stomach cancer and had a “low will to live” hanged himself by the neck from a peach tree in an open space area between Wiley Canyon road and the South Fork bike trail. He was found dead by area residents yesterday morning.SIGNAL
  • The 20 year old Stevenson Ranch man who lured young girls to the mall over Facebook and other social networks then allegedly molested them there could face life in prison if found guilty on 34 charges involving 17 victims. A Superior court judge ruled his trial should start July 31 SIGNAL, KHTS
  • In a recent letter to the California High Speed Rail Authority, the City of Santa Clarita says it’s not opposed to HSR in the state, it just doesn’t like how it runs through the SCV and thinks we should have a do-over vote on funding for the ambitious project. All this as Jerry Brown moves the project forward KHTS
  • Apparently Michael Dean Stephens, the young man who murdered then-20 year old Josh Pipho during a shockingly violent fight at a Stevenson Ranch party in 2007, appealed his conviction to the State Supreme court recently But the Court refused to hear his case so it’s back to the klink on a 17-to-life stretch for Stephens. KHTS
  • The Castaic High school Environmental Impact Report is a bit delayed but will be released next week according to the SIGNAL. What’s a couple of weeks when you’ve been waiting a decade or longer?
  • The City has released a new website targeting newbie SCV residents. The site, WelcometoSantaClarita.com “serves as a virtual welcome package for new residents and business owners interested in learning more about services and programs provided by the city.” I find most new SCVers lack one thing: geographic awareness. They often fail to look up City boundaries and thus, settle down in the newest parts of town which are often unincorporated. Too bad this site doesn’t appear to have a map with large red arrows pointing to the City boundaries that says “Live inside here for your own good!” Also, the site includes a very enthusiastic Frank Ferry video welcome message WELCOME TO SANTA CLARITA.COM
  • The new Santa Clarita Transit North Hollywood Express route is so popular that there is often standing-room only on the buses. The route connects commuters in SCV with the North Hollywood Red Line subway terminal and has experienced a 45% increase in riders, so the City will be adding more new trips to the line. Also the City’s Transit division is ending its service from the Antelope Valley to the SCV, which will probably impact some low-wage workers who commute from the Antelope Valley to the low-wage job rich SCV. An AVTA transit service will stand up some AV to SCV routes in its place, but they run off-peak so workers will probably have to drive into the SCV. SIGNAL
  • Dem Lee Rogers finishes review of McKeon’s just-released mortgage documents, concludes that McKeon assertions about the sweetheart loan were “not true” and says McKeon was essentially given a gift from Countrywide with a value of at least $4,150. He then reiterates his call to McKeon to pay back that amount to the US Treasury “since it was the taxpayer who bailed out Countrywide with TARP funds, which McKeon voted for.” WRB
  • McKeon: the government creates jobs after all, so please don’t cut my defense budget WRB
  • Heroic 15 year old boy sees his 8 year old brother choking on an ice cream cone, performs Heimlich maneuver and saves his life LTE
  • Lynne Plambeck marks the 10 year anniversary (holy cow has it been that long?!?) of John Quigley mounting Old Glory oak tree in Pico canyon with a piece about Oak Tree slaughter in various canyons and areas of town SIGNAL
  • “Some years ago The Signal published a brochure for the Chamber of Commerce setting forth all the glories of the Upper Little Santa Clara Valley. One of the big points we crowed about was our ‘Smog Free Rural Beauty.’ It was true. There was not a wisp of LA’/s stenchful vapors in these parts. The mornings would start crystal clear, and the skies would be marred only by the afternoon haze that seems characteristic of California. Then as the megalopolis over the hill exploded in all directions, a gradual change came about. Now and then along the Santa Susanna ridge to the south, an edging of greenish smog would appear. It never came over the ridge, but it was evident nonetheless.As more years passed, the poison gas began to ooze through the cuts and saddles in the hills. It invaded the valley mile by mile as time passed and now there are days when our own air seems two-thirds phosgene. Thank you, Los Angeles, for another of your abundant blessings.” TIME RANGER
  • Are you getting excited about the Olympics? I am. Where’s the best Fish ‘n Chips in town with good TVs? BIG PICTURE

Comments

55 · as published
  1. ToddJuly 19, 2012 at 2:41 AM PT
    Very sad about the gentleman who took his own life… The Orchard Arms seems like a rather depressing place in general. Heard they’re renovating, hoping they’ll bring some energy to it as part of that. But the grammar on that should be that he “hanged” himself. It seems wrong nunis used when it is an execution or suicide. To have “hung” oneself is accidental. Again, Signal fail.
  2. pattyJuly 19, 2012 at 4:43 AM PT
    Hanged is the proper past tense of the verb meaning to put to death (including suicide.) Very sad.
  3. BertaJuly 19, 2012 at 5:22 AM PT
    So many folks are lonely and depressed these days. This tragedy is a reminder to call old friends and chat, reach out and hug those you love, tell them that you care about them.
  4. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 5:32 AM PT
    Truly…. depression can be terribly debilitating.
  5. Timothy Myers SRJuly 19, 2012 at 5:49 AM PT
    The problem is that since humans are basically optimistic, depression that would cause someone to commit suicide is a medical condition that requires medical treatment. Diseases, such as cancer, can also cause clinical depression that needs to be treated in tandem with the cancer. Calling people, while it won’t hurt, is probably not going to be sufficient. The gentleman needed treatment from a qualified psychiatrist.
  6. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 7:52 AM PT
    Have you ever experienced depression, Tim?
  7. BrookJuly 24, 2012 at 6:01 AM PT
    Dr. Tim I presume?
  8. CCJuly 19, 2012 at 2:49 AM PT
    Regarding the LA Smog, perhaps you could do another piece similar to the moat and we could install giant fans, or better yet, wind generated turbines to blow it back to LA.
  9. JeffJuly 19, 2012 at 3:54 AM PT
    That piece that John Boston excerpted was written by the Signal in 1962, back when smog was visible, had a smell, and scared mothers into bringing their children in doors. We’ve largely solved that problem on most days I think…we have really clear skies now. Now the main worry is invisible “smog”- ozone, which, when breathed, is like a sunburn on your lungs, and particulate matter from diesel emissions. A City official once told me that a large majority of the SCV’s air quality problems now are a result of truck and vehicular traffic on Highway 14 and I-5. The stuff just follows the traffic. Most of it isn’t blowing into the SCV as smog used to. So I’ve been bitching for a few years that those 18 wheeler trucks, which are part of our brave new competitive globalized marketplace, are essentially polluting our skies with toxins for free. And there are various coalitions around that want to expand the I-5, to make it even more truck friendly, which will bring even more ozone and particulate pollution to the SCV. Doesn’t seem right to me to allow massive globalized shipping companies and cargo companies to pollute our air without any remediation (ie $$$$).
  10. Coastal SageJuly 19, 2012 at 4:46 AM PT
    While Santa Clarita may look like it has clear skies now, the air from Downtown LA to San Bernardino is still profoundly dirty during the summer. The situation will only become worse as the Los Angeles metropolitan area adds several million new residents over the next 30 years. In part of his plan to pander to polluters in an effort to be re-elected, President Obama personally vetoed tougher air quality standards which his EPA Director had carefully negotiated, for months, with Washington representatives of industrial corporations and public health organizations. As to the LA metropolitan area, the EPA is a joke in terms of enforcement of the Clean Air Act. On the weekend before the Fourth of July, the view coming down the Cajon Pass into the Rancho Cucamonga area showed a disgusting wide greasy brown streak in the sky, when looking towards the entire western horizon. From Baldwin Park and Downtown LA, the 360 degree view was the greasy brown streak in the air. That same weekend there was no view from the Getty Museum to the east, because the greasy looking brown streak which covered the entire eastern LA metropolitan area. Even the buildings in Century City were not visible. If one believes long standing explanations from elected officials in Santa Clarita and the urbanized areas of Ventura County, when wind conditions are right the brown polluted air blows out to sea and when the wind shifts the particulate matter and other air contaminants blow back into Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Fillmore, Castaic and Santa Clarita. The air in Santa Clarita is not clean, and according to SCV pediatricians who speak from practical experience, Santa Clarita’s children have asthma to a far greater extent than America’s average child. By the end of the next 30 year period, due to unstoppable population increase and due to government’s inability/unwillingness to control the creation of particulate matter which forms in this urban environment, the LA metropolitan area, including eastern Ventura County and Santa Clarita, will have air quality as bad as that found in the disgusting dark brown and yellow air seen today in Quito, Equador and Mexico City.
  11. BertaJuly 19, 2012 at 5:27 AM PT
    In addition, please do not forget to factor in all of the extra pollution and dust particles contributed by the thousands of cement trucks from the proposed CEMEX mine project into our toxic air/soup mix of the future.
  12. Need for Involved CitizenryJuly 19, 2012 at 4:00 PM PT
    I’ve been subscribing to the AQMD air qualitz alerts. The SCV has air quality on par with the San Bernardino areas. There are many days with Moderate air quality and there have been several with Hazardous or Unhealthful. While geography plays a part, the amount of driving and commutng that local residents must do plays a significant role.
  13. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 3:22 AM PT
    This is a blog so who really gives a crap about mispselled words or grammar. Try typing on your IPhone….
  14. Josh PremakoJuly 19, 2012 at 3:55 AM PT
    (raises hand) I give a crap about Grammer.
  15. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 3:57 AM PT
    Very funny Josh!
  16. BertaJuly 19, 2012 at 4:16 AM PT
    Grammar? Lol.
  17. ScottEJuly 19, 2012 at 5:02 AM PT
    What about “mispselled words?”
  18. Phil EllisJuly 19, 2012 at 5:06 AM PT
    That’s just a typo -it dosen’t count.
  19. BertaJuly 19, 2012 at 5:13 AM PT
    LOL!!!
  20. ToddJuly 19, 2012 at 5:40 AM PT
    Kelsey?
  21. Josh PremakoJuly 19, 2012 at 7:01 AM PT
    We were talking about a Frasier reunion episode, right?
  22. pattyJuly 19, 2012 at 4:47 AM PT
    I won’t correct you for misspelling iPhone. Sorry — just feeling a little feisty today. Insert smiley face here.
  23. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 5:21 AM PT
    Darned eyephone!
  24. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 3:57 AM PT
    Gosh, just yesterday we were discussing VP Dick Cheney and six years ago today, a Federal Judge dismissed Valerie Plame’s bogus lawsuit against Cheney.
  25. ToddJuly 19, 2012 at 5:40 AM PT
    Surprised it took that long.
  26. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 12:43 PM PT
    It was six years ago, wise guy.
  27. Coastal SageJuly 19, 2012 at 4:00 AM PT
    Going back to the Daily Brief’s discussion yesterday, concerning various parties opposition to mixing (or not mixing) hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers on the same trails in the State’s Placerita Canyon Nature Center, the Reno Gazette and several other Sierra Nevada area newspapers are reporting today: On Wednesday, autopsy results were announced by the Carson City Sheriff detailing why a woman died while riding her horse during the Francisco Pacheco Rodeo and Concert at Fuji Park in Carson City over the weekend. The autopsy showed Mariam Morelos suffered “irreparable internal injuries” when her horse reared and then fell on top of her. Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong said Ms. Morelos was riding during an entertainment portion of the event featuring music and riding, when “one of the horses got spooked.” “It was determined by investigators at the scene to have been an accident,” Furlong said. The Washoe County Medical Examiner’s autopsy determined that trauma caused by being crushed by the horse resulted in irreparable internal bleeding that killed her, Furlong said. This incident illustrates why “mixed use trails” are a recipe for disaster as well as unnecessary cost to the public purse. Assume that the spooking of the horse occurred in a California State park or a Los Angeles County park, and that the cause of the spooking was someone riding a mountain bike coming up behind the horse. Result: Lawsuit against the public agency for allowing dangerous conditions on the trail, where the dollar damage award against the State/County might be reduced by the jury for the negligence of the owner of the horse in riding a skittish horse on a public trail. End result: Unnecessary cost to the public purse. Change the facts slightly, and have the horse which spooked fall on the mountain biker, who died as a result of being crushed by the falling horse. Result? Lawsuit against State/County claiming that it was negligent in allowing horses on a trail known to be used by mountain bikers, with a defense by the State/County that the dead mountain biker knew the trail was used by horses and that the dead mountain biker recklessly rode at the horse rather than stopping and getting off his bike. Jury award? Probably a zero award to the dead mountain biker’s family. Change the facts again, and have the horse which spooked fall on a hiker, who died as a result of being crushed by the falling horse. Result? Even bigger damage award against the owner of the park, because no negligence on the part of the hiker was involved. End result: Even greater cost to the public purse. Yesterday’s comment that the various categories of trail users do not like to “share” was profoundly naive. Each of the 3 interest groups are taxpayers and have legitimate safety concerns for their interest groups. The reality if the vast majority of the tax paying public does not use these trails. Given the County/State’s dire economic straits, perhaps the wisest step for the State/County to take is to simply close the trails to everyone.
  28. RockyJuly 19, 2012 at 4:31 AM PT
    This is not an issue just limited to County or State trails. The City of Santa Clarita owns and maintains a system of paseos and trails that have a mixed use, including people walking singly or in groups (incuding groups organized by the City), people walking with leashed dogs, people jogging, people riding bikes, scooters, wheelchairs, and increasingly, motorized bikes and scooters, and riders on horses on some trails. A couple of weeks ago a bicyclist racing to work in the morning on a paseo near me ran over a leashed dog, who later died of internal injuries. It was at a jog in a winding section of the paseo, and there was no warning from the on-coming cyclist to the owner. The dog could have easily been a child, but the loss was felt no less by the owner, a senior citizen, confined as she is to a wheelchair. She is devastated. RIP Tobey. My dog and I are regular users of the local paseos, and I often see bike riders racing along the walkways. Sometimes they are courteous when approaching from the rear, announcing themselves with ‘passing on your left’, but some speed along silently, sometimes dressed like they are on the Amgen Tour, at speeds that are unsafe to other people, dogs, or themselves.
  29. BertaJuly 19, 2012 at 5:18 AM PT
    IMHO, unsafe speeds and inconsiderate users who forget that these are SHARED public trails are the problem. I feel sorry for the disabled woman and her now deceased companion animal, so sad.
  30. ScottEJuly 19, 2012 at 5:19 AM PT
    Rocky, I too am a frequent user of the trail system here in SCV. I’m a cyclist. I’m a runner. And I usually run with my dog. I’m not going to excuse bad cyclists, there is no excuse. I would like to think I’m one of the courteous ones. I may ride fast, but I ALWAYS have my eyes forward and I anticipate that just around the bend is another cyclist veering into my lane, or a runner not running in the lined pedestrian section .. with or without a dog or child in tow etc. Also, most of my use is in the early AM when few people are using them. If I use them during a higher traffic period, I slow down or just take streets. The bottom line is courtesy. If EVERYONE would use the trails in such a way that they are courteous to others, and if EVERYONE was in defensive mode, there would not be a problem. This goes for runners, dog walkers, child walkers etc. I too can name numerous times when I’ve seen a person out walking their perfectly behaved dog who is under their complete control (aka: off-leash). When I see that sort of behavior, I curse the human. If I get in a tangle with a dog, two of three lives will be traumatically (physical) impacted. Me and the dog. Not the idiot who thinks their dog will never bolt etc. So yeah, courtesy. Can’t we all get along? Closing trails, bike or hiking is not the solution. Life entails some risk no matter what. Managing the risk is the trick. There will still be accidents. I, for one, will not sit in my house and hide from it. Manage it. Be courteous.
  31. ScottEJuly 19, 2012 at 5:20 AM PT
    Also, I don’t ride on paseos. I don;t know any cyclist who does.
  32. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 5:23 AM PT
    Don’t we have major problems here in the SCV…
  33. lvogelJuly 19, 2012 at 5:31 AM PT
    TOBEY!!! Was that the dog that the cyclist ran over?!! Oh I am so sorry. My dogs and I often come across Tobey and his owner (she’s in a motorized chair) on the paseo near Meadows Park. I heard about this incident from a fellow dog walker, but they didn’t know who it was. My heart breaks for this woman who loved that dog to pieces!
  34. JeffJuly 19, 2012 at 6:04 AM PT
    Won’t make excuses for bad cyclists either. I hate them as much as you do, and RIP Tobey. This is just further evidence that segregating cyclists (real cyclists, commuters, etc) onto Class 1 paths where people go to walk their dogs, walk, or jog, is not a good practice. I don’t consider paseos bike paths at all, unless you’re a kid on a Huffy BMX. No real cyclist wants to ride on those paths (especially paseos!) if there is an alternate Class 2 lane on the road that’s going to go where he wants it to go. I would think frequent trail users would support cyclists who try to squeeze out 6 feet of space on our local roads, but once you talk about putting cyclists on streets, you anger motorists whose needs are primary in the minds of the city’s transportation officials. In short, if you’re a frequent trail user who resents cyclists, the next time a debate comes up about class II lanes on city streets please support us.
  35. LarMccJuly 19, 2012 at 1:47 PM PT
    If you’re referencing my posting yesterday, I said that the horse people “don’t seem to share well with others.” In other words, they may want to share, but it’s unsafe or unrealistic to do so. Years ago, I used to ride off road motorcycles. To do this required driving over an hour to a designated area to ride. Everyone there was riding or with a rider so there were no surprises. The horse people seem to have no shortage of areas to ride in, including on the sides of streets. However, wherever they ride, all the fun must stop because of their needs. Designate an area and let them pull their horses in their trailers to ride them. Keep them and their droppings off the trails. Hikers and mountain bikers don’t want to step in them. This includes the streets, where they should be banned as well.
  36. SCVResJuly 19, 2012 at 10:19 PM PT
    My family and I have ridden our bikes on the paseos for decades. We also walk the paseos and we used to take our kids on them in strollers when they were little. Bikes don’t cause problems, people do.
  37. BrookJuly 24, 2012 at 6:07 AM PT
    Cue the radioactive trucks driving through SCV. What ifs like this are the reason why we have so many regulations about what not. Dogs can bite – they should be taken off the trails too then. Rocks can fall and hit you in the head, humans should be taken off the trails. Lizards…well I guess they can stay. But what if one runs in a bush, scares a horse, who runs off near a boulder causing it to fall on your head – better close the trails to everyone just to be safe. In summary – accidents happen, at rodeos and in public parks.
  38. Sean MorrisseyJuly 19, 2012 at 5:31 AM PT
    The trail access issue is a real shame. The County had signs up for four years that mistakenly signaled the Canyon Trail was multi use. During that time there were zero complaints or issues reported on the trail. As a matter of fact, I have never even seen a horse on that trail. If access to this trail is closed to bikers then it will only be a matter of time before on is killed on Placerita Canyon Road after riding Los Pinetos Trail.
  39. JaneJuly 19, 2012 at 5:51 AM PT
    People don’t show courtesy and abide by the rules of the road when they are driving, do you really think they will in other places? How many pedestrians do you see who walk in the middle of the sidewalk, or on the left side (I was always taught we walk on the right, same as driving), or walk 3 abreast? Or people with their dogs either off leash or on a 20 ft leash where they have no control of the dog?
  40. CCJuly 19, 2012 at 6:56 AM PT
    I agree Jane, but on the bright side these are good problems to have when just South of us San Bernardino is imploding.
  41. PetzJuly 19, 2012 at 8:31 AM PT
    SB is east of Santa Clarita.
  42. AlpinerJuly 19, 2012 at 10:41 PM PT
    Southeast…
  43. PetzJuly 19, 2012 at 7:30 AM PT
    Rogers should probably give Petz some credit for the research on the document dump on the “junk fee” issue. He attempts to make political hay out the Issa report because he does not have anything to offer us in the 25th District. Rogers call for Buck to repay the US Treasury for an illusory gain is ridiculous. If the Countrywide memo is true, then Mozilio damaged Buck by steering him into a high priced sub prime loan when he undobtedly could qualify for a lower priced loan product. The Bank of America should pay Buck for the malfeasance of Angelo Mozilo that cost Buck a few thousand dollars. Petz still questions whether Rogers owns a home in the 25th District. The electorate wants to see where he is getting his home loans. Lee Rogers should show us his 1008 and 1003 and credit report and closing statement. We want to see his partnership 10ks and sub chapter S corporations. We want to know if he is doing “research” for drug or medical device companies. Where does Lee Rogers travel for continuing education classes. Wife on the payroll of any companies Lee ? We want Lee Rogers to pay the federal and state excise taxes on gasoline that he is dodging by driving an electric car. Heck, he should give back the federal tax credit from the Volt purchase that contributed to our growing federal deficit. Lee did not need it. Why should the taxpayer subsidize the HOV lane he drives on . We should get some credit for making his medical practice the huge success that it is just like that genius Obama says.
  44. Bill ReynoldsJuly 19, 2012 at 7:54 AM PT
    Go Petz, go! Bravo!
  45. LarMccJuly 19, 2012 at 4:14 PM PT
    I have it on good authority that Lee Rogers pays his wife about $100k a year in salary and benefits to be his campaign treasurer. Oh wait, that was his opponant. Sorry, disregard.
  46. PetzJuly 19, 2012 at 8:02 AM PT
    Buck was a victim of predatory lending by the CEO of Countrywide and he should be compensated for monetary and punitive damages.
  47. PetzJuly 19, 2012 at 9:12 AM PT
    Mozilo let Buck think he saved on the fees and he got it back in the rate and add ons. Angelo was at the top of his game.
  48. small-L-liberalJuly 19, 2012 at 10:42 AM PT
    Poor Buck. Poor, poor Buck. He might redeem himself with his detractors and his own party members by joining the growing ranks of Republicans in condemning Michele Bachmann and her cronies for their unfounded and misguided McCarthy Era-Style witch hunt against Huma Abedin. Bachmann’s antics are fodder for the press and Democrats alike and further drive a wedge in a party desperate to regain control of the White House.
  49. PetzJuly 19, 2012 at 9:47 PM PT
    This is an issue of national security and Michele Bachmann is obligated to bring it to our attention. What a cheap shot.
  50. Your Web GuruJuly 19, 2012 at 11:52 PM PT
    The cheap shot belongs solely to Ms. Bachmann who is stirring unnecessary hysteria against an American citizen with a sterling character who has proudly served her country. When the speaker of the house and a distinguished Senator (and past presidential candidate) agree on those points, it’s a fairly serious indication that the Republican party is at odds.
  51. LindaJuly 19, 2012 at 8:24 AM PT
    Stomach cancer is very painful and deadly. Assisted suicide should be a legal option. There is no medical treatment or counseling that would convince me to endure that at age 80.
  52. PetzJuly 19, 2012 at 8:56 AM PT
    On a lighter note….this year’s Perseid Meteor Shower is shaping up to be a highlight of the summer. Petz will be heading up to the Chuchupate Ranger Station in Frazier Park on August 11, 2012 for the evening. If you have children this would be a great way to give them a summer treat they will always remember. Chuchupate is a secret location for amateur astronomy, so please do not tell anybody. http://www.meetup.com/LAAstronomy/events/72333702/
  53. kellyJuly 19, 2012 at 9:45 AM PT
    Thanks Petz for the meteor shower info, we have friends up in Aqua Dulce with minimal light pollution. Can’t wait!
  54. LvogelJuly 19, 2012 at 11:17 AM PT
    I wholeheartedly agree, Linda; Assisted suicide should be legal. If I were that man, I’d do the same. Maybe not by hanging, but I’d do it.
  55. LvogelJuly 19, 2012 at 11:48 PM PT
    And in this case, SCVRes, a person on a bike caused a problem. I just hope that I see her again to give her my condolences.
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