A Quick note, plus a brief Weekender Update
Written by Jeff on March 9th, 2008The last twenty four hours have been crazy here at the SCVTalk.com HQ, orbiting high above the Santa Clarita Valley. Step inside for some notes on this weekend and the next few days a plus brief weekender update.
So yesterday started off early -very early- as the condo complex I live in is hosting a two day, once-a-year community garage sale. I gotta tell you; you SCV Garage Sailers are a brutal and sharp bunch, always on the lookout for a bargain. I’ve always been on the opposite side of a garage sale, buying junk rather than selling it, so this marks the first time in my adult life that I’ve actually held a garage sale. I’m getting rid of tons of books, clothes, DVDs, kithchenwares, and all sorts of other things.
Anyway, that was most of my day yesterday. Moving things in and out of the house and to the garage. It was worthwhile, I made about $200 and I’m looking to make more today (everything must go!). Thank you for buying my junk!
With that money, my wife and I bought a new couch (from one of Santa Clarita’s failing furniture stores naturally) and now I’ve got to find a way to get it delivered to SCVTalk.com HQ by about 3 or 4 pm.
That’s because later today, I’m leaving town to attend a two day business conference in Ontario (the California kind, not Canadian). Two eight hour days filled with conferences, seminars, lunches and a business mixer.
So it might be a little slow here on the site over the next few days. I’m hopeful my hotel has high speed internet so that I can work on the site in the mornings, but it’s possible I won’t have time for the Daily Brief and/or regular updates to the site. With that, let’s get into some news
- Mayor Kellar admits error, files amended forms: What a difference in press coverage on this big story. Mayor Bob Kellar on Friday admitted he made an error when he failed to disclose some transactions that earned him over $10,000 on several state disclosure forms. He’s filed some amended forms with the state and is in touch with the Fair Political Practices Commission. You ought to read both The Signal’s report and KHTS’ report because each article is completely different, even though they are about the same story. (Check out the difference in headlines too).
- Buck endorses Laurie Ender for City Council: The parks commish and PTA organizer who turned out two hundred nobodies at a rally last week got the endorsement of the valley’s 800 lb Political Gorilla/Republican Godfather, Buck McKeon. Signal Editor Josh Premako tackled this one, but there was more to the story than what’s in the Signal. From the Ender campaign press release: McKeon on Ender: “After taking a good look at all the candidates, I strongly endorse Laurie Ender for city council. She is the one candidate most qualified to stand with me in our battle to stop CEMEX.” And Ender on the Hospital Expansion plan: ““The voters have a right to know where we stand on hospital expansion,” said Ender. “I’m for it. While the other candidates have either flip-flopped on the issue or refuse to tell us where they stand, I, for one, refuse to play politics with healthcare.”
Oh no…I just realized DST is active and customers are at my garage door. I’ll hurry through the rest of these.
- More on St. Francis: You already read Parimal Rohit’s excellent article on the St. Francis dam disaster, now read about the disaster from Ventura County’s perspective.
- New powerlines coming to SCV: Last year we reported on the new powerlines that would be built through Saugus and North Valencia. It looks like construction is set to begin next week. It’s all part of a wind power electrical project. Bakersfield Californian has more.
- Premako gets to ride in a B-17: The City editor got to go on a “once in a lifetime” flight aboard a fully restored WW2 B-17 bomber. He writes about it here.
Well that’s it. I’ll see you when I see you.
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10
AM
Laurie Ender has resorted to trash talking so early in the race! I wonder why Buck McKeon and Frank Ferry and Bob Kellar all like her so much. Its probably because she’s so progressive and will offer a new voice on the issues… Ender is just another mistake for this valley. Hello development interest money and empty promises, goodbye representative city government. Its symbolic that the Bob Kellar kickback money scandal story is written on the same page as the Laurie Ender quote.
10
AM
I was very surprised and disturbed to read a generalizing comment from Laurie Ender that groups all the other candidates, without exception, as ambivalent or secretive on the hospital issue. This either ignores or is just unaware of Diane Trautman’s steadfast efforts as part of the Planning Commission to study and evaluate the hospital issue, spending countless hours meeting with the public. Diane told us exactly where she stood when she voted against the hospital expansion and she continues to voice her oppostion to any plan that takes such a heavy toll on the surrounding community and does not include the in-patient facilities that should come with any expansion.
10
AM
The Summit residents are not the only residents concerned about the hospital expansion. Many others are benefiting for the Summit’s willingness to speak out. The near constant sound of sirens and soon to be helicopters flying over our homes is something to think about. If you care to look around, there are plenty of medical office buildings, do we need more?
10
AM
Laurie Ender is the dumbest candidate running. On one hand she demands more parking at the hospital and on the other declares that we need to hurry up and pass their proposal. Does she deliberately ignore the fact that the proposal is short about 300 parking spaces? The problem with this project has been a whole lot of lies coming from teh developer! If anyone is “playing politics” on this issue, it’s Laurie. She is supported by big development money players like Frank “Who Cares About the Facts?” Ferry and Buck McKeon because that’s what lobbyists like Scott Wilk want. Why? More development and more money. It’s not concern for SCV and not for because Laurie is a critical thinking leader… She is just status quo with political sound bites that mean nothing.
The best thing that could happen for SCV is to END Ender’s campaign.
10
AM
Buck McKeon owes this entire city an apology for endorsing Laurie Ender and connecting her to the mining issue. Laurie Ender has been NOWHERE on the mining issue, and Buck knows it and that is exactly why he is endorsing Ms. Ender - Buck wants the weakest possible link added to city council, a weak, uninformed link that has never been involved in the mining issue. Buck should also apologize to the city’s mining opposition team, the Executive Advisory Committee, the city’s mining opposition committee that has fought this mining project for years. Buck forgets that some of us have been too actively involved in this issue since 1998 and we know who did what regarding the mining issue, and Laurie Ender has not done one thing to deserve Buck McKeon connecting her to the mining issue, let alone dishonestly claim she is the most qualified to fight Cemex! My God, does the BS never END!!!
As far as the hospital is concerned, Laurie is receiving campaign contributions from Roger Seaver and hospital board members, as reported by The Signal. Laurie is nothing more than a Roger Seaver/G&L/Frank Ferry puppet, and every time she speaks, that becomes clearer.
At the last candidate forum filmed by SCVTV at the Senior Center, I asked this question of the candidates: “As you all know, there is a clause in the development agreement that releases G&L from actually building a hospital expansion. What will all of you do to get that clause removed?” After Laurie dodged my question, rambling on about needing a hospital expansion, she then said we need to trust the hospital board and she made it quite clear she is owned by G&L and Roger Seaver. What was especially interesting, was G&L rep Scott Wilk running up to Laurie as soon as the forum was over. Not surprising, though, since Laurie was seen taking notes from G&L reps before she spoke about the hospital for them at a city council meeting.
Yes, Laurie, we DO need a hospital expansion, and you KNOW that as long as that clause remains in the development agreement, G&L can build their MOB’s and split without building the hospital expansion and this has been explained to you numerous times by numerous people. If you are actually concerned about a hospital expansion being built, Laurie, you AND Roger Seaver and the hospital board should be screaming bloody murder to get G&L’s escape clause removed. And you should stop insulting the people who are actually working to get this G&L escape clause removed, WE are the ones trying to get YOU the hosptial expansion YOU keep saying we need!
And then there is the 500 space parking deficit that will come with this G&L MOB project because G&L doesn’t want to “waste” money bulding adequate parking, but that doesn’t seem to concern all of G&L’s puppets, either. Laurie Ender is only supported by Buck McKeon because she will ask no questions of the G&L MOB project and will vote the way Roger Seaver and G&L want her to vote. In the Signal, Buck has sung the praises of Roger Seaver’s pie-in-the-sky hospital expansion that Roger refuses to guarantee even happening, and why doesn’t our Congressman demand a guarantee for a hospital expansion from G&L and Roger Seaver! As for Cemex, Buck knows Laurie Ender will ask no questions and do nothing about Cemex, a project she has never been involved with in the first place, and that is what Buck wants, a few less people on city council putting his feet to the fire about Cemex. So Buck is endorsing the LEAST qualified candidate out of all the candidates running, and the hell with SCV.
Laurie is also blurring the lines of school issues and misinforming people about what she can do for school issues from a city council seat. City Council has no jurisdiction over school issues, that is why we have SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARDS, Ms. Ender, why weren’t you interested enough in school issues to work your wonders from a school board seat these last few years? City Council seats cannot do our school boards’ jobs, so you are either totally misinformed, Laurie, or you are deliberatelely misinforming parents and the PTA’s.
The City of Santa Clarita, along with the city’s EAC mining opposition committee, awaits your apology, Buck, for the dishonest endorsement of Laurie Ender, who, out of all the candidates running, is THE most UNDER-qualified candidate to fight Cemex. Oh, and by the way, Buck, SCV and the EAC folks eagerly await news of your mining legislation. Pauline Harte.
10
AM
Hey, Buck is far from being the smartest guy in Washington! What did you expect from him? Have you ever seen him in action? It is pathetic! I do not hold much hope that he will do anything with respect to the CEMEX issue, other than to use the issue to gain votes and contributions. Meanwhile, Mr. Kellar continues to spend millions of taxpayer dollars in hopes that Bucky will deliver. The lady Senator with the stoke has spoken about what needs to be done, and I don’t believe Bucky has the chips to pull the tide in his direction. Kellar and McKeon need to return to that which they are good, selling real estate and cowboy boats! Both gentlemen are in over their heads.
10
PM
I am disappointed to hear Laurie Ender’s remarks regarding the hospital, as well as her attempted swipe at the other candidates. In truth, nobody has flip-flopped on the issue. Diane Trautman was well-researched and has remained steadfast on the issue since the proposal was in front of the planning commission more than a year ago. Bob Kellar has been loud and adamant about his concerns with building 200K sqft of office space with only 6K sqft committed to critical medical uses. Bob Spier has spent nearly a dozen hours in meetings with us and the hospital in order to find a suitable conclusion.
All of them want to see the new envionmental report to understand the facts about the proposed changes before making a decision. That is smart and it’s the job of a council member.
Shame on you, Laurie. You’re approach is to make hasty statements devoid of facts and then throw out a cliche that you “won’t play politics”. This is the worst kind of politics and it’s exactly the reason why you SHOULD NOT be elected to city council. Glad to hear that Frank Ferry supports you - sadly, he’s our leadership’s greatest embarrassment on this and many other issues.
10
PM
I would like to second Dave Gauny’s remarks and say, where on earth did that come from? Laurie must have been asleep with her eyes open at all of those forums and debates she attended with the other candidates, because I never heard a flip-flop. You embarass yourself Laurie! Diane Trautman withstood pressure to go along, and refused, by insisting the plans not be approved unless there was more hospital bed space. She has never wavered, never varied. You are just flat wrong!
11
AM
Laurie Ender’s comments are intentionally misleading. We all know how Ferry and McKeon and Kellar do business and its no surprise that now Ender is being groomed by the aforementioned. However, the time may have finally come where SCV residents take back their government, start paying closer attention to what’s being done on their behalf, and elect the people who have been quietly and diligently working all along to protect our valley without eliciting the thanks or recognition they so greatly deserve. That is why Diane Trautman and Maria Gutzeit will have my vote, my gratitude and my support up to and certainly on election day.
I might add that I think its fantastic that people care enough to get on here and address these issues.
13
AM
Excuse my ignorance, what is a “cowboy boat”?
How did the former mayor endorse Laurie Ender and Diane Trautman? Seems like they are extremes to me!
Will someone please explain. . .
How did Kellar forget to complete financial records for three consecutive years when real estate was booming?? Kellar fire your accountant immediately.
13
AM
Excuse me please, my error. Should have typed Cowboy Boots. My old age is starting to show I am afraid.