August 6, 2008 - Daily Brief
Written by Jeff on August 6th, 2008State workers protest, transportation tax debate, the status of CEMEX, Laurie Ender’s approach to Mayo Expansion, plus, McKeon racially profiles? All ahead in today’s action-packed, seat-of-your-pants, thrill-ride, summer blockbuster Daily Brief. haha
News & Misc
- High political drama at LA County Board of Supes vote on transit tax: Drama and confusion abound today after the Supervisors of Los Angeles County delivered a spanking to the Los Angeles County MTA and its .5 % sales tax increase proposal that was supposed to appear on this November’s ballot. Supes voted 2-2 (Gloria Molina abstained), thus denying the MTA “the majority approval needed to put the measure on the county ballot,” according to this excellent Daily News article. Among the most vocal opponents of the measure which would inject some $30-$40 billion into regional transportation projects was Supervisor Antonovich, who remarked that the measure was a “political pork barrel rip-off” and said it’s unfair to force county taxpayers to fund “the subway-to-the-sea extravagance instead of their own regional needs.” The article says Santa Clarita and AV have about 7% of the County’s population but would only receive 5% of the revenues of the tax, but if I could ask Supervisor Antonovich one question, it’d be, “Don’t we here in Santa Clarita contribute to Los Angeles congestion everyday when we commute to our jobs in the basin?” Despite the failure of the measure before the Board of Supes, the MTA may still get this on a ballot in the future, though at a cost of some $3 million to $10 million for a special election. LA Times report
- Freeway accident claims lives of siblings: A sad followup to that traffic collision in the Newhall Pass that claimed the lives of two motorists on Monday: Jim Holt reports today that the two victims were siblings. Recall that a man driving a motorcycle stopped in the middle of I-5 just north of the Balboa overpass. Then a woman stopped behind him in her compact car. A pickup truck then hit both vehicles, pushing the cars and victims into a K-rail barrier. It turns out the motorcycle was driven by Alan Poggio,23, of Shafter and the compact car was driven by his sister, Lindsay Poggio,22. The family is said to be devastated; both Alan and Lindsay were in the SFV to find housing for the upcoming school year. The CHP is still investigating. Link EDIT: A Central Valley TV station says the sister was trying to “protect her brother after his motorcycle broke down.”
- And another sad freeway death: The Frazier Park Mountain Enterprise says an 8 year old Canadian girl died in a vehicle accident in the Grapevine after a blow-out in the car she was riding in on Tuesday afternoon. Link
- State workers protest outside Runner’s office, more budget news: Signal reporter Katie Geyer talked to a group of protesters who’s salary may be cut back to the federal minimum wage if lawmakers can’t agree on a budget soon. Vivian Kimoto, a state rehab counselor says the budget mess in Sacto is already affecting her job because she can’t issue funds to clients. Kimoto and some 20-30 state workers were in front of City Hall on Tuesday to protest budget cuts and deliver a letter to State Senator George Runner “urging him to support a budget that would limit cuts.” Signal report. Meanwhile, at the state level, Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to hike sales tax by a penny to help close the budget gap isn’t finding many fans, reports the SacBee. Jack Keyser, LA County Economic Development corp guru, says the tax increase would “take a little bit of money out of people’s pockets at a time when people are already struggling.” Link
- Buck McKeon holds town conference call, racially profiles Latinos? This comes to me by way of an anonymous reader of SCVTalk, who recorded a Buck McKeon Town Hall conference call to 25th District voters this week. The reader says she was surprised to hear McKeon assume that because “people were standing outside on San Fernando road that they were illegal aliens.” I think she’s referring to a portion of the phone call -which she recorded and sent to me- where McKeon is responding a voter’s complaint about “illegals” and says, “I’ve driven down San Fernando Road on Saturday morning and other mornings, and you can see people standing around that I would venture to guess are not here legally.” It’s unusual to hear McKeon talk about such local issues these days, and I’m not sure I agree with the reader’s sentiment that such comments amount to “racial profiling,” but I”m posting it here for you to decide yourself and also to get a sense of what your fellow 25th District voters care about. [display_podcast]
- Laurie Ender’s approach to Mayo Expansion: So the news last week that the Laurie Ender campaign benefited from some $30,000 donated to a third-party group by G&L Realty -the developer working with Mayo on the expansion- came like a bolt of lighting and has already reignited the debate over the hospital’s expansion plans a full month before the City Council dives back into the contentious issue. Ender told The Signal yesterday that she had been a strong supporter of hospital expansion for over 18 months, so I wanted to get a sense of what she had said about the plan before she was elected, indeed, before her campaign kicked into full swing. So I dug through my own archives and found this August 2007 blog post of her’s where she expresses impatience with how long the hospital’s approval process had taken: “At this week’s City Council meeting, after hours and hours of comments and remarks (literally,) it seems that a light bulb has gone off and the Council members have decided that they want a guarantee that there will be an expanded hospital before there are any office buildings. Are you serious? It took three years to come to this point?,” she says of a city council meeting last year. She goes on to describe what she wanted back then: “I want the hospital to expand. I also want more medical office buildings so that we can entice more specialists to move to Santa Clarita and be a part of the hospital community. I want parking. Hundreds of parking spaces would be nice but, selfishly, every time I have to go to the HMNMH campus I would give my left arm for just ONE space. I want the facilities to look attractive, I want traffic to be mitigated by the hospital (as they have proposed to do,) and–more than anything–I’d like to see a resolution to all this endless discussion so that we can start seeing some improvements!” She finishes her post by saying that even though 200 people might be in the Council Chambers debating Mayo’s plans, “there are another 175,000 or so who are at home hoping and believing the political process is working.” And just in time for this post and the forthcoming debate, The Signal has posted a “Reader Meter” asking “Do you think Councilwoman Laurie Ender can be objective on hospital-related votes?” Out of 35 votes cast so far, 25 say no, disclaimer about “non-scientific poll” withstanding.
- Outlook dim for CEMEX bill; Signal says we should write letters: Of HR 5887, the land-swap bill that would euthanize the CEMEX project in Soledad Canyon, the Signal Editorial Board says, “Now it’s August, and the bill that would make everybody happy is still languishing in the House Ways and Means Committee. It hasn’t even made it to the critical House Committee on Natural Resources, let alone the floor of the House, nor the necessary round of Senate scrutiny before it could become law.” There’s still some hope it might get heard before the House adjourns on September 26, and in the meantime, the Signal says we ought to “contact politicans and bureaucrats who are in positions to help McKeon’s bill become law.” Regarding the CEMEX bill, have we all dismissed Lynne Plambeck’s July 31 column in which she says CEMEX’s status as an international company operating under NAFTA complicates the passage of the bill?
- And finally… Two non-SCV but hilarious videos for you today. In the first, here’s a great news report about the first successful press conference mission by the Pentagon’s new robotic “Spokesdrone.” And in the second video, Paris Hilton responds to John McCain’s “Celebrity” ad.
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Your daily briefs are totally hot
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Linda Pederson and I both wrote replies to Ender’s commentary on Ender’s blog. We detailed all the Development agreement/Master Plan discrpancies and Ender was not interested.
Ender: “…..Nearly everyone agrees, no matter whether the hospital sits in their back yard or not, that we need a bigger hospital…..”
Section 4.6 of G&L Development Agreement: “Nothing in this agreement is intended, should be construed nor shall require Developer to proceed with the construction of any Project Improvements on the Campus Property.”
Yes, we need a bigger hospital but G&L never inteneded to build it. At the time Ender kept insisting we needed “a bigger hospital” while campaigning door to door talking to “real people,” this G&L escape clause in the Development Agreement proved that G&L was not intending to build the “bigger hospital.” Ender always refused to address this G&L escape clause, and now we know why!
As Ender said at a city council meeting, “It’s a matter of perception.” The perception is now that Ender is working for G&L and the reality of the $30,000 that bought her seat for G&L Realty must be addressed so the public can have faith in our governemnt that council seats are not being bought so developer lobbyists can sit in them. If Councilwoman Laurene Weste must recuse herself from votes regarding Newhall, Ender should also have to recuse herself from votes regarding the hospital because Ender’s campaign benefitted financially in a huge way from G&L Realty. It is outrageous that G&L Realty bought a city council seat, and the public cannot have any faith in this city council unless Laurie Ender is excused from voting on any hospital issues that involve G&L Realty.
Section 4.6 of G&L Development Agreement: “Nothing in this agreement is intended, should be construed nor shall require Developer to proceed with the construction of any Project Improvements on the Campus Property.”
When Laurene recuses herself from voting on Newhall issues, is this voluntary or required? If not voluntary, I see no reason why Laurie Ender would not be held to the same standards as Laurene Weste. As Ender says, ethics is a matter of perception, and the perception is now that Ender is working for G&L and this perception must be addressed so the public can have faith in our governemnt that council seats are not being bought so developer lobbyists can sit in them. If Laurene has to recuse herself from votes regarding Newhall, Ender should also have to recuse herself from votes regarding the hospital.
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Siblings Killed - When did people stop getting out of traffic after an accident or breakdown? I see this all the time, a minor fender bender and everyone leaves their cars in the middle of the road…people drive like they are at Talledega, you have to get out of the road.
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This is terrible. Were they out of their vehicles?
I know there is construction going on in the area where the accident happened.
Were the K-rails blocking the emergency lane stranding them in traffic lanes?
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I, sadly, saw the whole horrific event on my way home from work. Why they stopped in the middle of the freeway is beyond me. I can tell you this, the F350 was going a heck of a lot faster than 65. He crushed that poor little car against the k-rail. At 65 he could have done much less damage. IMHO, his telling the CHP he was going 65 was an obvious attempt to mitigate the damge caused. If she had her hazards on, which the report said she did, he should have been able to stop.
The whole thing is quite disturbing and each day I feel more and more saddness for all involved and for those us that witnessed the whole event.
The brother was standing by the bike, the sister was in the car to protect him, the report states.
I do agree though, why do people stall or stop in lanes?? I almost killed someone including myself and passengers when a person stopped in the carpool lane thinking it was the left shoulder. Good thing for anti-lock brakes.
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I do agree though, why do people stall or stop in lanes??
Well, that section of the 5 is an incline, is it not? Assuming his bike quit on him, he may not have had any options. It’s a matter of physics at that point.
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Not to be flippant, but you know it was a motorcycle. If it stalls one would think it would be much easier to run like hell with it across the other two lanes to the shoulder than stand out in traffic to see what was wrong with it. This is an easier task then say, moving one’s stalled car. Again, IMO.
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Outlook dim for CEMEX bill; Signal says we should write letters
My letter to both Senators indicated that I do not support the bill if it adds an additional dollar of taxpayer expense. The City has already wasted seven million dollars fighting a project that is beyond the scope of its authority. The fight was waged by a few well intended residents, with little majority(”real people”) community input. Yet the majority has paid the bill.
I guess I have taken the Ender approach.
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“If it stalls one would think it would be much easier to run like hell with it across the other two lanes”
How about just run like hell and screw the bike!
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“The fight was waged by a few well intended residents, with little majority(”real people”) community input.”
Not correct. Besides a huge list of opponents listed below, those several hundred people filling buses to go downtown to protest were proof of how committed this city was to opposing a massive mega-mine. The gym at valencia High was filled to overflowing for a protest rally, many couldn’t even get into the gym. And we were not saying no to all mining, we were asking for a smaller project. And even if we did not ask for a smaller project, Southdown/Cemex would not even agree to our mitigation requests, so they stalled their own project at that level. They were also caught in so many lies at the L.A. County Regional Planning Commission, the commissioners had this “duly noted” in the transcripts, and that is why the commissioners voted unanimously to not approve the project.
If a mega-mine intends to plop down on top of us, we certainly have a right to request mitigation. Even Newhall Land and Farming must mitigate their projects, as do all developers to some degree. Southdown/Cemex refused to mitigate at all, and all you have to do is go online to see how many communities their irresponsible mining practices have destroyed and how much money it took these communities to fight for mitigation in court, with Southdown/Cemex STILL battling the communities in appeal after the communities won their cases.
OPPONENT GROUPS & OFFICIALS TO THE CEMEX, SOUTHDOWN INC., TRANSIT MIXED CONCRETE, SOLEDAD SAND & GRAVEL MINE
91 ANNOUNCED OPPONENTS AS OF May 1, 2002
REGIONAL AGENCIES, COUNTIES, CITIES & TOWN COUNCILS
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors*
City of Santa Clarita
City of Lancaster
City of Palmdale
City of Fillmore
Acton Town Council
Agua Dulce Town Council
Stevenson Ranch Town Council
Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission
North County Transportation Coalition
Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy*
PUBLIC WATER AGENCIES & DISTRICTS
Castaic Lake Water Agency
Newhall County Water District
Santa Clarita Water Company
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS
William S. Hart Union High School District
Sulphur Springs Elementary School District
Community College District (College of the Canyons)
Saugus Elementary School District
Newhall School District
Castaic Union School District
Acton/Agua Dulce Union School District
FEDERAL-STATE-COUNTY OFFICIALS
Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon
State Senator William J. “Pete” Knight
State Assemblyman George Runner
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich
* Opposed to the mine as submitted in it’s present configuration.
BUSINESS & LABOR GROUPS AND BUSINESSES
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 12
Southland Regional Association of Realtors, Inc.
Valencia Industrial Association
Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce
Citizens Transportation Committee of the Santa Clarita Valley
Canyon Country Enterprises, dba Curtis Sand and Gravel Company
Comprehensive Development Consulting Company
Realty Executives
Teamsters Joint Council 42
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION & PRESERVATION GROUPS
Sierra Club
Tippi Hedren, Roar Foundation, Shambala Wildlife Preserve
Safe Action For the Environment, Inc. (S.A.F.E.)
Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment, Inc. (S.C.O.P.E.)
Friends of the Santa Clara River, Inc.
Santa Clarita Valley Canyons Preservation Committee, Inc.
Save the Angeles Foundation, Inc.
Landfill Alternatives Save Environmental Resources, Inc. (L.A.S.E.R.)
Santa Clarita Alliance For Environmental Safety (S.A.F.E.S.)
Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)
Green Environmental Coalition
Environmental World Watch
The Center for Biological Diversity
COMMUNITY & CIVIC SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Santa Clarita Civic Association
Agua Dulce Civic Association
Acton Civic Association
Polish American Association
Natural History Club of Acton
Canyon Country Beautification Committee
United Mothers For Santa Clarita
HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS & GROUPS
Sand Canyon Homeowners Association
Rivers End Mobile Home Park
Crystal Springs Ranch Homeowners Association
Stonecrest Homeowners
Pinetree Homeowners
Timberlane Homeowners
American Beauty Meadows Homeowners
Sand Canyon Oaks Homeowners Association, Inc.
The Placerita Canyon Property Owners Association, Inc.
POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley
Democratic Club of the Santa Clarita Valley
Santa Clarita Valley Republican Caucus
Santa Clarita Valley Lincoln Republican Club
Santa Clarita Valley Democratic Alliance for Action
http://www.ScSmartGrowth.org
Democratic Club of the High Dessert
Antelope Valley Democratic Club
California State Democratic Party 36th Assembly District Committee
PRINT & BROADCAST MEDIA
The Signal
The Magazine of Santa Clarita
Agua Dulce-Acton Country Journal
Radio Station KGMX-FM
Radio Station KLKX-FM
Radio Station KKZQ-FM
Radio Station KUTY-AM
Radio Station KJWL-AM
Radio Station KOCP-FM
Radio Station KCAQ-FM
Radio Station KKBE-FM
Radio Station KKZZ-AM
Radio Station KVTA-AM
Radio Station KUNX-AM
High Desert Broadcasting
Saddleback Broadcasting
Gold Coast Broadcasting
Compiled as a public service by Safe Action For the Environment, Inc.
Santa Clarita, California
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“The fight was waged by a few well intended residents, with little majority(”real people”) community input.”
Like I said, the “real people” were not asked. You have listed nearly every special interest group in the Valley, not the taxpayers. Filling a gym is not a majority. My bet is that the majority of people in this valley do not even know where the mine is located. If asked to vote on a 7 million dollar expense to fight the mine, I think many would have said no.
I am not in favor of the bill if it costs one more peso of taxpayer dollars. If it is free to the taxpayers, then I can support it. That is what I told the Senators and Buck in my letter.
Other facts that I consider is that we have more than just a few agencies, state, county and federal, that have jurisdiction over every aspect of the mining operation and our roadway. The city might as well have dumped the 7 mil of taxpayer money down a rat hole for all the good it has done to this point.
Like I said, I took the Ender approach. Ain’t democracy grand!
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“Like I said, the “real people” were not asked. You have listed nearly every special interest group in the Valley, not the taxpayers. Filling a gym is not a majority.”
“Real people” filled the gym and the buses. Try to get several hundred people to fill buses to oppose an issue, Cash, that takes a hell of a lot of city opposition. And do this 3 times. And yes, there were a few hundred people each time, I was there, saw the buses loaded with them, and the numbers were reported in the papers, so saying only a “few” well-intended people opposed this is incorrect. The fact that even major agencies opposed a mega-mine, with counties and cities and town councils also speaking at the Board of Sups in opposition to the mega-mine proves you are incorrect to insist the numbers of people opposing this issue is insignificant. All these agencies and groups sent speakers downtown, including speakers from the cities that opposed this with us.
ALL of these groups represent “real people who pay taxes,” and these “real, tax-paying people” filled those buses 3 times.
Sand Canyon Homeowners Association
Rivers End Mobile Home Park
Crystal Springs Ranch Homeowners Association
Stonecrest Homeowners
Pinetree Homeowners
Timberlane Homeowners
American Beauty Meadows Homeowners
Sand Canyon Oaks Homeowners Association, Inc.
The Placerita Canyon Property Owners Association, Inc.
All these groups are comprised of tax-paying citizens.
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It is no surprise that the Sand Canyon HO is the first on the list. some people believe they are entitled to special treatment. The list is not a majority of the community. It is easy to say you support something when you are paying for it with someone else’s money. I doubt all they would have voted yes if the question included, are you will to pay 7 million of your own money fight.
My decision is made, even with your hard work at trying to change my mind.
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You two should get a room.
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Considering that a measly 15% actually gets out and votes in this valley, demanding a significant percentage of the popoulation–over and above the members of all those groups listed above–is a silly and impossible standard for ANY issue.
Can you name one group that is FOR the mine?
Can you name 92 groups like listed in opposition above?
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“My decision is made, even with your hard work at trying to change my mind.”
LOL, “changing your mind” is not something I would even be interested in doing. I am giving you the facts about an issue that prove your assertion wrong. Changing your mind is not even an issue with me.
A majority of this community was represented by the hundreds of “real people” that went downtown on buses to oppose Cemex - not just Sand Canyon and Canyon Country were represented and Sand Canyon being first on a list is irrelevant, that doesn’t mean their opposition is worth less because they were listed first. Many areas of this city do not have homeowner associations so their communities did not appear on the huge list of opposition, but “real people” from Saugus, Newhall, Valencia, Canyon Country, Cadtaic, Agua Dulce, and Stevenson Ranch opposed Cemex at a personal level, with letters and e-mails to elected representatives and by boarding buses to speak at the Board of Supervisors. Many SCV residents appeared at city council many times demanding that our city oppose the mega-mine.
The senior citizens of this city were also out in force riding downtown, and they were all “real people,” I can assure you. School districts were represented by Superintendents and school board members and parents. Many of these “real people” brought letters from neighbors so the hundreds that rode the buses amounted to much more because the many letters of opposition from those who couldn’t accompany us counted just as much as we did when their letters of opposition were presented to the Board of Supervisors.
You can continue to ignore the facts about the huge amount of Cemex opposition, Cash, but that will not alter the truth that the majority of Santa Claritans opposed a mega-mine plopping down on top of SCV, and even unincorporated areas joined us, and eventually we gained the support of many states that had dealt with Cemex and they joined SCV’s Cemex opposition.
Besides the huge opposition list, the hundreds of “real people” who continually filled buses to go downtown and who continually showed up at City Hall to demand that our city council oppose this mega-mine prove you wrong when you claim the majority of Santa Claritans did not oppose the mega-mine. I am sure you are well-aware how difficult it is to get several hundred people to publicly oppose ANY issue in a unified show of force, yet this city accomplished this 3 times AND got these “real people” on buses, and the Supervisors were stunned and more than just a little impressed with our numbers.
And just because you don’t like a certain group of people, or certain organizations, you cannot simply discount their opposition or their value. ALL people, ALL organizations, and ALL groups who opposed this counted, every one of them. Organizations and groups and agencies and other cities were represnted by speakers at the BOS opposing the size and scope of the mine, and each speaker represented hundreds more people! No matter how rich they were, or how poor they were, or how old or how young, their voices counted and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors recognized the importance of our opposition numbers when several hundred “real people” showed up in L.A. multiple times. The only people who supported the mega-mine at the L.A. County Regional Plannimg Commission and the L.A. County Board of Supervisors were mining reps and mining employees. Too bad you couldn’t be there, Cash, but the lone support of Cemex from one SCV resident at these hearings probably wouldn’t have had much of an impact anyway.
A “few” well-intended residents? LOL, the Board of SUPS - and Cemex, even - would heartily disagree with that incorrect assessment of the Cemex opposition.
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The special interest (92groups) spurred on by the Sand Canyon Elite are listed. If you understood the politics of this city you would not make such a naive comment. Most people are neutral and could care less about the mine. The 7 million dollars was wasted by the council to satisfy the special interest. Bob Kellar is at the heart of the special interest and is a resident of Sand Canyon. If you need a geography lesson, let me know. The 7 million dollars should have been spent for improvement within the City. The council spent taxpayer dollars to fight a battle that was not part of the council charter.
The council had no problem asking the voters for approval to spend million to purchase open space, and they should have asked for approval to spend million on the mine fight.
Silly, I think not, catering to the special interest yes!
By the way,the AQMD was not overly concerned about air quality, an issue that was hyped to the maximum by the crusaders. Nor where other agencies that had permitting authority concerned.
I will agree that voting turn out is shameful, this should tell you something about wow is really behind the fight.
I did send my letter, did you?
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“You two should get a room”.
Really classy comment Observer. Sorry Pauline. Cash
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You two should get a room.
LOL!
I’m just an old anti-Cemex war-horse that’s been out to pasture too long, missing the good old days of rabble-rousing and bus lunches. But, I’m done, been fun, and Spineflower 2 really said it better than I did, as wordy as I was.
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Really classy comment Observer. Sorry Pauline. Cash
Not a problem, Cash, I’ve been married too long to be offended by stuff like that.