- The building that once served as the restaurant and clubhouse for The Greens has burnt down. It’s been vacant forever, and many refer to the overgrown natural mini golf course as “The Weeds”. Cause is still unknown. SCVNEWS SCVTALK SIGNAL
- Sad to read that Alan Mootnick, the founder and director of the Gibbon Conservation Center in Bouquet Canyon has died at 60, following heart surgery. The GCC is a one-of-a-kind facility that produces more Gibbon offspring than any facility in the world. He’s leaving quite a legacy. SIGNAL LA OBSERVED DAILY NEWS AP
- On KPCC today, the Madeleine Brand Show will re-air an interview with Mootnick. Be sure to watch Leon’s extended interview with Alan from 2005 SCVNEWS
- Parents in Stevenson Ranch are having a cow over a proposed cell phone tower. T-Mobile says “fact-based science” is on their side. Hysteria? You be the judge SIGNAL
- I kid you not, someone either left a bag with wires (Signal) or a Starbucks cup (SCV News) by a loading dock at the mall and everyone lost their mind. LASD X-ray’d the cup and determined that it was indeed a cup of coffee (or a bag with wires?) and not a bomb. Don’t get me wrong, spill some of that over-roasted, over-extracted junk on my porch and I’m calling HAZMAT, but I’m crazy like that. SCV NEWS SIGNAL
- A 20-year old COC student died in a single-vehicle accident on the 14 on Sunday morning. Very sad. SCVNEWS
- On Tuesday, the City Council will consider a purchase of 6 acres of land for $1.2 million. That price for that much land in that part of town suggests that the uses for that land may be limited. Any insight from the hive mind? Site plan here
- The City of Santa Clarita Marathon ran under very wet skies yesterday. Winners were Mj Engle of Coos Bay and SCV’s own Jana-Rose Whatley. Shout out to Drew Ervin, who finished in 4:14. SIGNAL
- SCV Habitat for Heroes, a project of Habitat for Humanity that will build, repair and/or improve homes for veterans, had its first project this weekend to much fanfare. Extended coverage over at KHTS
- Canyon comes back in the second half to beat Hart. Hearts are broken. SIGNAL
- Congratulations to local photographer R.E., whose photo of the Saugus Cafe won 3rd place in the City’s 2011 Photo Contest. This bears mentioning, because we used that very photo (with permission) to kick off our Where in the SCV? series. See all three winners FLICKR
- A hailstorm pelted parts of Saugus yesterday. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It was as though God was tossing a bowl of Dippin’ Dots on the 91350. My kids loved it INSTAGRAM
- Election day is tomorrow, and while I can report seeing even fewer signs this week, I have received a few mailers, most of which had a 1980s sort of charm. Don’t remember to vote tomorrow – in a real voting booth, like a real American
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So wasn’t the runner for the SC marathon from “Coos” Bay, not Coors Bay, Ore.? Although I am sure a lot of beer drinkers would indeed want to be from Coors Bay.
Doh! Fixing now…
The article says the suspected bomb was a bag with wires — not a cup of coffee. Do you have another source that it was really a cup of coffee?
Still getting the hang of this brief writing
Seems that I read the SCV News piece and linked to The Signal article. Had my wires crossed, as it were. Or perhaps it’s due to my coffee cup being empty, as it were.
Changed the post to reflect the two reports.
Thanks for the shout for my boy Mike. It was sooooo miserable at the start. Cold OR rainy is tolerable, but cold AND rainy makes you question your resolve. Alls well that ends well though .. after the first hour things let up and smiles came back to the field.
Such a tough undertaking. I’ve run a couple of half-marathons and will continue to do so .. but only to remind myself of why I never want to attempt a full-marathon.
Question your resolve or make you run faster to get it over with. I heard you son chose the later. Big Congrats!
I watched my wife and son run the 5k. That was bad enough. It was super cold and rainy, I was never so glad to be home.
I’ve spent a huge amount of time reading the ballot, reading the Signal articles and editorials about Measure E, and this is what I’ve learned.
The people have not been told all the details about this ballot measure. And here is what has been left out of your articles in the newspaper and the information in the Sample Ballot ;
1 – We are still paying for Measure K passed in 1999.
2 -The bond money for that bond ($35.5 milliom) was completely spent by 2006, yet we are still paying it back and will be paying it back for 14 more years until the YEAR 2025.
3 -If Measure E is passed, homeowners would not even begin to pay this bond back until 2026 and continue to have it on their property tax bill for 25 more years until 2050. Yes, that’s right not just our children will continue to pay off this bond but our grandchildren as well.
4 – Money that gets to be spent right now doesn’t even begin to be paid back for another 14 years.
5 -Looking at the lists of how the Measure E funds would be spent:
Why do 3 brand new schools built just 8 years and 5 years ago need to have the entire school’s lighting upgraded and replaced? The heating, ventiliation and air conditioning units replaced as well?
6 -Under Measure K all our schools were either new or did have their technology infrastructure upgraded by 2006 just 5 years ago, yet now we read under Measure E that all schools again need technology upgrades? Was it not done right 5 years ago?
And finally, what message does this Bond Measure send to Sacramento? You can just keep cutting education, that’s OK, we’ll just go to our property owners every 5 years to get all the funding for our schools.
Many of our homeowners have lost their jobs, are having trouble making their mortgage payments, are barely getting by, are on fixed incomes with no increases, and we expect them to add years, and years and years of indebtedness to build science Labs and Performing Arts Auditoriums – not in this economy – I just can’t believe NSD is asking people and their children and grandchildren to spend the next 39 years paying back the bonds they either already have spent or want to spend right now.
Not in this economy – I will be voting NO on Meassure E on Tuesday, November 8th.
Well I guess Measure E will pass with only 70% of the vote instead of 71%.
Cheryl:
I don’t think it is unreasonable that technology might have actually changed in five years.
I understand that NSD lost some key players on the technology side over the last year.
Just as this site has.
How do we stem the tide?
Reminds me of the Sulphur Springs $20 million bond passed in 1991. Repayments did not start until about 3 years ago, with the amounts escalating. The unfortunate aspect of these types of deals is that interest accrued for 15 years, probably more than doubling the indebted amount before the loan started to be repaid. As someone who bought a house in the district in 1993, I was quite surprised when I was hit with a few hundred dollar tax that I never got the chance to vote on. And the fact that it was out there wasn’t disclosed by the real estate professionals.
My guess is that the repayments for Newhall will start in 2026 because the District will be paying on the current bond until then and by pushing the start date out, they can market the repayments on the new bond as just the same as paying for the debt we have on the books right now rather than a new, incremental obligation. The fact of the matter is that the state is not adequately funding the schools (our per student spending is below the US average which is even worse considering we are a higher cost state)
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/of-all-states-new-york-schools-spend-most-money-per-pupil/.
Developer fees are limited to the extent that they often do not pay for sufficient school facilities. The State which should be making up this shortfall as well as be providing money for deferred maintenance has not allocated enough resources to it for many years. Thus, the districts are foreced into trying to sell these bond schemes. I think it is terrible when the repayment does not start for 15 years as it just makes the bonds that much more costly to repay because of the accrued interest.
I think the residential tax burdens to pay for the infrasturcture necessary to keep SCV growing will really hurt it’s attractiveness. I am so glad I am not in an area with a Mello Roos, LMD or LLA assessment but the voted indebtedness (Sulphur Springs, Hart, COC) really adds up!
Looking at my current property tax bill, I have the following charges:
$388 for CLWA items
$126 for COC
$178 for Hart District
$495 for Sulphur Springs.
Run Sulphur Springs out 25 years gets me to $13,000….
Nice job Cheryl. I do remember the last bond issue and I will once again be voting NO on new bonds. The same thing happened with the roof of Valencia High just a few years after completion. Why don’t they go after the builder if the buildings that we paid TOP DOLLOR for aren’t lasting for 5 years?
Two different districts. Valencia is in the Hart District. Measure E is for the Newhall School District – all elementary schools.
“Homeowners on fixed incomes” (i.e. senior citizens) will see no increase to their taxes because of this bond measure. If what you say is true and payments will not begin until 2026, said seniors will be lucky to be still living in their own homes by that time. And the seniors who are living in their homes on fixed incomes are also enjoying the benefits of Proposition 13, which keep their property taxes lower than those of their newer, younger neighbors with growing children.
While no one likes taxes of any kind, a good education costs money and the price tag continues to rise while the state funding for same goes down. The Newhall School District is a very fiscally conservative and responsible district and should not be compared to or suffer for the sins of the Hart District.
I and many others moved to Santa Clarita to escape from L.A. Unified. Santa Clarita is a “family town.” That is the demographic here, like it or not. We aren’t known for our concerts or museums or our night life. We are known to be a family oriented community with great schools.
When I moved here the Newhall District was so packed that schools were year-round and people complained bitterly about their children being on different schedules. In a matter of a few years time, we had a sufficient number of schools so that we could resume a more traditional schedule, thanks to the leadership of Marc Winger and the efforts of an excellent school board.
But we still have many children packed into portable classrooms at most of our schools, and for me that is a major source of dissatisfaction. The portable classrooms are poorly ventilated and not sufficiently large to accommodate 3 dozen sweaty sixth graders comfortably. Anyone who has had to spend a day in such a classroom knows exactly what I’m talking about. I honestly don’t think I could stand to spend every day in such a classroom and I admire any teacher who does so .
Classrooms also have need of regular technology updates to accommodate the needs of students and staff. All of you who salivate over the latest Apple gizmo know how frequently things change and become outdated. Measure E would establish a technology endowment fund to allow the district to continue to update its technology as needed, so as to prevent having to as for more money in a couple of years. http://www.newhallelementary.net/bondinfo/projectlist.pdf
While I understand the frustration of taxpayers (I am one myself), I also recognize that the children in our schools today are the people who will be taking care of us all in our golden years. They need a good, safe environment in which to learn and grow.
Linda:
The limitations on property value increases under Prop 13 has nothing to do with voter approved indebtedness that gets added to your tax bill other than perhaps you’ll pay a bit lower amount than your neighbor who bought their house at the peak of the market.
A bit? When housing values were at their peak, there were people paying twice the amount of property taxes as their neighbors.
But the issue is moot with regard to this measure — it will not increase the amount anyone is currently paying.
The Newhall District should have been reserving for the repair and replacemant of their physical plant over the useful lives. TJMSR knows this-but regretably he is a Big Government guy. This is taxation without representation and Petz for one will not stand by sucking his thumb . Where was Phil Ellis when this was taking place?
Without representation? Stev! what have you been smoking. Of course you have no representation in the Newhall area, you live in the Saugus School District. You have no vote in Newhall and you will have no tax in Newhall. But for those of us who live in Newhall, we know that the money will all be spent in the District. That it will be spent to improve all ten of the schools in the District. Funds to be spent on upgrades to lighting, etc., will see a decrease in annual operating funds. Funds that the State has been sucking away every year for the past several years. NIC is correct in that the State is not adequately funding our schools. Petz, this is a local election and tomorrow our representatives (the voters) will tak their turn in the voting booth and hopefully they will continue to value education. If you have any question on how the previous funds were spent, go to the District web site. You can also see where the District has had to cut back due to diminishing state funding. I am surprised that a person who makes money from others who move here to get a better education for their children doesn’t have a better grasp on the dynamics.
To assume that a No vote on a bond issue that will add another 25 years to pay off, means that someone does not value education is pretty far-fetched, Phil. And maybe Petz means that those having to pay this bond back 35 years in the future were not represented in this vote.
That is like me complaining that I didn’t get to vote for Abe Lincoln. People buying houses certailny know what the assessed taxes are (unless their realtor tries to hide the) and they can approve by buying or dissaprove by buying somewhere else. Bonds are voted in by the people, not their representatives. This whole “taxation without representaition” argument is not worthy of two otherwise intelligent people – a well known realtor or a notable retired librarian that enjoyed the fruits of Measure K working in the Peachland library.
Times were economically very different in 1999 when we voted for Measure K.
I just happpen to think it is important for people to know ALL the history, dates and information surrounding an issue before they go to the polls.
That’s why I mentioned the Peachland library.
exactly
Thank you, that is exactly what Petz meant.
Petz is urging that the words In God We Trust be placed in each classroom as part of the capital improvements. The American Family Association will sell you 100 for $100 that are suitable for framing. This will help achieve the wishes of the bipartisan House resolution reaffirming our national motto. It also looks better and is more meaningful than the typical Che and Einstein prints you typically find.
http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147496207
We shouldn’t pay for the knock off… how much for the actual National Motto the founding fathers wanted… “E pluribus unum”
Thank you for alerting me to the KPCC show. Alan Mootnick was a cool guy. We met him at a cub scout event at his facility and he kindly and patiently answered all of my sons many questions. My kid is loves animals and was really inspired by Mr. Mootnick’s work.
Petz has long advocated for consolidation of the Saugus, Sulphur Springs, Castaic, and Newhall Districts. We do not have to support multiple layers of administration. Conservative principles of responsible management are never considered.
Consolidation doesn’t necessarily equal savings, Petz. Look southward at LAUSD and ask the parents of students living in Burbank or Glendale if they’d like to merge with that behemoth to “save.”
Consolidation goes against good representation. Having lived under a Unified district and individual Union school districts, I always feel the latter is much closer to the voters who elected them — i.e. more Republican than the alternative.
You seem to be contradicting your own ideals, Mr. Petz. Conservative principles do not advocate a large central government.
Petz looks for efficient means of government service provision. Really should be a voucher system that would allow the parents to select schools and teachers.
now there’s a good little Republican!
And if we have one big district that covers everyone, what choice will you have to spend your voucher? Wouldn’t the choice be better with several smaller districts?
Mike, please edit your comment on the gibbon center to avoid identifying its location.
Suburban intrusion and pranksters are both very real threats to the viability of the center. The Signal identifies it as being in Santa Clarita which is close enough for most purposes without being too specific.
Those who know are generally respectful about leaving them alone, but others may not be so kind.
Do them a favor and remove the reference, please!
You’re kidding, right?
Should the address for the facility also be removed from Google:
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=3234321553543395895&q=Gibbon+Conservation+Center,+Esguerra+Road,+Santa+Clarita,+CA&hl=en&ved=0CFwQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=ScS4TqGuJOmYiQKGsJ3dBA
and from the centers own website?
http://www.gibboncenter.org/contact/contact.html
Won’t someone think of the
children, er gibbons????I am sure that there are those who don’t want gibbons living in their neighborhood. If we are not careful we will soon have as our neighbors, lions, tigers and bears, oh my.
No, I’m not. I used to be his neighbor for almost 10 years. I often woke to the sounds of their excited vocalizations.
The location was kept secret after episodes of taunting and teasing of the gibbons by pranksters. Even The Mighty Signal knew to describe it as being in Acton or Santa Clarita and did not mention the canyon it is located in.
Very thoughtless of some of you to add insult to injury and add links to locate it precisely. You do him no service.
Like I said, those who know about it or wish to go there are not likely to be the pranksters. Can’t say the same for some of the creatures that frequent this blog…
The location was kept secret? By whom? The center itself locates itself exactly. Are you mad?
Anyway, here’s The Signal being as specific as I was, just last week:
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/53838/
…or last month, naming the exact street : http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/52908/
…and the day before that, publishing the exact address:
http://www.the-signal.com/section/37/article/52822/
…which they also did here:
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/52856/
and countless times before. to list a few:
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/52564/
http://www.the-signal.com/section/115/article/52052/
http://www.the-signal.com/section/37/article/52064/
http://www.the-signal.com/archives/19591/
http://www.the-signal.com/archives/19382/
http://www.the-signal.com/archives/18890/
http://www.the-signal.com/archives/16774/
http://www.the-signal.com/archives/12870/
http://www.the-signal.com/section/37/article/52418/
There are 36,200 pages on the internet that list the center with its exact address.