April 20, 2015 – Daily Brief — The SCV Talk Archive

It was a milestone that passed quietly and without fanfare. Saturday morning marked 10 years since I started working for The Signal and made a full-time foray into journalism. The first story I had tossed on my plate was a piece on perchlorate, an issue that certainly still shows no signs of going away.

If you know me, you know I have my opinions about The Signal. But when all is said and done, my five and a half years there were a largely good experience. I had the opportunity to meet so many interesting people and tell so many interesting stories. I was able to become more ingrained in the community and get to know many good folks. Where would I be had I never stepped into that newsroom, with it's hectic daily pace, squawking police scanner and blend of strong personalities and dark journalistic humor? It is a path I am infinitely thankful to have had the opportunity to tread.

When I started working there, iPhones weren't even on the horizon. Facebook wasn't a part of normal life as it is now. The game and the tools have changed in many ways, but the work of journalism still remains the same, and it still remains vital for our community, our state, our nation and our world (#idealism). I may not be working in daily journalism, but it holds a special place in my heart, and I tip my hat to all my fellow former and current journalists keeping the fire burning.

And now, some news.

Face It, We're Getting More Neighbors: "But without control over outlying county areas, the city couldn’t halt suburbanization. It took the so-called Great Recession of 2007 to grind growth to a near-halt. However, that’s about to change." Luke Money launches a four-part series on new development slated for the Santa Clarita. Side note: Let's at least be thankful the city has purchased as much open space as it has. The Signal
Death in Bouquet Canyon: Two people were killed Saturday after a Corvette went off the road near the Bouquet reservoir. KHTS CBS
Whose Rights Prevail?: “We would like him to remember that education is a right — not a privilege — when he excludes our children from public schools because they are not fully up to date on every dose of every vaccination in the bill.” Opponents of a bill that would remove the personal belief exemption for vaccinations are essentially arguing their childrens' right to public education trumps other childrens' right to not be exposed to unvaccinated kids. Daily News
A Good Time for Sellers: The SCV housing market is seeing prices not seen since 2007, before the big crash. The Signal
Why the Change?: "There hasn’t been a dramatic change in our economy in the last three months — no reduction in work force or layoffs." City officials are trying to figure out why Santa Clarita's unemployment numbers spiked about 3 percent between December and January. The Signal
More Doctors Calling for Pot Research: "In Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation replaced the frequently stolen Mile Marker 420 sign on I-70 east of Denver with one reading 419.99 in an attempt to stop the thievery." A side note to Susan Abram's report on why more doctors are calling for research into marijuana's medicinal uses. Daily News
Talking Tips: "It's not fair for us to be kept down while everything around us increases in price." In the face of a push for a higher minimum wage, restaurants are pushing for tips to be included as part of making up the difference and achieving that wage. LA Times
Grocery Store Switch Delayed: The conversion of Valencia's Pavilions has been delayed from this month until mid-June. The Signal
OKBOMB, 20 Years Later: "Each of us has been given a second chance, and I think because of that, we think about what we are going to do with that second chance.” Sunday marked 20 years since Timothy McVeigh parked a truck loaded with explosives outside the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, lit a fuse and walked away. The resulting blast — McVeigh's act of vengeance for Waco and Ruby Ridge — killed 168 people. CS Monitor
Mighty Morphin' Medians: The city started pulling grass out of its medians several years ago and replacing the thirsty turf with drought-tolerant plants, and that work continues, reportedly saving millions of gallons of water every year. The Signal
The Post-Retirement Career Change: "If you can help somebody out with a problem, that's a satisfying thing. What else am I going to do? Sit in a rocking chair?" For Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon is just one of many legislators who has turned to the lucrative lobbying field. USA Today

Comments (3)

IHeartSCVMonday, April 20th, 2015 at 6:19 pm
Totally agree--it's nice when The Signal supports a journalist in tackling a big story, like LM's terrifying 4-parter on east-side development. How has the reporter-to-resident ratio changed since you were there? Maybe it's just me idealizing the past, but I feel like things weren't always so lean, especially when a lot of people still got a physical paper.
ThatJoshPremakoMonday, April 20th, 2015 at 8:04 pm
The ratio has absolutely changed. When I started in 2005, there about four people in the photo department, several copy editors, several beat reporters, a lifestyle/features department. Yes, it's changed.
Coastal SageMonday, April 20th, 2015 at 8:24 pm
To put a fine point on it, USA Today's editors were sloppy in implying or saying that former Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon is a lobbyist. He's not. He's a "Government Relations Consultant". In Washington, there's a big difference between a lobbyist and a consultant, because of Federal law which bars Senators, Congressmen and their staff members from leaving the government payroll and going right into lobbying. For members of the House of Representative, they are barred, for 1 year after their retirement, from lobbying. Buck is being very careful in official documents like the sample below, to illustrate what he is and is not doing. Buck has formed a company called McKeon Group LLC, and a man on its staff, Robert A. Cochran, is the firm's lobbyist. See, for example, this filing for McKeon Group's client Aerojet Rocketdyne: http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event= For McKeon Group's offices, Buck picked the newest, nicest and closest office building to the "Senate Side" of the Capitol, 101 Constitution Ave. NW. McKeon Group lists its offices in Suite 665 East. For a long time, that same suite has been occupied by a law firm called Von Scoyoc Kelly & Roberts http://www.vsklaw.com/pages/page05.htm. As a result, it appears that McKeon Group may be a subtenant. The lead lawyer H. Stewart "Stu" Van Scoyoc was originally trained as a chemical engineer and worked for DuPont while he was in law school. The later worked as both a lawyer and a lobbyist in Washington. What's interesting about Mr. Van Scoyoc is that he owns one of the biggest "lobbying shops" in Washington, employing a lot of people, called Van Scoyoc Associates. http://www.vsadc.com/people/ Van Scoyoc Associates' office is in a completely different suite in the same office building 101 Constitution Ave. NW. When you poke through Van Scoyoc Associates' client list on the internet, they are not heavyweights in defense industry lobbying. Once Buck's 1 year cooling off period elapses, and he IS allowed to lobby, Buck will be a great asset to Mr. Van Scoyoc's lobbying team if Buck decides to formally ally himself with Mr. Van Scoyoc. Buck's current office building, 101 Constitution NW, is also the home of a restaurant called Charlie Palmer Steak, which is a well known watering hole for lobbyists, consultants and other important personages associated with Congress.