Word from College of the Canyons Valencia is that all campus parking lots are completely full, there is standing-room only in some classes, and COC officials are asking students to park at the mall, then trek up Valencia Blvd to get to school.

That’s based on some friends of mine who attend the college and are facing epic -truly epic!- traffic jams outside the sprawling, 153 acre Rockwell Canyon campus.

In the fall of 2005, COC reported that some 16,274 students were enrolled in classes there. The school has grown by leaps and bounds over the last twenty years, and the college has expanded its parking to compensate, building acres of parking on the south side of campus near the library. The college projected that it might have some 20,000 students enrolled by 2015, but I’m willing to bet they’re near that number now.

Last year traffic became an issue at the just-opened Canyon Country campus, which was built to satisfy demand for higher education from the east side of Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley. No word on whether Sierra Highway is packed right now.

Bus service to the college does exist, but I’m told the buses are packed like sardine cans as well.

Is it time for student housing at COC? Would that even work?  Apparently everyone drives their own personal car to classes and this is the result. I guess the fix is to build some four or five story parking garages in upscale Valencia!

Santa Clarita’s JC Penney department store in the Valencia Town Center will soon generate some of its own electricity thanks to a new rooftop-solar power project, according to a company press release.

The store is one of 10 nationwide that are part of the pilot project, which JC Penney says is “the next step for JCPenney in its efforts to leverage new technologies and engage…in innovative energy programs.”

According to the press release, the company will contract with a solar power company to install  the solar panels on the roof of the JC Penney building, which has been part of the Valencia Town Center mall since it opened in 1992.

 JCPenney has engaged SunPower Corporation to install solar power systems on 10 JCPenney stores in California and New Jersey. Producing more than 4 megawatts of clean electric power, the systems will help avoid emissions of approximately 146,000 tons of carbon dioxide over their 30-year expected lifetime, which is equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated by more than 800 cars.

I presume that 4 megawatts is the cumulative amount of electricity generated by the solar panels at all 10 stores, so it sounds like no single store will be completely powered by solar panels.

But it does say that JC Penney can expect some pretty hefty savings on their monthly electricity bills: the solar panels, once installed, “will provide immediate savings through lower-than-utility solar energy costs and a long term energy hedge for nearly 25% of the energy used at the stores.”

So it sounds like up to 25% of our JC Penney’s electricity will come from an abundant, renewable source: the sun!

JC Penney also plans to replace inefficient lighting and HVAC systems at the ten stores.

I imagine they selected Santa Clarita because of our abundant sunshine; no stores in Portland Oregon or Seattle are on the list after all. So it will be interesting to see if this experiment works out.  Will other retailers follow suit?

KHTS has an update this afternoon on the  investigation into the death of a 2 year old boy who was left for hours inside a hot car in Canyon Country on Monday.

According to KHTS, the still-unnamed mother of three may have believed that her “other children were taking care of the young boy”  after the family had returned from running errands.

The boy’s name has also been reported; he is Jack Roscoe Winchester, and KHTS says he was 23 months old. His birthday was on August 30, according to KTLA.

The woman had three children though their ages conflicted in different media reports. The Signal says the three children were aged two, three and five while KHTS says they were aged twenty-three months, four and six.

The two older children are being interviewed by Sheriff’s  investigators today, as is the mother. Investigators told KHTS that the mother “appeared to have contributed to the boy’s death.”

Earlier today, The Signal’s Jim Holt reported that the mother was believed to be in her early 30s.  KFI says that she was the one to realize her son was missing and ran to the car.

“At that point, she ran immediately to her van and found her two year-old son, who was still strapped into his car seat,” Butao says. He was unconscious and not breathing,” a deputy told KFI.

A neighbor called 911 at 5:10 pm, but when paramedics arrived, they were not able to revive the toddler.

An autopsy will be performed on the child, according to the AP.

KHTS

KFI

Scores of Santa Clarita residents are using the presumptive Democratic nominee’s website to organize campaign and party events in Santa Clarita, at least five in the next few weeks by my count.

The events are spread out across the SCV. One takes place in Stevenson Ranch, another at Vincenzo’s in Newhall, and two are scheduled in Canyon Country.

What’s interesting about these events is that it’s not the “usual suspects” who are sponsoring them. We’re all familiar with the SCV Democratic clubs and groups that meet regularly to discuss politics and have fun, but other Santa Claritans who may not be members of those groups seem to be organizing their own Barack Obama events.

The largest of these groups is the “Santa Clarita Valley for Obama” group, which counts some 180 members. A man named Roger in Newhall started the group way back in January of 2007, but it continues to grow, adding at least a dozen members in the last few week.

This group is sponsoring or co-sponsoring at least three get togethers for Obama supporters.  They range from the typical to an oddly spiritual meetup.

For instance, on June 19 at 7pm, the group will host a get together at Vincenzo’s in Newhall. And on Saturday, June 28, a group will hold a breakfast meeting at the Saugus IHOP to support Obama. And on June 22, an associated group will hold an “energy convergence” meeting in Canyon Country where participants will “commit to send light and energy to the noble cause of getting Barack Obama elected President of the United States.”

Hey it takes all kind to get a person elected President right?

Members of the SCV for Obama group have also been writing a blog on the website. Posts range from local issues such as the MRF to national topics from a liberal point of view.

But what about Santa Clarita residents in favor of John McCain? Aren’t they organizing and holding parties of their own?

I checked the Republican Senator’s campaign website, but when I searched for local events, I got this message: “We are currently building organizations across the country so please stay tuned for more information about your state.” The site asks volunteers to sign up to help.

That’s a bit odd- McCain locked up the nomination in March, way earlier than Barack Obama. Why doesn’t he have a local events section like Obama’s site yet?

I checked the California page of McCain’s website and the only events listed are three stuffy Finance events, one in Fresno, another in Newport Beach, and another in Riverside.

There doesn’t seem to be any way for McCain boosters to link up organically through his campaign website, the way Obama supporters have found each other on the Illinois Senator’s website by simply typing in their zip codes.

Maybe it’s not fair to expect that McCain’s website will be as advanced as Obama’s…afterall, the campaign manager responsible for Howard Dean’s internet success in 2004 told Time magazine last week that his online operation was like the Wright Brothers first flight, while BarackObama.com is akin to landing on the moon.

It appears SCV voters have found a good use for the site; I may attend one of these events and report back to you.

Sad story coming to light today. Last night at around 11:00 pm, an unnamed 16 year old girl was driving westbound on Wiley Canyon Road when her boyfriend -driving in an SUV or station wagon alongside her- accidentally sideswiped the girl’s SUV. The “impact caused the girl driving the SUV to lose control, careen off the roadway, and crash headfirst into a tree,” the LA Times reports. Click to continue »

An astounding 9,905 people cast ballots by mail in last week’s City Council election, more than double the number of people who voted at the polls, official election results released today show. Click to continue »

Trash hauler Burrtec will withdraw its application for a Materials Recovery Facility at the Sierra Highway site that inspired opposition from neighborhood groups and residents, the city announced today. Full press release after the jump.

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Click more to view election news live from City Hall as it comes in here on SCVTalk.com. Latest news is at the top.  

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