Nov.10, 2014 – Daily Brief

By Josh Premako

Alternatives Pay Off: A great read this morning in The Signal on how one SCV family's alternative approach to education has paid off for their daughters, with one of them becoming a CPA at 17. Fun fact, the four oldest girls graduated high school between ages 11 and 14. The Signal
Now What?: With Steve Knight about to become Congressman for the 25th district, a special election will be likely to fill his Senate seat. The Signal
Parking Vigilantes Take Action: A couple took park enforcement into their own hands in the parking lot of the Valencia Target, blocking an apparent non-handicapped motorist from pulling out of the apparent handicap spot in which she'd parked before sheriff's deputies arrived. The Signal
Supporting Single Mothers: Slightly self-promotional here, but this was a good piece by Kirsten Quinn on Single Mothers Outreach's annual Empowering HeArts gala held on Nov. 1. This was the second year I had the honor of being one of the featured artists, and it was really great to do something that helps such an amazing organization. The Signal
Times are Tight: While it might sometimes seem there's more and more commercial vacancies around town, there's an apparent shortage of spaces in the 50,000-100,000-square-foot range. The Signal
Raising Support for a Family: In the wake of a 16-year-old girl being struck and killed by a train in Canyon Country on Friday, there are efforts underway to raise funds and help her family with funeral costs. KHTS
Starting Off Easy: “I will reach out to different experts, but I want to talk to the people in the department and see the talent that is there.” When Jim McDonnell becomes L.A. County Sheriff on Dec. 1, his aim is to assess the department, not walk in with a grandiose reform plan. Daily News
How to Best Help: "We said a long time ago that we don’t just want to provide ‘three hots and a cot.’ We don’t just want to be a shelter. We want to move you out of homelessness.” As the local winter shelter gears up for another season, its examining how to best serve the SCV's homeless population. The Signal
Going Down the List: According to a recent report, Santa Clarita is 15th among the top 20 California cities for young families. NerdWallet
Wading Through Water Details: "Setting the per capita water use — a city’s water number — is a much fairer approach than telling all cities to reduce water consumption by 20 percent, since some cities have been conserving water for three or more years and are working from what the board calls 'low baselines,' while others lag far behind." The latest report from the State Water Resources Control Board shows denser, multi-family neighborhoods tend to use less water than landscaped, single-family home neighborhoods. Daily News
Saluting Veterans: A rundown of some of the local Veterans Day events in the SCV tomorrow. The Signal

Comments (2)

Old GrumpyMonday, November 10th, 2014 at 8:48 pm

"Setting the per capita water use — a city’s water number — is a much fairer approach than telling all cities to reduce water consumption by 20 percent" Kiss your big trees and lawns goodbye folks. A low per capital water use allowance is the way Santa Clarita's real estate developers and their pawns on Castaic Lake Water Agency, have stolen your water rights from you, so that the 25,000 new housing units in Newhall Ranch (5@126) and the 40,000 other new housing units north of the CIty of Santa Clarita, approved by the LA County Board of Supervisors, can still be built and occupied by an average of 3.2 people per new household. We've been telling you this was going to happen since before 1996, when Castaic Lake Water Agency snuck into the Legislature and were allowed to steal all of the State Water Project allocations from our local water companies, Newhall County Water District, Valencia Water Company and Santa Clarita Water Company, which supplies each of your existing houses and its trees, bushes and lawns that you have paid so much money to maintain over the years. Those state water allocations, if they ever return, and the well water from your neighborhoods in Newhall, Valencia, Saugus and Canyon Country ARE going to the home builders, to your huge economic detriment.

SpineflowerTuesday, November 11th, 2014 at 9:56 am

By the time most current residents realize this, it will be too late to do anything about it. The continued practice of using 100% of theoretical state water diliveries as the basis for water forecasts when reviewing new development projects (when this year for example it is less than 25%--don't have the figure handy) guarantees future shortages, higher prices, and rationing. All to subsidize out of state developers. The pittance required for the desalination will be dwarfed by the true water cost Newhall Ranch and others will cost current residents.

Old GrumpyMonday, November 10th, 2014 at 8:48 pm
"Setting the per capita water use — a city’s water number — is a much fairer approach than telling all cities to reduce water consumption by 20 percent" Kiss your big trees and lawns goodbye folks. A low per capital water use allowance is the way Santa Clarita's real estate developers and their pawns on Castaic Lake Water Agency, have stolen your water rights from you, so that the 25,000 new housing units in Newhall Ranch (5@126) and the 40,000 other new housing units north of the CIty of Santa Clarita, approved by the LA County Board of Supervisors, can still be built and occupied by an average of 3.2 people per new household. We've been telling you this was going to happen since before 1996, when Castaic Lake Water Agency snuck into the Legislature and were allowed to steal all of the State Water Project allocations from our local water companies, Newhall County Water District, Valencia Water Company and Santa Clarita Water Company, which supplies each of your existing houses and its trees, bushes and lawns that you have paid so much money to maintain over the years. Those state water allocations, if they ever return, and the well water from your neighborhoods in Newhall, Valencia, Saugus and Canyon Country ARE going to the home builders, to your huge economic detriment.
SpineflowerTuesday, November 11th, 2014 at 9:56 am
By the time most current residents realize this, it will be too late to do anything about it. The continued practice of using 100% of theoretical state water diliveries as the basis for water forecasts when reviewing new development projects (when this year for example it is less than 25%--don't have the figure handy) guarantees future shortages, higher prices, and rationing. All to subsidize out of state developers. The pittance required for the desalination will be dwarfed by the true water cost Newhall Ranch and others will cost current residents.