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August 14, 2013·santaclarita.com · SantaClarita.com (SCVTalk 5.0)·Wayback capture
August 14, 2013 – Daily Brief
By Jeff Wilson
It was back to school day for much of the SCV's K-6 children yesterday, and as always, back to school coverage gets A-1, above the fold & warm-fuzzy coverage from the SIGNAL. I bet parents are happy; this seemed to be a remarkably short summer break.
Meanwhile, Sacramento has passed a bill that would require schools to let transgendered students to "participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's record." Luke Money talked to the Hart District about the law and the District says they've received no guidance on how to implement it, but in the past have let students with "body image" issues use adult rather than student bathrooms. All local legislators, including Dems Fran Pavley and Steve Fox, opposed the bill, and Wilk made it the subject of this week's "Say What?!?" videogram, even using the word "identity" with SNL-style air-quotes. SIGNAL
Re: the above. The obvious question comes to mind, which local high school will be the first to have a male jock athlete to pretend to have gender identity issues so that he can use the girl's locker room?
Ugh: CBS 2 reports a box full of day old kittens was found in a dumpster somewhere in the SCV. The kittens still had their umbilical cords attached. CBS 2
Speaking of back to's: Only two weeks until the next City Council meeting. I don't know about you but the late August City Council meeting is my marker for the beginning of fall. Forget Labor day, I stop wearing the color white on the last Tuesday in August, which is traditionally a big date in the City Council because staff has had all summer to cook up ideas (with and without support of Councilmembers) and is eager to get them on the agenda first thing in the fall. The library takeover, for instance, was merely hinted at in June of 2010, but by August 24, 2010, the whole deal was buttoned up and delivered to the Council which voted 4-1 in favor. This fall's Council meetings will be big as we've got some big matters on the agenda (chloride among them) and an election coming up in the Spring.
The motorcyclist who was injured following a collision with an alleged drunk driver from Stevenson Ranch is sitll in the hospital in critical condition according to the SIGNAL
Yup, right on schedule according to my Google calendar reminder: DUI checkpoint again this Thursday night at an undisclosed place in the valley. Let's make the outcome of these into a wager: I bet we'll see two DUI arrests, and 18 vehicle/personal citations this week. Signal commenters predictably ticked. SIGNAL
Two man-hunts in the SCV in one day? Indeed. The first involved some 21 year old former student who left his apartment to retrieve a blanket from his car, was later seen yelling and shouting while walking around some apartments in Canyon Country and went missing for a few days. His family hired bloodhounds but a "regional hospital" (unnamed) called his mom and told him he was safe in the hospital. SIGNAL
And the second manhunt, also in Canyon Country and also involving "the wash," involved a parole check on a parolee, who bolted from his premises, jumping over fences and running through backyards to evade capture. He was eventually captured, but not before the parole officer chasing him had to shoot and injure a poor pit bull in a private resident's backyard. SIGNAL
Neat: Break out the golden shovel (spoon in this case?) because COC is breaking ground on its Institute for Culinary Education (iCuE), a 12,000 sq. ft. architecturally-significant and state of the art building which will feature not just any plan old kitchen space, but a show kitchen, a "savory" kitchen, and a sweets & banquet kitchen too. Also a wine studies classroom and multiple culinary labs. The cost is going to be $8 million but consider this: According to COC it costs a student who wants to get into culinary arts $50k to get training to be a chef; COC will be able to do it for $46/unit. SCVNEWS
KHTS columnist claims SCV sports involving young children is too fierce and competitive and is resulting in injuries for kids. KHTS
Kind of disgusting: The City's press release on how Enterprise Zones are "going away" but local business leaders can still get their tax credits before Dec 31, 2013 if they come to a free breakfast put on by the City. Is this like trying to have a baby before the New Year so you can have a tax credit next year? Or is it more akin to hoping your rich relative dies before 12/31/xx, because come January 1, the new estate tax goes into effect? SCVNEWS
Gary Horton is really excited about Elon Musk's Hyperloop, and thinks the state could leap-frog the world by ditching the high speed train, building Musk's vision, and allowing SCVers like you and me to take our wives/husbands on dates to San Francisco is just under half an hour. SIGNAL
August 14, 2013 – Daily Brief
Comments (13)
evitalc31Wednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 8:41 am
COC's culinary program is great. I have some friends who are currently in this program.
4eyedsueWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 9:22 am
I am so disappointed by that "say What" video by our assembly-person WIlk- the "air quotes"- the glib attitude. Can't he manage to disagree with this bill without being so disrespectful and dismissive to transgender students and their families? LASUD has had an approach similar to AB1266 successfully in place for nearly 10 years. That's almost a decade of accommodating transgender students in a compassionate way- in the largest school district in CA- 2nd largest in the nation- with only positive results. It works and the world continues to spin around the sun. And don't even get me started on the Bowie reference...
MikeWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 10:31 am
It won't be long before Scott Wilk regrets that video. The suicide rate among transgendered people is higher that just about any conceivable subgroup. For the people who struggle with profound gender identity questions, it isn't some political statement or a frivolous whim. They deserve the same respect and compassion than we would grant to anyone else.
JackHererWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Americans are so damn uptight regarding anything related to human anatomy and function. I can only laugh thinking how some of the restrooms in many countries are unisex, Japan for instance. Women come out of the stall, (I hate that term) and see mens backs standing at the urinal. EEEK!! Grow the eff up!
Kevin D. KorenthalWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 12:40 pm
I am disappointed that the privacy and sexual security of young girls and boys has the potential to be compromised as a result of this law. It used to be a given then girls could change in and out of their P.E. and sports uniforms without boys present. Same goes the other way around. I feel from the gender-confused children but believe this law is another example of the .01% of the population getting laws made for them that disenfranchises the rest of the population. For anyone trying to raise their children to respect the privacy of others, this law is yet another reason to take your children out of the government run school system. I suspect that the continued falling public school enrollment will reflect that others share my opinion.
InkGigoloWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
I'm with JackHerer on this one. Grow up Merica.
VerbatimWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 9:33 am
I laughed for a good minute after reading the line about the girl's locker room!
SophiaWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 11:03 am
Page one of The Signal, parolee living on Haxton Street runs from parole officer. Page three of The Signal, Crime Watch, car broken into, GPS, spare key, wallet, etc. stolen, on Haxton Street. Coincidence???
evitalc31Wednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 2:35 pm
Shoot, I felt scared being with all females. I went to a tough school. Locker rooms and bathrooms were a prime place for bullying. A transgender individual is least likely to bully and just looking for a safe place to change.
KevitivityWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 3:32 pm
I agree with Elon Musk. Our current high speed rail plan is a horrible idea. Hyperloop FTW.
KLBWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 3:58 pm
I totally understand the concern parents have about their daughters changing in a locker room with a biological boy. I think that concern is probably based on lack of knowledge of what it is to be transgender. Chances are, that trans girl is way more self conscious about being in the female locker room than your daughter is about being in a locker room with a biological male. And chances are, a trans girl is not going to use the female locker room unless she already presents as a female. It’s not likely that some football jock is just going to use the female locker room so he can get a peak at some boobies. And chances are, that trans girl is not interested in girls anyway. For anyone interested, here is an article about identical twin boys in which one of the boys is a trans girl. It just gives some insight into what it’s like for these kids and just how early in life they KNOW they don’t identify with their biological sex. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/art
4eyedsueWednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
KLB- thank you for sharing that article.
evitalc31Wednesday, August 14th, 2013 at 6:25 pm
I asked my teen daughter and her friends how they feel about it. They totally support it and said they would not feel any more self-conscious than they already do. They care more about the transgender individuals' feelings and don't want them to feel uncomfortable. Getting educated about this is important. As a parent, I would not want my child to be bullied if he/she were transgendered.
Comments (13)