August 12, 2008 - Daily Brief
Written by Jeff on August 12th, 2008
News
- Man arrested for attempted murder in Canyon Country: John Naglich, 49, is alleged to have hit and choked his 52 year old girlfriend. During the altercation, the victim blacked out, and when she awoke, Naglich was allegedly attempting to break her neck. She was able to get out of her house and a neighbor called 911. Katie Geyer has the story.
- Black man assaulted, Deputies allege hate crime: One man was arrested and authorities are looking for three more men after the suspects allegedly attacked a black man on Saturday night. The victim, 26 years old, was sitting in a car with a girl when one of the suspects approached him, had words with him, and then punched him in the face. The victim managed to get out of the car (as did his passenger), but then the three suspects “got a hammer and a bat and smashed all the windows and quarter panels” of the victim’s car. One white man, 21 year old Cameron Campbell, has been arrested and the fuzz is investigating this as a “hate crime.” Link
- Negative Equity in California real estate market: The LA Times Land blog has a summary of a Zillow.com report that details the amount of “underwater” homes cross referenced with the year they were purchased. Underwater homes are properties that are worth less than what is owed to the bank. The long and short of it is that if you bought a home in 2003, it’s not likely to be underwater, but 71% of homes purchased in 2006 are likely underwater (at least in the greater LA area). Link
- Property tax increase possible: The Torrance Daily Breeze reports that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors may hike property taxes “to help stem a massive deficit in the health services department.” Specifically, the supes might vote to increase the Assessment of Measure B, a 2002 measure. The average homeowner might pay some $55 more per year.
- And more on the MTA tax: It’s still possible that the half cent MTA transit tax might go to voters on this November’s consolidated ballot; the Daily News says the LA County Board of Supes “is expected to reverse its decision and vote to put the measure on a consolidated Nov 4 ballot.” Now the tax faces hurdles in Sacramento though. So has Antonovich changed his mind about the tax? No; matter of fact he introduced a motion opposing the tax, remarking in a press release that “The Antelope and Santa Clarita Valleys will more than double in population over the life of this sales tax measure, yet receive only 5% of the total project funding.” The tax may raise up to $40 billion over the next 30 years.
- COC Prof reflects on situation in Georgia: Kevin Anthony spent some time in the Black Sea nation this spring, and left behind many friends and students he’s worried about as the Russian army continues its military action in Georgia, a former Soviet state. “We knew in May that the Russians were coming, and that it possibly might even happen while I was there,” he told Sharon Cotal at the Signal.
- Neat web tool simulates quake damage, casualties: The Internet Loss Estimation Tool (InLET for short) uses soil data, USGS info, census data, and other geological information to estimate the effects of an earthquake on California. With the tool, earthquake planners can run simulations on quakes, even selecting different epicenters and the system will spit out data on how many buildings are damaged, how many casualties occurred, and where the shaking is felt. A guy who works for Microsoft even used the tool to simulate an earthquake in Santa Clarita.
- 51 Most Influential: I was wondering if the Signal would put together a fourth annual “Santa Clarita’s 51 Most Influential” special this year, and it appears they will. In a quarter page sized ad in today’s Signal, the paper says the special supplement will appear on Sunday, August 24 and says it will be seen by some 39,000 readers, which I suppose is their Sunday circulation figure. So who’s going to be Number 1 most Influential this year? The City Council is usually in the top 10 somewhere, along with Ken Pulskamp, and of course the Captains and Lieutenants of SCV Business Inc always make a showing, as well as the champion volunteers. Media figures are not allowed, so I don’t think we can lobby for I Heart. So take your pick.
- George Runner on same-sex marriage proposition wording: The conservative State Senator takes issue with Jerry Brown’s efforts to re-word the proposition that would outlaw same sex marriages in California. Link
- Jon Dell evangelizes bicycling gospel: The KHTS reporter posted an editorial yesterday on how great it is to ride a bicycle in Santa Clarita. “Santa Clarita has been somewhat forward thinking when it comes to public mobility. For years they have been building bicycle paths, lanes and trails to offer an alternative for those who want to travel around town under their own power.” He says that in comparison to mass transit, bicycles allow people to “go where we want, when we want,” and says that the trail and path systems are so good, you can ride from Newhall to McBean & Decoro without leaving a path. He’s right on all counts of course, although I wish we could get some more bike lanes in Newhall along major roads. Speaking of riding, I went for a 25 mile ride yesterday. Started off in Newhall, rode up Soledad, then down Sand Canyon (what a swank beautiful part of town), then rocketed down Placerita Canyon which was incredibly fun and dangerous. Thank you to the motorists who gave me a wide berth.
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Nice picture. Looks to be land adjacent to the transit station on McBean.
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Most Influential? I am sure that consultant/lobbyists Hunt Braly, Arthur Sohikian, and Scott Wilk will make the list. Certainly not household names in SCV but the devils are certainly in the details.
Which brings up your question from yesterday, Jeff, about whether the G&L purchase of Ender’s vote would have changed the election. The answerr is YES but you need to consider the entire picture:
— Laurie Ender won with last-minute smear fliers that misrepresented what other candidates’ positions were on the G&L master plan. We now know these were paid with G&L dollars
— Laurie Ender got Buck McKeon’s endorsement which was pasted all over a flier illegally paid for city councilman Frank Ferry’s own campaign funds. (buying alliances on council has never been legal and Frank damn well knew it)
— Then, although the Republicacn Party endorsement was given to Bob Spierer from both city and county organizations, those endorsements were withdrawn without explanation and given to Ender in the final weeks of the election. This required a tremendous amount of political maneuvering; I’m thinking Scott Wilk and Bob Houter from good old Buck’s office.
Without these efforts, yes, Laurie would still be a PTA mom with a tiny campaign purse. The questions that really beg an answer are (a) just WHO would fund and coordinate such efforts to get someone into a council seat who doesn’t even understand big and complex words concepts like “mixed use developments” and (b) WHY did they do it?
We heard from Buck that Ender had the right plan for the hospital and that she’s been on the Cemex issue from the beginning - both are patently false. Personally, I think Buck should explain himself (and the actions of current and former staff) or go back to selling boots - they certainly are good for what the man seems to be shoveling!
Developers are poised to buy our town, folks, and the problem is entrenched through every level. Make no mistake that destruction of our city’s General Plan is worth billions of dollars to these guys and deaf, dumb, and blind decision makers make the process that much easier.
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Hunt Braly and Ms. Ender have been spotted at a certain social event, away from the crowd,having conversation. Surely Hunt was not lobbying the naive Ms. Ender about city matters!
If Bucky the boot salesman were worth is salary, he would have taken action to resolve the CEMEX matter long ago, and thereby avoided having Kellar and Weste spending $7,000,000.00 of taxpayer money, to fight an issue outside the scope of their responsibility. The taxpayers of this City are being riped off by special interests and inept, so called leaders.
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Re: George Runner on same-sex marriage proposition wording:
Personally I wish all initiatives (not just this one) were ’specific’ as the wording Mr. Brown has decided to use. So often you get the sample ballot or initiative ballot, and you can spend days trying to figure out exactly what an inititiave (if voted for or against) will do for you and I. This particular initiative (if passed) will do exactly what Mr. Brown says it will, “Not allow people of same sex to marry”.
Mr. Runner believes that the voters should be given a ‘general idea’ about any initiative. I want a SPECIFIC idea! Our government seems to have gotten pretty ‘vague’ with our laws, which I feels allows more loop holes then ever! Just tell us what the new law will do, and be SPECIFIC about it, then let us decide if we want it passed or not. I’m not usually a ‘black or white’ individual, but when it comes to our laws and what we citizens are voting on, it’s sometimes necessary!
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Totally off the subjects listed above (since I don’t want to get into another Ender discussion). I am supporting Jeff’s sponsors by going to see GREASE for the 2nd time. Since this is the last weekend for the show it would be a great time to get out to see it. All the bugs are worked out, the music is great and the cast is terrific (especially George Chavez).
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The courts ruled in favor of Mr. Brown’s Prop 8 description and it is unfortunate that Mr. Runner thinks it is a good use of time to question the court while California’s state budget is more than a month late.
Brown wrote a clear and accurate title and summary of Prop 8 which reflects the California Supreme Court’s decision. Trial and appellate court judges ruled that Attorney General Brown’s clear and accurate description of Prop 8 is “not argumentative, prejudicial, or controversial…” The court’s have ruled in favor of Mr. Brown’s description.
Mr. Runner is a legislator, not an attorney. Perhaps he should start working on passing the state budget–the job he was elected to do–not playing Monday morning quarter back with California Supreme Court decisions.
Gareth Lacy
Communications Director
California Attorney General’s Office
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Very well stated Gareth and you hit it ‘right on’. However, the unfortunate part of all this is that even though our Supreme Court (a neutral and un-biased judges) ruled in favor of the description, there will still be ‘politicians’ that will do everything (including finding ‘loopholes’) in their power to change it to their way of thinking.
You’re absolutely right that Mr. Runner should not waste his time with this particular issue, and work on the state budget problems instead!
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George Runner on same-sex marriage proposition wording:
So now we have a Representative that is willing to fight for the majority and their vote on an issue, and we turn on him. Yes the budget is critical, but the issue of gay marriage isn’t trivial! It should not be an issue, but a small element of our society has pushed it. Blame them not Mr. Runner.
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So now we have a Representative that is willing to fight for the majority and their vote on an issue, and we turn on him.
Cash - perhaps you missed the most recent results of the Field poll from May 2008, I have attached the link for you just in case you had not seen, or chose not to read it.
http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2268.pdf
Runner is not fighting for the majority, but the MINORITY of Californians!
The “issue” of same sex marriage, NOT gay marriage is trivial compared to the state budget. It frankly is a non-issue altogether except to homophobes and facists who want to take rights from people. You are welcome to your beliefs, but your beliefs do not equate to making laws that remove rights from others.
I have long figured out that, you sir, are of an old fashioned conservative mindset, and that is fine, but please do not force your beliefs on me and make me evil or wrong because of it.
My partner and I have been together for 15 years next month and we are getting married on our anniversary. We own a great home and have family here in the SCV as well. We both have excellent careers and you probably have even shopped next to us at the store or seen us at the mall. Do you know who we are? Probably not because we look, act, talk and spend money just like you. We pay taxes, go to church just like everyone else. I happen to love a man, not a dog or my cat or a child, but another adult human being. What is so very wrong about that? Why must you demand your politicans to take our rights away and use us as political fodder??
http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2268.pdf
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Michael
It is not a matter of me knowing who you are, I do not believe in your lifestyle. I am not trying to force my beliefs on you. It is clear that gays feel the need to strike out whenever an opposing view is stated. It appears that if they don’t that they fear they will lose whatever ground they have gained in their attempt to further demean our society. I elect not to set back and roll over to your tactic. I read that you do many things the same as I, but there is one very big difference, and that is the issue here.
We have many laws that can be questioned, but we have laws for a good reason. I could ask you the same question about the use of politicians. I could also conclude that you have a gay mindset, unlike my Conservative point of view. I could further conclude that you are so set in your beliefs that you find it necessary to point out the term same sex rather than gay marriage, to force me to use your term. Gay or Lesbian mean the same to me when it come to marriage, it is wrong.
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Cash -
I have no desire to get into a war of words with you. I just want to clarify something, my lifestyle was never a choice. I did not, nor did the millions of other gays and lesbians, wake up one day and say, ” Hmmm, I think I would like to become a part of one of the most hated, persecuted groups of people in society.” Believe me this was not a choice, no one would choose to face the wrath of people like you. But this is what I am, this is what, for those that believe in, God made.
Again, what you believe to be right or wrong as taught to you by your faith or beliefs are not what laws should be based on. Laws are made to protect the public from things that may harm them. Being gay and allowed to marry does not harm you, it may offend you but that is not reason enough to change the books and make it illegal to marry.
In the many years that we have lived in SCV, no straight married couple has been adversely affected by us being their neighbor. There have been divorces but that was generally due to spousal abuse and cheating, not by us being gay.
As to “feeling the need to strike out…” damn straight. So long as people like you are out there, we need to try to set the record straight that we are fighting for our rights. Demeaning your society? Gimme a break.
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Michael,
As to “feeling the need to strike out…” damn straight. So long as people like you are out there, we need to try to set the record straight that we are fighting for our rights. Demeaning your society?
Gimme a break.
There is no record to set straight. You are merely attempting to force your agenda to make it legal for you to further demean the values of our society. If there is a record, it is a written word that states that your lifestyle is wrong. There will always be many many people like me that are not going to accept your lifestyle. You have a right to live in a society of laws and to work to change the laws that do not appeal to you. I have the same rights to see that laws are there that will protect the moral fabric of our society. I do believe that your lifestyle is harmful no matter how hard you try to build a different case. I would not expect you to understand how your lifestyle is harmful to others, to understand would be to admit that your are wrong. Even gays that find away to have children can’t see the harm they may be doing to the child. They convince themselves that there is no concern, by hanging on to their selfish beliefs.
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Michael,
Thank you for your measured reply to Cash. I believe that Unions strengthen our society . My inter-racial heterosexual marriage of 34 years was performed by a judge in a civil court. It is not nor does it need to be sanctioned by any person, religion or church. I am sure that there are people who do not “believe in my lifestyle”.
If anyone is allowed to be married, everyone should be allowed to marry the person on their choice. No one is demeaned, all are elevated.
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Kim,
Your inter-racial heterosexual marriage of 34 years is not demeaning to me. You may have demeaned your marriage if you conclude it to by akin to a gay marriage.
“It is not nor does it need to be sanctioned by any person, religion or church”..
Then there is no need to change the laws of the land. Thanks for making a meaningful point.
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Kim,
please, one more thing. Your long marriage is an example that many could follow. Congrtualtions on 34 years. You and your spouse deserve great respect.
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I know this is late to reply, but after reading Cash’s comments to Michael and Kim I just couldn’t resist one more point of view.
Being a ‘child’ (though no longer) of a gay parent who had a loving relationship with another woman for 11 years (had it not been for my mothers untimely death, I’m sure they’d still be together today), I can tell you that I would have LOVED for my mother and her partner to have had the RIGHT to marry. Cash brings up Kim’s inter-racial marriage and says he is glad forthe longivity for that marriage. We must remember that ‘inter-racial’ marriages were once AGAINST the law also! I appreciate people for what they are and what they stand for, Cash apparently does not. Just as Kim’s race may be different than her spouces, Michael’s gender happens to be the same as his partner. Congrat’s to you both!!!
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lvogel
I appreciate people for what they are and what they stand for, Cash apparently does not.
The fact is that Cash does not stand for gay marriage. To draw a conclusion that I have a problem with Kim’s marriage, and compare Kim’s marriage to gay marriage, is not only BS, it is grasping at straws to make a point. It is AGAINST the law for a brother to marry his sister, do you think we should change that law? By the way lvogel, do you know who your father is? This topic is marriage, not who loves whom!
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lvogel, “Just as Kim’s race may be different than her spouces”
Who said Kim was a female?
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Okay, I’ll give you that Kim may be a male, I do not know and really doesn’t matter. Two questions though:
1: Why do you not stand for gay marriage?
2: Why the question about my father?
Just as you feel strongly about 2 people of the same sex NOT being able to marry, I feel just as strongly that they should have the RIGHT to do so. Why do I bring up the fact that inter-racial marriage was once illegal? What I hear today, and the reasons for not giving homosexuals the right to marry, sound very similar to the reasons given when people of mixed races could not marry.
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I believe gay marriage to be immoral among other things.
I asked you about your father because I believe it important that a child knows who their father is. I recently read where two gay men mixed their sperm in a petri dish before having a surrogate women impregnated. They said they did this so that the child would know that both gay men were the daddy, I am not sure sperm works in that way, but that was their sad way of looking at it. The child was not to know who the mother is. I suppose if questioned, these two gay fathers will believe no harm is being done to the child. It is time to put the gay horse back in the barn before further damage is done to our society.
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Okay, thanks for the answer on the reason for your not wanting people of the same sex to marry. I thought your answer would be just that. What I feel is immoral, is when harm is done to ‘others’. So if a marriage between two ‘consulting ADULTS’ does not bring harm to me or others then I feel it is not immoral. Your definition is different then mine, so be it.
I (and my siblings), like so many babies and children in our society, had a ‘father’ who wished not to be. Why, I do not know and like so many other’s we were never able to find out because he didn’t want to be ‘found’. I was only 2 months old, my eldest sibling was almost 8 the middle around 3. His leaving was harder on the eldest then on me. I believe that the harm you say being done to our society by the “gay horse”, is nothing compared to what is done by the men who feel it’s there job only to make children and not raise them. If there is love given to a child by BOTH parents (gay or not) then that child will only benefit and learn to love back.
By the way, thanks for the exchange Cash. It’s one of those subjects that people will always disagree on and I always enjoy hearing the ‘other side’.
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lvogel, I am really sorry your childhood was so difficult. Your response is typical of those that argue for gay marriage and children. That is that normal marriage is not always good for the children the marriage produces. I too expected you to react that way.
For some reason I believe that most kids from a gay relationship will have a higher likelihood of being harmed. Your question was why did dad leave, theirs will be why do I not have a dad or why do I not have a mom. I see this as an unnecessary burden to put on a child. I hope I am wrong.
Thanks for the exchange.
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Actually Cash in retrospect, my childhood wasn’t as difficult as others. Sure money was scarce and there were many ‘holidays’ not celebrated. We moved often due to my mothers jobs or due to the cost of renting a ‘home’. But my mother kept us off the streets and fed us the best she could without the support of a ‘husband’, or, ‘father’. I’ve known of others stories that are far harder and ‘difficult’.
I have known many homosexual couples throughout my life and many have raised children. What I know of these ‘children’ (many adults now) is that they are productive, happy and successful individuals and a few are now raising (in heterolsexual relationships) children of their own and are themselves loving, caring parents just as their (homosexual) parents are/were. I will coun’t myself as one of those children now raising my own in a 30 year relationship. I say that I’m a good parent humbly, because I have not heard my boys say that I haven’t been a loving a caring parent. I was raised by a loving mother and luckily was raised by another parent for the important ‘teen’ years of my life. That ‘other’ parent just happened to be a woman. Again as a child who saw my mother unhappy and struggling to raise her three children, I didn’t care that she loved and shared her life with another woman. She was happy and that’s what mattered. I was happy and loved, and in the great scheme of things that’s what a child wants and should have in their lives. The ‘burden’ was never mine, Cash. The burden was my mothers. A burden that even after she found love again, and shouldn’t have to worry any longer, she did because people now found something else to judge her about. Being a single mother always carried a certain amount of stigma with the title. She couldn’t be there for our schooling. She didn’t have relationships with other mothers in various neighborhoods, because of their own insecurities. Even in this day and age, I have known parents that will not allow their children to go to the home of a single parent family. I’ve known women that are not invited to ‘get-togethers’ where the ‘majority’ is married couples.
Okay, I got off base there. I guess my point (feeling) about all this is that it’s the child we need to consider. You feel that a child being raised by a homosexual couple will be ‘harmed’ in some way. I feel that if that relationship is a loving one, that’s all that matters. What harms children is the attitude of those around them. The judgements that children shouldn’t have to deal with, but unfortunately the parents do!
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Actually Cash in retrospect, my childhood wasn’t as difficult as others. Sure money was scarce and there were many ‘holidays’ not celebrated. We moved often due to my mothers jobs or due to the cost of renting a ‘home’. But my mother kept us off the streets and fed us the best she could without the support of a ‘husband’, or, ‘father’. I’ve known of others stories that are far harder and ‘difficult’.
I have known many homosexual couples throughout my life and many have raised children. What I know of these ‘children’ (many adults now) is that they are productive, happy and successful individuals and a few are now raising (in heterolsexual relationships) children of their own and are themselves loving, caring parents just as their (homosexual) parents are/were. I will coun’t myself as one of those children now raising my own in a 30 year relationship. I say that I’m a good parent humbly, because I have not heard my boys say that I haven’t been a loving a caring parent. I was raised by a loving mother and luckily was raised by another parent for the important ‘teen’ years of my life. That ‘other’ parent just happened to be a woman. Again as a child who saw my mother unhappy and struggling to raise her three children, I didn’t care that she loved and shared her life with another woman. She was happy and that’s what mattered. I was happy and loved, and in the great scheme of things that’s what a child wants and should have in their lives. The ‘burden’ was never mine, Cash. The burden was my mothers. A burden that even after she found love again, and shouldn’t have to worry any longer, she did because people now found something else to judge her about. Being a single mother always carried a certain amount of stigma with the title. She couldn’t be there for our schooling. She didn’t have relationships with other mothers in various neighborhoods, because of their own insecurities. Even in this day and age, I have known parents that will not allow their children to go to the home of a single parent family. I’ve known women that are not invited to ‘get-togethers’ where the ‘majority’ are married couples.
Okay, I got off base there. I guess my point (feeling) about all this is that it’s the child we need to consider. You feel that a child being raised by a homosexual couple will be ‘harmed’ in some way. I feel that if that relationship is a loving one, that’s all that matters. What harms children is the attitude of those around them. The judgements that children shouldn’t have to deal with, but unfortunately the parents do!
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lvogel
You have used a lot of ink to justify and explain your childhood. You had a tough one. I must conclude that you have deep and painful feeling about your childhood. The issue is gay marriage. I believe gay marriage is harmful to our society, just as much as I believe fathers that abandon their children is harmful to our society. You were born with fighting chance. I think children of gay couples begin life with a huge deficit. I say this with the belief that gay people are some of the nicest people I know.
I have nothing more to add. Have a great day lvogel. Cash