May 11, 2010 – Daily Brief

  • LA County looks at purchasing/preserving 250 acres of land near Agua Dulce that is contiguous with land the City recently purchased with its open space funds. Signal commenter asks who owns the land and is it land that could be developed in the first place? SIGNAL
  • At tonight’s City Council meeting, Neighbors in the Singing Hills/McBean area and the “Our Valley/Our Vision” group will oppose a Conditional Use Permit for the new medical office building proposed at McBean & Singing Hills. They’ve started an online petition with specific complaints about the building HERE
  • Whether it was a senior prank or just a misguided hoax, writings on the wall of a Golden Valley High School bathroom got a big response from Deputies over the weekend. SIGNAL, KHTS
  • LA County DA Steve Cooley, running for California AG, will speak at the Tournament Players Club in West Ridge tonight WRB
  • Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar is being investigated for “possible leaks of patient information” following a recent Times story. LA TIMES
  • Chi Chi’s Pizza in Canyon Country robbed at gun point Deputies say SIGNAL
  • Eight months ago, Deputies seized computers and cell phones belonging to a Newhall auto shop owner because an anonymous source had accused the man of child pornography. Having found no evidence to support the claim, Deputies have returned the man’s computers -none of which work- without even explaining who accused him in the first place. The man is hiring a lawyer SIGNAL
  • Ralph Drollinger’s house up for sale BLOCK SHOPPER
  • Governor Schwarzenegger joked yesterday that he was going to give a speech in Arizona, but he was afraid they’d think he was illegal and deport him because of his accent. LOL THINK PROGRESS
  • LA Times write-up on the obscure Board of Equalization, the nation’s only elected tax board and the next step in George Runner’s government worker career LA TIMES
  • Washington Post debuts POST POLITICS.COM, the paper’s answer to the popular Politico website I guess
  • Pew research survey finds that 32% of 18-29 year olds actually trust the federal government and think government gets a bad rap. So that explains why Tea Party appears to be so…gray NPR.ORG
  • In case you don’t know that rattlesnakes should be avoided, CITY BRIEFS has you covered
  • You know how if you see a brand new nice car in the middle of the mall, and you enter to win the car, you will soon receive cold calls from marketers because your name has been sold to a thousand marketing companies? Well, that’s what I and a lot of other people think Facebook is becoming. It’s the ultimate marketer’s system, a million times more powerful and pervasive than existing systems. And people, important and intelligent ones at that, are leaving it. WIRED
  • Letter writer has sharp words for SCOPE. And quite effective SIGNAL
  • Bruce McFarland stirs the pot on that principal who forced some kids to go home from school for wearing American flag T-shirts SIGNAL
  • COC Student says Awesometown is anything but: “Maybe coming from a younger individual, such as myself, I don’t believe that this town has any awesomeness in it. There’s absolutely nothing for any young adults under 21 to do that doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg, especially during the night hours. This lack of awesomeness has led many kids in the area to drugs from marijuana and even personal accounts to black tar heroin,” he writes. Geez. I grew up in this town and found other things to do besides black tar heroin COUGAR NEWS
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19 Responses to May 11, 2010 – Daily Brief

  1. Jim Farley says:

    The fact that 18-29 year olds trust the government, and the Tea Party trends gray, only proves that wisdom comes with age.

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    • Jeff says:

      Hahha. Nice one Jim.

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    • IHeartSCV says:

      I quite agree, Jim–here’s a quotation from the article:

      “Like so many of her peers, Tucker was inspired to get into politics by the campaign of President Obama.

      ‘It gives you hope, and that hope turns into trust in the government, because you believe that things can change — or like good things can happen,’ Tucker says.”

      It makes me embarrassed to be a part of the 18-29 age demographic.

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      • Timothy Myers says:

        IHeart:

        You were 40 when you were in preschool!!! I, on the other hand, have reversed the aging process!

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        • 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple? ;)

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          • Jim Farley says:

            Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! I’m going to have another beer (actually I should revert back to the seventies and smoke a joint on this one) and see if I can understand TM’s time space theory and how it relates to butterscotch ripple????

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  2. Timothy Myers says:

    I love the old trope there is “nuttin” to do so it forced me to take black tar heroin. Sorry, but we can’t find every stoner video game addict a girlfriend!

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  3. navigator says:

    I am so grateful for those teens who have decided that there IS something to do in the SCV. We have so many volunteer positions available that it boggles the mind. These kids don’t realize that that the more time they spend doing for others, the more people they meet. This not only rounds out their growth structure it gives them many venues to meet others of like interests (possible dates guys and gals). GET INVOLVED!

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    • GangFang says:

      Sounds ideal, but a majority of kids won’t look at an opportunity to volunteer as “something to do”. They’ll look at it as something they are forced to do, a punishment, and as boring as church. I know some atypical teens see value in it, but the majority would laugh if offered volunteering as an alternative to sex, drugs, & rock n roll, etc…..

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      • navigator says:

        You are correct, of course. That is the sad truth. As a teen I volunteered for Youth Employment. I always got the best jobs and met some great girls and had fun doing it. But, then, that’s me.

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  4. mikec says:

    As to the autorepair guy. Either the sheriffs’ executed a search warrant, based upon probable cause or they went to his business and asked for consent to take his computer equipment etc…what doesn’t make sense is the amount of time it took to look into this matter. If he gave consent and don’t see how he might have a potential case.

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    • Your Web Guru says:

      The sheriff executed a search warrant, blocked off the street, and made a surprise intrusion into his shop during normal business hours with customers standing by. From the stories I’ve been following since it happened (I knew the guy and he’s worked on my vehicles in the past…and happens to be a good family man by the way). The ‘probable cause’ was based on a tip from an unknown source. Who knows? Maybe the source got a bad tune-up.
      Either way, based on that, an innocent guy had his business totally disrupted, not to mention what it did to his reputation, based really on nothing concrete. I understand that law enforcement must follow up on leads and were really just doing their job, but the whole situation sucks nonetheless for said auto shop owner.

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      • Timothy Myers says:

        YWG:

        “Unknown source” only to the accused, since a “CI” or confidential informant must be known to law enforcement in order to support the affidavit for the search warrant. The LASD could be liable based on negligence in believing the CI, but if they received sworn testimony from the CI, and they were otherwise reliable, they acted in good faith.

        An ex-spouse or girlfriend would be the best bet for who would be vindictive enough to make this accusation, which is only trumped by child molestation and/or incest for being the most ruinous.

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        • Walker :) says:

          Our neighbors were raided by the FBI a few years ago (it was all very exciting. Like, FBI agents jumping over walls and crawling out under parked cars all over the street). Supposedly someone ‘hacked’ in to their (locked) internet connection and uploaded a few minutes of child pornography. That was apparently all they needed to barge into this families home in the early morning in front of the whole neighborhood. Poor neighbor standing handcuffed in his boxers in front of open windows for the whole neighborhood to witness. His wife and baby were hiding in a closet, they thought the house was being broken in to (they were banging on the door screaming FBI open up, but I mean seriously, who would believe they were really being raided by the FBI).

          Anyways, the FBI had their computers (two personal and a business issued one) for quite a few months before they got them back (though theirs were intact when returned, so far as I know.)

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  5. lvogel says:

    I agree Your Web Guru; it sucks!

    Having had a family member who was once accused of worse acts, and stood by him through 2 trials (one hung, one acquittal), over 1 1/2 years, I can tell you the innocent party’s life is forever changed. He never recovered financially, or more importantly, emotionally.

    I too have been (and continued going during this ‘investigation’) to this auto shop and he and his staff do excellent work. I go for all my auto needs.

    Because of the experience of my loved one, I am a strong believer of innocent ‘unless’ proven guilty and with HARD evidence, not just because of someones accusation.

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  6. mikec says:

    YWG,

    Interesting, because the search warrant should indicate what information/investigation they did prior to the request for a search warrant or what the CRI (confidentail reliable informant) did and what they observed the CRI do. If all they did was receive a “tip” and obtained a search warrant on that alone, then someone needs to sitdown and have a talk with the judge who signed it, because an anonymous tip might lead to an investigation, but alone shouldn’t rise to the level of a search warrant.

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    • Your Web Guru says:

      I’m not saying the sheriff didn’t act in accordance with their duties and responsibilities, but it sounds like someone just had a bug up their butt and decided to make life miserable for Brian Clark (might as well use his real name. After all it is public knowledge). What’s scary is that if all it takes is an accusation to make life a living hell for someone, who’s to say it couldn’t happen to any one of us. I had thought perhaps that one of his staff might have stored something on his computers to get rid of it but I guess that wasn’t the case either.
      I’m hoping Brian can move forward and/or at least find a way to make up for his trouble. I wish him and his family the best.

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  7. Ursula says:

    Wow… it has been a while since i looked Google Dashboard. I’d forgotten about Google Checkout and some of the maps I’d created for Google Maps.

    I think the reason Facebook’s changes seem more… evil is that i was giving them information not realizing that LATER it would become more public or shared with advertisers. I mean i futz around with Google Latitude, Foursqaure, and a non-private Twitter account but i was generally aware how public all that is.

    They also have apps and features that allow other people to post information about me as well and link it to my account.

    Still i bet when Google turns evil its going to be AMAZING! They have way more info on me then Facebook.

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  8. Carrie says:

    COC Student says Awesometown is anything but.

    Let’s just hope that this young person finds an English composition class. Not only would a class improve their (pretty poor) writing, but hey, it would also give them something to do!

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