March 10, 2008 - Daily Brief
Written by Jeff on March 10th, 2008Good morning to you from Ontario CA, where the roar of the nearby 10 Freeway reminds me of the perpetual roar of Interstate 5 back in Santa Clarita.
News
- Murder in Val Verde: Two men were shot and one died during an altercation with another man at a birthday party in Val Verde on Sunday morning. It’s the third shooting death in Val Verde in just six months. Rohit reports.
- Castaic Lake may be closed to boaters: Friday’s Los Angeles Times reported that officials in Ventura County decided to close Lake Casitas to recreational and fishing boaters over concerns that a destructive non-native mussel might invade the lake and threaten the water supply for some 60,000 people. That decision has Castaic Lake officials also pondering a temporary ban on fishing and recreational boaters in the SCV’s largest lake, according to the Ventura County Star. There are several fishing and boating related businesses in Castaic that could be affected by a decision, just as there are in Lake Casitas.
- Premako gets all the best assignments: First the B-17 ride, now this:Signal City Editor Josh Premako interviews an Iraq war Veteran and SCV resident who survived an IED blast in 2005. “Traffic was light on the dusty street running out of town, and it’s likely few people noticed as a yellow dump truck lumbered around the corner and down the road toward a hotel where U.S. soldiers were stationed,” he writes.
- Popular Mechanics on I5 Truck crash: The monthly magazine of physics, science, and popular, well, mechanics, reviews what happened in October during a fiery pileup in a tunnel on the Southbound I5 in the Newhall Pas.
- City Trumpets new businesses in Old Town Newhall: Since Newhall Hardware announced it was going to close in February, it’s been one PR problem after another for the City and its redevelopment plans in Newhall. First, the brand-new Martial Arts museum closed, then the owner of the Tresierras Market threatened to sue the city over advertising sign restrictions on Railroad. On Friday, though, the City was so delighted about some Newhall news that it sent out a press release about four businesses opening up in Old Town: A dry cleaners, a salon, and a party supply store. Loose Goose Wines also opened up a shop on Market Street, though I think that happened several months ago. “It’s still an appealing area,” Mayor Kellar says of Old Town Newhall.
Council Race heats up
- Candidate Editorials: All five city council candidates penned “Vote for Me” columns in Sunday’s Signal. The two men in the race, Bob Spierer and Mayor Bob Kellar opened up their pieces by appealing to the lizard part of your brain: “vote for me and I’ll reduce crime and preserve your neighborhood.” Diane Trautman opened up with a parable about a poorly planned skyscraper (it makes sense when you read it) and gave her environmental street cred while Maria Gutzeit said she’d be an independent vote on the council and had earned the trust of the business and environmental communities. And Laurie Ender started her column by first hammering Cemex then proclaiming her support for the hospital expansion, which probably killed her chances for any votes from the Valencia Summit neighborhoods. Anyway it’s all here on The Signal’s website.
- First you get the seniors, then you get the money, then you get the power: Can’t win a local election without appealing to the senior vote: SCVTV sponsored a candidate’s debate forum last week. Here’s the video
- Bob Spierer- Retired Sheriff? So what’s the deal with Bob Spierer’s job description on the City Council ballot? Everyone else’s jobs are current and up-to-date (Parks & Planning Commissioners, Incumbent, Business Woman/Elected Official), but Bob Spierer is listed a a Retired Sheriff’s Chief. It’s accurate in that he was a Santa Clarita Chief of Police in the 80s and early 90s, but last year Spierer was hired on to review child abuse cases for the county’s juvenile programs and probation department. The Daily News reported last year that Spierer would be “paid $150,000 a year for up to three years to review Los Angeles Probation Department reports” and describes that task as a full time job, but no mention is made of it on the ballot. If he’s a retired Sheriff, then I’m a retired Magic Mountain lemonade salesman by the same logic. And while we’re at it, why isn’t Mayor Bob Kellar listed as a real estate professional too? Can a candidate put whatever job description they like on the ballot?
Miscellaneous
- LA County Homicides: Jill Leovy, Times crime writer and homicide blogger, counted up how many arrests are made for murder in Los Angeles County by either the LAPD or LASD in 2007. “An arrest was made in about 41% of all murders committed in Los Angeles County in 2007″ she writes. There’s no difference in the arrest rates for the LAPD or LASD. Bringing it back to the SCV, there are several murders locally where no arrest has been made. In May of 2006, a 71 year old pizza worker was hacked to death with a machete in Stevenson Ranch. That case has gone cold. Also that year, there was a murder at a bar in Canyon Country; charges were filed but later dropped. And last fall, an 18 year old soccer player and Hart grad was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Newhall; no arrests in that case. On the positive side, an arrest was made in the shocking murder of Josh Pipho, 20, who was killed during a party in Stevenson Ranch.
- McFarland Apologizes to City Clerk Dawson: “I apologize to Sharon Dawson for stating she didn’t do her job correctly; I have found nothing that implicates Sharon Dawson in any wrongdoing,” he writes in a Sunday LTE.
- And two more on McFarland/Kellar: The Signal should have run a front-page apology to Bob Kellar following its publication of McFarland’s allegations two weeks ago, writes one woman. “Allowing a citizen to impugn someone’s integrity without confirmation is yellow journalism,” Jill Brody writes. And on the other side, reader Sheri Ruxton says it is proper to question elected officials and their finances. “Why hasn’t Mayor Kellar declared all his income?”
That’s it for the day. I’m off to a fascinating conference on SQL.
Cheerio!
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If the good cop Kellar broke the law he should be punished. An oversight of the law has never been an acceptable defense. Officer Kellar I have a few traffic tickets that need your attention! My oversight, the meter had expired. I was too busy to notice!
People should not be confused by individuals that are constant in their effort of projected a certain image. Kellar had his assistant email me and ask me for my home phone number. I was told that he wanted to give me a call. I never took the call.
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People should also not be confused by those who constantly voice negative opinions about certain individuals. Although, after a while it just becomes white noise…
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So, Mike2 had an opportunity to address his issues with Kellar one-on-one, and passed it up? Wow.
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Never accepted the offer because Mr. Kellar would not give his reason for the call. I offered to provide the number if his assistant would provide the reason behind the request. She could not so I did not. White noise as opposed to ……….!
Here is something positive for you. Mr. Kellar has a great public image.
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After you hear someone constantly whine about the same group of people, you begin to realize that some people will whine about any group of people that does not agree with their own point of view (e.g. Dave Bossert, Bruce McFarland, Rosie O’Donnell). It will never matter who is “in charge”, nothing will ever be good enough. There must be some sort of conspiracy lurking behind every door. Those arguments will lose credibility pretty fast, right or wrong.
To put it simply. That’s my opinion anyway.
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New businesses in Old Newhall… If you look at the current list of businesses, they blatantly omit those along Spruce Street that are set for removal (destruction) with the current redevelopment phase. Guess the City already considers them either doomed, or just plain not suitable for the spiffy new Newhall?
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Some people like to keep their head in the sand and others would rather participate in the debate. Some people would rather be victims while others try to make a difference. Some people lack knowledge of the issues and can’t debate, so they attack those that speak out.
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Attack away…
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Although I don’t promote open fighting on this site, I have to agree with Kip … Why didn’t you take Kellar’s call? Mike2, you had some valid points and an opportunity to go to the source.
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There must be some sort of conspiracy lurking, otherwise why would people with information be speaking out! I doubt Mr. McFarland is done with his look into City government. The City of New York has twice proved that hiding behind ones badge of honor should be considered meaningless. For that matter, so has the City of Los Angeles.
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I did not take Mr. Kellars call for the reason I mentioned. For you to conclude that I have not communicated my concerns to Mr. Kellar would be in error.
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birgitta, I am not aware of a fight! Difference of opinion, and a desire to change the subject, perhaps.
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because he couldn’t give you a reson for the call … mmm, sounds to me like you let yourself off the hook … sounds to me like an answer from a seasoned politician … sounds to me like you took the easy way out. And I’m sure you will now attack me for saying so, even tho most people reading these posts will agree.
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Yes, change the subject … that would be easier and avoid uncomfortable “differences of opinion.” I think you should run for office … you have the makings of a politician.
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Yes, change the subject … that would be easier and avoid uncomfortable “differences of opinion.” I think you should run for office. Surprisingly, Mike 2, I actually agree with most of your opinions I’m just shocked that you didn’t take his call when given the opportunity and then brag about it here.
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I am not asking to change to the subject and I did not let myself off the hook. I would not read more into what I have indicated here. I certainly would not consider any contact with a City Council member as something to brag about. With one exception, I find the City Council to be an embarrassment.
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Then you should have taken Kellar’s call and told him that he and the City Council are an embarrassment to you and to a number of residents in the SCV. How are we, as citizens, going to make effective changes to our environs, to the place where we live and breathe and spend our money to give the council tax revenues which then makes decisions that affect ALL of us? How are we going to change all of this? By sitting back in our comfortable homes with our warm cups of coffee and lattes, tapping away at the computer. We ALL can bitch all we want on these blogs but it’s not going to effect change unless we stand up and make a lot of noise and start speaking up to the people who are in a position to make those changes. And if they don’t, then we have the capacity to vote them out of office. Thank God we live in a country where we are allowed to voice our opinions … and thank God we live in a country that allows us to take a stand and make changes. It’s up to us. Should we sit back and bitch about it or should we take action to make a change?
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“Then you should have taken Kellar’s call and told him that he and the City Council are an embarrassment”. I have told each of them how if feel about their performance. Again your assumptions are in error. What have you done on the front?
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Given the fact that you don’t see me posting here alot is because I’m busy working with the city and different city departments to make my neighborhood a better place to live. Yes, it takes a lot of work: time & energy. That’s time I don’t have to post on blogs. I’ve sent a number of letters to department heads and the City Council, and have had a number of meetings in my home with city officials. So, next time you are bitching about how embarrassing your City Council is, I will be taking action through conversations with the actual members.
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Again, your assumptions are in error. I am not bitching about being embarrassed, the embarrassment is a fact. Congratulations on your successful work. What improvements have you been able to accomplish for your neighborhood? I suspect a lot if you live in Sand Canyon or Placerita Canyon. But if you live in Saugus, Newhall or Canyon Country, experience tells me not much positive has changed for you. If you live in Canyon Country things are about to get worse, as your area representative is about to leave the Council.
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Jeff,
Congratulations on your retirement as a Magic Mountain lemonade salesman! I am in fact a retired Sheriff’s Chief. I retired after 32 years of service, and that is how I derive my primary income.
I have been hired by the county to do some PART-TIME independent review work, however the figure you listed is very misleading. In the six months I have been under contract, I have earned $12, 093.75. The figure the Daily News listed was the maximum that could be paid under the contract, but was not a figure anyone expected to be reached. To say that this is only part-time would be overstating the amount of work I have been given.
If you want to know the rules for ballot designations, don’t guess, check California Election Code sec. 13107.
Bob Spierer
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12 G’s in 6 months working part time? Sign me up for that job!
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Jeff, we may soon have two Council members glaring at us if we don’t speak in their favor. I hope not! I am only guessing, but this may have something to do with their background and experience in dealing with people. You know, we are all guilty until proven innocent. I would prefer they stick with what they know best, as their style may be inappropriate for an ELECTED OFFICIAL! We may need more cops on the street in Santa Clarita, but we do not need autocrats on the Council. A simple explanation for clarification from Chief Bob Spierer would have been fine.
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Birgitta, you are to be commended for working to make a difference. Activism is too often a dirty, totally thankless job, and too few bother. As for posting on blogs, sometimes this is a good place to get some news out. Posting on blogs cannot take the place of getting out on the “front lines” and actually doing something to make the differece one is seeking, but once in a while, blogs can help make a difference when the “right” people see what is written.
For instance, when I continually posted bere about all the misrepresentations regarding the G&L Medical Office project on the hospital site, I had no idea who was reading what I had to say until I was accosted in the lobby of the Hyatt by a very angry G&L rep at the City’s State of the City lunch. This G&L rep angrily wagged his finger in my face, and he loudly ordered me to stop writing on SCVTalk about the G&L reps and Roger Seaver. He was fuming at me, and when I politely told him I was protected by my freedom of speech rights as I attempted to walk away, he got even angrier and louder, and several people witnessed the entire “event,” making it impossible for him to deny his unacceptable behavior. The outrageous actions of this G&L rep provided me with an opportunity to speak before City Council about the ongoing threats by G&L reps against members of this community who oppose the misrepresentations from G&L Realty and Roger Seaver.
So, because a G&L rep read what I blogged here on SCVTalk prompting him to publicly threaten me to keep silent, City Council got a very clear picture of how G&L Realty’s reps are operating in this city. And if I got a phone call from anyone connected with the hospital or G&L Realty, I would definitely speak to the person calling me. Of course, I would expect the callers to remain rational throughout our conversation and refrain from issuing impotent threats that violate my Constitional rights. Pauline Harte.
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I doubt that in this crowd, “a simple explanation for clarification from Chief Bob Spierer would have been fine.” Bob told you where to go to get specific info, and this way, you don’t have to take his word for it. As for implying that Bob Spierer may be an “autocrat,” please, nothing could be further from the truth. The Buck McKeon/Frank Ferry/Roger Seaver puppet named Laurie Ender is the autocrat here and that is exactly why Buck McKeon is endorsing her, she didn’t get that endorsement for any other reason than Buck wanting a Frank Ferry/Laurie Ender/Marsha McLean voting block of 3 “autocrats” McKeon can totally own. The only reason McKeon endorsed Bob Kellar is because Bob is an incumbent and McKeon can only go so far with his puppet-pandering BS. Bob Kellar has fought long and hard for this city with the Cemex issue, and so has Laurene Weste, in spite of being abandoned by our congressman, and Kellar is standing firm about the hospital issue.
Buck McKeon went too far attaching Laurie Ender to Cemex because there are people who know exactly who did what fighting mining, and Laurie Ender did nothing. Why not question Laurie Ender and ask her how many L.A. County Regional Planning Commission hearings she attended fighting mining? Why not ask Ender how many L.A. County BOS hearings she attended fighting mining - I was at every one of those meetings from 1999 on, and Laurie Ender was nowhere to be seen. And as a long-term member of the City’s EAC mining opposition team, I can tell you, Laurie Ender never attended a single one of those mining opposition meetings either, not in all the years the EAC has existed to fight a mega-mine. But Buck McKeon needs Laurie Ender to fight Cemex? LOL, what Buck WANTS is a puppet named Laurie Ender who doesn’t know sh#t from shinola about Cemex because Buck has failed miserably with this issue and Bob Kellar won’t give up fighting. Pauline Harte.
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Bravo! Thanks for your inspiring story.
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Pauline Harte I agree with everything you posted except for your position on Chief Bob. “lemonade salesman and don’t guess” statements were not necessary. The two Bob’s have the same leadership style; they can’t help it, it is their back ground. By the way, all Kellar has done is throw money at CEMEX. The truce is kind of a joke as well. It just put the CEMEX corporation in a position of not having to spend money at a time when the aggregate business was in a slump. Why is the City of SCV the only city fighting this? The east side of town is not the only user of the 14 freeway. Palmdale and Lancaster don’t seem worried about the traffic. Or is it they know that they have no jurisdiction over the matter.
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Mike 2, I’m as concerned as you are about a fair and honest election. I’m not mad at anybody, I just want people to rely on fact not innuendo. I suspect you feel the same way. If you want to hear what I have to say, or why I take the positions I do, I’d be glad to discuss any of that with you or anyone else. My phone number is 661-255-2634.
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Bob, Thanks for the follow up. I have seen all of the debates, other than the special one held a West Ranch. (Last I checked, West Ranch is not part of the City, so I elected not to attend). Nor did I attended the Sand Canyon homeowners association meeting in February to hear you speak. i have also watched you speak before the City Council. I think my understanding of your position on the issue is clear. I will not be voting for you for three reasons. 1) I believe the Downtown Newhall project was handled poorly, on your watch, 2) your comments regarding Newhall Hardware and their lack of ability to manage their inventory was a hip shot (they were in business longer than you were a cop), and 3) I believe Kellar will be re-elected, and I do not think having you on the Council provides the kind of diverse background the City needs. Thanks for the number. And good luck with the election.
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Mr. Spierer:
Instead of guessing, I checked the ballot designation regulations.
20716 Unacceptable Ballot Designations.
(h) Subject to the provisions of Elections Code 13107, subdivision (b)(4), use of the word “retired” in a ballot designation is generally limited for use by individuals who have permanently given up their chosen principal profession, vocation or occupation. In evaluating a proposed ballot designation including the word “retired,” the Secretary of State will consider the following factions in making a determination as to the propriety of the use of the term “retired”:
(6)The candidate has not had another more recent, intervening principal profession, vocation or occupation.
At $150,000 per year, you definately have “another more recent principal profession.”
A letter signed by Robert B. Taylor, Chief Probation Officer for the County of Los Angeles to the Board of Supervisors, dated 4/19/2007 begins by recommending that the board approve your contract, which calls for you to receive “an estimated annual ammount of $150,000 for a 12-month period” with an option to renew for two additional years.
You want us to believe that the contract, estimated at $150,000 per year is really only $2K per month? Some estimate…
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Another one of those darn oversights!
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Mike 2, politics aside for just a moment, Bob Kellar has done a lot more than throw money at Cemex, and if our congressman had actually CARED enough for this city to stop this project, he could have actually stopped it years ago. So Buck is the real reason this city has spent so much money fighting a mega-mine and this has been a unanimous decision by all 5 councilmembers since day one. It is unfortuanate that there is only a handful of people who have seen how hard Bob has worked, and Laurene, too, how many trips to Washington they have made.
In 1998 I found out our congressman secretly removed the Santa Clara River from the American Heritage Rivers list, without SCV’s knowledge, even though our City Council voted to have our river included on that list. I started digging into what possible reason could exist for our congressman secretly removing our river from that list and besides the obvious NL&F connection, a mining project named TMC came to my attention. The reason we are the only city fighting this mega-mine is because it is in our backyard, but other cities across this nation have fought Southdown and Cemex, we aren’t the only ones battling Cemex greed and corruption. Fairborn, Ohio, spent millions of dollars fighting to rid their region of Southdown, but they will never fully recover from the devastation. Southdown’s deed was bound in perpetuity and they can’t ever mine there again. Southdown was bought by Cemex, but the management and the Southdown reps did not change much. You know, the list of opposition to the mega-mine is huge, if City Council had ignored all the people and organizations that opposed Cemex, City Council would not have been doing their job representing the people. As for the truce, there was a gag order with that placed by the court between this city and Cemex, and the judges involved in the Cemex case have always been very mining-friendly, to say the least; even at the 9th Circuit Court, I couldn’t believe the garbage I was hearing from them. Would have been nice if our congressman had stood up for us. Or just accompanied us to show Cemex our congressman supports our City Council.
The only person deserving of criticism in the mining issue is Buck McKeon. Geez, here’s a congressman telling us that as a seasoned, multi-term congressman, he didn’t have the power to fight Cemex so now he is going to enlist the help of a person who has been nowhere in this city’s mining issue, a very uninformed person who will only ever know about Cemex what Buck McKeon is going to tell her about Cemex, wink, wink. And BTW, I love how Laurie Ender says she is a “City” Commissioner instead of listing herself as a Parks Commissioner, what is that about, trying to give unsuspecting voters the impression that she is a Planning Commissioner like Dianne Trautman? No wonder Laurie is going after the people who don’t vote, they just may be so uninformed they will actually be fooled by this deception, LOL.
Anyway, happy voting, everyone. We all have our own unique reasons for picking candidates. And at least we care enough about the issues and this city to get out there and vote, so we have that much in common with each other.
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Pauline Harte thanks for the refresher on CEMEX. I have followed the issue for a long time. Bucky may be the weak link, but Mr. Kellar pushed the 7 million expenditure. Kellar is like the Alpha Male on the council. Unfortunately, I do not believe the majority of residents even know or care much about CEMEX. Just like they probably do not know or care much about anything else that goes on in this City. If they did we would see more people vote and less of government would be controlled by the special that do vote. I have also read your site and understand your position on CEMEX. I just feel the City is wasting money and someone needs to be held to account. I do not see Bucky having the support in Washington, or the intellect to get it done, and I do not have much hope that things will change with CEMEX. By the way, I know how many trips were made to Washington by Mr. Kellar because I asked for and received and accounting from the city. I did not keep the document. The records do no indicate that he has been as often as some would like us to think, though there were several trips. Once again, I think the city is fighting an issue that is out of the scope of local government. I don’t see those that are responsible for regulating CEMEX saying much about the issue. So that posters do not think I am attacking Buck, please know that I think he is a nice man.
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TeeJay,
I’m not disputing the fact that the Probation Department went to the Board of Supervisors with that letter, or that they even believed that it was possible. I’m only saying that the contract is based on my hourly work and is not full-time. The review work I do is based on the investigations completed by Probation Department. Whatever their expectation was, the reality is that in the first six months it has averaged out to about $2,000 a month.
In any event, Section 13107 identifies the requirement as “…the principal professions, vocations, or occupations of the candidate during the calendar year immediately preceding the filing of nomination documents….” Although I had done part of the work I identified during 2007, it was only part of the $12,000 I’ve earned. As I stated before, my principal income comes from my retirement. There is no violation and I invite any level of scrutiny.
My only intent here is to be open and honest. I would not have claimed to be anything I’m not, nor am I trying to hide anything. I believe in open, honest government. That is why I’m giving you details that most people would feel is their own private business. I have been forthright in all my statements. I believe that this information is also available through the county for verification.
I had hoped that this would be a clean election where the candidates would be judged on their qualifications and positions. That is how I hope all voters will select the candidate of their choice, whoever that may be. I hope this is merely a misunderstanding and not an attempt to sling mud.
Bob
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So good to see that politics in my SCV is never changing. I’ll be at the City Council meeting tonight to listen and laugh. Come join me.
-Darryl
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Laughter is the best medicine. I’ve been feeling great as of late…
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Mr. Spierer seem overly sensitive about his image. He seems to feel the need to do a little sling himself rather than just accepting there may be a misunderstanding. “Mud”, “lemonade salesman”, “don’t guess”! Come on Bob, leave your badge at the station. You are retired, remember.
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Mr. Spierer,
Thank you for finding and posting a response here on SCVTalk. I understand your position; it just appeared to me, going by the Daily News’ article, that you had found a full-time job last year and you were anything but “retired.”
I hope this is merely a misunderstanding and not an attempt to sling mud.
I brought it up, and my intention was not to “sling mud” but just to question how our candidates are defined on our ballot. The connotation of the word “Retired” has a certain weight to it, and I felt it necessary to discuss it in light of your new job with the county.
In any event, thank you for your response.
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As for the rest of you….geeez! I step away from the PC for one day and I come back to 30+ angry comments.
A certain amount of rowdiness is expected during election season, and that’s fine, but I request that you kindly ratchet the hostility and personal attacks down several notches, capiche?
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I noticed no personal attacks or hostility unless it was directed at the performance or lack there of, of our Civic Servants. In that case it is performance related not personal. No capiche!
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It would seem to me that the best way to voice your opinions would be with your ballots. If you don’t like the incumbents, then vote them out. If there are certain newbie candidates that you don’t like, then don’t vote them in. Personally, I’d like to see some new faces on the City Council this time around. Time for a change from the same old, same old IMHO.
Politics is by nature a dirty business, so I doubt you’ll find anyone who absolutely squeaky-clean out there. Vote for the people who you feel will best represent your interests, not for those with the prettiest faces or necessarily the most pristine (or so we think) reputations. Nobody’s perfect, but you can do your best by voting for those who you feel will do the best job for SCV on the whole.
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“prettiest faces” are we talking about the same candidates! New would be good!
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The City Council is the only election where I am more interested in voting for “None of the Above”. What a bunch of petty/weak/lame politicians in training. Their answer to everything always seems to be, “I forgot”, “I didn’t know”, “wasn’t me”. Sounds like your average 5-year old doesn’t it?
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Pauline - I stand with you. I plan to make the vote my empowerment in keeping the SCV the best place to live.