- Scott Taylor and Edward Contreras were convicted of murdering Frederick Walker and then dismembering his body with a machete right here in Santa Clarita. The murder occurred in 1995. A key witness recanted, saying she testified against Contreras because she thought it was the only way to ensure that Taylor was convicted. Closing arguments were given yesterday, and the judge will decided whether to reopen the case against Contreras–who has been in prison since 1997–early next year. L.A. TIMES, SIGNAL
- The AGENDA for the last City Council meeting of 2011 has been posted. There will be recognition for Planning Commissioner/Economic Development Corp. Chairman Bill Kennedy before he leaves for Colorado…this month (details from TMS); fiscal year 2011-12 budget adjustments ($311K for Canyon Country Community Center, $124K for Cemex advocacy); and oh yeah, Laurie Ender will probably be running the show as mayor SCVNEWS
- Shield Healthcare, based in Santa Clarita, must pay $5M to settle a case for overcharging Medi-Cal on incontinence supplies. That buys a lot of diapers. BLOOMBERG
- The Signal examines controversies at COC, specifically Bruce Fortine’s being snubbed by the board again and a male employee raising accusations of sexism/ageism.
- HMNMH was given an award earlier this month for being baby friendly, but now is paying a $50K fine for being kidney unfriendly. A medication overdose led to acute renal failure, but the error was spotted quickly and the patient enjoyed a full recovery. SIGNAL
- Wendy Langhans covers the total lunar eclipse that will take place Saturday morning. If you’re reading this early, tune in to AM 1220 to hear the report at 7:10. Outdoor Report at KHTS
- John Boston offers an account of Santa Clarita during WWII in this week’s Time Ranger at WRB
- Lastly, dear reader, please start thinking about the most important things that have happened in Santa Clarita in the past 25 years…more details to come later today.
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Is the the City Council going to consider an increase in the sales tax at the 12/13 meeting? This is in Exhibit A to the resolution that is on the agenda:
“In the General Fund, recommended revenue adjustments include increases of $1.2 million in Sales and Use Tax . . . and while an increase in this revenue source is being recommended, it is important to note this fiscal year’s projection is a decline of 15 percent when compared to sales tax revenue generated before the recession. . . .”
The city of Santa Clarita does not levy a sales tax and does not propose to do so.
@Don Ricketts: No, essentially what the agenda item is saying is that they are increasing their expected sales tax revenue for the fiscal year by $1.2 million . This is based on the first 4-5 months of actual returns they have seen. Essentially, they underestimated the sales tax revenue when they adopted the budget back in June and they are revising their estimate upward.
Thanks to all. I’m still trying to figure out what problems, if any, the loss of the special library tax caused. And Brown’s anti-redevelopment bill.
Hi Don – re: special library tax – no answers to be found in the city’s mid-year budget because the city never budgeted the special library tax. In other words, from a budgeting perspective, no problem, because it was never included.
Redevelopment – The judge has said s/he(?) will rule before Jan 15, and possibly before Christmas. If Santa Clarita and the other cities lose, the “pay to play” decision will – may – kick in. (Not definite till the judge clarifies some things.) IF the pay-to-play model kicks in, Santa Clarita will have to pay $477,000 to the state, probably immediately after the ruling. That’s why you see an unanticipated $477,000 expenditure in the mid-year budget adjustment. (Note: The amount was originally going to be about $750,000, but the city successfully appealed the figure to the state and got it lowered.)
The heck it wasn’t!
http://apps.santa-clarita.com/agendas/CouncilItemPrint.aspx?ID=5198
The special library tax was not included in the (current) FY 2011 budget as anticipated revenue, so it has no more impact in the middle of the fiscal year than it did at the beginning of the fiscal year.
I meant to say, “current FY 2012 budget” – aka FY 2011-12 budget
I don’t think Don’s question was that precise. I think the answer to his question is $27 per parcel times x number of parcels. Does anyone know the value of x?
I think the Nation can help us on that one
Hi, Leon,
They may not have budgeted it, but they had high hopes for it. The (miscalculated) possibility of a surplus was the engine that drove the deal (over widespread opposition):
“If the City were to assume the responsibility for our local library services, we could use all the local library tax dollars to do a lot of different things. . . .
“We could also use the money to help pay for the construction of the Newhall Library, which would free up the redevelopment funds for use on other redevelopment projects in Old Town Newhall. . . .
“Or… we could use the funds to build a bigger library for the Valencia Library, which is severely impacted by being a too small a facility. There are an awful lot of options to consider. And all of them benefit the community.” Council Member Laurie Ender, 7/16/2010, City Council Meeting.
Hi Don! No question – WE WERE SCREWED.
But in the end, did we “need” the money? Obviously not.
Leon
Your right Leon, we were screwed, but not by the County.
Because we did not get to collect Special Library Tax, we get to pay $19 million to construct the Newhall Library and $12 million to buy the existing Library assets.
So you say we did not need the money? Get real.
Hi Alan! Uh, the libraries are operating, right? We don’t have the money, right? Next question?
Leon
It is not a question of, are the libraries open? The question is what could we have done with the $19 + $12 million if we would not have spent in on gaining control of the libraries. Would there have been more productive uses for the funds?
Plus the libraries would still have been open.
Alan – not sure which pot of money you’re talking about with the $19+$12 (and since I’m officially stupid, I henceforth have an excuse) … but the city isn’t spending general fund money to take over libraries (at least not much). It’s spending library taxes and developer fees – moneys the city wouldn’t have in the first place if it didn’t have a library system. Spread out over time, with the cost efficiencies of a contract (vs. government staffed) operating, the city’s library fund comes out ahead of where it would have been if the money instead went to some other library somewhere else.
Leon
Come on pal, I do not believe you are “officially stupid”.
You know, the Newhall Library is being paid for with Redevelopment Bonds. As far as the $12 million for the library takeover, I am not sure where that money initially came from. Yet you and I had a conversation on SCVTalk several months ago about Santa Clarita Library Facility Mitigation Fees and how they are being used to pay back the funds used to build the Canyon Country Library. I know of no other developer resources that can be used for that purpose. The Library taxes, received from the county, are being used to fund the new City library program and supposedly going to pay back the $12 million dollar take over costs over the next 30 years.
What I do not accept, is the idea that it is OK to spend because it is not our money. Government does not create any resources, it just spreads around what resources it collects and ultimately all monies that it collects comes from us.
Even without the takeover, the City was paying for construction of the library. The County stated it didn’t have the money.
Leon, for the current fiscal year (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012) total Santa Clarita Public Library revenue is projected at $4,831,254 (of which $4,650,004 is from the ad valorem property tax). Total SCPL expenditures are budgeted at $3,725,264. This includes $750,000 for library materials (an increase of 67% for the purchase of books, audiobooks, DVDs, etc), and increasing by ten hours the weekly schedule for Canyon Country and Newhall (to open both seven days a week and to match the same schedule as Valencia).
$4,831,254 – $3,725,264 = a surplus of $1,105,990. We’ve had no problem increasing service at the libraries without the special library tax.
This was illustrated in a report to Council on April 26, 2011, when staff presented a recommendation to Council to not levy and collect the special library tax (http://apps.santa-clarita.com/agendas/CouncilItemPrint.aspx?ID=5633).
The variance between current SCPL costs and prior operational costs are Salaries and Benefits ($360,000 less), Aquiring and Cataloging new materials ($160,000 less), Non-Personnel Operations such as integrated library system, information services, equipment and technology ($500,000 less), and Administration, Support and Overhead ($800,000 less).
The construction of the new library in Newhall is funded using redevelopment bonds paid for using the tax increment revenue from the Newhall redevelopment project area. No funds from other areas of the City are used to build the new library.
I’m offline for the weekend but I’m happy to answer any questions if people email me.
Darren:
Do your numbers include the amortization\depreciation costs for the acquisition of the facilities from the County or are they strictly “cash” costs. What will be the incremental annual depreciation amount arising from the opening of the Newhall Library?
“… we were screwed, but not by the County.”
Classy. And dignified.
On Bruce Fortine:
Wah, wah, wah. Bruce is SHOCKED that his fellow board members won’t put him into a leadership position just because he actively recruited and campaigned for opponents to oppose them in his reelection bid. If one is going to do that they need to OWN it and OWN the consequences and not be a big giant baby.
If you come at the king…
Incumbent advantage number 1 billion and counting:
Laurie Ender will put down on the ballot in 2012 that she is the “Mayor” of Santa Clarita which the casual voter will believe is a much bigger deal than it actually is.
Huh? Haven’t you already scared away all of the “casual” voters? Thought you already convinced everyone it’s not worth the bother to vote.
No. I am just informing challengers that THEY would have a much better chance if they could scare away the casual voters because those without knowledge are much more likely to vote for an incumbent than a challenger.
Oh! I see. All you’re saying is that the majority of us are stupid.
No. In the case of 80% plus of Santa Clarita voters they are “rationally ignorant” of events in the City, so if they deign to vote they will be heavily influenced by obvious clues, primarily designation as an incumbent.
And 33.3% of declared candidates, it seems.
So you’re saying the majority of us are stupid. (I’m kinda slow, so you’ll have to forgive me for not getting it right away)
No, the vast majority are smart. There is no “rational” reason to make an informed vote because an uninformed vote has EXACTLY the same value as an informed vote. It is the informed minority that is actually “stupid.”
Tim – How do you expect me to follow you when you’re such a moving target? So now you’re saying:
People who don’t vote are smart. Those of us who vote are stupid.
Wow! Go back and crunch some more numbers, Tim, and leave the voting to us idiots.
What is Tim’s facebook status right now?
On COC discrimination:
Without knowing anything about the merits of the case or lack thereof, as an old white guy it just strikes me as pathetic when an old white guy complains that he is being replaced by a younger woman.
Just as old white guys are over represented in positions of power, they also happen to be (as of late) over-represented in the whiny victims category too.
Hey, what are you doing here? Don’t you have a war on Christmas to fight?
The discrimination-based-on-sex and discrimination-based-on-age laws apply protect everyone, even “whiny old white guys” (Tim’s words not mine.) If you’ve got bills to pay, and pride in the job you’ve done, its not pathetic to exercise one’s legal rights if one’s employer (including managers higher in the food chain) are breaking the law. If you talk to attorneys who do lots of employment discrimination litigation, they often say that the vast majority of discrimination claims arise because of the actions of the “legally illiterate” and “egotistical” managers, not because of an official policy of the employer, which is in this case the COC Board. I’m actually quite impressed with the complaining party’s lawyer making the claim public before filing a lawsuit, because the publicity forces the more intelligent up the food chain in COC’s management to look at the problem and fix it before taxpayer money is wasted paying a damage claim.
Nice job on the brief today.
Also, when are you going to Americanize your name from IHeart to iHeart?
iDon’t believe iT
Certainly appreciate your kind weekly directions linking my Time Ranger SCV history column in The West Ranch Beacon. I humbly offer a clarification for December 9th’s (and past) parenthetical reference (s). Today you noted: “John Boston offers a factual (and at times not-so-factual) account of Santa Clarita during WWII in this week’s Time Ranger at WRB.” I have built a nice career from writing satire and humor. But I do wear other hats. I have always presented this valley’s history as factually correct, best as it has been presented to me. History can be a gaseous creature, changing with different viewpoints or new information. I do try to offer an easy-to-swallow approach with The Time Ranger’s voice to something that can be dry. But, never — never — knowingly do I distort anything in writing about this valley’s history. The piece on the SCV during the first week of WWII was gleaned from interviews with old-timers, general history and written public records. Anyone can go to the library and look it up. If this website has some factual basis for today’s “and at times not-so-factual” comment on local history, I certainly would love to hear what — specifically —was ‘not-so-factual,’ who said it and its source. If SCVTalk’s comment is fact-based, then it’s a win-win situation. I can offer a contrite apology and we can add another square to our historical quilt. It may not be the heart’s intent, but these six little words, perhaps just slipped innocently, end up having the effect of calling me a liar and fraud on a topic near and dear to me, this valley’s amazing and rich history. Merry Christmas and wishing you much success with SCVTalk.
Hi John! How is the book series coming along?
Good for you John for not letting your reputation be impugned without back up for that “slip”.
Hi John,
I’m the one who was responsible for that statement. Since I’ve been linking to your Time Ranger series, I’ve mostly said they’re interesting or unusual or funny and, so, paused for a moment before adding that parenthetical today “(not so factual)”. It was because of one statement:
“Because the Newhall-Saugus area was deemed one of the most significant military targets on the entire planet, Army troops were instantly sent to patrol the valley.”
At first blush, I found this hard to believe. Then, I assumed–and do correct me if I’m wrong–that you were referring to your oft-cited factoid about Homer Lea. He was a Chinese writer who died some three decades before WWII but who once wrote that Santa Clarita was one of the most important military targets on the planet in a hypothetical discussion of Japan invading North American. Based on resource deployment and actual declarations of Martial Law and the like, areas like Terminal Island, Long Beach, cities with major airports with hangars and multiple runways (unlike Newhall airport), etc… were more important targets in the LA area.
Basically, I was saying that your implication that Santa Clarita was seen as one of the **most important** military targets **on the entire planet** during WWII was a stretch (“not so factual”).
In any case, I’ve taken out the offending statement from the brief. I’m sorry to have colored your Time Ranger series with doubt over a statement that is open to interpretation. I read most everything you write and appreciate your tone and Clarita-centric/”navel of the universe” perspective, I just disagreed with it here.
IHeart now that is a classy response, two thumbs up.
Much appreciated. And as I researched more, I have an amends and correction to make myself. I’m going from memory here. But I believe it was in one of Signal owner/editor Fred Trueblood I’s front page columns where he commented on General Lea and his list of Top 10 Military Targets on the planet. The Newhall-Saugus area, as it was called then, was this hub of the wheel where highway, train, electric, gas, telegraph, phone, water, etc. major routes connected. We were even home to the Newhall Airport, deemed to be LAX in the late 1930s and was an important military runway and training ground. Yes. There were other plumb targets, but none so strategically vital as the SCV. Plus, because it being a hard-to-reach valley then, if you could control the SCV, you could effectively divide California. Again, this is Gen. Lea’s hypothesis, via Mr. Trueblood. Yes, Lea WAS a Chinese general. But he wasn’t Chinese. He was born in 1876 in Denver, Colorado and was white. He was a famed geopolitical writer of the early 20th century and fought/advised in the 1911 Chinese revolution that overthrew the Manchu Dynasty. He returned to America to write and lecture. Appreciate the time and means you took to clarify and still wishing you a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks and Merry Christmas to you, too. We hope you’ll stop by again soon.
Candidate Jon Hatami: “fiscal year 2011-12 budget adjustments ($311K for Canyon Country Community Center, $124K for Cemex advocacy);”
Jon, as I advised you in an earlier post, you need to do a better job getting up to speed on local issues…
The budgeting of a Community Center for Canyon Country is a much appreciated answer to a pressing need. This is great news.
Al, if you were to ask nicely more often, and cast aspersions less frequently, you would have known about the plans for the Canyon Country Community Center.
Look who is talking.
You should put this under the SCVTalk.com masthead:
“It is the informed minority that is actually stupid.” – Tim Myers, 12/9/2011
The informed minority is not stupid, they are just irrational. (Absolutely true!!)
It’s only irrational if you think your vote is weighted more heavily or if you went through the efforts of being informed only because you intend to vote. In other words, I vote because I’m informed. I’m not informed because I vote.
No one assumes their informed vote counts more than an uninformed vote. But a vote counts more than a non-vote and an informed vote can *matter* more than an uninformed vote.
Let’s imagine an uninformed voter goes to vote in a race with two seats and eight candidates and they make up their mind based on the occupation of the candidates and nothing else. The informed voter will vote strategically because they understand what effect their vote can have on the race. They know who has a shot and who could send a message by finishing in a strong third. They may have a strong preference for one candidate and understand that they may lose to their second choice candidate, so they bullet vote.
I know where you’re getting this angle from, but they were mostly speaking in terms of a presidential race where it is typically a race between one person or the other and even an uninformed voter can filter out an Obama and McCain from the pack of non-names. It isn’t universally true, and certainly not in a city of Santa Clarita Council election.
Hi Leon. You should know by now that Al Ferdman never lets the actual data get in the way of his anti-city rhetoric.
We were screwed out of our fair share of library services vs. money paid into the system for many years by the county, particularly when you include all of the developer and taxpayer funds from outside the city that also flowed into the county. All the while that those unincorporated folks used facilities within the city that were 50 years old until the CITY taxpayers EXCLUSIVELY paid for a new building in Canyon Country and was on track to occur again with the new Newhall Library.
To me, the scary part is that some folks actually accept Al’s comments as “gospel truth”.
During the Library takeover discussion, data showing the amount of money collected and expended in Santa Clarita, by the LACO Library program, were posted on the City of Santa Clarita Website and latter summarized by the county. That data showed that money expended in Santa Clarita exceeded what was collected.
Libraries are commonly built using Library Facility Mitigation Fees collected from developers. If you want to check it out, look at the City of Santa Clarita and LACO fee schedule. Prior to the City Incorporation, the County collected those fees from the entire valley. When the City incorporated, the City started collecting and accruing those funds from developments with the city boundaries. Library Facility Mitigation Fees are targeted for Library Facility Capital Improvement. The Canyon Country Library is being paid for with those fees.
Ms. Gonzalez has seen this information many times but refuses to accept it. It is, what it is. No amount of name calling or personal attacks will change it.
Oh, Alan.
(1) What would you expect COUNTY data to show? The really funny thing was that the COUNTY data showed that Santa Clarita was one of only 5 cities in Los Angeles County that was PAYING MORE THAN IT WAS GETTING BACK.
(2) Who’s Mr. Gonzalez?
Leon
You show me that data and I will show you what I have.
Leon Al was referring to me. He is however correct on one issue and that is that I have seen his so called numbers many times and do not accept them as “gospel” simply because I am not one of his sheeple and know better.
PS Al is Vice President of the newest local Republican group, not a Dem.
“Chairman” of the “Canyon Country Advisory Committee?” Really? If nobody at city hall respects him or cares what he thinks, just exactly who is he “advising?” Here’s an idea: Al Ferdman should take the financial data he has from the county library, reconcile it with the financial data he has from the city, compile a summary on an Excel spreadsheet, and shove it all up his butt.
Splasher
Very bold and dignified. Particularly for a City Employee who posts under a pseudo name.
Classy. And dignified.
Alan – moving to a new thread because the last one was getting too thin.
Don’t mind rehashing the library debate (I’ll have to dust some of the cobwebs from my brain), but it’s important to know how I see it in a bigger sense. As a hardcore Dem you might be rubbed the wrong way by it, but – what pisses me off is when politicians and bureaucrats throw our tax money at systems and public employees when the same service can be provided cheaper by the private sector. It really gets my goat. I don’t apply that same rule to the military, but that’s where I draw the line. Our libraries aren’t attacking us, at least not on American soil. If a private entity can run them cheaper, then by God the politicians had better do that, or throw the bastards out. That said:
>>You know, the Newhall Library is being paid for with Redevelopment Bonds.<>As far as the $12 million for the library takeover, I am not sure where that money initially came from.<>The Library taxes, received from the county, are being used to fund the new City library program and supposedly going to pay back the $12 million dollar take over costs over the next 30 years.<>What I do not accept, is the idea that it is OK to spend because it is not our money. Government does not create any resources, it just spreads around what resources it collects and ultimately all monies that it collects comes from us.<<
Don't know what you mean by "not our money." It's all our money, and dammit, we should insist that the politicians pinch those pennies and spend them in the most cost-effective ways.
something got cut off…. here’s another try:
Alan – moving to a new thread because the last one was getting too thin.
Don’t mind rehashing the library debate (I’ll have to dust some of the cobwebs from my brain), but it’s important to know how I see it in a bigger sense. As a hardcore Dem you might be rubbed the wrong way by it, but – what pisses me off is when politicians and bureaucrats throw our tax money at systems and public employees when the same service can be provided cheaper by the private sector. It really gets my goat. I don’t apply that same rule to the military, but that’s where I draw the line. Our libraries aren’t attacking us, at least not on American soil. If a private entity can run them cheaper, then by God the politicians had better do that, or throw the bastards out. That said:
>>You know, the Newhall Library is being paid for with Redevelopment Bonds.<>As far as the $12 million for the library takeover, I am not sure where that money initially came from.<>The Library taxes, received from the county, are being used to fund the new City library program and supposedly going to pay back the $12 million dollar take over costs over the next 30 years.<>What I do not accept, is the idea that it is OK to spend because it is not our money. Government does not create any resources, it just spreads around what resources it collects and ultimately all monies that it collects comes from us.<<
Don't know what you mean by "not our money." It's all our money, and dammit, we should insist that the politicians pinch those pennies and spend them in the most cost-effective ways.
this thing does not seem to be working. Let me reformat and try again:
Alan – moving to a new thread because the last one was getting too thin.
Don’t mind rehashing the library debate (I’ll have to dust some of the cobwebs from my brain), but it’s important to know how I see it in a bigger sense. As a hardcore Dem you might be rubbed the wrong way by it, but – what pisses me off is when politicians and bureaucrats throw our tax money at systems and public employees when the same service can be provided cheaper by the private sector. It really gets my goat. I don’t apply that same rule to the military, but that’s where I draw the line. Our libraries aren’t attacking us, at least not on American soil. If a private entity can run them cheaper, then by God the politicians had better do that, or throw the bastards out. That said:
– You know, the Newhall Library is being paid for with Redevelopment Bonds.–
Yes and no. Developer fees are supposed to pay for library construction (and library tax money can and probably should be used for that, too, when available). The city paid for the CC and Newhall libraries because the county refused to use OUR money (developer fees and/or library taxes) for that purpose. So the city put up redevelopment money to build Newhall. Taking over the library system gave the city the proper revenue stream for library construction. Redevelopment would only be an appropriate mechanism if the proper mechanism doesn’t exist. Now it does. Hopefully – if redevelopment continues – the city will be able to pay back the redevelopment agency for the money spent on library construction, freeing up redevelopment to front-load the next project. (If redevelopment doesn’t continue, it’s moot – which would be unfortunate when the community demands the next project, like a permanent community center in Canyon Country.)
– As far as the $12 million for the library takeover, I am not sure where that money initially came from.–
I don’t remember, but ultimately it was borrowed and will be paid back out of the appropriate library funds.
>>The Library taxes, received from the county, are being used to fund the new City library program and supposedly going to pay back the $12 million dollar take over costs over the next 30 years.<<
Right, though I don't know how you mean "received from the county." Everything is "received from the county," including redevelopment and sales tax dollars. The county tax collector processes the payments. That's the extent of "received from the county."
– What I do not accept, is the idea that it is OK to spend because it is not our money. Government does not create any resources, it just spreads around what resources it collects and ultimately all monies that it collects comes from us. –
Don't know what you mean by "not our money." It's all our money, and dammit, we should insist that the politicians pinch those pennies and spend them in the most cost-effective ways.
OK it worked that time … it didn’t like the less than-greater than symbols
Leon, Leon, Leon
“As a hardcore Dem you might be rubbed the wrong way”. Boy, are you misinformed. LOL
Look, economy of public and private enterprises is a different subject. One where I believe, we are going to agree, more than disagree.
But on the subject of developer fees it is not that simple. In this case, we are talking about Developer fees called “Library Facility Mitigation Fees” that are collected by the City and are to be used for capital improvement.
So when you said “The city paid for the CC and Newhall libraries because the county refused to use OUR money (developer fees and/or library taxes) for that purpose”, What other developer fees, or excess library taxes, are you talking about?
Be specific and I will be receptive to having a meaningful dialog.
Hi Alan – I’ve got the breakdown at home, showing how much tax each city contributes (contributed), and showing that Santa Clarita was one of only 5 cities supporting, to some degree, the whole rest of the system.
Saying essentially the same thing is this document – http://file.lacounty.gov/bos/supdocs/59802.pdf … Look on page 2 where it says that while part of the loss of Santa Clarita’s money will be offset by the money saved in not operating Santa Clarita’s libraries, nonetheless, the loss of Santa Clarita’s money will result in a countywide revenue reduction.
Also, as a refresher, here is the County Library’s “Let’s hit the taxpayers harder to make up our $22 million annual structural deficit” report – http://file.lacounty.gov/bos/supdocs/57918.pdf
Leon
I will wait for the breakdown.
All Mike’s letter said was we would no longer be contributing to County Wide services. Why, because, Santa Clarita would no longer be using County Wide services.
Show me the data that indicates the City of Santa Clarita was contributing more to the LACO Library Program that we were receiving in goods and services.
Berta – huh? I thought Alan was the videographer for the local Democratic club. Does he have a twin?
Leon
Now you are getting to annoy me. Why not ask me directly?
Yes, I am a VP at the SCVRA, but none of that should matter in this conversation . And yes, I did video a meeting of the local Dem Club at their request.
As a person who considees himself a news professional, you feel there is something wrong with doing that?
LOL sounds like a touchy subject.
Only to you!!!!
No twin, as my Italian friends would say one testa dura is enough…
Darren – thanks for the clarification. Brings me back around to …. Next question?
I echo that. Thanks for sharing.
Leon
I hope you don’t think Darren’s clarification of where money is being spent today is a response to the issue we were discussing.
Again the question was about funds being expended on Santa Clarita’s Libraries when we were a part of the LACO Library system. Were Santa Clarita contributions greater than the goods and services we received?
You said you had data and a breakdown. Let’s see it.
I said I have it at home somewhere, on paper. Hopefully I’ll get there sometime after midnight.
Meantime, here’s something I wrote about it a year and a half ago – http://www.the-signal.com/archives/31705/
The cities were Santa Clarita, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, West Hollywood and Hermosa Beach.
Some of you have said Jon Hatami is “paranoid” regarding crime. And, some of you have pointed to the crime statistics. Jon Hatami has announced that he supports two mall Deputies to patrol our mall on his Facebook. He has announced that he supports bicycle patrols for the paseos. Today, yes, today, miraculously, the SCV Sheriff’s Department has extra money so they could have 5 Deputies patrol the mall and paseos. This is true. How do you explain this? Don’t believe me, just go out and do your research right now. Hatami’s ideas are good. If we don’t have a crime problem, why is the City now paying for Hatami’s ideas? Shouldn’t we have a city council who actually can come up with ideas on their own?
Or is it possible that Jon Hatami aka Juking Jon now has begun to live up to his REP by utilizing the inside track that he has established aka Deputy Sherriff Dubin aka Debauchery Inc. aka @SCVNighlife (on Twitter) to seemingly create the illusion of already in progress programs waiting to be implemented as his own concepts for hope and change?
From Hatami’s facebook:
“”"In the News: We are very pleased that the City Council has miraculously found $311,000 for a proposed Canyon Country Community Center. However, isn’t this interesting months before the election. The incumbents had YEARS to start this. Now, after we identify this as one of our platform issues, the City Council found some money in the budget. Politics, as usual… We need council members who actually have real ideas and can implement them. It is time for a change.”"”
what a jackass. (or in the vernacular of SCVTalk, a stupid jackass.) As if anyone at City Hall would give 2 sh*ts about his platform.
These things were in the works well before Juking Jon put his “Hope and Change” pants on a few weeks ago… Uh wait… this just in a flurry or text message and phone calls in the Hatami “campaign” and VOILA! Deputy Sherriff Dubin aka Debauchery Inc. aka @SCVNighlife on Twitter magically disappeared!!! It is a festival miracle! Good thing for Screenshots
Hatami is completely deluded if he thinks the creation of a community center in Canyon Country has anything whatsoever to do with his “ideas” and “platform.” I mean, really; who the f*&% is this guy anyway? Can anyone with a Facebook page and Twitter account suddenly be taken as a “serious” candidate for elected office? With his “deep roots” in Santa Clarita, Hatami should know that a Canyon Country community center was on the books a few years ago, until the onset of the Great Recession when it was set aside because of concerns about funding. With the sales tax revenue apparently rebounding (as mentioned above) the City Council apparently now has the funds to implement their years-old idea.
Does the Hatami platform include a proposal for the sun to rise in the morning and set in the evening? Because I’m sure he’ll start taking credit for those also! Honestly, Jon Hatami is sounding more and more like a crackpot with delusions of grandeur. And what a great campaign strategy – to engage in arguements with anonymous posters on a local new blog. It will be interest to see how long Tim Myers remains smitten with him!
Careful, Rem. You’ll inspire Tim to write a glowing column about how the Jon Whatshisname campaign has generated “so much interest” that “everyone is talking about it!”
I have started to read some of these comments on SCVTalk.com. And, if you want to call me names, or whatnot, even though you haven’t even met me, that is fine. It is somewhat amusing, and is your right as an American. However, when you attack one of my campaign managers, with a completely absurd and unsubstantiated charge, that is when I really feel the need to respond.
I have two campaign managers. They are both Deputy Sheriff’s and training officers. They put their lives on the line everyday in our community. They have integrity. My campaign prides itself on integrity. Most of the LASD Deputies, DAI’s, LAPD and CHP Officers in Santa Clarita support our campaign. Most of the judges who reside in Santa Clarita personally support my campaign. Our campaign does not personally throw out absurd and unsubstantiated accusations. Team Hatami has a lot of ideas, but we are not personally attacking anyone.
My campaign managers, my wife, who is a patrol Deputy in Santa Clarita, and all the other law enforcement people who put their lives on the line everyday, who also reside in our City , have the Constitutional right, on their off time, based on the 1st Amendment, to support a real candidate. A real person, who is not a politician. They have the Constitutional right as Americans, to do this.
A child was molested! Do you think I set this up? It really seems you are living in some sort of alternate universe. That child is a real victim. Not a statistic, a victim! Do you support child molesters in our City? How could that program already be in the works? The sexual assault recently happened! Neither myself, nor my wife, nor my campaign managers, nor my supporters, utilize any “inside track” in my campaign.
Go ahead and challenge me and my team on the issues. That is your right. Call me names if you want. Even though you have never even met me face to face. But when you make a statement that is 100% false, has serious implications regarding someone’s employment, has serious legal implications, you have gone too far. Deputy Dubin deserves better. Who do you think is protecting us at night? Who is looking out for us? So, if you have some facts, go ahead, post them. We pride ourselves on integrity. Something that you have shown from your post that you lack. Politics should be for everyone, even the normal citizen. People like you are un-American and stifle the efforts of real people. Your statement is so, so sad.
UnAmerican? LOL. Unsubstantiated? Really? If so why the big hullabaloo mister District Attorney? We already know Deputy Sherriff Dubin is in your campaign and it goes without saying he would know about things happening in the department WELL before the general public. It doesn’t take an Einstein to put two and two together… You might not respect the voters in this valley but you better respect that there is a group of individuals that will connect the dots on any dishonest campaign such as yours….
Yes you have said it several times we all know a child was molested… One in a fifteen year history. Why are you trying to capitalize on it? Is this a game to you? Why are you trying to gain from this, and make it like it was the City of Santa Clarita, Captain Becker or even your BFF Deputy Dubin’s fault? It was one perverts fault… his name is Casey Crockett and he will face the consequences thanks to our top notch Sheriff’s department.
Sorry Mr. Hatami but I dare you to find a community Santa Clarita’s size with a lower crime rate. Sorry I am not buying this phony anti-crime/pro-family agenda you are pushing, it is like trying to tell Apple, hey guys I can help you out with you cash flow problem! I dislike a person who needs to plant misplaced and irrational fear in order to sell his brand of snake oil politics. No not today and not on this watch.
Mr. Hatami. Frankly, I have never seen you speak at a city council meeting. You have never been involved in this community… This is probably the reason you are COMPLETELY clueless about Santa Clarita, its politics and its problems that need solutions. You have a rough road ahead because you are a joke to educated voters. You make Ender or Keller look like rogue scholars.
I am sure Deputy Sherriff Dubin thinks Captain Becker and Sheriff Lee Baca are doing a terrific job protecting Santa Clarita.
IMagic, I think we are just going to have to agree to disagree. And, it appears pointless to go back and forth with someone who appears extremely paranoid.
News flash – there are quite a few Deputies, DAI’s, and LAPD Officers who are in my campaign. That is not a secret. I guess, somehow, in your universee, it is. I hate to tell yo, but we are not trying to conceal that.
A child was molested and you are correct, it was 100% the perpetraters fault. And, you claim that “one [child] in a 15 year history” in Santa Clarita has been molested? Yep, you are the clueless one. That is so far from the truth and from reality.
Don’t believe me that there is crime in Santa Clarita? Just, ask a Deputy. Go ahead. And, I hate to tell you, but it is the patrol deputies, the detectives, the people out on the streets who protect us, not Sheriff Lee Baca. Hello. Maybe you need to go on a ride-a-long.
And lastly, you think because I have never spoken at a city council meeting that I have “never” been involved in this community and that I am “clueless” about Santa Clarita. Again, paranoid and alternate universe. First, since most residents in our City have never spoken at a city council meeting, I guess 98% of us have never been involved in the community. I didn’t know that that was the test. I’m not going to go over everything I have done for this community and for my country, because I don’t need to prove myself to you. That is really for the Almighty to decide. However, I have put away more serious and violent felons that anyone on the city council. These inidivudals have operated in neighboring Antelope Valley and some have even operated in Santa Clarita or had ties to Santa Clarita. That is doing more for the community than anyone “speaking” at a city council. That is ACTION, not words.
I have said enough IMagic. Dont vote for me, just stay with the incumbents. Keep your head in the sand. Go to your council meetings and keep talking. I will just get out there and do the dirty work to make our community safe.
Unable to deal with his critics Juking Jon has to use the strawman and ad hominem logical fallacies in an attempt to distort his opponent actual viewpoint.
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A child was molested and you are correct, it was 100% the perpetraters fault. And, you claim that “one [child] in a 15 year history” in Santa Clarita has been molested?
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Did I say this? Not even close. This is just another case of the dishonesty that has plagued nearly every word you say. What you call a “campaign” the rest of call a Facebook page, and that Facebook page has used by you to harp on 1 isolated molestation case that happened in our mall to put 2 deputies in a private business on our dime?
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Don’t believe me that there is crime in Santa Clarita? Just, ask a Deputy. Go ahead. And, I hate to tell you, but it is the patrol deputies,
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Where did anyone say their isn’t crime in our valley? There is and will always be crime in our valley. There is much more serious violent crime happening in other parts of our city to be wasting man power on some shop lifting. I believe as I am sure Deputy Dubin does that Captain Becker has done a marvelous job at putting a new system in place to make sure our community is safe. So you might want to think twice before you start proclaiming your critiques and clueless and un-American.
Alan – here’s the county report you wanted => http://scvtv.com/gif/news/LACoLibrary112009.jpg
Enjoy.
Thanks Leon, but that is only a snapshot of 2009.
It agrees with the data I have which shows taxes collected from 2002 thru 2009. Even with the $231K surplus in Library taxes collected in 2009 it did not include the $2.6 million committed by the county to renovate the Canyon Country Library. Bringing the total expended by the county to over $2 million more than Santa Clarita provided that year.
I will be back later today and will email you the material presented in October or 2010.
Alan – Thanks but don’t bother. This issue is over and done with, and I’ve got too much “current” stuff on my plate. For instance, as a member of the “stupid majority,” I might like to figure out why some high-and-mighty person who has never seen fit to become engaged in his city as a hard-working community volunteer — whether as a nonprofit leader or a business leader or even a political activist — suddenly decides the voters should anoint him with a city council position, and insult 2 (or 5) good people who paid their dues as community volunteers long before they ever dreamed of running for office. Mid-life crisis, perhaps? You work hard for years to make this community a better place, and along comes some jerk who tells you that not only isn’t your work appreciated, but that you’re to blame for everything that’s wrong. Yeah I know that’s how it works. Yeah I know that’s politics. But I don’t have to like it. And if you’re going to play that game, at least pay your dues and demonstrate that you care and then wait your turn. Bring on Tim Burkhart. Bring on Mike Berger. Hell, bring on TimBen Boydston or Al Ferdman or Lynne Plambeck or a few dozen other people who, good or bad, right or wrong, sane or crazy, have bothered to take the time to get involved in this community i none way or another. But Jon Ha-whatever needs to go crawl back under his rock and prosecute someone in Lancaster and leave the good people of Santa Clarita the hell alone.
I digress.
Al, I moved on from the library long ago and am not interested in going backward. And as you look over your reports, add in the amount of tax money from unincorporated residents whose libraries were in Valencia, Newhall and Canyon Country. That figure was $2 million per year, of which only one-tenth went into the little Castaic library. (Acton-Agua Dulce Library did not exist at that time, so there were no budgeted operational expenses for it.) That’s how this whole thing started … even if the city paid for CC and Newhall library construction, Margaret Todd refused to spend the “excess” from Santa Clarita on new books for the new Newhall library because she needed the money elsewhere. The issue/problem wasn’t paying for construction. The problem was paying for operations, which was squarely a county responsibility at the time, and one for which this community was overpaying.
How do I know? Well yes, from the various reports, but more importantly from Margaret Todd. When I met with her she was so angry with the city over the operational money she was going to lose that she couldn’t even look me straight in the eye when talking about it. But she did “admit” it, if that’s the word you want to use.
I’d nearly drop everything I’m doing to get Mike Berger on the City Council. That’s a fantastic idea.
Seriously. He’s one of the nicest, smartest and most sincere people you will ever meet. And with those blue eyes and that thick crop of wavy dark hair, Tim Myers would immediately fall in love with him.
Leon
You do seem distressed.
On the Library. The data is available. Whenever you care to see it, just let me know.
– You do seem distressed. –
welcome to my world
=;->