First off, let me introduce myself to you as the newest blogger to join scvtalk.com. As we all know, typing away at a keyboard can be very exhausting and Jeff needs a little nap time. I thought I would step in and give him a hand. I am actually Jeff’s younger brother, Scott, and I will do my best to keep you informed and make him proud!
With that out of the way, let’s move on to my first official post. What better way to start off covering the SCV than to cover tonight’s city council meeting? Following are the highlights from tonight’s meeting:
City council votes to move forward with Vista Canyon annexation project
Minus Councilmember Bob Keller, who had recused himself due to his real estate endeavors, the council unanimously voted to move forward on one of the most hotly contested issues on the agenda. City staff presented their revised plans to develop the Vista Canyon project. This development would also involve construction of a new Metrolink station. Proponents of the project argued that development will create jobs on the east end of the valley and also revitalize the region of SCV that has largely been ignored over recent years. There were also several members of the community that spoke out against the project citing traffic concerns, environmental impact and the fact that there is no guarantee that a Metrolink station will be built.
City Council to attend California Redistricting Commission
City staff provided a detailed presentation covering redistricting requirements. The council then went around the horn discussing neighboring communities and the potential lines that could be drawn. The council will submit the city’s recommendations to the California Redistricting Commission. The city’s first priority is to ensure that The City of Santa Clarita is not divided into separate districts. Apparently, the Antelope Valley may have their own recommendation to exclude Santa Clarita from their district, and communities such as Fillmore and Santa Paula may be joining Ventura and other coastal communities. Mayor Pro-Tem Laurie Ender joked that SCV has “no date to the prom.” The council will recommend that Santa Clarita be placed with communities in the northwest San Fernando Valley.
City Council decides Special Library Tax Not Necessary
Based on Research provided by Deputy City Manager Darren Hernandez, the council decided not to levy the special library tax. According to Hernandez, the city will be able to operate with a budget surplus while improving services and adding over 90,000 titles to our inventory. Members of the city’s public library advisory committee, including scvtalker Berta Gonzalez-Harper stood up to the podium to deliver a warm thank you for the decisions made regarding the library takeover.
Additional Library Costs Approved
In an effort to streamline operations and automate library services, the city council approved a measure to install an RFID system. The $312,112 contract was awarded to Integrated Tech Group for the purchase, installation and management of the new inventory system. Members of the public, including Lynne Plambeck, argued that this is a waste of money and funds could be better spent elsewhere. Plambeck mentioned that with technology advancing, books are becoming obsolete.
Mayor and City Council to Serve as Trustees on Santa Clarita Board of Library Trustees
This was no surprise, although it’s worth noting that Councilmember Bob Keller acknowledged the fact that he lacks experience to run libraries, and asked that the council review their positions on the board in one year.
Public Participation
As this was a long meeting, almost four hours in length, there were only a handful of speakers to wrap up the evening.
SCVtalker Petz deserves a shout out for sticking around to the bitter end. He stepped up to the podium to protest the sale of alcohol at the upcoming Tribute Fest. Apparently, they will be selling all you can drink tickets. Count me in! Petz, can you give me a ride? I assume you are not a drinker. Councilmember Frank Ferry saw merit in this complaint and mentioned it may be a good idea to set up a DUI checkpoint on Bouquet.
Petz also railed against quotation marks around the words “In God We Trust” that are mounted on the council chamber walls. According to Petz, the quotation marks are a symbol of disbelief. He asked that the quotation marks be removed to be consistent with our currency and other government monuments. I didn’t hear any response to this demand.
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A very nice summary by Scooter, welcome aboard, we hope Jeff is well. The Obama event must have sent more than a the shiver down his leg.
Between soccer practices-dog walking-frisbee golf-Concerts in the Park etc… Petz spends a lot of time at Central Park. Over this time I have observed many people in quiet contemplation in the Youth Grove and seen many of the tree markers decorated with flowers and an occasional latin cross “gasp”. This area if the park is dedicated to influencing youth to make good decisions. The Signal has an ad everyday front page below the fold for Tributefest 30 beers-All You Can Drink tickets. Petz is not a teetotaler, but feels this event with an emphasis on alcohol is inappropriate for Central Park. All you can drink-but light up a cigarette and go to jail. It was my request that future Tributefests take this into consideration-for Rick Gould to compare Tributefest to the LooseGoose festival seemed a stretch to Petz.
I also thought Rick Gould’s assertion that the professional trained bartenders will know when to cut people off was a weak argument. We all know that bartenders never let people get too drunk to drive, right?
Sam Malone knew, but Woody would let things slip by.
Are they the same bartenders that let patrons leave drunk from their bars now?
I personally think that people may need the “all you can drink” option just to get through some of the god awful “tribute” bands that grace the stage. I understand catering to the UGG boot wearing, golf hat sporting, So Cal on the truck having types…….but someone REALLY needs to get some original talent up there.
Under that philosophy shouldn’t this be something they coordinate at City Hall Meetings too?
I can see it now, set up in the back of the room under a faux thatched roof style kiosk: “BERTA’S BACARDI BAR”.
Gang Fang I do not really drink so a bar business would not be a good fit for me, but if I had such an establishment, I would consider it my civic duty to refuse service to someone like you…
What movie was that famous line from, “I reserve the right to refuse service to a$$holes like you!” LOL
I am sure the City Hall Meetings would go better if they were liquored up, or at least more so resemble a WWE Cage Match lol
You’re right, Berta. You would be better suited for an S&M Dungeon type service. “The Mullet Masochist” has a nice ring to it.
But if all of that sweaty humiliation drove you to drink, you KNOW we would be doing bodyshots and taking turns making passes at Billy Reynolds. Smell the love.
I just threw up, thanks….lol
Gang Fang, thanks but I pass, you are welcome to Mr. Reynolds. He is simply the other side of your coin anyway.
I went to last years event. While there were a number of folks with the all you can drink bands, most were behaving responsibly. I did however watch one 40ish woman in front of me toss her cookies. I think she wound up being carted away in an ambulance. A checkpoint would be a good idea but that should also be considered for the normal concerts in the park (even though officially, no drinking is allowed there is lots of it), the Loose Goose Festival and the many other events around town that have drinking. Just because an event has tickets that are sold as all you can drink, it does not mean that a higher proportion of folks will drink irresponsibly and then drive than any other event.
“Just because an event has tickets that are sold as all you can drink, it does not mean that a higher proportion of folks will drink irresponsibly and then drive than any other event.”
I disagree. When you advertise an event as “all you can drink” the likelihood of there being more people there who will be driving away from the event drunk goes up.
Having lost my 19 year old niece last year to a drunk driver who was driving the wrong way on the 101 freeway at White Oak, and hit her head-on in the fast lane, I am well aware of the statistics. 10,839 people were killed in 2009 in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Many left their events saying they were only “buzzed.” So, yes, I do find it irresponsible for our local newspaper to advertise and support events that promote “all you can drink.” The cost of a person’s decision to drink and drive is way too high for some of us!
Seriously saddened by your loss, Cheryl. I can’t begin to imagine.
But I don’t find anyones involvement in an advertised “all you can drink” event any more irresponsible than a local bar serving beer during the daylight, or some crappy local Italian place selling wine by the bottle. People are gonna drink an assload no matter what. Unfortunately, morons that creep through this valley always find a way to drive drunk. This event won’t ratchet up the probability.
Scott, this was a great read. Thanks for putting in the work.
Petz, you’ve had a good week. Someone needs to stand up against unnecessary quotation marks. I applaud this.
On Vista Canyon, I’m mixed. Annexation is a great thing, and I’m for that. Moving the Metrolink Station, not so much.
What I think the development needs (and the community needs, more importantly) is a hospital at that location.
Remember, that if you hold a ABC license or permit, you inherit a certain liability when you serve someone, and then they kill someone in a DUI. Any bar owner who isn’t stupid would never risk their business and their livelihood to squeeze a couple extra dollars out of a plastered patron. It’s not worth it.
Let’s just say that @ Dodger Stadium limiting the # of beers and pricing them high seems to limit mischief in the stands. People who consume “all you can drink ” alcohol are rarely on their best behavior. No reason to encourage this.
How very socialist of you.
Scott/Scooter a hearty welcome and nice job on the summary! I hope Jeff is enjoying his time off.
I do have one correction though; you say, “The city’s first priority is to ensure that The City of Santa Clarita is not divided into separate districts.” It is actually the Santa Clarita VALLEY they do not want carved up into separate districts.
Thanks for spelling my name correctly too!
Thanks for clarifying! This is a very important issue and we should pay close attention!
Scooter you are right about that! How our area districts wind up and who is representing us will make a huge difference in what our area is like in the future.
I hope our representatives before the California Citizens Redistricting Commission meetings, Mayor Pro Tem Ender on 4/30/11 and Councilman Ferry on 5/1/11, prevail and the CRC holds at least one meeting here locally so that residents can attend and ask questions, etc.
Petz has been concerned with the use of symbolism in the public realm since the county voted to take the latin cross and oil well off the 1957 LA County Seal designed by Kenneth Hahn and drawn by the renowned artist Millard Sheets.
The display of the words “”In God We Trust”"in the council chambers is very awkward for the informed observer. Those Talkers who followed the issue in the old forum RIP-know that this issue has been a dear one to Petz since this “mistake” was made. With the city taking over the libraries and Petz assuming that the words In God We Trust will appear next to the city logo-it is important to address this issue before the “mistake” compounds upon itself yet again , and the city looks foolish in a very public venue. This was the reason Petz took the time and effort to addess the city council last evening.
There is a world of difference and meaning between the dispay of our national motto as In God We Trust as opposed to “In God We Trust”. Look at a dollar bill or coin or the words engraved in the House of Representatives in Washington DC. Do they use quotation marks?The use of quotation marks without a reference to a source are known as scare quotations. They are used to imply a sense of scorn, sarcasm, or disbelief.
Prior to my 3 minute presentation, Petz gave a copy of the agenda from May 12, 2009 when the display of the phrase “In God We Trust” was authorized to be displayed in the council chambers and other prominent city owned locations. Quotation marks are used to set off and represent exact language. Quotation marks are not meant to be incoprorated unless they are set off within another set of quotation marks, ie “”In God We Trust”". Agenda item 15 from May 12, 2009 authorized placing the national motto “In God We Trust” on the wall in the council chambers adjacent to the City logo and in other appropriate locations. The quotation marks are not appropriate and not authorized. Removing the quotation marks would be a correction of an unfortunate “error” that changes the meaning for an informed observer and casts doubt upon the phrase itself-this was not the intent of any of the council members who voted unanimously for the agenda item.
It is unfortunate that none of the council members or Ken Pulskamp addressed the issue I raised-no matter the factual basis for my assertion. So rather than take simple corrective action, some father will have to answer a question from a young child “Daddy why did they put quotion marks around our national motto In God We Trust” ? Words and punctuation convey meaning and are very powerful.
Thanks to Scooter for acknowledging my peristence to stay to the end and have my say. The fat lady has not sung yet.
“In Petz We Trust”
Now you are getting it.
Petz is to be applauded for bringing up a very important topic. Mottoes throughout Santa Clarita are marred by lousy punctuation. I understand mistakes in comments and blog posts, but if it’s something that will be read every day or by many thousands of people, it ought to be proof-read.
Case 1: The quotation marks around “‘In God We Trust” at City Hall. I don’t think people will read it and assume that Claritans are ironic or godless–just that they’re not very good at English.
Case 2: Dave Bossert at WRB has “Sometimes controversial, always thought provoking” on his banner. “Thought provoking” and “thought-provoking” are not synonymous. The hyphen implies his site is a place that will prompt one to think. Without a hyphen, the phrase means that it’s thought of as a place that is provocative or irritating.
Case 3: Mr. J-to-the-Wilson displays the phrase “a daily blog about Santa Clarita Valley news, politics and culture. Published since 2006″ in the top right corner of SCVTalk. Why different capitalization and punctuation for the first bit and the last bit?
Petz, you have already addressed the first case. To address the second and third, I now donate the following, which may be freely copied and pasted should the offending bloggers choose to change their ways: – - – A A A . . .
Served cold. I love it.
So Bossert could use one of these: -
which too many people use instead of –
but what does this do? —
Hence my ignored suggestion for a more practical City Motto:
“God Help Us”
Petz, you’re crazy, but I admire that. The quotes are stupid and when you think about it, it does not make sense.
As for your booze position, I went to a Willie Nelson concert many years ago at Calamigos Ranch. It was all you can drink. We took this as a challenge and drink we did. Thankfully they ended free beer halfway through the concert or we would have really had a problem. We had to pass out in the parking lot for a couple hours to sober up. Many people are not that smart though.
I’m not so sure the all you can drink is a good idea. The event is put on by Drink, Eat, Play. I went to one of their events years ago and it was horribly mis-managed. I am not sure these people are the brightest.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and think that a couple of hours may not have fully sobered anyone up lol
And I thought Mary Jane was the preferred concession item at a Willie Nelson event?
Remember, these are the same council members who demanded that Joe Messina change the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast to the Mayors Prayer Breakfast. Petz says just fess up to the mess up-make the change and move on.
Petz is having a good week, earning respect from all corners.
Petz says it’s time to shut up while he is ahead.
Anyone else notice that Obama’s “birth certificate” has the left hand side folded over ?
You just had to spoil your record didn’t you.
Nothing better than the racist paranoia exhibited by the right, thus ensuring the public sees they are interested in nothing but attacking Obama, and not attacking the problems in the country, thereby ensuring another four years for Obama. Bravo!
Better still for Trump to call a press conference to brag about how proud he is of finally accomplishing the stupendous and critically important task of (allegedly) being responsible for release of this document which does nothing more than re-prove what prior documentation and investigation has already proven. Bravo!
Now to your point, the ignorant and wacko conspiratists on the right don’t seem to get the first thing about the fact that the document is a CERTIFIED DUPLICATE of the original bound document (thus causing the fading and “curl” appearance on the left edge), and that the paper used for the DUPLICATE is pre-printed with the green pattern to discourage counterfeiting.
But no, this well-known practice flew right over the tin-foil covered heads of the racist birthers, who continue to exhibit a very peculiar form of denial of the reality of a black President. Bravo!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/27/birthers-still-have-quest_n_854591.html
I wonder why they are withholding a video of the actual birth. You know it exists and I will not rest until it is produced. The two birth certificates produced, two archived reports in the local papers and the testimony of the governor who knew the family in the 60′s is not good enough for me. Maybe I will start a movement or something.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/afterbirthers-demand-to-see-obamas-placenta,6866/
Some will never be happy because he is a black man, who is liberal, and his middle name is Hussein.
“…we don’t even know if he is a black man…and if he is white, I don’t understand why we are questioning his legitimacy.”
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/382941/april-27-2011/america-needs-to-see-obama-s-report-cards?xrs=share_fb
skip to 5:20
Hahahahaha, I liked this one too http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/249080/september-16-2009/i-s-on-edjukashun—muslim-textbooks—tony-danza
Never heard of an African race-most birth certificates list weight and length-mother misrepresented her legal name.
Grow up. Face reality. A black man is your President.
Your whining is pathetic.
I for one am thankful that hurdle is out of the way. What would happen if he was not eligible to be president, we get Biden?
I just threw up in my mouth a little.