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August 28, 2013· santaclarita.com · SantaClarita.com (SCVTalk 5.0) · Wayback capture

August 28, 2013 – Daily Brief

By Jeff Wilson

  • Mickey is coming to the SCV: The County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve Disney's Studios at the Ranch project in Placerita Canyon off Highway 14. The project, which we've been discussing and looking forward to here since it was announced in 2010, will include 500k sq. ft. of sound stages & studio space, writers bungalows (for real!), a commissary and is expected to create around 3,000 construction jobs and perhaps that many permanent jobs in the SCV. Oh and did I mention the estimated $500+ million in yearly economic activity? Every elected official and business leader is over the moon in love with it, and with the exception of a few local environmentalists, few spoke out against the project at the meeting. Money has a good piece on it and says that while 100s of oak trees will be removed, a few thousand sapplings will be planted and reports that "much of the project would be built on construction pads left over from Highway 14 construction in the 1970s." SIGNAL
  • Re the above: The next time someone pokes fun at you for being from the SCV, or says you live "way out there," reply with a snarky, "Well, the LA Times calls us Hollywood North, jerk. What do you have that's even remotely as cool as this?" because that's what the TIMES report on the Studios at the Ranch project, describing us thusly: "The Golden Oak site is among nearly a dozen ranches in the Santa Clarita area that have become increasingly popular for filming in recent years because their wide-open spaces and varied terrain can be used as stand-ins for Afghanistan or the Old West. The Santa Clarita Valley, often dubbed Hollywood North, promotes itself as a low-cost, film friendly destination that saw record production levels in the last fiscal year." I can already hear the champagne corks popping at City Hall as Angelenos mental map of the LA Megalopolis grows to include the SCV. You see, we're generic enough to be anywhere in the world, but it's our generic qualities that make us so unique! TIMES
  • Another note on Studios: A Signal commenter noticed that Disney, it its EIR that was approved by the supes, wants to scale up TV productions at the P-Canyon property; indeed TV shoots will probably be the biggest segment using Studios at the Ranch. Disney produces 14-18 TV shows at any given time in the LA area, but Burbank is all built out, NetFlix, Amazon and YouTube are now renting studio space to film their own shows, and occupancy of sound stages throughout the County is quite high, with only 10%-30% vacancies in some areas, according to the Times. A pity for Burbank but a big win for us. 
  • Road to nowhere my a$$: Remember the Placerita Canyon Power Posse President who compared the proposed Dockweiler to Lyons extension to Sarah Palin's famous bridge to nowhere last week during a meeting at City Hall? Well, nowhere equals Disney Studios at the Ranch, and the proposed extension would act as a zip line for every grip, producer, talent assistant, writer, lighting guy and every other film person working at Studios at the Ranch, a zip line that would drop them straight into our redeveloped Old Town Newhall core where they will want to consume food, buy tools or parts, get a spa treatment to offset the effects of our high desert ecosystem or entertain themselves. 
  • Awful way to die: One semi truck crashed into the back of another semi truck early Tuesday morning on the shoulder of the 5 near Pyramid lake. The crash caused both big rigs to erupt into flame, and the driver of the truck that was parked on the shoulder tried to escape the inferno by crawling under his truck to safety, but got stuck beneath his vehicle when the trailer fell on him. Smith at KHTS via SCVNEWS
  • Crazy and concerning: An unidenfitied CHP officer's car was broken into on Monday afternoon in Stevenson Ranch during a CHP tactical training exercise. The thief broke into the car, stole the officer's badge, two AR-15 semi automatic rifles, two hand guns and two shotguns as well as a bullet proof vest and handcuff keys. The theft prompted a county-wide law enforcement alert, then a second one that added details and corrected mistakes in the first one. Whoever took this arsenal of high powered weapons ended up in Downtown LA, where the officer's badge was recovered. The weapons are still missing and the CHP has no suspects. SCVNEWS, KTLA
  • With all the excitement over Studios at the Ranch and those gun thefts, it's easy to forget there was a City Council meeting tonight. I Heart's wrap-up is great as usual, everything got approved so Central Park will get upgrades and affordable housing is on the march in Old Town Newhall (more on that from the Beacon's Jonas 1, Jonas 2), but a lot of discussion focused on those two art pieces for the forthcoming roundabout in Newhall, with a few folks saying the pieces are too abstract, or don't have enough of an emphasis on cowboys. I liked TBB's suggestion: "He suggested having a statue of William Hart looking toward his mansion with a statue or Fernando Lopez looking toward the Oak of the Gold Dream and a statue of a Tataviam Indian (possibly with a child) looking toward Castaic." I HEART SCV. Money at THE SIGNAL also has a report on the art piece controversy, with the expected vitriol coming from the Signal's commenters. SIGNAL
  • Re: the above. This is why you shouldn't ask the public which art piece they like. Art + Democracy don't coexist easily, do they? It's not just an issue of everyone has an opinion, it's deeper than that I think. PETZ
  • Local real estate writer Bob Khalsa says July was a very good month for real estate in the SCV, calling it a "fine housing market." Sales of SFRs were up almost 9% over last July, but condos were up a huge 33%, median home prices at $430k and $300k respectively. Khalsa says inventory is improving too, which had been a problem earlier this year. SIGNAL
  • Good piece from Jana Adkins on perhaps the worst retail development in SCV history, the Gateway Promenade, the massive shopping center at I-5 and Highway 126 that opened just as the recession kicked into high gear in 2008. The site has been largely vacant for several years, with empty but clean storefronts jutting out into the landscape, reminding everyone who drives by that someone somewhere probably lost their shirt on this terribly timed and terribly-located project. But the good news is Intertex, a prominent local contractor, bought the center in 2012, and focused on marketing it as a destination center, not a shopping center. Since Intertex took over, the plaza has gone from being less than 20% occupied to over 80% occupied. SIGNAL
  • Also, Adkins has a great story on how tight-knit those who are employed or shoot film & tv productions are in the SCV, where the focus is on cooperation rather than cut throat competition. SIGNAL
  • LASD opens new Sheriff's substation at Castaic Lake. The deputies assigned there will be part of the Sheriff Department marine enforcement division. SIGNAL
  • The City of Santa Clarita has released FY 2012-2013 "Annual Report" on its now two year old Public Library system. Though it's for Fiscal Year 2012-2013, there's not much about finances in the document (a basic revenue/expense sheet would have been nice, nevermind details about how much profit LSSI gets from our libraries) but there are some cool statistics on usage. The library system was not surprisingly more utilized this year than last, but I like how they break down the utilization. Valencia is still the busiest by patron count and by circulation of items, but way more people attend programs at Newhall than Canyon Country and Valencia, which is neat to hear because Newhall's branch only opened in 4Q12. Newhall also has way more wifi users than CC or Valencia, but Canyon Country has more PCs checked out than either Valencia or Newhall. Full report at SC LIBRARY.COM
  • Hand made dough and "scrumptious" croissants in Castaic?!? Indeed, and Lady Ducayne says Scrummy Bites Bakery -only opened for two days now- is so good she just kept buying food and trying it, then raced home and typed out her review while eating a chicken sandwich on a croissant. "In concluding this post, I have to say that it has been a while since I've been this excited about a new place in town, but this type of locally owned, from scratch bakery, is what we need in Santa Clarita," she concludes. LADY DUCAYNE
  • I'm really proud and happy to announce that John Boston, Mr. SCV himself, the Count of Sauguslavsky, the man who mounts his horse each week and guides us on a tour of the SCV's glorious past, will now blog occasionally right here on SantaClarita.com in addition to writing for the Beacon. We're not sure what Boston will cook up for SantaClarita.com, but it will be SCV-related and we should see something from him early next week. Welcome to the team Mr. SCV, this blogging thing is kind of fun and cool after all, isn't it? 


Comments (16)

  1. BertaWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 10:39 am
    Jeff, I very much appreciate the local history both you and Mike write about! Please keep the historical anecdotes coming. However, a small correction: TBB's suggestion: "He suggested having a statue of William Hart looking toward his mansion with a statue or Fernando Lopez looking toward the Oak of the Gold Dream and a statue of a Tataviam Indian (possibly with a child) looking toward Castaic." TBB did not mention his first name but it was Francisco López who slept under what is now the Oak of the Golden Dream; I am acquainted with his direct descendants. Thanks.
  2. ToddWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 10:55 am
    Thats great news on Boston! w00t
  3. Timothy Myers, Sr.Wednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 11:09 am
    On an historical accuracy note, the Tataviam did not use horses, headed spears or fight or hunt from horseback. The art micromanagement is a case where the unpaid members of the Arts Commission should submit their resignations en masse. They developed what they thought was a fair and diligent way to make a recommendation after an open competition and now the whole thing gets upended because people want a statue of a cowboy and/or Indians.
  4. Don RickettsWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 11:42 am
    Perhaps the annual library report to the State Librarian (required by law to be filed by 8/31, will give thinancial information and other operating data.
  5. JoshPremakoWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 12:10 pm
    You know what else could spruce up downtown Newhall? Some Banksy-style street art of Tiburcio Vasquez.
  6. BertaWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 2:32 pm
    Josh I was also thinking about adding something californio/Spanish to TBB’s suggestions since he already had an Anglo cowboy, Tatavium native, etc covered but Tiburcio Vázquez is not who I would pick with so many law abiding other folks available to honor.
  7. BertaWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 2:33 pm
    but Francisco López works...
  8. JeffWilsonWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 2:50 pm
    Nope. I've decided. What we need in the downtown Newhall Traffic roundabout is the stern & iron-willed visage of none other than Newhall's Henry Clay Needham. I want this man's puritanical stare down on us, as if we were all sinners in the hands of an angry teetotaler. Needham's statue should be twice as tall as any ordinary man, and he should be clenching a BIble in one hand, a man's neck in the other, and a broken whiskey bottle (marked with XX of course) under his boot. He should frighten children and the elderly, cause dogs to bark instinctively out of fear, and literally scare birds that might poop on him away just because he's so holy and righteous. And he should be constructed in such a way that no matter if he's facing south, you still feel his righteousness burning holes in your clothes even as you stroll leisurely up Main Street during a Senses Event, your fourth tequila margarita in your hand.
  9. MikeWednesday, August 28th, 2013 at 4:34 pm
    Yes. I've met two Needhams in SCV and assumed each were descendants of the fellow teetotaler. Sadly, neither were, but they were glad to hear the name carried some 'sobering' weight in these here parts.
  10. Alison | a girl deflouredThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 8:27 am
    Yes, our Needhams (from MA) were locked up in the paddy wagon for public drunkenness. ;)
  11. JoshPremakoThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 10:26 am
    We don't just want him, we Needham.
  12. MikeThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 10:35 am
    Whoever thumb'd down that pun: I hate you.
  13. MikeThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 11:05 am
    And true to my rules, I'm giving myself a thumbs down for whining about thumbs down. Man's gotta have a code. But saying needed saying.
  14. JoshPremakoThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 11:28 am
    I just gave your thumbs down a thumbs up, bro. Come at me.
  15. BertaThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 11:23 am
    Please don't hate them Mike, pity them for they have no sense of humor...
  16. MikeThursday, August 29th, 2013 at 11:25 am
    A jokey hate. I don't really hate anyone.

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