Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
f you have a wild West heart, legs that can<br />
curve around a saddle, or just a cowboy hat<br />
and boots you need to break out of the<br />
closet — you might want to block out April<br />
20-24 on your calendar. That’s when the<br />
Cowboy Festival will kick up dust all<br />
around the <strong>SCV</strong> and beyond, and opportunities<br />
to wear, watch, taste, listen to and in-<br />
BY JIM WALKER • STAFF WRITER<br />
teract with the old West will abound.<br />
This, the 23rd year of cowboy celebration<br />
in Santa Clarita, brings the festival<br />
back to Old Town Newhall and Hart Park<br />
for the second year in a row. It’s a perfect<br />
setting, featuring a western atmosphere<br />
and history, as well as comfortable theaters<br />
in which to enjoy featured acts.<br />
Numerous related events, including special<br />
performances on Friday night at the<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild, Repertory East Playhouse<br />
and Hart Mansion, will usher in the<br />
big weekend — but on Saturday and Sunday,<br />
April 23 and 24, the Cowboy Festival<br />
See Cowboy Festival, page 9<br />
MakerSpace:<br />
Woodshop to<br />
Tech Hub<br />
17<br />
Crazy Otto’s<br />
Diner comes to<br />
the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
23 26<br />
Easter Traditions:<br />
Meet Easter Fun<br />
in the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
Plus . . . City Council coverage • Opinion • Schools • Columnists • Community Calendar • Features . . . and much more!
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 3<br />
Laemmle theater project could open to public in 2018<br />
By Robb Fulcher<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Athree-part Old Town Newhall revitalization<br />
project — consisting of a<br />
Laemmle art-house theater, a six-level<br />
parking structure, and mixed-use buildings<br />
with retail and housing — could open to the<br />
public in 2018.<br />
The projects have won formal approval by<br />
the Santa Clarita City Council, clearing the<br />
way for design work, followed by permits<br />
and permissions, followed by construction.<br />
City officials said those processes could be<br />
complete in about two years.<br />
The projects will be built on a large vacant<br />
block across the street from the Old Town<br />
Newhall Library, bounded by Railroad Avenue,<br />
Lyons Avenue, Main Street and Ninth<br />
Street.<br />
City Manager Ken Striplin said the combination<br />
of projects will “create a lot of energy<br />
for the revitalization of the area.”<br />
He cited projects stretching back two<br />
decades in Old Town Newhall, including a<br />
Metrolink station to bring people to the area,<br />
a streetscape project, the $25 million library,<br />
and aid for businesses to replace their facades.<br />
“It’s really starting to all come together,”<br />
Striplin said.<br />
“I believe the project will be an injection of<br />
new life into Old Town Newhall, and it will<br />
help the entire area from an economic development<br />
standpoint,” Councilman Dante<br />
Acosta said. “It will go from a vacant lot to a<br />
vibrant, exciting development. It will be a<br />
shot in the in arm for the area.”<br />
The movie theater, which will show a mix<br />
of Hollywood blockbusters and smaller films,<br />
will feature seven screens and include some<br />
retail space. Under an agreement with the<br />
city, Laemmle must operate the theater for at<br />
least 15 years.<br />
The two mixed-use buildings will consist<br />
of ground-floor retail with 46 housing units<br />
upstairs, and 85 underground parking<br />
spaces.<br />
The parking garage will be 55 feet tall, and<br />
park at least 400 vehicles on six levels, including<br />
one underground.<br />
The Santa Clarita City Council formally approved<br />
the projects on a 3-1 vote, with Councilman<br />
TimBen Boydston dissenting.<br />
Councilwoman Laurene Weste, who owns<br />
property near the project site, did not participate,<br />
citing a conflict of interest.<br />
Lyons Avenue elevation<br />
Main Street elevation<br />
Raising objections<br />
In the discussion that preceded the council<br />
vote, Boydston made a last-ditch pitch for<br />
a stripped-down alternative with no<br />
Laemmle theater, and a municipal parking lot<br />
instead of a six-story parking structure.<br />
Boydston said he welcomes the addition of<br />
a Laemmle to Old Town Newhall, but not at<br />
the cost of a $3.4 million subsidy the city will<br />
give the theater.<br />
City officials earlier said that Glendale<br />
spent $5.1 million and North Hollywood $3.3<br />
million to land Laemmle theaters.<br />
Boydston unsuccessfully pushed for a surcharge<br />
on theater tickets that would help pay<br />
back taxpayers for the theater subsidy. He<br />
also balked at the $15.2 million price tag for<br />
the parking structure, unsuccessfully arguing<br />
for a 150-space parking lot instead.<br />
See Laemmle, page 5<br />
Santa Clarita PubliC library<br />
By Patti Rasmussen<br />
Staff Writer<br />
The Santa Clarita Public Library is encouraging<br />
all residents to pick up a<br />
book and get reading: “One Story One<br />
City” is the second annual project by the libraries<br />
to engage people of all ages to read a<br />
selected book, hold discussions and meet the<br />
author.<br />
This year’s selection is “Mary Coin,” a novel<br />
by Marisa Silver that follows the lives of two<br />
women — a migrant mother who flees the<br />
Dust Bowl during the Depression and heads<br />
to California with her family, and the other<br />
who captures her image in a photograph. The<br />
fictional book is based on the famous Works<br />
Progress Administration photograph by<br />
Dorothea Lange entitled “Migrant Mother.”<br />
The idea behind the “One Story One City”<br />
program came from a 1998 NPR campaign<br />
entitled, “If All Seattle Read the Same Book.”<br />
Karen Cruze, community outreach coordinator<br />
for Santa Clarita Libraries, said the<br />
book selection process involves all staff members<br />
who nominate titles. Books are then nar-<br />
rowed to five that meet certain criteria such<br />
as availability in different formats and appealing<br />
to a variety of people. Those books<br />
are then read and each reader gives a book<br />
report of sorts.<br />
Cruze was thrilled when “Mary Coin” rose<br />
to the top.<br />
“I like historical fiction,” she said. “This<br />
book talked about different types of people<br />
and their problems. I love that it’s about California.<br />
It’s perfect for our community.”<br />
Cruze said the book lends itself to a lot of<br />
discussion on many subjects. For example,<br />
both the migrant mother and the photographer<br />
have child care problems. A contemporary<br />
character in the story has similar<br />
parallels and all three lives come together at<br />
the end of the book. There are several twists<br />
and turns in the story and a very familiar<br />
community plays a minor role.<br />
One Story One City also has age-appropriate<br />
and themed-related books for the<br />
younger readers. “Esperanza Rising” and<br />
See One Story One City, page 16
4 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Table of Contents<br />
Brand new, turnkey Canyon Country listing located<br />
in the quiet, peaceful community of Stetson<br />
Ranch with 4 large BD and 4 bath, including one<br />
guest suite with full bath on main floor. The main<br />
floor also includes a formal sitting room with<br />
French doors leading out to the front yard, a formal dining room great for entertaining<br />
family and friends, an open kitchen with beautiful granite counter<br />
tops, dark cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and a large center island. Second<br />
floor loft central to all bedrooms can be used as office or upstairs family<br />
room. Huge master suite with a large master bath complete with dual sinks,<br />
large soaking tub, separate shower, a walk in closet, and access to a cute<br />
little balcony located on the front of the house. Plantation shutters on every<br />
window keep the home well insulated. Spacious backyard with no rear neighbors,<br />
an amazing built-in BBQ, and gorgeous, serene views.<br />
Contact Gary Drive for information 661-607-3397<br />
Contact Jim Marshall for information 661 -212-9428<br />
29798 Wisteria Valley $445,000<br />
Great open floor plan with kitchen in center of<br />
home - a family kitchen. Corner lot. Large walk in<br />
closets, oversize family room, laundry in garage,<br />
driveway will hold small RV. Assessor records<br />
show 6 BD, but this is a 4 BD home. Street sign<br />
spelling is Wistaria Valley Road. Shadow Pines area. Parks and transportation<br />
close. Perfect house for work at home with bedrooms split floor plan with<br />
plenty of room to use bedrooms as office. Home ready for DIY or fix and flip.<br />
Addition by previous owner may be without permits<br />
Contact Many Prybyla for information 661 -904-3046<br />
16670 Soledad<br />
Canyon Road<br />
Canyon Country, 91387<br />
661-299-5570<br />
29370 Gary Drive $619,000<br />
FORMER MODEL HOME LARGEST FLOOR PLAN! Senior Resort Style<br />
Living. Gorgeous home in the Friendly Valley Homeowners Community.<br />
This was the model home and is located in most prestigious part of the<br />
community with 2 BD, a den/office and 2 bath. Fabulous VIEW from all windows.<br />
Private location with only one neighboring home. Travertine marble<br />
floors throughout entry, living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallways.<br />
New carpet in bedrooms and new tile in master bath. Deluxe cabinetry<br />
throughout the home with multiple linens in the hallways. Whole house vacuum<br />
for easy maintenance with reduced noise and exhaust in the garage.<br />
Crown molding in most rooms. Separate laundry room with deep sink and<br />
extra cabinets. Garage has expanded side area to accommodate a golf<br />
cart, also custom cabinets and lighting. Covered patio and gas stub-out<br />
with cement footing to the side for BBQ installation.<br />
CalBRE #01290507<br />
26364 Sierra Highway<br />
Suite C<br />
Newhall, 91321<br />
661-252-3942<br />
19319 Avenue of The<br />
Oaks, Suite C<br />
Friendly Valley, 91321<br />
661-252.9000<br />
Call Kellar-Davis at any of<br />
the numbers above<br />
Or visit: www.kellardavis.com<br />
Saddle Up… It’s Cowboy Time Cover<br />
Laemmle theater project could open to the public in 2018 3<br />
One Story One City 3<br />
Opponent claims violations of state open meeting law 6<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> Economic Outlook event <strong>March</strong> 10 6<br />
Santa Clarita shines a blue light on traffic violations 6<br />
City Manager Ken Striplin: Earth Arbor Day event coming to Central Park 6<br />
Bermite Development Agreement expiring this month 7<br />
Cemex Bill calls for re-opening of permitting process 8<br />
Alleged Canyon Country thief found in storm drain 8<br />
Saddle Up, Cowboy Festival preview 9<br />
<strong>2016</strong> Cowboy Festival Schedule 9<br />
West Ranch Town Council: Freeway beautification talks continue 10<br />
Don’t judge a book by it’s cover…or title: 10<br />
Chiquita Canyon parent seeks merger 11<br />
Hilton to build hotel in Santa Clarita 11<br />
The St, Francis Dam Disaster: 13 Things you Probably Don’t Know 12<br />
Congressman Steve Knight: A Day in the Life 13<br />
Ray the Realtor: Preparing Your Home for Sale 13<br />
John Boston: Mr. Santa Clarita valley 14<br />
Whyte’s World: Road Trip Journal: A Beer and a Burger with<br />
Cheerleaders; Drag Queens 15<br />
Cowboy Festival- Other Events 15<br />
Mayor Bob Kellar: Thursdays@Newhall 16<br />
Man arrested for sexual assault 16<br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Education: Hartmann named new executive director 17<br />
MarketSpace: 60’s Woodshop to Tech Hub 17<br />
Privacy opt out deadline looming 17<br />
Our View: Laemmle Deal an investment in Old Town Newhall<br />
Community Should reserve Judgement on CLWA-NCWD Merger 18<br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Opinion: Dave Bossert: Horticulture Death has descended<br />
onto Stevenson Ranch 18<br />
Opinion: Cameron Smyth , Key Supreme Court Cases Could End in 4-4 Tie •<br />
Assemblyman Scott Wilk, Public Utilities Commission needs reform 19<br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Sports: Girl’s & Women’s Basketball 20<br />
Celebrate the Luck of the Irish, St. Patrick’s Day 21<br />
Restaurant Review: Crazy Otto’s Diner 23<br />
<strong>March</strong> Calendar 24<br />
Easter Traditions: Meet Easter Fun in the <strong>SCV</strong> 26<br />
Purim Fun for everyone! 29<br />
<strong>Reader</strong> People: Margo Hudson, Santa Clarita’s Icon of Style 30<br />
Michele Buttelman: Out & About in the <strong>SCV</strong> 32<br />
Garden Gates: Design: The Most Important Landscape Tool 33<br />
What A Pair! Everyone’s a ‘Little Bit Irish’ on St. Patrick’s Day 34
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 5<br />
Laemmle<br />
continued from page 3<br />
Boydston said his plan, which would include<br />
the mixed use buildings, would cost a<br />
total of $1.6 million instead of $18.6 million.<br />
He said the city would recoup its investment<br />
in 11 years instead of 97 years.<br />
He said the savings could be used for projects<br />
across the city for seniors, parks, libraries<br />
and hospitals, sheriff’s facilities, and<br />
road projects such as a planned $38 million<br />
extension of Via Princessa.<br />
‘Wrap it up’<br />
The length of Boydston’s detailed counterproposal<br />
occasionally irked Mayor Bob Kellar.<br />
“We try to adhere to a rule that we complete<br />
our meetings no later than 11 p.m., and<br />
your fellow council members have had no opportunity<br />
to weigh in on this,” Kellar said.<br />
“And I just respectfully ask that you have respect<br />
for your fellow council members, and<br />
try to wrap up and be more concise with your<br />
questions, with maybe a little less dialogue,<br />
so that we can move forward.”<br />
Toward the end of a roughly hour-long<br />
pitch by Boydston, Kellar interposed again to<br />
say:<br />
“Mr. Boydston, I’m going to respectfully ask<br />
that we go and give our fellow council members<br />
an opportunity, and not monopolize the<br />
entire time.”<br />
And a bit later:<br />
“Sir, wrap it up in five minutes…we’ve got<br />
to be responsible in how we conduct these<br />
meetings.”<br />
To the defense<br />
Acosta said there is a pressing need for the<br />
additional parking that the parking structure<br />
will provide. He said the retail spaces, anchored<br />
by the movie theater, will help revitalize<br />
the area.<br />
“I love how we want to go back to 1985<br />
and build strip malls again, with no anchor<br />
tenant, no economic partner, no financial<br />
analysis by any professionals, nothing,”<br />
Acosta chided Boydston.<br />
Acosta said the cost of the parking garage<br />
“gives me heartburn. It really does. But if you<br />
think that’s expensive, you wait 10 years until<br />
we absolutely have to build a parking structure<br />
down in Old Town Newhall, and see how<br />
much that costs.”<br />
On the subject of the city subsidy to<br />
Laemmle, Acosta said the city spent money<br />
— $567,000 at current value — to help the<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild relocate to the area.<br />
Boydston is the Canyon Theatre Guild’s executive<br />
director.<br />
Timing<br />
Boydston said he made his last-minute<br />
pitch to the council after he was prevented<br />
from raising his objections at an earlier council<br />
meeting.<br />
At that meeting, City Attorney Joe Montes<br />
advised that Boydston might have had a conflict<br />
of interest because the Canyon Theatre<br />
Guild is located near the project site.<br />
Montes had sought the advice of the state<br />
Fair Political Practices Commission, which<br />
did not come in time for that council meeting.<br />
See Laemlee, page 16
6 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>SCV</strong> Economic Outlook<br />
event <strong>March</strong> 10<br />
By Tammy Marashlian<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Tickets are still available for the <strong>March</strong><br />
10 <strong>SCV</strong> Economic Outlook, a unique<br />
event that gives the Santa Clarita Valley<br />
community an in-depth look at the local<br />
economy for<br />
the year ahead.<br />
The yearly<br />
event, organized<br />
by the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
Economic Dev<br />
e l o p m e n t<br />
Corp. and College<br />
of the<br />
Canyons, features<br />
Dr. Mark<br />
Schniepp of the<br />
California Economic<br />
Forecast, Dr. Mark Schniepp<br />
Wells Fargo<br />
economist Mark Vitner and Amy Lemisch, executive<br />
director of the California Film Commission.<br />
The event is scheduled 1:30 to 5 p.m.<br />
<strong>March</strong> 10 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia. The<br />
conference, with capacity for about 300 people,<br />
typically sells out. Topics include the international<br />
economy, especially involving<br />
China, oil prices and global markets, the national<br />
economic forecast, and data on the<br />
housing market,<br />
commercial<br />
and industrial<br />
developments.<br />
“The event is<br />
geared at the<br />
business leaders<br />
and decision<br />
makers in<br />
the Santa<br />
Clarita Valley,”<br />
said Holly<br />
S c h r o e d e r ,<br />
<strong>SCV</strong>EDC President<br />
and CEO. “The presentations by the two<br />
economists will give good perspectives on<br />
the economy, both on the international level<br />
and all the way down to the Santa Clarita Valley<br />
economy. We get a local look and that is<br />
distinct.”<br />
Unlike previous years, this year’s outlook<br />
includes specific discussion on filming and its<br />
role in the <strong>SCV</strong>, Schroeder said.<br />
“She’ll talk a bit about the industry in California,<br />
as well<br />
as in the Santa<br />
Clarita Valley,”<br />
Schroeder said.<br />
“Since filming in<br />
the Santa<br />
Clarita Valley is<br />
one of our priority<br />
industries,<br />
we thought that<br />
p e r s p e c t i v e<br />
would be very<br />
Mark Vitner<br />
interesting to<br />
the attendees.”<br />
Amy Lemisch<br />
I n c l u d e d<br />
with the price of admission, attendees will<br />
take home an in-depth report with economic<br />
data and the <strong>SCV</strong> forecast. While there are<br />
other economic outlook events across Los<br />
Angeles County, none focus so specifically on<br />
the local community, Schroeder said.<br />
“It’s a lot of information,” Schroeder said.<br />
“It’s a data-packed event.”<br />
Tickets can be purchased online at<br />
scvedc.org/outlook. R<br />
water merger<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Opponent claims violations of state open meeting law<br />
By Robb Fulcher<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Acritic of a potential merger of two valley<br />
water agencies alleges that officials<br />
broke the state’s open meeting law as<br />
they discussed the possible merger.<br />
The allegation was denied by officials considering<br />
the merger.<br />
The idea of merging the valley’s water<br />
wholesaler, the Castaic Lake Water Agency<br />
(CLWA), with retailer Newhall County Water<br />
District (NCWD), gained momentum early<br />
last year, as representatives of the two entities<br />
met to try to settle legal disputes between<br />
them.<br />
In a letter to the Los Angeles County District<br />
Attorney’s Office, Lynne Plambeck, an<br />
NCWD board member and critic of the possible<br />
merger, accused the NCWD board of violating<br />
state law when it met in closed session<br />
Jan. 14 “as to whether or not the district<br />
should proceed with consolidation” with<br />
CLWA.<br />
“No report of the action taken was made<br />
after the end of the closed session,” Plambeck<br />
wrote.<br />
Plambeck also alleged that an ad hoc committee,<br />
made up of representatives of the two<br />
agencies, broke the law by failing to notify the<br />
public that it was discussing a potential<br />
merger.<br />
The public meeting law limits the topics<br />
that can be discussed behind closed doors. If<br />
prosecutors find that a public agency improperly<br />
made a decision in a closed session,<br />
they typically direct the agency to make the<br />
decision over again in an open session.<br />
The law does not reverse the decisions of<br />
public agencies, but is designed in part to<br />
help the voting public monitor the practices<br />
of public agencies.<br />
Plambeck cited a notice for a Feb. 4 public<br />
workshop on the potential merger, which<br />
stated that for “roughly one year” representatives<br />
of the two agencies “have been discussing<br />
ways to enhance regional<br />
collaboration, benefit ratepayers and advance<br />
water reliability across the region.”<br />
Plambeck argues that under the state law,<br />
the ad hoc committee constitutes a “committee<br />
of a legislative body,” that is governed by<br />
the law.<br />
Officials defending the merger discussions<br />
said the ad hoc committee, and the NCWD<br />
board, had been meeting to discuss ongoing<br />
lawsuits between the two agencies, which is<br />
allowed under the state law. The merger idea<br />
developed as a way to settle the lawsuits, they<br />
said.<br />
Discussions of pending litigation are allowed<br />
in closed session under the state’s<br />
open meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act.<br />
Plambeck contends the discussions “have<br />
been about consolidation, not settling a lawsuit.”<br />
NCWD General Manager Steve Cole denied<br />
that the open meeting law had been broken.<br />
“We’ve gone above and beyond what’s required.<br />
We firmly stand behind our process,”<br />
blue light SPeCial<br />
Santa Clarita shines a blue light on traffic violations<br />
New traffic enforcement tool<br />
installed at seven intersections<br />
In an effort to improve traffic safety at<br />
seven major intersections, the City of<br />
Santa Clarita has installed new blue light<br />
enforcers which serve as red light violation<br />
detectors on traffic signals at each site.<br />
The seven locations were chosen due to<br />
their high incidents of red light violations. A<br />
total of 15 blue lights have been installed at<br />
the following intersections: Bouquet Canyon<br />
Road and Newhall Ranch Road, McBean<br />
Parkway and Valencia Boulevard, McBean<br />
Parkway and Magic Mountain Parkway,<br />
McBean Parkway and Newhall Ranch Road,<br />
Bouquet Canyon Road and Seco Canyon<br />
Road, Soledad Canyon Road and Whites<br />
Canyon Road and Lyons Avenue and Orchard<br />
Village Road.<br />
The blue light allows sheriff deputies to<br />
observe the status of a red light from across<br />
the street. The light illuminates when a traffic<br />
signal changes to red, allowing the sheriff’s<br />
deputy to safely and easily monitor and<br />
address motorists running the red light,<br />
without having to pursue a vehicle through<br />
an intersection. The blue lights are not red<br />
light cameras.<br />
The installations of these traffic engineering<br />
tools were added as part of the City’s<br />
focus this year to improve traffic safety which<br />
also includes working with the Santa Clarita<br />
Valley Sheriff’s Department on more enforcement,<br />
and increasing education and outreach<br />
to encourage safer driving.<br />
The City of Santa Clarita has installed new blue light<br />
enforcers which serve as red light violation detectors<br />
on traffic signals at each site.<br />
“We’re embarking on increased traffic enforcement<br />
and to combat issues that are the<br />
cause of the majority of traffic accidents in<br />
Santa Clarita, such as speeding, failure to<br />
yield, distracted driving and various other<br />
unsafe driving habits,” said Mayor Bob Kellar.<br />
“The new blue lights are a traffic enforcement<br />
tool that we hope will ultimately improve<br />
traffic safety,” he added.<br />
For more information about this project,<br />
please contact Andrew Yi, City Traffic Engineer<br />
at (661) 255-4326 or at AYI@santaclarita.com.<br />
he said.<br />
He said no vote was taken at the Jan. 14<br />
meeting.<br />
“The heart of the matter has been, and continues<br />
to be, settling litigation between public<br />
agencies,” Cole said.<br />
Cole said a response to the letter would be<br />
prepared.<br />
Joan Dunn, a former NCWD board member,<br />
and her husband Ed Dunn, a former CLWA<br />
board member, said they follow board meetings<br />
closely and were surprised to find that<br />
discussions of a potential merger had been<br />
going on for so long, prior to the Feb. 4 workshop.<br />
At the workshop, the Dunns spoke in opposition<br />
to a merger. The two have called for<br />
a forensic audit to determine the state of the<br />
agencies’ finances.<br />
Robert Sagehorn, former general manager<br />
of CLWA, spoke in favor of a merger. In an interview,<br />
he said the intricacies of managing<br />
imported water, local groundwater and reclaimed<br />
water would be better navigated by a<br />
larger, more coordinated agency.<br />
Officials involved in discussions of creating<br />
a new agency have emphasized that no decision<br />
has been made.<br />
Proponents of a merger say it would save<br />
money, secure more state grants for water<br />
projects, and better coordinate a complex<br />
web of water transmission issues. Critics say<br />
a merger could bring rate hikes, and would<br />
create a water “monopoly” too large and remote<br />
for consumers to control. R<br />
Earth Arbor Day event<br />
coming to Central Park<br />
By Ken Striplin<br />
Santa Clarita city manager<br />
Presented in partnership with the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
Family of Water Supplies, Earth Arbor<br />
Day is a fun, festive and free way to learn<br />
about new eco-friendly products, programs<br />
and local organizations, as well as to increase<br />
your family’s environmental awareness.<br />
The <strong>2016</strong> Earth Arbor Day event will be<br />
held on Saturday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5<br />
p.m. at Central Park, located at 27150 Bouquet<br />
Canyon Road. The event will include six<br />
interactive zones including; the Community<br />
Zone, the Eco Zone, an Alternative Transportation<br />
Car Show, the Children’s Zone, the<br />
Tree Zone and the Water Conservation Zone.<br />
Entertainment, hands on activities and educational<br />
displays, together with creative recycled<br />
art exhibits and decorated residential<br />
recycling carts make for a very green day in<br />
Santa Clarita!<br />
If that isn’t green enough, you will also be<br />
able to take home a bag of garden mulch created<br />
from last year’s Christmas trees. And if<br />
you are bringing the young ones, they can<br />
tour the City’s Community Gardens, learn<br />
about how helpful ladybugs are for the garden,<br />
make scarves from old t-shirts and bring<br />
home an herb plant.<br />
The Castaic Lake Water Agency is offering<br />
guided tours of their Conservatory Garden<br />
located above the park site. Live musical entertainment<br />
and animal show, plus an interactive<br />
water conservation demonstration are<br />
also included. For more information on the<br />
City’s Earth Arbor Day event, check out:<br />
GreenSanta Clarita.com.
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 7<br />
SauguS<br />
Bermite Development Agreement expiring this month<br />
Specific Plan remains<br />
By Josh Premako<br />
Staff Writer<br />
While the development agreement<br />
expires later this month for the<br />
nearly 1,000-acre former Whittaker-Bermite<br />
property in the center of Santa<br />
Clarita, it is not expected to have an effect on<br />
the ongoing cleanup efforts of the contaminated<br />
land.<br />
Located between Railroad Avenue and<br />
Golden Valley Road, the property was for<br />
much of the 20th century home to munitions<br />
manufacturing and testing. Decades of contamination<br />
necessitated groundwater and<br />
soil cleanup work that is expected to continue<br />
for years.<br />
Nearly 21 years ago, in May 1995, the<br />
Santa Clarita City Council approved the Porta<br />
Bella Specific Plan for the sprawling property.<br />
The following <strong>March</strong> its accompanying development<br />
agreement was signed. That development<br />
agreement expires on <strong>March</strong> 28.<br />
Over the past two decades, the property has<br />
changed hands several times, and current<br />
ownership is divided among multiple entities<br />
that have interests in the site. Financial responsibility<br />
for cleanup, however, remains<br />
with the Whittaker Corp. and its successors,<br />
according to Tom Cole, Santa Clarita’s director<br />
of community development.<br />
In addition to the development agreement<br />
allowing for more than 1,200 single-family<br />
homes, nearly 1,700 multi-family units and<br />
96 acres of commercial property, the specific<br />
plan calls for 407 acres of dedicated open<br />
space and 42 acres of recreational-use space.<br />
With the development agreement expiring,<br />
any proposals by a developer in the future<br />
would need to undergo a full environmental<br />
review and public hearing process. City officials<br />
have said there are no development<br />
plans on the horizon for the site.<br />
While the development agreement is expiring<br />
at the end of the month, Cole said the<br />
specific plan for the property will remain in<br />
The former Whittaker-Bermite property is visible in this photo, looking southwest from near the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Centre Pointe Parkway. The California<br />
Aqueduct is visible at the lower right. PhoTo By DAn FAinA/FoR The READER<br />
place indefinitely, either until it is amended<br />
by the City Council or replaced with another,<br />
amended development agreement sometime<br />
in the future. The agreement’s expiration will<br />
not affect cleanup, a state official said.<br />
“We don’t anticipate that this will affect<br />
cleanup,” said Russ Edmonson, spokesman<br />
for the California Department of Toxic Substances<br />
Control.<br />
The site is divided into several Operable<br />
Units, or OUs, as part of a remedial action<br />
plan that was approved by the DTSC in 2010.<br />
Edmonson said cleanup in OU5 is 95 percent<br />
complete, work continues in OU2 and construction<br />
of a groundwater treatment facility<br />
Women assemble fuses at the Bermite Powder Co. in the mid-1950s. The company produced an array of explosive devices and fuses for the<br />
U.S. military. PhoTo CoURTeSy oF <strong>SCV</strong>hiSToRy.CoM<br />
in OU7 is continuing.<br />
The chief contaminant on the property has<br />
been perchlorate, a byproduct of rocket fuel<br />
that has been linked to human thyroid problems,<br />
which has polluted groundwater and<br />
soil on the property.<br />
Since 2006, more than 41 million gallons of<br />
groundwater from the northern alluvium area<br />
near the Metrolink station on Soledad Canyon<br />
Road have been extracted and treated, according<br />
to a February report by project coordinator<br />
Hassan Amini. Additionally, in<br />
January, the DTSC began testing a storm water<br />
filtration system for the property.<br />
The DTSC estimates construction of<br />
groundwater cleanup<br />
infrastructure could<br />
take close to a year,<br />
and officials have estimated<br />
complete<br />
groundwater cleanup<br />
could take nearly 20<br />
years total.<br />
Of the 996 acres,<br />
only about 500 are developable,<br />
according to<br />
past reports by DTSC<br />
officials, due in part to<br />
ridgelines and streams<br />
on the property.<br />
After the development<br />
agreement for<br />
the site was approved,<br />
a concerned citizens<br />
group filed a lawsuit,<br />
with concerns that<br />
only the least-contaminated<br />
parts of the<br />
property would be<br />
cleaned up prior to development.<br />
As part of<br />
the lawsuit’s settlement,<br />
a condition<br />
called DS12 was included,<br />
requiring full<br />
site cleanup by DTSC before any development<br />
can be carried out.<br />
Edmonson said DTSC officials are still<br />
awaiting a response from city officials on<br />
whether that condition will apply for future<br />
development agreements. Cole said that<br />
DS12 expires along with the development<br />
agreement. He referred questions about how<br />
its expiration could affect future development<br />
agreements to DTSC officials, who responded<br />
to the <strong>Reader</strong>: “DTSC does not have<br />
jurisdiction on planning or redevelopment<br />
ordinances. DTSC is responsible for overseeing<br />
the cleanup of the site and for making<br />
sure the property or portions of the property<br />
are safe for the intended use.”<br />
The site’s future holds not just development<br />
potential, but the opportunity to improve<br />
local infrastructure with the extension<br />
of several roads as part of Santa Clarita’s general<br />
plan, including connecting Via Princess<br />
to Wiley Canyon Road. While the city has<br />
been moving ahead with work to extend Via<br />
Princessa between Sheldon Avenue and<br />
Golden Valley Road, city officials have maintained<br />
that cleanup must be completed on<br />
the former Whittaker-Bermite site before<br />
road extensions through the site will take<br />
place.<br />
Site cleanup is funded by insurance proceeds<br />
from various parties. While Whittaker’s<br />
insurance policy for the property<br />
reportedly expires at the end of the decade,<br />
officials have maintained they are committed<br />
to site cleanup. Whittaker’s general counsel<br />
Eric Lardiere declined to comment last<br />
month on any questions related to the insurance.<br />
As recently as several years ago, he<br />
stated: “Many millions of dollars have been<br />
spent already, and we will continue to do so.”<br />
Cole added: “Whittaker Corp. (or their successors)<br />
has the responsibility to pay for any<br />
cleanup that might not be covered by the insurance.<br />
The city is not taking any action that<br />
would change this responsibility.” R
8 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
Canyon Country<br />
Cemex Bill calls for re-opening of permitting process<br />
Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R- Santa<br />
Clarita, introduced AB 1986, which<br />
would re-open the permitting process<br />
of CEMEX’s proposed mega-mine.<br />
CEMEX’s mega mine would be larger than<br />
Irwindale and would wreak havoc on our environment<br />
and quality of life,” stated Wilk.<br />
“Our children and seniors won’t be able to<br />
breath, our roads will be choked daily with<br />
an additional 1,200 18-wheelers and the<br />
mega-mine will soak up our most precious<br />
resource, water. I’m committed to killing this<br />
project.”<br />
In 1990, the Bureau of Land Management<br />
(BLM) issued two 10-year contracts to mine<br />
56-million tons of aggregate from a site near<br />
Soledad Canyon Road and the 14 Freeway.<br />
Through the years there have been a number<br />
of owners, but the current owner is CEMEX.<br />
Last August, under pressure from Rep.<br />
Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, and California’s<br />
two U.S. Senators, the BLM announced it had<br />
canceled CEMEX’s Soledad Canyon mining<br />
contracts. However, CEMEX has appealed<br />
that decision and it could take as long as two<br />
years to get a final adjudication.<br />
Although a federal issue, there is a role for<br />
the state to play in the permitting process of<br />
the mega mine. Back in 1991, CEMEX’s predecessor-in-interest<br />
(Transit Mix Concrete)<br />
filed an application with the California State<br />
Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) for<br />
a water appropriation permit. The application<br />
requested 322 acre-feet of water per<br />
year from the Santa Clara River for use related<br />
to mining and industrial operations.<br />
Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R- Santa Clarita, introduced AB 1986, which would re-open the permitting process<br />
of CeMeX’s proposed mega-mine.<br />
Under current law, the administrative<br />
process allows for a protest period and the<br />
SWRCB is required to hold a hearing as long<br />
as a protest remains unresolved or there is a<br />
disputed material fact.<br />
No hearing was held and the SWRCB has<br />
essentially suspended activity on the application,<br />
although the status of the application<br />
is still considered active.<br />
Existing law requires the publication of a<br />
notice of application to appropriate water<br />
and requires protest to be filed within a certain<br />
period of time after publication of a notice<br />
of application.<br />
AB 1986 would amend the water code to<br />
require the publication of a new notice of application<br />
if the SWRCB has not rendered a<br />
final determination on an application within<br />
20 years from its original filing date. The<br />
new notice would re-open the protest period<br />
and any other administrative processes, as if<br />
it were being undertaken for the first time.<br />
Wilk declared, “I’m hopeful that our community<br />
will prevail at the federal level to kill<br />
this ill-conceived project. AB 1986 is a ‘Plan<br />
B’ that would allow us to make the case with<br />
state regulators on why this mega mine doesn’t<br />
work in our community.”<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Alleged car thief Josue hernandez was found stuck<br />
in a storm drain in the 1800 block of Walnut Springs<br />
Avenue, after being chased by an off-duty Ventura<br />
County sheriff's deputy. hernandez was arrested<br />
after being extricated by firefighters.<br />
Alleged Canyon<br />
Country car thief<br />
found in storm drain<br />
Aman who fled from a deputy in Canyon<br />
Country after allegedly trying to steal<br />
a car was found stuck in a storm drain<br />
and later arrested according to Lt. Derek<br />
Sabatini with the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station.<br />
The alleged thief was spotted by an offduty<br />
Ventura County sheriff's deputy attempting<br />
to steal a vehicle in the 1800 block<br />
of Goodvale Road, Sabatini Said.<br />
The man fled and the deputy chased after<br />
him, only to find him stuck in a storm drain<br />
in the 2700 block of Walnut Springs Avenue.<br />
The suspect, identified as Josue Hernandez,<br />
was extricated out of the drain by firefighters<br />
and then arrested.
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 9<br />
Cowboy FeStiVal PreView<br />
Saddle Up<br />
By Jim Walker<br />
Staff Writer<br />
<strong>2016</strong> Cowboy Festival<br />
Schedule<br />
The Cowboy Festival proper is two<br />
days of Old West fun at William S.<br />
Hart Park and nearby venues. However,<br />
many related events and performances<br />
are scheduled during the days<br />
leading up to that weekend, some nearby<br />
and others offsite. For more event details<br />
visit http://cowboyfestival.org/schedule.<br />
Tickets<br />
A Single Day ticket to the festival includes<br />
free parking and round trip shuttle<br />
service to and from William S. Hart Park.<br />
The VIP Package includes admission to<br />
the William S. Hart Park event area both<br />
Saturday and Sunday, plus VIP Shuttle<br />
Service to and from William S. Hart Park<br />
and the shuttle site. It also includes access<br />
to the VIP Cantina both days from 10 a.m.<br />
to 5 p.m., and complimentary beverages<br />
and snacks with lunch served each day<br />
from noon to 3 p.m. You also get one<br />
Buckaroo Buck – one piece of Cowboy<br />
Festival merchandise (not redeemable for<br />
performer merchandise).<br />
If you have a wild West heart, legs that can<br />
curve around a saddle, or just a cowboy<br />
hat and boots you need to break out of the<br />
closet — you might want to block out April<br />
20-24 on your calendar. That’s when the<br />
Cowboy Festival will kick up dust all around<br />
the <strong>SCV</strong> and beyond, and opportunities to<br />
wear, watch, taste, listen to and interact with<br />
the old West will abound.<br />
This, the 23rd year of cowboy celebration<br />
in Santa Clarita, brings the festival back to<br />
Old Town Newhall and Hart Park for the second<br />
year in a row. It’s a perfect setting, featuring<br />
a western atmosphere and history, as<br />
well as comfortable theaters in which to<br />
enjoy featured acts.<br />
Numerous related events, including special<br />
performances on Friday night at the<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild, Repertory East Playhouse<br />
and Hart Mansion, will usher in the big<br />
weekend — but on Saturday and Sunday,<br />
April 23 and 24, the Cowboy Festival will really<br />
fan the hammer at William S. Hart Park.<br />
Select acts will perform free on four stages,<br />
while visitors interact with historical figures<br />
such as buffalo soldiers, or watch blacksmiths<br />
at work.<br />
There will be old West food (and other<br />
food) for sale, as well as shopping for western-style<br />
items and Native American jewelry.<br />
Shuttles will take folks up the hill all day for<br />
free tours of the William S. Hart Mansion, and<br />
children’s activities will be plentiful. There<br />
will even be a cowboy encampment, as might<br />
be found on a cattle drive, complete with a<br />
chuck wagon.<br />
Festival Director Mike Fleming said filming<br />
of “Westworld” continues to occupy Melody<br />
Ranch, the former location of the Cowboy<br />
Festival, but that the Old Town Newhall location<br />
is actually better in many ways.<br />
“Ticketed shows, such as those that will be<br />
held at the CTG and REP, were part of the<br />
original model of the festival,” he said. And he<br />
added that many people have expressed their<br />
appreciation for live performances occurring<br />
PhoToS CoURTeSy CiTy oF SAnTA CLARiTA<br />
in such comfortable venues, with air conditioning<br />
and great sound systems.<br />
In addition to the theaters on Main Street,<br />
Fleming said Old Town Newhall, itself, is part<br />
of the experience. “For example, OutWest<br />
(Boutique and Cultural Center) is a really cool<br />
Western store and a big part of the festival,”<br />
he said.<br />
This being the second year of the festival<br />
taking place in Old Town Newhall and Hart<br />
Park, Fleming felt things would be even more<br />
efficient than last year. Regarding that, he<br />
See Saddle Up, page 14<br />
Saturday, April 23<br />
William S. Hart Park<br />
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.<br />
Tickets: VIP Package $75. Single Day<br />
Adult, $10. Single Day Child (ages 3 to 12),<br />
$7. Children under 3 free.<br />
There will also be separately-ticketed<br />
performances at various times at nearby<br />
venues including the Canyon Theatre<br />
Guild and Repertory East Playhouse.<br />
Sunday, April 24<br />
William S. Hart Park<br />
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.<br />
Tickets: Single Day Adult, $10. Single<br />
Day Child (ages 3 to 12), $7. Children<br />
under 3 free.<br />
There will also be separately-ticketed<br />
performances at various times at nearby<br />
venues including the Canyon Theatre<br />
Guild and Repertory East Playhouse.<br />
See, Eat and Do<br />
The Cowboy Festival offers shopping<br />
for Old West-style items on Sutlers Row<br />
and Mercantile Row, and you can get a feel<br />
for the old days when you visit with living<br />
See Schedule, page 14
10 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
weSt ranCh town CounCil<br />
Freeway beautification talks continue<br />
By Josh Premako<br />
Staff Writer<br />
The West Ranch Town Council continued<br />
discussion last month of proposed<br />
changes to the area’s landscape maintenance<br />
districts and beautification work<br />
near Interstate 5 — a project that has been in<br />
the works for several years.<br />
County officials discussed the planned<br />
beautification work around the Pico Canyon<br />
Road/Lyons Avenue off-ramp on the west<br />
side of I-5. In late 2011, the city of Santa<br />
Clarita — along with county officials and<br />
members of the Town Council — broke<br />
ground on a similar project that was carried<br />
out on the east side of the freeway.<br />
The roughly 3-acre freeway work site is in<br />
the California Department of Transportation’s<br />
right of way, and Caltrans has yet to give<br />
full approval to the project, said Lisa Woung<br />
with the county Public Works Department,<br />
and program manager for the design of the<br />
project. County officials expect the project to<br />
cost approximately $250,000, funded by the<br />
county budget with maintenance handled by<br />
local landscape maintenance district (LMD)<br />
fees.<br />
To ensure funding is sufficient, the county<br />
is eyeing increases to the Stevenson Ranch<br />
area’s landscape maintenance district (LMD)<br />
assessments. For example, while the current<br />
assessment for District 1 is approximately<br />
$24 per parcel, it could increase to a maximum<br />
possible rate of $44 per parcel. That<br />
would, however, be a decrease from the existing<br />
approved maximum rate of $47.<br />
“You’re going to have to make your best<br />
case that it benefits (the community),” council<br />
member Rick Ryan told county officials.<br />
In addition to ensuring any landscaping<br />
done does not use excessive water, Caltrans<br />
wants assurances that the budget allows for<br />
the project completion and any future maintenance,<br />
Woung said.<br />
“The first thing we want to do is beautify<br />
the area,” she said during the meeting. “To<br />
give it a signature look that says, ‘You’re in<br />
Stevenson Ranch.’”<br />
The project could potentially take shape in<br />
the form of gravel mulch, decorative concrete<br />
elements and drought-tolerant trees massed<br />
together to minimize water use.<br />
Woung said Caltrans has requested a thorough<br />
review process for the project including<br />
assurances that LMD funds will be sufficient.<br />
As part of the process, public meetings will<br />
be held. In a best-case scenario, she said, construction<br />
could start by late 2018.<br />
Also during the February meeting, the<br />
council received local crime updates from<br />
Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Duxbury and California<br />
Highway Patrol Officer Christopher<br />
Crocker. Duxbury urged residents to not leave<br />
valuables in unattended vehicles, as burglaries<br />
persist. Crocker noted that while CHP officials<br />
have seen a decrease in law<br />
enforcement-related stops, they have seen increases<br />
in service stops such as helping<br />
stranded or lost motorists. R<br />
The West Ranch Town Council meets the<br />
first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at<br />
the Stevenson Ranch Library, located at<br />
25950 The Old Road in Stevenson Ranch. For<br />
more information visit www.westranchtown<br />
council.com<br />
Help us Build a Great Community News Magazine<br />
The <strong>Reader</strong> is looking for Reporters & Sales Account Executives<br />
Email Richard@Westside<strong>Reader</strong>.com<br />
By Pearl obispo<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Don’t let the title of the book fool you.<br />
“The Baby Boomer’s Motivational<br />
Guide to Losing Weight” is not your<br />
typical diet book. It’s not only for Baby<br />
Boomers and you definitely won’t find<br />
recipes.<br />
But what you will find are tips and ideas<br />
for weight loss that, co-authors and siblings<br />
Scott “Q” Marcus and Cindy Marcus said, can<br />
be used by anyone wanting to lose weight —<br />
no matter what generation you’re from.<br />
“References are baby boomer references,”<br />
Scott said. “Anything from the late ’60s to<br />
early ’70s — songs, television, movies, music,<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Co-authors Scott "Q" Marcus and Cindy Marcus greet attendees at the book signing of, "The Baby Boomer's<br />
Motivational Guide to Weight Loss." PhoTo By PeARL oBiSPo<br />
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover…or Title<br />
clothing. But the knowledge, information and<br />
insights, are relatable to anybody who’s ever<br />
battled weight.”<br />
The brother and sister team recently unveiled<br />
the guide at a book signing in Santa<br />
Clarita. The pair said they've struggled with<br />
weight loss their whole lives, but now have it<br />
under control and wanted to share their journey<br />
to motivate and empower others.<br />
“There is so much misinformation about<br />
weight loss,” Scott said. “I have a different approach.<br />
I look at eating as the symptom. Not<br />
the problem.”<br />
Scott, who is a professional speaker by<br />
trade, said he wanted a book that focused on<br />
what you say to yourself, what you do with<br />
yourself, as opposed to what you eat.<br />
“What you say and do to yourself affects<br />
what you weigh,” Scott said. “If you change<br />
that, problem solved.”<br />
The book also discusses the challenges that<br />
occur once people hit their goal weight —<br />
challenges that Cindy Marcus says many<br />
weight loss programs rarely tackle.<br />
“Weight loss programs are great at helping<br />
someone take the weight off,” Cindy said. “But<br />
diets aren’t helping once someone reaches<br />
their goal. There’s a struggle in losing the<br />
weight. But once it’s gone, now what? And I<br />
feel like the book really addresses that.”<br />
Cindy, who runs Showdown Theater, a local<br />
theater program to empower teens, said the<br />
most important thing to remember for anyone<br />
wanting to lose weight is to have fun.<br />
“Enjoy the journey,” said Cindy, who, since<br />
hitting her goal weight, has gained only 4<br />
pounds in the last 18 years. “Stop beating<br />
yourself up and have fun. You won’t do it if<br />
you don’t have fun.”<br />
And that’s exactly why one of the attendees<br />
at the book signing decided to give the book<br />
a try.<br />
Ann Harris drove out from Pasadena because<br />
she said she was looking for something<br />
different in a diet book.<br />
“I won’t diet,” Harris said. “I refuse to diet<br />
because diets don’t stick. But I like what the<br />
book has to offer. It’s different and judging by<br />
the (weight loss) success of the authors,<br />
might just work.”R
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 11<br />
Chiquita Canyon parent seeks merger<br />
By Brandon Lowrey<br />
Staff Writer<br />
The Texas-based company that owns<br />
the Chiquita Canyon Landfill is seeking<br />
Canadian citizenship. Waste Connections<br />
Inc. is asking for shareholder and governmental<br />
approval to merge with Canadian<br />
waste hauler Progressive Waste Solutions<br />
Ltd. in an all-stock deal that would leave<br />
Waste Connections shareholders with 70<br />
percent of the combined company, and five of<br />
seven seats on the board.<br />
The proposed deal is structured as a reverse<br />
merger. This means that on paper, Progressive<br />
Waste is acquiring Waste<br />
Connections. But Waste Connections shareholders<br />
and executives will be in charge of<br />
the combined company (which will, of<br />
course, be named “Waste Connections Inc.”)<br />
The move would grow Waste Connections<br />
in a big way, allowing it to take over Progressive<br />
Waste’s operations in 14 states and six<br />
Canadian provinces. The combined company<br />
would have projected revenue of $4.1 billion<br />
and maintain its U.S. headquarters in The<br />
Woodlands, Texas, and its Canadian headquarters<br />
in Ontario, Canada, according to<br />
forms filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange<br />
Commission.<br />
“Under our leadership, we believe we can<br />
instill the corporate culture, safety focus, operational<br />
excellence and accountability that<br />
have served us so well and which we believe<br />
are necessary for long-term success within<br />
Progressive Waste's complementary markets.<br />
These improvements, together with expected<br />
immediate synergies and other cash<br />
flow benefits, should accelerate value creation<br />
for both companies' shareholders,”<br />
Waste Connections CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt<br />
said in a prepared statement about the<br />
proposed merger.<br />
“Put simply, we believe this combination<br />
creates a company uniquely positioned with<br />
industry-leading operating and free cash flow<br />
margins, together with the balance sheet<br />
strength, to drive further growth and increase<br />
the return of capital to our shareholders."<br />
Its service area is not the only thing that<br />
Waste Connections wants to expand. The<br />
company has been fighting to keep the Chiquita<br />
Canyon Landfill operating until 2037,<br />
which would grow it out significantly and<br />
double the amount of trash it can take in,<br />
much to the chagrin of local environmental<br />
groups.<br />
Those groups, including Santa Clarita Organization<br />
for Planning and the Environment,<br />
Citizens for Chiquita Canyon Landfill<br />
Compliance and other Val Verde residents<br />
lodged a complaint with the county in June,<br />
alleging that the county deprived Spanishspeaking<br />
residents of a chance to participate<br />
in the approval process by withholding Spanish<br />
translations of documents related to the<br />
proposed expansion project. County officials<br />
and the landfill owners denied those allegations.<br />
The groups want the 639-acre landfill to<br />
close by 2019 or when it reaches 23 million<br />
tons of trash, under a 1997 agreement between<br />
the unincorporated community of Val<br />
Verde and the landfill's previous owner, The<br />
Newhall Land and Farming Co. The ink dried<br />
on that deal long before Waste Connections<br />
bought the landfill in 2009, and the groups<br />
argue that the agreement is still binding.<br />
Waste Connections now wants to expand<br />
the landfill’s footprint from 257 acres to 400,<br />
and double its trash intake to 12,000 tons per<br />
day.<br />
Chiquita Canyon had previously been expanded<br />
in the late 1990s. Waste Connections<br />
won an expansion and 30-year extension for<br />
its Lancaster landfill in December 2011.<br />
The merger would not affect the company’s<br />
plans for the landfill, said Chiquita<br />
Canyon District Manager Steve Cassulo.<br />
“It is business as usual,” he said. R<br />
Hilton to build hotel in Santa Clarita<br />
hilton hotels corporation will build a 107 room hotel under its brand of extended-stay homewood Suites hotels<br />
in Santa Clarita The hotel will be built between West Rye Canyon Road and Vanderbilt Way at the edge of<br />
the Valencia industrial Center next to embassy Suites and The Courtyard. Construction is expected to start<br />
next month with a completion date in July 2017.
12 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
loCal hiStory<br />
The St. Francis Dam Disaster: 13 Things You Probably Don’t Know<br />
by John Boston<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Quiet San Francisquito Canyon in<br />
Saugus is infamous for being the site<br />
of the 11th-worst manmade disaster<br />
in American history. Just before midnight,<br />
on <strong>March</strong> 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam<br />
burst, sending a nearly 200-foot tidal wave of<br />
water down the canyon. For 55 miles, the<br />
flood carved a watery path of destruction all<br />
the way to the Pacific Ocean and killed between<br />
500-to-600 people.<br />
This epic flood nearly bankrupted Newhall<br />
Land & Farming Co. It devastated the thinly<br />
populated Santa Clarita Valley, wiping out entire<br />
families, destroying farms and casting a<br />
pale of tragedy that would be felt for decades.<br />
It turned a beautiful canyon, lined with great<br />
trees, meadows, flowers and grassland into a<br />
nightmarish landscape. Family members<br />
noted the break probably crushed the soul of<br />
its builder, William Mulholland, who had<br />
green-lighted the dam’s soundness just 12<br />
hours earlier.<br />
Mulholland retired shortly after the disaster,<br />
went into seclusion and died a few years<br />
later, a broken man.<br />
After the 1906 San Francisco fire, which<br />
followed the epic earthquake, the St. Francis<br />
Dam is the worst disaster in California history.<br />
There are many stories about the dam,<br />
ill-fated (the dam was built at the convergence<br />
of three earthquake fault lines) even<br />
before the first shovel of dirt was removed.<br />
Here are 13 things you probably don’t know<br />
about our valley’s forever-dark chapter in<br />
American history…<br />
13) The day of the break, dam keeper Tony<br />
Harnischfeger had a home near the base of<br />
The disaster is heartbreaking, when you put young<br />
faces to it. Two of the first casualties were little girls<br />
Marjorie and Mazie Curtis, and their father,<br />
Lyman. The little boy, their 3-year-old brother<br />
Danny, managed to survive, with his mother, Lillian.<br />
PhoTo CoURTeSy oF <strong>SCV</strong> hiSToRiCAL SoCieTy.<br />
the monolith and called Mulholland that the<br />
dam was springing enormous leaks. The<br />
DWP employee was also the dam’s first victim.<br />
They found half his body several miles<br />
downstream. About two years later, they<br />
found the second (and lower) half of his body<br />
with his wallet and ID intact..<br />
12) Mulholland was fully exonerated in<br />
Mulholland, without any tests, oversight, calculations or widening the base, added an additional 13-feet to the<br />
height of the dam, making it 187-feet tall. Shortly after the disaster, the DWP blew up this monolith as a PR move.<br />
PhoTo CoURTeSy oF <strong>SCV</strong> hiSToRiCAL SoCieTy.<br />
1995 by geological engineer J. David Rogers<br />
68 years later. Rogers published that Mulholland<br />
didn’t have the technology to know<br />
the dam was built on ancient fault cracks.<br />
But, local newspaper reports noted that even<br />
before construction, many locals warned<br />
Mulholland the ground was unstable and<br />
L.A.’s chief engineer ignored them.<br />
11) Local mail carrier W.T. Stonecypher<br />
also warned Mulholland. Months earlier, the<br />
rural deliveryman noted that 500-feet of<br />
road was drastically sinking (about four feet)<br />
from the weight of the water and concrete.<br />
Stonecypher refused to continue that portion<br />
of his route and people had to come into<br />
town for their mail.<br />
10) Newhall’s Ed Adkins was in charge of<br />
collecting corpses. He delivered hundreds of<br />
dead bodies to various spots, including the<br />
Hap-a-Land Hall (where the Courthouse<br />
Building on Market St. is today). The hall was<br />
the <strong>SCV</strong>’s social center, where they held most<br />
big community parties, movies and dances.<br />
After serving as a morgue, it was never used<br />
as a social spot again. Adkins had the stomach<br />
for his job. He had been in China during<br />
the Boxer Rebellion and had witnessed hundreds<br />
of beheadings.<br />
9) Easily the most supernatural of all stories<br />
involves famed movie star Harry Carey.<br />
He had a huge ranch in the canyon and employed<br />
about 100 Navajos to run it. A few<br />
days before the dam burst, Carey was in New<br />
York City, starring in a Broadway play. The<br />
tribe’s medicine man called and reported he<br />
had a nightmare of impending and epic disaster<br />
and said he would be moving the entire<br />
village back to Arizona. They left and avoided<br />
certain death.<br />
8) Southern California Edison set up a<br />
work camp near Castaic by the Santa Clara<br />
River. Camping out in tents, many of the men<br />
drowned. But about one-third were saved<br />
when their tents acted as air pockets. Survivors<br />
were able to float to safety.<br />
7) Author Charles Outland noted that the<br />
City of Los Angeles settled all claims without<br />
much question. But, if you were a person of<br />
color, you received less money for your suffering<br />
and loss than white victims. Outland<br />
wrote “Man-Made Disasters” and was a boy<br />
in Santa Paula when the dam burst.<br />
6) One of the aspects of the disaster was<br />
that it changed a beautiful, scenic canyon<br />
with trees and meadows into a gutted valley.<br />
Gone were most of the shrubbery, trees and<br />
wildflowers and the topsoil to grow more.<br />
5) Several local survivors planted signs<br />
around the valley, reading: “Kill Mulholland.”<br />
4) Lifetime resident Bailey Haskell was a<br />
teen who rushed in the dark to help rescue<br />
victims. As a shiveringly cold dawn broke, he<br />
spotted a 12-year-old girl clutching to the<br />
higher branches of an oak. The flood had<br />
completed tore all her clothing away. Haskell<br />
got a ladder, climbed the tree, threw a blanket<br />
around her and carried her down to<br />
safety. He noted she was so embarrassed that<br />
for 50 years after, she never looked at him or<br />
acknowledged her rescuer’s presence.<br />
3) Superstar Wm. S. Hart was part of the<br />
rescue. He found the body of a little boy,<br />
about 6, near Piru and could never find the<br />
family. Hart arranged for the child to be<br />
buried in a cowboy outfit and be buried in<br />
the Ruiz family cemetery in San Francisquito.<br />
The unknown boy’s tombstone reads: “The<br />
Littlest Wrangler.”<br />
2) While it’s the Ruiz family cemetery, to<br />
this day it’s called the Chinese Graveyard.<br />
The SF Canyon resident Henry Ruiz would<br />
later grow to manhood and ironically work<br />
for the DWP. He lost eight members of his<br />
family in the flood and never talk about that<br />
night again.<br />
1) When 12 billion gallons of floodwaters<br />
reached the Pacific around dawn on <strong>March</strong><br />
13, Ventura fishermen reported a gruesome<br />
sight — an apocalyptic shark feeding frenzy<br />
on corpses — animal to human — washed<br />
out to sea and floating on the surface. R<br />
(Left) newhall’s dance hall and<br />
community center, the hap-a-<br />
Land hall, became a makeshift<br />
morgue. Before sunrise, volunteers<br />
were already setting up<br />
slats to stack bodies. PhoTo CoUR-<br />
TeSy oF <strong>SCV</strong> hiSToRiCAL SoCieTy.<br />
(Below) This is the last<br />
known photo of dam<br />
keeper Tony harnischfeger.<br />
he and his wife<br />
divorced in 1927 and he<br />
lived alone at the base of<br />
the dam. PhoTo CoURTeSy oF<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> hiSToRiCAL SoCieTy.
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 13<br />
a Day i n t h e l i F e<br />
listening to People’s<br />
ideas and Putting them<br />
into action<br />
r ay t h e r e a lto r®<br />
Preparing your home<br />
for Sale<br />
by U.S. Rep. Steve Knight<br />
Contributing Writer<br />
by Ray the Realtor® Kutylo<br />
Contributing Writer<br />
It’s a cool January Thursday morning in<br />
the Antelope Valley when I wake up. I<br />
check my phone and learn that Washington,<br />
D.C. is preparing for a blizzard, and I’m<br />
pretty thankful to be far away this week.<br />
I get ready and head out for my first appointment<br />
of the day, which is a visit to Universal<br />
Pain Management, a clinic in Palmdale<br />
that specializes in pain relief. I take a tour of<br />
the facility and chat with Dr. Riegler, one of<br />
the clinic’s founders, about how federal regulations<br />
affect their operation. This was especially<br />
interesting for me because I sit on the<br />
Congressional Bipartisan Task Force to Combat<br />
the Heroin Epidemic, which is developing<br />
best practices on reducing addiction to<br />
heroin as well as prescription pain killers.<br />
After the visit wraps up, I head over to the<br />
Salt Creek Grille in Santa Clarita, which is<br />
about a fifty minute drive. There, I have a<br />
lunch meeting with auto dealers from around<br />
the Santa Clarita Valley. We discuss the challenges<br />
their businesses face in the current<br />
regulatory climate, which makes selling cars<br />
particularly difficult. It was a very frank<br />
group, which is refreshing. I love meeting<br />
with small business owners like them because<br />
I always walk away with a human, indepth<br />
perspective on issues that I wouldn’t<br />
otherwise have. After a great conversation<br />
and delicious lunch, I pay my bill and hit the<br />
road again.<br />
This time my destination is the Honor Rancho<br />
natural gas storage facility, located near<br />
the Wal-Mart off Newhall Ranch Road. This<br />
site has been the topic of much discussion recently;<br />
it is a smaller version of the Aliso<br />
Canyon natural gas storage facility near<br />
Porter Ranch, which began leaking last October.<br />
Since I heard about the leak, I started<br />
gathering information on natural gas storage<br />
with the goal of ensuring that a similar situation<br />
could never happen in our communities<br />
again. After speaking with officials from local,<br />
state, and federal agencies and touring Aliso<br />
Canyon, I wanted to make sure that Honor<br />
Rancho was not susceptible to the same dangers.<br />
I arrive at the facility gate with a member<br />
of my staff and we are greeted by representatives<br />
from the gas company. They escort us<br />
to a building at the core of the facility and I<br />
begin asking the workers about the pipes and<br />
storage wells onsite. This is not my first time<br />
at Honor Rancho, in fact I took a tour last August,<br />
but in light of recent events I had some<br />
very specific questions. After I have all of the<br />
information I need for now, we get on with<br />
our tour. Our guide drives us to a storage well<br />
and explains the safety measures they have<br />
in place as well as their process for testing for<br />
leaks. I ask more follow up questions, and<br />
after about an hour the tour wraps up. When<br />
I get back to my car, I jot down some notes<br />
and debrief with my staff member.<br />
The next and final event on my schedule is<br />
a California State Assembly Hearing on the<br />
Aliso Canyon gas leak, which is being held in<br />
Granada Hills. At this point, we are facing<br />
rush hour traffic, so this is roughly forty<br />
minute ride. As my staff member drives, I<br />
field calls from some local reporters who are<br />
interested in my site visit, the hearing, and<br />
the efforts to prevent further leaks. I give<br />
them a run down on everything I know at this<br />
point, and tell them that I am going to draft<br />
some legislation based on all my research,<br />
tours, and conversations with agency officials.<br />
When we arrive in Granada Hills, the hearing<br />
is just about to start. I take a seat at the<br />
witness table at the front of the room, and listen<br />
to testimony by various elected officials<br />
about the effects of the leak and the need to<br />
stop it quickly. When it is my turn to testify, I<br />
talk about the challenges that the people of<br />
Porter Ranch are facing, about what my office<br />
is doing to assist them, and again highlight<br />
the bill that I am working on to stop future<br />
leaks. After I am done speaking, I sit and listen<br />
to nearly two hours of statements and<br />
pleas by residents of the surrounding areas<br />
and other people interested in the response<br />
to the leak.<br />
By the time the hearing concludes, it is<br />
about 8:30pm. I get in my car and begin the<br />
hour-long journey back to my house. I’ve<br />
gathered a lot of helpful information over the<br />
past twelve hours, and as I cruise up Highway<br />
14 I start to process all of it. A big part of<br />
being in Congress is listening to peoples’<br />
ideas and finding ways to put them into action.<br />
Today was all about doing the first part.<br />
Now it’s time to turn those ideas into reality.<br />
R<br />
Steve Knight is the U.S. Representative of<br />
California's 25th District, which covers the<br />
Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys as well as<br />
portions of Simi Valley.<br />
<strong>Reader</strong>s are encouraged to<br />
submit their views, reviews and<br />
questions as letters to the editor<br />
for publication in the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
<strong>Reader</strong>/Westside <strong>Reader</strong>.<br />
Submissions may be sent by<br />
mail or email. Letters are subject<br />
to being edited due to space<br />
constraints. Letters to the editor<br />
must include the author’s name,<br />
town and phone number for<br />
verification.<br />
Email:<br />
Info @westsidereader.com<br />
Mail To:<br />
25876 The Old Road, Suite 66<br />
Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381<br />
What people see first matters!<br />
Remember the last time you drove<br />
by a house that looked great from<br />
the outside? Without thinking about it you<br />
probably assumed the inside looked just as<br />
good, or better! In selling a home to get anywhere<br />
close to your price, you need to pay attention<br />
to the buyers’ first impression. Make<br />
the yard and front exterior welcome the<br />
prospective buyers in. Trim the lawn and<br />
overgrown bushes and trees. Defy the water<br />
police and green it up, or put in drought-resistant<br />
plants. Put in colorful flowers along<br />
walkways and planters leading to the entry,<br />
which should be sparkling clean. The door<br />
latch should work easily, and any squeaks in<br />
the hinges should be oiled. Paint or refinish<br />
the door and entry so they look fresh, and if<br />
your front exterior needs painting, do it.<br />
In the home and around the property, most<br />
of the time sellers just need to de-clutter. If<br />
you are serious about selling and moving,<br />
think of it as ‘pre-packing’. Excess furniture,<br />
collections, personals and family photos on<br />
the walls, kitchen countertop appliances and<br />
Trusted and referred since 1978<br />
knick-knacks, stuffed closets and cabinets,<br />
out-of-season clothing, and all the rest of the<br />
things that won’t be used before you move<br />
should be packed up and stored. I know it is<br />
tough, but we want the home to appear as<br />
spacious as possible to prospective buyers<br />
since they will be thinking ‘does this house<br />
have enough space for my stuff?’ If it looks<br />
like the home isn’t big enough for your stuff,<br />
many buyers will think it isn’t big enough for<br />
their stuff either. Moving is an excellent time<br />
to get rid of things you haven’t touched in<br />
years. Think yard sales, relatives, charities, to<br />
some extent the garage, and finally, temporary<br />
storage units if you really want to keep it<br />
all.<br />
The interior of the home should be spotlessly<br />
clean. If yours isn’t the cleanest of<br />
households, get a once-over by a professional<br />
cleaning crew, and include carpets and floor<br />
cleaning too. A professional cleaning will set<br />
the new standard for the duration of the marketing<br />
and escrow period before you move,<br />
See Real Estate, page 16<br />
661.294.2221 • CBCFirst.com<br />
Cleaning Services Carpet, Upholstery, Tile/Grout, Area Rugs<br />
Flooring Services Carpet Repair<br />
Specialty Spot Dying, Flooring Sales & Repair<br />
24 HR EMERGENCY SERVICES:<br />
WATER • MOLD • FIRE<br />
Licensed & Insured General Contractor #695425 (B-1, C-+15). Certified Restorer #257<br />
ASK ABOUT OUR “READER’’ DISCOUNT!<br />
5<br />
3
14 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
m r. Sa n ta C l a r i ta Va l l e y<br />
Polish lives matter<br />
by John Boston<br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Columnist<br />
Recently, I spotted a headline most vile<br />
and potentially racist in a local media<br />
outlet. I won’t name names. But this<br />
certain anonymous news organization is also<br />
famous for their two-song music library: the<br />
stirring “Horse With No Name” by the band,<br />
America, and anything by the Carpenters.<br />
This anonymous <strong>SCV</strong> AM hometown radio<br />
station — OH NERTZ!! I DIDN’T MEAN TO<br />
TYPE THAT!!<br />
Oh well.<br />
I hate rewrites more than revealing a<br />
source. I suppose no one is going to die if I<br />
name names. The culprit, normally the champion<br />
of both eye-wateringly bad music and<br />
holder of this valley’s heart, penned this<br />
racist story on their website recently:<br />
VEHICLE STRIKES POLE IN SANTA CLARITA,<br />
POLE FALLS ON SECOND VEHICLE.<br />
Being Polish, this just peeves me to no end.<br />
Well. Actually, I’m half-Polish. I’d like to tell<br />
you which side — front, back, top or bottom<br />
— where I’m Polish. Sadly and recently, I underwent<br />
a procedure where I was gerrymandered<br />
and I can no longer point to the body<br />
parts that are actual, pure Polska. Still. In the<br />
politically correct climes, I must ask: How<br />
often does this systemic violence occur with<br />
Polish people as the victim?<br />
Sitting at my computer, I clicked on the offending<br />
KHTS screamer. I’ve been in journalism<br />
many weeks now and I’ve never seen a<br />
headline this long before. Well. One that long<br />
without using German words. The hed, read:<br />
A VEHICLE REPORTEDLY HIT A POLE<br />
WEDNESDAY AT SIERRA HIGHWAY<br />
AND GOLDEN VALLEY ROAD IN<br />
SANTA CLARITA, CAUSING THE POLE<br />
TO FALL ON ANOTHER VEHICLE,<br />
AUTHORITES SAID.<br />
Boy howdy. You need a smoke after reading<br />
that aloud. I don’t know if KHTS was using<br />
the Internet as some sort of strange, millennial<br />
performance art. But when you clicked<br />
on the headline, the entire story seemed<br />
eerily similar to the headline:<br />
A vehicle reportedly hit a pole<br />
Wednesday at Sierra Highway<br />
and Golden Valley Road in<br />
Santa Clarita, causing the pole<br />
to fall on another vehicle,<br />
authorities said.<br />
Did local radio station KhTS recently underplay a<br />
possible hate crime when it reported a “Vehicle<br />
Struck a Pole?” haunting and disturbing photo courtesy<br />
of KhTS.<br />
Maybe there was a stutterer working the<br />
KHTS copy desk that night.<br />
But, excuse me and throw in a stern,<br />
“ahem” to hide my outrage — “hit a pole?”<br />
“pole?”<br />
Lower-case?<br />
Was it KHTS’ desire to demean all the Polish<br />
people in the <strong>SCV</strong> (names and cell phone<br />
numbers of wonton divorced Polish sisters<br />
available on request)?<br />
This riparian Santa Clarita Valley was built<br />
almost entirely on the labor, sweat, inspiration<br />
and vision of Polish people. Henry Clay<br />
Needhamski, Newhall’s three-time failed Prohibition<br />
Party presidential candidate in the<br />
1920s? Polish. Newhall town founder Henry<br />
Mayo Newhallowitz? Polish. Current <strong>SCV</strong><br />
Sheriff’s Captain, Roosevelt Johnsonowski?<br />
Polish. Our local hospital foundation president,<br />
Marlee Laufferk? Polish.<br />
Do you realize the maelstrom that would<br />
incinerate the planet if KHTS conveniently<br />
forgot to capitalize “korean” or “hispanic”?<br />
When did the good people whose roots can<br />
be traced, via crayon, to Poland, deserve to<br />
not have their first letter capitalized?<br />
I also take KHTS to task for their terrible<br />
and shallow reporting. Was the Pole hurt<br />
after the vehicle hit him or her? (Probably<br />
not. We are a resilient people.) Was the driver<br />
of the Pole-striking vehicle arrested, or, at<br />
least shot? What was the motive behind the<br />
vehicle hitting the Pole? Was this a hate<br />
crime? Could the vehicle have been driven by<br />
Poland’s arch-enemies for centuries, the<br />
Samoans, who really have no business having<br />
their name capitalized and have been obsessed<br />
with expanding their unreasonable<br />
boundaries from Polynesia to the Polish<br />
steppes?<br />
This is also part of a pattern of aggressive<br />
racism on the radio station’s part. How many<br />
of us Santa Claritaninskis have been called, at<br />
all hours of the night, by KHTS? When you answer<br />
the phone, the mysterious caller with<br />
the threatening voice comes right out and<br />
confesses: “We’re taking a Pole...”<br />
Well let me tell you something KHTS.<br />
Should the <strong>SCV</strong>’s population of Polish people picket<br />
KhTS for its stance on striking Poles?<br />
Saddle Up<br />
continued from page 9<br />
said, “We had a 21-year template that<br />
changed very quickly. I’m so proud of the<br />
staff, who turned what could have been a<br />
negative into a positive.”<br />
“I think people get into the pastoral setting<br />
of Hart Park and enjoy the ticketed theater<br />
seating,” Fleming said. “I think it was already<br />
a good transition, and we are still going.<br />
That’s the best part.”<br />
Fleming said that about 8,000 people are<br />
expected to attend the festival over the two<br />
days. “All the hotels are full. I would have to<br />
say it’s beneficial for the city. I think it’s our<br />
largest regional and national event by far.<br />
People from all over the U.S. come to it. So<br />
come on out. Plan on spending a day or two<br />
enjoying some western culture that you can’t<br />
get anywhere else.” R<br />
For more information visit the event website<br />
at http://www.cowboyfestival.org/.<br />
Not… On my … Watch.<br />
Clearly, we must organize a boycott of the<br />
radio station’s Main Street headquarters. I<br />
call upon students from CalArts (founded by<br />
a local, Walt Disneykowskiowiczskiski), who<br />
have remained dormant protesting anything<br />
for decades, to rise up. Protest, you passionate<br />
students, in front of KHTS. We shall have<br />
our Occupy Wall Street moment and camp<br />
out on the sidewalks of Downtown Newhall<br />
to raise awareness of the secret plight of<br />
KHTS victimization of Polish people everywhere.<br />
(I think it would be ducky to commandeer<br />
the plucky CalArts modern dance<br />
department to perform, in slow motion,<br />
dancers wearing cardboard-box car costumes<br />
bumping into locals wearing traditional<br />
Polish folk costumes.) Issue bumper<br />
stickers: I BRAKE FOR POLLACKS. Play polka<br />
music in front of the station. Stop, what little<br />
of it there is, capitalism on Main Street!<br />
Schedule<br />
continued from page 9<br />
history performers. You can stroll through<br />
Hart Park and treat yourself to traditional<br />
cowboy food, and you can watch blacksmiths<br />
at work, meet Buffalo Soldiers or<br />
even take a free tour of the Hart Mansion,<br />
home of early western film star William S.<br />
Hart.<br />
Free Performances<br />
The acts below will be performing free<br />
shows on four stages at Hart Park at various<br />
times on Saturday and Sunday.<br />
The Vivants<br />
Carolyn Sills Combo<br />
Old Salt Union<br />
California Band of the Battalion<br />
Wild Horse Singers and Dancers<br />
Joey Dillon (gun slinger)<br />
Sourdough Slim<br />
Syd Masters & The Swing Riders<br />
Carin Mari<br />
Buckaroo Girl Adrian<br />
Mikki Daniel<br />
The Devil’s Box String Band<br />
Ventucky String Band<br />
Shuttle Service<br />
The Cowboy Festival free parking lot is located<br />
off 13th Street, just east of Railroad<br />
Avenue in Newhall. Free shuttles will take<br />
you to and from the festival site. On Friday,<br />
April 22 these shuttles run from 5:30 p.m.<br />
to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23 they run<br />
from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and on Sunday,<br />
April 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. R<br />
Furthermore, I feel KHTS’ owners, Carl<br />
Goldman and Jeri Seratti-Goldman<br />
(Samoans?) owe this valley and its large Polish<br />
population an explanation. And, an apology.<br />
And, maybe 20 bucks and a large, steaming<br />
hot plate of Golumpkis (lightly boiled cabbage<br />
leaves wrapped around minced pork<br />
and beef) as reparations.<br />
All of you, please.<br />
Join me.<br />
At the very least, the next time you pass<br />
Carl and Jeri on the street, lower your head<br />
and raise a fist in solidarity…<br />
“Złość na radio!”<br />
Or, in Polish — “Rage Against the Radio!” R<br />
Author and humorist John Boston has<br />
earned more than 100 major awards, writing<br />
about the Santa Clarita Valley. For more of his<br />
work, visit thejohnbostonchronicles.com.
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 15<br />
w h y t e’S w o r l D<br />
road trip Journal: a beer and<br />
a burger with Cheerleaders<br />
and Drag Queens<br />
by Tim Whyte<br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Columnist<br />
Cowboy Festival – Other Events<br />
If you can’t get enough “cowboy” on the<br />
main weekend of the festival, you might<br />
enjoy one or more of the special events<br />
leading up to it or held simultaneously. As<br />
far away as Lone Pine or the Reagan Library,<br />
and as close as Main Street in Old Town<br />
Newhall, here are your choices. Visit<br />
http://cowboyfestival.org/schedule/ for<br />
details, and purchase your tickets early.<br />
Sat., april 16 – Sun., april 17<br />
Lone Pine Film Tour<br />
Sunday, april 17<br />
John Michael Montgomery<br />
Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College<br />
of the Canyons, 7 p.m.<br />
wednesday, april 20<br />
<strong>SCV</strong>TV Presents The OutWest<br />
Concert Series<br />
Repertory East Playhouse, 8 p.m.<br />
thursday, april 21<br />
SENSES (Wild West theme)<br />
Downtown Newhall, 7 to 10 p.m.<br />
Walk of Western Stars – Induction<br />
Ceremony<br />
Honorees: TBD<br />
Main Street, Old Town Newhall, 7 p.m.<br />
Movie Night<br />
Hart Hall, William S. Hart Park, 8 p.m.<br />
Friday, april 22<br />
California Fiesta De Rancho<br />
Camulos with Dave Stamey<br />
Rancho Camulos Museum, 11 a.m.<br />
Reagan Library and Paramount<br />
Ranch Tour<br />
Departure from Cowboy Festival<br />
Shuttle Site<br />
1 p.m. to 6 p.m.<br />
The Quebe Sisters/Carin Mari<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild, 8 p.m.<br />
Ramblin’ Jack Elliot<br />
Repertory East Playhouse, 8 p.m.<br />
Don Edwards<br />
Hart Mansion, William S. Hart Park, 8 p.m.<br />
Saturday, april 23<br />
Brenn Hill/Andy Nelson<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild, 3 p.m.<br />
The Messick Family<br />
Repertory East Playhouse, 4 p.m.<br />
Hot Club of Cowtown/Sourdough Slim<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild, 7 p.m.<br />
James Intveld<br />
Repertory East Playhouse, 8 p.m.<br />
Wyatt Earp – The Life Behind<br />
the Legend<br />
Hart Mansion, William S. Hart Park, 8 p.m.<br />
Sunday, april 24<br />
Cowboy Church<br />
Master’s College, 8 a.m.<br />
Santa Clarita Valley Historical Bus<br />
Tour<br />
Departure from Cowboy Festival Shuttle Site<br />
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.<br />
Cow Bop/Mikki Daniel<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild, 1 p.m.<br />
Calico the Band<br />
Repertory East Playhouse, 2 p.m.<br />
Don Edwards/Carolyn Sills Combo<br />
Canyon Theatre Guild, 4 p.m.<br />
The Americans<br />
Repertory East Playhouse, 5 p.m. R<br />
This is my story about the time I took<br />
my dad to a gay bar. And I’m sticking to<br />
it.<br />
It started out innocently enough. It was a<br />
Sunday, smack dab in the middle of the NFL<br />
playoffs. On that day, my 14-year-old daughter<br />
Brooke and her Saugus High School<br />
cheerleading squad were competing at the<br />
state cheer championships in Ontario at the<br />
Citizens Bank Arena.<br />
My wife took Brooke down early in the day<br />
to prepare with the team, so my dad and I decided<br />
we would drive down in his Corvette,<br />
and on the way we’d stop somewhere, preferably<br />
a sports bar with lots of giant TVs, so we<br />
could grab a beer and a cheeseburger and<br />
catch part of the AFC Championship game.<br />
Corvette. Beer. Cheeseburgers. Sports bar.<br />
Football.<br />
Sounds like a good<br />
Sunday road trip for a<br />
pair of straight white<br />
guys.<br />
So we ventured<br />
down to Ontario, and<br />
took the exit for the<br />
arena figuring there’d<br />
be plenty of options,<br />
since there’s an arena,<br />
an airport and a giant<br />
mall — all within one<br />
9-iron shot of each<br />
other. We pulled into<br />
the first commercial<br />
center we saw and it featured several restaurants<br />
that looked promising.<br />
There was an El Torito, but we weren’t in<br />
the mood for Mexican. This was definitely a<br />
cheeseburger mission.<br />
There was a Black Angus, which sounded<br />
about right. But, across the parking lot, there<br />
was a burger joint that was advertising beer<br />
specials, and I didn’t recognize it as any of the<br />
major chains you see in every commercial<br />
district of every city in every state.<br />
It looked like a mom ’n pop place.<br />
“Hey,” I suggested to my dad, thus rendering<br />
everything that ensued to be my fault,<br />
“let’s give that place a try. Looks like a mom ’n<br />
pop. Could be different.”<br />
“Sure,” he answered, ensuring that whatever<br />
happened, even though it was my fault,<br />
he got into this willingly. “I always prefer a<br />
good mom ’n pop over a chain.”<br />
Turns out, it would be different. I guess my<br />
first clue should have been that they misspelled<br />
Budweiser on their promo for the Friday<br />
night “Power Hour.”<br />
Or maybe my first clue should have been<br />
the pink paint scheme. Or the fact that the<br />
place was named “Hamburger Mary’s,” and<br />
their slogan was, “Eat, drink and be Mary.” Or<br />
the fact that just inside the entrance there<br />
was a wall decorated, floor to ceiling, with<br />
stiletto heels. Or the fact that they checked<br />
our IDs and put wristbands on us as we<br />
walked in.<br />
“They must have a helluva crowd here for<br />
football,” I said, still clueless. “Who checks IDs<br />
“What kind of bar<br />
doesn’t have the<br />
football game on?” I<br />
wondered, somehow<br />
STILL managing to<br />
remain clueless.<br />
and uses wristbands just for a Sunday football<br />
bar crowd?”<br />
We went into the bar area, and took a seat<br />
at a table, and the place was packed, and<br />
noisy. Most of the folks in there were impeccably<br />
dressed, not quite as casual as I’d expect<br />
for a Sunday football crowd. “Must be<br />
Patriots fans,” I thought.<br />
There were plenty of TVs on the walls. But,<br />
I was dismayed to find that not one of them<br />
was tuned in to the AFC Championship game,<br />
featuring the highly anticipated matchup of<br />
Peyton Manning (representing all that is<br />
good) and Tom Brady (representing the Evil<br />
Belichik Empire).<br />
“What kind of bar doesn’t have the football<br />
game on?” I wondered, somehow STILL managing<br />
to remain clueless.<br />
It was a strange form<br />
of denial. In my mind, it<br />
just did not compute:<br />
We’re in a burger bar.<br />
On a Sunday. It’s playoffs.<br />
Playoffs!<br />
What kind of bar<br />
doesn’t have THAT<br />
game on the TVs?<br />
Then it hit me: The<br />
kind of bar that doesn’t<br />
have the football game<br />
on the TVs during playoffs<br />
is the kind of bar<br />
that has a drag queen<br />
show every Sunday.<br />
And we’d walked right into the middle of it:<br />
“Sunday Drag Queen Brunch with the<br />
Brunchettes,” featuring bottomless mimosas<br />
(as if there’s any other kind of mimosa) and<br />
“crazy drag queens.” No cover charge!<br />
The show was going on in the next room,<br />
and if memory serves correctly, they had it<br />
playing on the TVs in the bar. I thought<br />
about asking them to put the game on one<br />
of the TVs but then I thought better of it. I<br />
wouldn’t want them to think I was some<br />
kind of freak.<br />
So what did we do? You know what we did.<br />
We slipped out of Hamburger Mary’s and<br />
went next door to Black Angus where everyone<br />
was wearing flip flops and shorts and the<br />
game was on every single TV. We had a good<br />
laugh over our Hamburger Mary’s side trip,<br />
and we got to the arena in time to see Brooke<br />
and her team absolutely nail their routine.<br />
When it was all done, I thought about how<br />
we must have looked to the staff at Hamburger<br />
Mary’s. Me, 49-ish, and, let’s just say,<br />
a little stockier than I was in my prime.<br />
And my dad, in his 70s, still trim, driving a<br />
brand new Corvette to the gay bar with a big<br />
guy who’s young enough to be his son.<br />
What a pair we must have made. R<br />
Tim Whyte is a public relations consultant,<br />
a member of the award-winning team at Mellady<br />
Direct Marketing, and a part-time faculty<br />
member in the Journalism Department at California<br />
State University, Northridge. Find him<br />
on Twitter @TimWhyte.
16 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Thursdays@Newhall<br />
By Mayor Bob Kellar<br />
City of Santa Clarita<br />
Old Town Newhall is<br />
the place to be on<br />
Thursday nights<br />
from <strong>March</strong> through October,<br />
when Main Street is<br />
transformed into a true<br />
arts and entertainment<br />
venue<br />
with<br />
Thursdays@Newhall!<br />
We are continuing our<br />
most popular Thursday<br />
night events and offering<br />
some new and fun happenings<br />
in the coming year to<br />
bring all kinds of free entertainment<br />
to enjoy in Old<br />
Town Newhall. No need to travel “over<br />
the hill” to experience a great night life.<br />
On the first Thursday evening of the<br />
month between <strong>March</strong> and October, residents<br />
can enjoy the 10 by 10 variety night<br />
at the Repertory East Playhouse from<br />
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. where ten performers<br />
have ten minutes to share their<br />
improv, music or theatre pieces. Meanwhile<br />
on Main Street, participants of all<br />
skill levels can learn how to move to the<br />
beat at JAM Sessions, presented in partnership<br />
with the Ford Theatre Foundation.<br />
Entertainment planned for JAM Sessions<br />
in <strong>2016</strong> includes: Swing Dance on<br />
<strong>March</strong> 3; Celtic Dance on April 7; Mexican<br />
Folk Dance on May 5; Japanese Folk<br />
Dance on June 2; Pacific Islander Dance<br />
on July 7; African Dance & Drums on August<br />
4; Salsa/Rueda Dance on September<br />
1; and Zydeco Dance on October 6.<br />
On the second Thursday of the month,<br />
Note by Note will fill the<br />
Newhall Refinery with<br />
local songwriter’s music<br />
from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00<br />
p.m.<br />
Meanwhile on Main<br />
Street, Revved Up is back,<br />
bringing together automotive<br />
enthusiasts for a<br />
cool car show between<br />
8th Street and Market<br />
Street. Revved Up’s<br />
themes include: Classic<br />
VW’s on <strong>March</strong> 10; Best<br />
of Britain on April 14;<br />
Traditional Rods and<br />
Customs on May 5; Mustangs on June 9;<br />
Corvettes on July 14; Tuners on August<br />
11; Lowriders on September 8; and offroad<br />
vehicles on October 13.<br />
And on the third Thursday evening of<br />
the month is the wildly-popular SENSES;<br />
a themed block party featuring popular<br />
performers, gourmet food trucks, and a<br />
variety of activities in a fun and festive<br />
adult setting. The <strong>2016</strong> themes include:<br />
Wild, Wild West on April 21; Oh Snap! It’s<br />
the 90’s on May 19; Rockabilly on June<br />
16; Margaritaville on July 21; Olympics on<br />
August 18; Electro Glo on September 15;<br />
and Zombies Outbreak on October 20.<br />
For more information on everything Old<br />
Town Newhall, including partnership<br />
events, new programs and projects, visit us<br />
online at: oldtownnewhall.com.<br />
Real estate<br />
continued from page 13<br />
so keep it clean. Buyers like clean houses, and<br />
discount dirty fixers, which leads us to upgrades<br />
and repairs.<br />
Each home is individual, but dated and<br />
worn out homes tend to be discounted by<br />
prospective buyers, who nearly always overestimate<br />
the cost of repairs and upgrades. As<br />
a rule of thumb, if the carpet and flooring are<br />
worn out and the paint is way overdue, have<br />
it done in neutral colors and you will generally<br />
recover the cost in your sales price. If<br />
kitchens and bathrooms are dated and appliances<br />
old, but working, and you plan on selling<br />
this season, you generally won’t recover<br />
the costs of a full renovation but will make<br />
selling the home much easier and quicker. If<br />
appliances and systems don’t work, yes, either<br />
repair or replace them since you will<br />
need to disclose non-operable items anyway.<br />
One Story One City<br />
continued from page 3<br />
“Our California,” both by Pam Munoz and illustrator<br />
Rafael López, were chosen for their<br />
story lines on migrant workers, the Depression<br />
and California history.<br />
With sponsorship from the<br />
City of Santa Clarita and<br />
Barnes and Noble, several<br />
events are planned around<br />
this year’s One Story One City.<br />
A special reception will be<br />
held for author Marisa Silver<br />
on <strong>March</strong> 12 at the Old Town<br />
Newhall Library, hosted by the<br />
Friends of the Library.<br />
A book discussion will be<br />
held at the Senior Center on<br />
<strong>March</strong> 11 and participants are<br />
encouraged to bring items<br />
from the 1930s to share.<br />
Illustrator Lopez will be at<br />
the Valencia Library on <strong>March</strong><br />
19. “Our California,” featuring his illustrations,<br />
was chosen as the official Read Across<br />
America picture book in 2013.<br />
Photographer Dorothea Lange (portrayed<br />
That said, call your favorite Realtor today<br />
to get a professional evaluation of your<br />
home’s value in today’s market and get their<br />
suggestions on preparing your home for sale.<br />
LET’S MOVE IN <strong>2016</strong>! R<br />
Ray the Realtor® Kutylo is associated with<br />
the <strong>SCV</strong> Home Team at Keller Williams VIP<br />
Properties in Santa Clarita. My team and I are<br />
ready to provide you with the best in professional<br />
representation from start to finish,<br />
whether you are a home seller or a home buyer.<br />
All homeownership is personal, and we will<br />
treat you just like we would like to be treated if<br />
our roles were reversed. Call us.<br />
Ray the Realtor® and the <strong>SCV</strong> Home Team.<br />
Call or text us at 661-312-9461 or email at<br />
Ray@<strong>SCV</strong>hometeam.com. Our Mobile App is at<br />
www.mobile.<strong>SCV</strong>hometeam.com CalBRE license<br />
number 00918855<br />
by a volunteer) will make an appearance at<br />
the Newhall Library on <strong>March</strong> 5 thanks to the<br />
American Association of University Women<br />
and their Women in History<br />
program. The Canyon Country<br />
Jo Anne Darcy Library<br />
will also present a two-hour<br />
documentary film on the life<br />
of Lange.<br />
Cruze said she hopes to expand<br />
the committee next<br />
year and get more people<br />
and age groups involved. In<br />
the meantime, she has enjoyed<br />
the feedback from the<br />
community with this year’s<br />
selection.<br />
“Everything fell into place,<br />
and we are really happy with<br />
how all these programs came<br />
together,” she said.<br />
For more information regarding One Story<br />
One City, times and locations of events, log<br />
onto the library website at santaclaritalibrary.com.<br />
R<br />
Laemmle<br />
continued from page 5<br />
Later, the FPPC responded that Boydston<br />
need not have stood down.<br />
‘Lopsided’<br />
Members of the public appeared to favor<br />
the project by wide margins, proponents said,<br />
and Boydston said his emails from the public<br />
were “lopsided” in favor as well.<br />
Going forward, Boydston said he will push<br />
for an income stream from the parking structure<br />
that will help recoup the city’s costs. He<br />
said guests of the mixed-use housing units<br />
will use the structure along with other visitors<br />
to the area. The underground parking<br />
provides less than two spaces per residential<br />
unit.<br />
“I’m going to do everything I can make sure<br />
the movie theater is a success from here on<br />
out,” Boydston said. “There are a lot of tax<br />
dollars in this.”<br />
Boydston also expressed disappointment<br />
that the length of his council presentation on<br />
“a project of this magnitude” drew complaints<br />
from Kellar.<br />
“I was opposed to the size of the subsidy<br />
to the Laemmle theater because it is a private<br />
entity,” Boydston said. “I was looking for a<br />
way to make the taxpayer whole, a way to<br />
make it a loan instead of a gift.” R<br />
Man arrested for<br />
sexual assault<br />
Richard Sanchez, 29, has been arrested<br />
for attempted sexual assault and burglary.<br />
It’s alleged Sanchez attempted to sexually<br />
assault a woman in her Newhall apartment<br />
last month.<br />
Shirley Miller, spokesperson for the Los<br />
Angeles Sheriff’s Department. said the attack<br />
was interrupted by the victim’s son.<br />
A Sheriff’s Deputy spotted Sanchez and<br />
he was taken into custody with the aid of a<br />
K-9 unit from the Department.
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 17<br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Education<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> eDuCation FounDation<br />
Hartmann named new executive director<br />
By Pearl obispo<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Alocal resident who’s known for her<br />
long-time dedication to worthwhile<br />
causes, such as the Special Olympics,<br />
was recently named the new executive director<br />
of the Santa Clarita Valley Education<br />
Foundation.<br />
Jackie Hartmann brings her 30 years of experience<br />
in the human resources field to the<br />
foundation, where her duties will include<br />
overseeing daily operations, core educational<br />
programs, staffing, fundraising efforts, sponsorships<br />
and volunteer recruiting, just to<br />
name a few.<br />
In addition to her experience as a career<br />
professional, Hartmann has also been involved<br />
with numerous local nonprofits, including<br />
her long-standing commitment to the<br />
Special Olympics for the past 20 years.<br />
Hartmann and her husband of 31 years,<br />
Dan Hartmann, serve the Special Olympics as<br />
coaches, event coordinators, chaperones and<br />
committee members.<br />
“Our favorite, though, is coaching,” Hartmann<br />
said. “There’s nothing better than<br />
working with our athletes and seeing them<br />
learn a new skill or improve their performance.<br />
We look forward to weekly practices.”<br />
Wendy Ellet, regional sports manager for<br />
the Special Olympics Santa Clarita and Tri-<br />
Valley Regions, said Hartmann’s hard work<br />
and dedication is unparalleled.<br />
“Jackie embraces the mission of the Special<br />
Olympics,” Ellet said. “She is passionate about<br />
advocating for individuals with intellectual<br />
disabilities, not only on behalf of the Special<br />
Olympics, but on behalf of the community, as<br />
well.”<br />
Hartmann, the mother of two adult children,<br />
will be bringing that same passion to<br />
her new role as she seeks to broaden the<br />
foundation’s reach.<br />
“I would like for the foundation to increase<br />
Privacy opt out deadline looming<br />
By Pearl obispo<br />
Staff Writer<br />
The deadline is looming for parents<br />
wanting to opt out of a recent court decision<br />
that paves the way for the release<br />
of their children’s private information<br />
to two nonprofit groups in Northern California.<br />
The decision was handed down by a federal<br />
court judge and has angered some parents.<br />
“I think it’s insane that this organization<br />
could get access to all this personal information,”<br />
said Kimmy Cavallo, a parent whose<br />
children attend Charles Helmers Elementary<br />
School. “I am perplexed and don’t want them<br />
to have my kids’ information.”<br />
Cavallo also questioned why the nonprofit<br />
groups have the right to gain access to such<br />
private information.<br />
The Morgan Hill Concerned Parents Association<br />
and the Concerned Parents Associa-<br />
Jackie hartmann was recently named the new executive<br />
director of the Santa Clarita Valley education<br />
Foundation.<br />
its name recognition and of course be able to<br />
fund additional education-based programs in<br />
conjunction with the 54 schools in this valley,”<br />
Hartmann said. “I’m not sure how aware<br />
the community is that the foundation is the<br />
driving force behind such programs as the<br />
Teacher Tribute, where we have the privilege<br />
of recognizing one teacher from each public<br />
school in Santa Clarita.”<br />
The <strong>SCV</strong> Education Foundation is a nonprofit<br />
organization that provides support,<br />
programs and scholarships to benefit K-12<br />
public schools in Santa Clarita.<br />
James S. Backer, president of the Education<br />
Foundation, is looking forward to working<br />
with Hartmann and continuing the organization’s<br />
mission.<br />
“Education is critical to our community’s<br />
well-being and its future,” Backer said in a<br />
press release. “And the Education Foundation<br />
is thrilled to have Jackie Hartmann to help<br />
us continue our service to the Santa Clarita<br />
Valley.” R<br />
tion, advocacy groups for kids with special<br />
needs, filed suit against the California Department<br />
of Education, claiming the department<br />
was non-compliant with special<br />
education laws.<br />
The group argued the access to the<br />
statewide database is needed to monitor<br />
compliance with federal law.<br />
The release of this data, which dates back<br />
to 2008, includes the names, addresses, social<br />
security numbers, assessment results<br />
and disciplinary records of all California public<br />
school students.<br />
The CDE tried to fight the release of student<br />
information, but to no avail.<br />
Judge Kimberly Mueller of the Eastern District<br />
of California addressed security concerns<br />
in her ruling by not allowing the<br />
distribution of the information to outside<br />
sources. She also ordered the nonprofit<br />
groups involved to “return or destroy” the<br />
See Privacy, page 29<br />
School officials, parents, and students attend the unveiling of Arroyo Seco Junior high School's, MakerSpace.<br />
PhoTo By PeARL oBiSPo<br />
arroyo SeCo Jr high<br />
MakerSpace: ‘60s woodshop to Tech Hub<br />
By Pearl obispo<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Who would have thought a small<br />
woodshop from the 1960s could be<br />
transformed into a 21st century<br />
gathering place where students and teachers<br />
come together to solve real world challenges?<br />
That’s exactly what happened at Arroyo<br />
Seco Junior High School’s new MakerSpace, a<br />
place where, as Principal Rhondi Durand describes,<br />
students can apply STEM (Science,<br />
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)<br />
concepts to their everyday lives.<br />
“I’ve been following the Maker movement<br />
for the past few years,” Durand said. “I<br />
wanted to convert our wood shop into a place<br />
where students could use technology, engineering<br />
skills and creativity, and make things<br />
out of paper, plastic, metal, wood.”<br />
The opportunity to transform the space<br />
presented itself when the school’s woodshop<br />
instructor retired last June.<br />
“We jumped at the opportunity to take the<br />
space and the courses taught there to a new<br />
21st century level,” Durand said.<br />
As part of the statewide ESTEME network,<br />
which creates a K-16 STEM pipeline, Arroyo<br />
Seco now offers courses in engineering and<br />
science, in addition to the courses already in<br />
place before joining the network, such as<br />
music, art and culinary art.<br />
With the improvements to the woodshop,<br />
Durand said students are now provided with<br />
a strong foundation to further STEM learning<br />
in high school and beyond.<br />
That transformation was recently unveiled<br />
at an open house, where students showcased<br />
their designs and findings in fields including<br />
wind and flight, math through art, and energy<br />
and the environment.<br />
One such student was 8th grader Azariah<br />
Beaugard, who was a math through art presenter.<br />
“I personally love this,” Beaugard said. “The<br />
fact that we get to work with electronics in<br />
class makes it super fun.”<br />
Beaugard, a self-proclaimed “sports dude”<br />
who loves football, said a resource like MakerSpace<br />
would definitely make him a better<br />
student.<br />
“I want to get a degree in cooking and engineering,”<br />
Beaugard said. “I think having this<br />
space will make it easier for me to achieve my<br />
goals.”<br />
Seventh grader Hannah Watson agreed.<br />
“When I came to this class, I wasn’t sure<br />
how it will go because I wasn’t interested in<br />
it,” Watson said. “But after taking the class<br />
(energy and the environment) it became a lot<br />
of fun and I really enjoyed it.”<br />
Durand, who worked closely on this opportunity<br />
with Dr. Marianne Doyle, director<br />
of College Career Readiness, which provides<br />
students with work-based learning and career<br />
guidance, said plans are in the works to<br />
allow the general public to utilize the space.<br />
But improvements still need to be made and<br />
funds (through sponsorships and grants) are<br />
still being sought.<br />
“My vision would be to open it up for folks<br />
to come in and build whatever they want, use<br />
the machines and equipment,” Durand said.<br />
“But we need to make sure they are safe and<br />
supervised.” R<br />
hannah Watson, 12, demonstrates the energy efficiency<br />
of Wind Turbines at Arroyo Seco Junior high<br />
School's open house to celebrate MakerSpace. Photo<br />
by Pearl obispo
18 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Opinion<br />
o u r V i e w<br />
leases as well as alternative and independent<br />
films that don’t often find<br />
their way into the Santa Clarita Valley.<br />
Also included are a six-level public<br />
parking structure and mixed-use<br />
buildings with retail spaces and 46<br />
housing units.<br />
Absent from the vote was Councilwoman<br />
Laurene Weste, who recused<br />
herself from the proceedings because<br />
she owns property near the<br />
project, which would create a conflict<br />
of interest.<br />
The lone dissenter was Councilman<br />
TimBen Boydston, who is employed<br />
as executive director of the<br />
nearby Canyon Theatre Guild. He objected<br />
to the public expense of $15.2<br />
million for the 400-space parking<br />
structure as well as the project’s $3.4<br />
million subsidy for the theater.<br />
State officials had cleared the way<br />
for Boydston to participate, saying<br />
his role with the nonprofit CTG did<br />
not constitute a legal conflict of inlaemmle<br />
Deal an investment in<br />
old town newhall<br />
DaV e b o S S e r t<br />
by Dave Bossert<br />
Contributing Writer<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
horticulture Death has<br />
descended onto Stevenson<br />
ranch<br />
What kind of Old Town<br />
Newhall do you want?<br />
We’d like to see an Old<br />
Town Newhall that serves as a hub of<br />
community activity for decades to<br />
come, a haven for arts and entertainment,<br />
with great alternatives for<br />
shopping and dining.<br />
That, fortunately, appears to be the<br />
kind of Old Town Newhall that the<br />
majority of our City Council wants,<br />
too. Many steps have already been<br />
taken, from the addition of live theater<br />
and new shops and restaurants,<br />
to the construction of the city’s signature<br />
library.<br />
The latest step came as the council<br />
voted 3-1 in favor of a project that is<br />
likely to become a major anchor for<br />
a revitalized historic downtown, and<br />
it represents a major public investment<br />
in helping Old Town Newhall<br />
secure its role as a long-term community<br />
centerpiece.<br />
The highlights include a sevenscreen<br />
Laemmle art-house theater,<br />
which will show mainstream film re-<br />
Community Should reserve Judgment<br />
on Clwa-nCwD merger<br />
See Laemmle, next page<br />
Let’s all take a deep breath. When<br />
the Castaic Lake Water Agency<br />
and Newhall County Water District<br />
announced they were in discussions<br />
about joining into one agency,<br />
you could have predicted the kneejerk<br />
reactions from CLWA’s critics.<br />
Those predictions would have been<br />
accurate, as evidenced by the critics’<br />
testimony at a Feb. 4 workshop held<br />
jointly by the two agencies.<br />
Do the critics have some valid<br />
gripes? Perhaps. But they, and the<br />
rest of the community, would be<br />
wiser to reserve judgment – because<br />
it’s possible CLWA and NCWD just<br />
might be onto something. Ironically,<br />
that “something” could address<br />
many of those same critics’ long-running<br />
concerns about public control<br />
over the way our valley’s water is<br />
managed.<br />
Here’s a <strong>Reader</strong>’s Digest version of<br />
how it works now:<br />
We get water from two primary<br />
sources: Local groundwater, and imported<br />
supplies, led by the State<br />
Water Project. CLWA is our local<br />
wholesaler of imported water.<br />
Water is provided to customers by<br />
four retailers, each with its own service<br />
area. The NCWD is one. The other<br />
three include a small L.A. County<br />
water district serving Val Verde, the<br />
Santa Clarita Water Division (which<br />
used to be a private company but<br />
was acquired by CLWA, which now<br />
operates it) and the Valencia Water<br />
Co., founded by The Newhall Land<br />
and Farming Co. as it developed Valencia.<br />
CLWA is overseen by a board that<br />
is mostly elected by the public, but<br />
also includes one appointed representative<br />
from each retailer. CLWA<br />
acquired Valencia Water a few years<br />
ago, meaning it now owns the two<br />
largest retailers, and that’s one of the<br />
issues that resulted in litigation between<br />
NCWD and CLWA.<br />
That litigation led to settlement<br />
talks starting last year. From there, it<br />
Over the last several weeks I have taken<br />
special notice of the trees along<br />
Stevenson Ranch Parkway in Stevenson<br />
Ranch. A few of the trees are starting to<br />
bloom but many look like the skeletal remains<br />
of once vibrant trees. Drip irrigation<br />
lines have been hastily added around these<br />
trees recently, likely when the Landscape<br />
Maintenance District (LMD) realized that the<br />
trees might be dying.<br />
It is heartbreaking to see a horticultural<br />
genocide playing out in our community especially<br />
since, as residents, we are all paying<br />
LMD and HOA fees to maintain the common<br />
areas. It is appalling to see dead or dying<br />
ground cover that has been sprayed with a<br />
green substance masking its hideousness. A<br />
center median that is filled with weeds that<br />
occasionally gets mowed. Remind me, why<br />
are we paying these fees?<br />
The community common areas as a whole,<br />
look tattered; an unkempt mess of weeds and<br />
dying trees. Long gone are the days when<br />
driving into Stevenson Ranch felt like driving<br />
into a beautifully landscaped environment<br />
that was lush; a dreamy corridor of well<br />
groomed shrubs, manicured lawns, healthy<br />
trees, and center medians capped with lavish<br />
flowers bursting with color. I’m forlorn for<br />
those days.<br />
To may dismay, the community evergreen<br />
tree, a majestic forty footer that becomes a<br />
holiday tree adorned with lights during the<br />
Christmas season has succumbed to neglect.<br />
Those responsible have murdered what was<br />
a healthy vibrant tree. They have in essence<br />
killed a Christmas tradition, for if lights were<br />
strung on the bare branches of this dead tree<br />
it would likely turn into a momentary vertical<br />
Yule log; a brief holiday funeral pyre. Replacing<br />
such a mature tree will be prohibitively<br />
costly.<br />
If all of these trees are dead, then who is<br />
responsible? The LMD, which has done an exceedingly<br />
poor job and is responsible for the<br />
was kind of like a new couple meeting<br />
for the first time at a nightclub:<br />
One thing led to another…<br />
The negotiations led to discussions<br />
of the agencies’ common goals<br />
and principles. Evidently, they have<br />
more in common than they once<br />
thought.<br />
Fast forward to early-<strong>2016</strong>, and<br />
the agencies have jointly announced<br />
they are in discussions that could<br />
lead to the creation of a new valleywide<br />
water agency that would oversee<br />
wholesale and retail operations.<br />
They’ve made no formal decision,<br />
and if a new agency is to be created,<br />
it will almost certainly need approval<br />
from both the state Legislature and<br />
the Los Angeles County Local Agency<br />
declining quality of the landscaping over the<br />
years, which is evident of that deteriorating<br />
service. Or should we point to the HOA and<br />
the lack of leadership in directing the LMD<br />
service? Either way it continues to spiral<br />
down with no indication of a plan or even signage<br />
hinting that plan is underway.<br />
I’ve been hearing that there is a plan for rehabilitating<br />
the landscape but none has been<br />
revealed to the community. This has been<br />
going on since last year and nothing meaningful<br />
has been disseminated to residents, instead<br />
all we see is continuing degradation of<br />
the common areas, a gardening massacre,<br />
which is having an impact on the esthetics of<br />
the Stevenson Ranch neighborhood. The lack<br />
of visual curb appeal has a direct correlation<br />
to home prices.<br />
We all want to live in a community that is<br />
well taken care, which has curb appeal; a<br />
community that you are proud to call home.<br />
Look at Valencia Blvd in Westridge or the Pico<br />
Canyon medians, they have draught tolerant<br />
plants. How long does it take to make a similar<br />
choice for the Stevenson Ranch medians?<br />
It doesn’t and there is no plausible reason at<br />
this point as to why it has taken as long as it<br />
has to get the landscaping fixed.<br />
The state of the common areas in Stevenson<br />
Ranch is abysmal in comparison to the<br />
home values and what homeowners are paying<br />
in LMD and HOA fees. It’s time that both<br />
the LMD and the HOA step up and get the<br />
community common areas back in order. If<br />
they can’t do that then it’s time for new leadership<br />
that can actually get that job done. R<br />
Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who<br />
serves on a number of boards and councils. He is<br />
an award winning artist, filmmaker and author.<br />
His commentaries represent his own opinions<br />
and not necessarily the views of any organization<br />
he may be affiliated with or those of the<br />
Westside <strong>Reader</strong>. Dave writes a regular weekly<br />
column online at www.thescvebeacon.com<br />
Formation Commission, which oversees<br />
government agency boundaries.<br />
They’ve promised an open, transparent<br />
process, and it will take time<br />
— we’d guess it will go into 2017.<br />
There are many details to sort out,<br />
and the LAFCO approval process, in<br />
particular, should provide the community<br />
ample opportunity to review<br />
the concept and weigh in on it.<br />
Is a new valleywide water agency<br />
a good idea? Maybe, maybe not. It’s<br />
too soon to know for sure, so it would<br />
be irresponsible to rely on knee-jerk<br />
reactions. Community members<br />
should reserve judgment, and render<br />
informed opinions when all the details<br />
are — if you’ll pardon the expression<br />
— flushed out. R
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 19<br />
C a m e r o n S m y t h<br />
key Supreme Court Cases<br />
Could end in 4-4 tie<br />
S C ot t w i l k<br />
in wake of aliso Canyon gas<br />
leak the Public utilities<br />
Commission needs reform<br />
by Cameron Smyth<br />
Contributing Writer<br />
by Assmemblyman Scott Wilk<br />
Contributing Writer<br />
If the upcoming Presidential election wasn’t<br />
important enough, the recent death of<br />
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has<br />
put a spotlight on one of the most critical<br />
functions of the President and the Senate —<br />
the appointment and confirmation of the<br />
members of the Supreme Court. This appointment<br />
is even more critical as the Court<br />
was viewed as a “center-right” body by a slim<br />
5-4 margin with Scalia. The loss of the most<br />
conservative member now puts the court at<br />
4-4 with several key decisions pending before<br />
it. What happens in the case of a tie<br />
vote?? The lower court’s ruling stands and in<br />
the current session that can mead heart ache<br />
for both Liberals and Conservatives.<br />
Here are a few of the cases court watchers<br />
feel are most likely to end up 4-4 along with<br />
the ruling of the previous court:<br />
Abortion: In what many are calling the<br />
most significant abortion case in decades, the<br />
court will hear a challenge to a Texas law in<br />
that in effect eliminates 75% of the abortion<br />
clinics throughout the state as a result of Legislative<br />
restrictions on abortion services...<br />
Lower court upheld the restrictions, thus the<br />
closures would proceed<br />
Immigration: A case that has received national<br />
attention, the court will consider<br />
whether the Obama Administrations executive<br />
order which protected undocumented<br />
workers from deportation and to allow them<br />
to continue to work.<br />
Lower court ruled against Administration<br />
meaning deportation can proceed<br />
Union Dues: Initiated by a case involving<br />
the California Teachers Association, the court<br />
is to decide whether public employees who<br />
choose not to join unions are still required to<br />
pay dues for the union’s collective bargaining<br />
activities.<br />
Lower court ruled in favor of Unions, requiring<br />
support for bargaining activities<br />
Laemmle<br />
Voting Districts: The 14th Amendment<br />
sets that each legislative district must contain<br />
approximately an equal number of people.<br />
However, what is being challenged is<br />
whether districts should have the same number<br />
of people or the same number of eligible<br />
voters. A ruling for eligible voters would<br />
have significant impact in California as undocumented<br />
residents would not be counted,<br />
thus diluting heavily democratic urban districts.<br />
Lower court ruled in favor of counting ALL<br />
residents, not just eligible voters<br />
Along with the fate of these and several<br />
other major cases to be decided by the<br />
Supreme Court, the greater debate is now<br />
whether President Obama should nominate a<br />
replacement or leave a vacancy for the next<br />
President. I expect Obama will make a nomination<br />
and the Senate will simply not hold a<br />
hearing, which is their right as a co-equal<br />
branch of Government. And if you think this<br />
is some Republican ploy with no precedent<br />
look no further than the following quote from<br />
Vice President Joe Biden, who is now ironically<br />
the President of the Senate, where he<br />
said in 1992 on the Senate floor: “As a result,<br />
it is my view that if a Supreme Court Justice resigns<br />
tomorrow, or within the next several<br />
weeks, or resigns at the end of the summer,<br />
President Bush should consider following the<br />
practice of a majority of his predecessors and<br />
not — and not — name a nominee until after<br />
the November election is completed”.<br />
Can’t you just picture the Presidents reaction<br />
when that CSPAN video surfaced. . . .<br />
Priceless. R<br />
Cameron Smyth is a lifelong resident of the<br />
Santa Clarita Valley who served six years on the<br />
Santa Clarita City Council before being elected<br />
to represent the Valley in the State Legislature.<br />
After leaving the Assembly in 2012, Cameron returned<br />
to the private sector and continues to reside<br />
in Newhall with his wife and three children.<br />
continued from previous page<br />
terest, which ironically received approximately<br />
a half-million dollars in<br />
city assistance to relocate to downtown<br />
Newhall.<br />
Boydston staged what amounted<br />
to a late-night filibuster, speaking for<br />
about an hour regarding his opposition<br />
to the Laemmle plan and his<br />
suggestion for a stripped-down project<br />
for the site, across the street from<br />
the Old Town Newhall Library. His<br />
long-winded soliloquy tested the patience<br />
of Mayor Bob Kellar, who<br />
twice urged Boydston to be more<br />
concise.<br />
Fortunately, the other three council<br />
members recognized that this<br />
project — which guarantees<br />
Laemmle will operate the theater for<br />
at least 15 years — will provide<br />
major economic and social benefits<br />
to Old Town Newhall.<br />
The parking structure will be for<br />
the use and benefit of everyone who<br />
visits Old Town Newhall and all of its<br />
business, and the subsidy for<br />
Laemmle represents an investment<br />
in Old Town Newhall’s future. It has<br />
become a fact of life that governments<br />
assist projects like this one,<br />
and the costs of the subsidies are recouped<br />
via future sales tax revenue.<br />
In the long run, the city will come<br />
out ahead — and so will the community.<br />
R<br />
Do you recall the last movie you rented<br />
from Blockbuster? I know I don’t!<br />
Today everyone is using Netflix, HBO<br />
GO, and ‘the cloud’ to get the latest and greatest<br />
shows and movies. But that’s how society<br />
works – huge companies and organizations<br />
become outdated and obsolete over time,<br />
eventually being surpassed by something<br />
new and innovative.<br />
As families move back in their homes after<br />
the Aliso Canyon gas leak disaster, it’s clear<br />
that the California Public Utilities Commission<br />
(CPUC) is one of these old authoritative<br />
bodies — we need something new and improved<br />
to protect Californians.<br />
Back in 1911, California voters established<br />
a Railroad Commission and in 1912, the same<br />
year California Governor Hiram Johnson was<br />
the vice presidential nominee with Theodore<br />
Roosevelt on the Bull Moose Party ticket, the<br />
Legislature expanded the Commission’s regulatory<br />
authority to include things like natural<br />
gas, electrical power, telephones, water<br />
companies, and of course it still regulated<br />
railroads. In 1946, this commission was simply<br />
renamed the California Public Utilities<br />
Commission, or CPUC. But it also expanded<br />
its regulatory power to include taxis, limousines,<br />
marine transportation and other commonly<br />
used things in the hopes that one<br />
regulatory body could best oversee these<br />
mixed services.<br />
In the century since its establishment, the<br />
utilities and industries under the oversight of<br />
the CPUC have grown and evolved to the<br />
point where the current structure of the<br />
CPUC is ineffective at best, and obsolete as<br />
worst. Ultimately, this leaves Californians<br />
without the proper regulatory protections<br />
that we all pay to have — and recent disasters<br />
highlight this.<br />
In September of 2010, a natural gas<br />
pipeline exploded into flames in a residential<br />
neighborhood in San Bruno, two miles from<br />
the San Francisco International Airport. The<br />
roar was so loud and shaking so severe, residents<br />
initially believed it was an earthquake<br />
or a jetliner had crashed. The explosion and<br />
fire killed 8 people, injured 58, destroyed 38<br />
homes and damaged 70 more.<br />
And after the radiation leak in 2012 at the<br />
San Onofre nuclear power plant, a state investigator<br />
is now looking into criminal<br />
charges against the former CPUC president,<br />
Michael Peevey, over backdoor meetings and<br />
unreported communications. Specifically, Mr.<br />
Peevey worked behind public view to push<br />
the idea that Southern California Edison, who<br />
owns the San Onofre nuclear power plant,<br />
would fund $25 million of greenhouse gas research<br />
at UCLA as a part of the $4.7-billion<br />
settlement.<br />
Most recently, Porter Ranch experienced<br />
the worst natural gas leak in U.S. history.<br />
87,000 metric tons of methane has been released<br />
into the atmosphere, and thousands of<br />
families have been displaced due to obvious<br />
health concerns. The cause of the natural gas<br />
leak was due to a breached metal pipe, however<br />
the safety valve that was removed in<br />
1979 was never replaced and Porter Ranch<br />
residents have paid the price. In SoCal Gas’<br />
2014 General Rate Case Application to the<br />
CPUC, SoCal Gas testified for increasing customer<br />
rates in order to pay for safety and risk<br />
considerations, specifically to older 1940’s<br />
era wells at the Aliso Canyon facility. In other<br />
words, the CPUC already knew there were serious<br />
safety and risk concerns with older<br />
wells at Aliso Canyon.<br />
These disasters are evidence of the CPUC’s<br />
inefficiency and failures in being a regulatory<br />
body. Privately owned electric, natural gas,<br />
telecommunications, water, railroad, rail<br />
transit, and passenger transportation companies<br />
present a very diverse portfolio of industry.<br />
Should the agency regulating UBER<br />
and hot air balloons be the same agency regulating<br />
California’s systems of natural gas and<br />
nuclear power plants? It’s become evident<br />
that the CPUC is not able to adequately juggle<br />
regulating these varied interests.<br />
This is why I joined Assemblymeber Mike<br />
Gatto, D-Los Angeles, in coauthoring an Assembly<br />
Constitutional Amendment, the Public<br />
Utility Reform Act of <strong>2016</strong>. This bill will<br />
place an initiative before voters to strike Article<br />
12 from the California Constitution,<br />
which would remove constitutional protections<br />
the CPUC so regularly enjoys. This<br />
would also require the California Legislature<br />
to reassign the regulatory functions of the<br />
CPUC by 2018.<br />
This constitutional amendment recognizes<br />
the 21st century presents different challenges<br />
that those of the 20th century. The<br />
CPUC should no longer be enshrined in the<br />
California Constitution, but instead ought to<br />
allow reform in order to reassign regulation<br />
of industries to more appropriate state bodies<br />
to provide greater accountability.<br />
The California Legislature understands the<br />
current structure of the CPUC is in dire need<br />
of modernization, and this legislation will ensure<br />
CPUC reform so all Californians get the<br />
21st century protections they pay for. R<br />
Assemblyman Wilk represents the 38th Assembly<br />
District, which encompasses Simi Valley,<br />
the northwestern section of the San<br />
Fernando Valley and most of the Santa Clarita<br />
Valley.<br />
l e t t e r S<br />
<strong>Reader</strong>s are encouraged to submit their<br />
views, reviews and questions as letters to the<br />
editor for publication in the Westside <strong>Reader</strong>.<br />
Submissions may be sent by mail or email.<br />
Letters are subject to being edited due to<br />
space constraints. Letters to the editor must<br />
include the author’s name, town and phone<br />
number for verification.<br />
Email: Info@westsidereader.com<br />
Mail To:<br />
25876 The Old Road, Suite 66<br />
Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381
20 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>Reader</strong> Sports<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
<strong>SCV</strong> S P o r t S<br />
girls & women’s basketball<br />
by Steve Pratt<br />
Sports editor<br />
Two local products have led the College<br />
of the Canyons women’s basketball<br />
team to one of the finest season’s in<br />
school history. With a record of 23-6, the Lady<br />
Cougars, led by 24th-year coach Greg Herrick,<br />
captured their first Western State Conference<br />
South title since 2011-2012 for the program’s<br />
15th overall WSC South title.<br />
But there was no joy in coach Herrick’s<br />
voice when he learned of his team’s No. 9<br />
seeding for the Southern California Community<br />
Playoffs, meaning the Cougars would<br />
have to hit the road, and potentially face the<br />
No. 1 team in the following round.<br />
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Herrick said just<br />
days before the team was to face Palomar College<br />
in the first playoff game. “You can still<br />
hear the shock in my voice. We go 13-1 and<br />
win the conference and then when the seedings<br />
come out we’re No. 9. It’s like some of the<br />
other coaches in the room were just looking<br />
out for themselves. We feel a little disrespected.<br />
But you’ve got to play them all. I’m<br />
just not real pleased with the way it looks.”<br />
Back in 1997, Herrick led his team to the<br />
state championship game and a 33-6 record.<br />
“Historically that’s the benchmark for us,”<br />
said Herrick, whose team managed a solid<br />
17-game winning streak during the year.<br />
“That team won 21 games in a row. After that<br />
team I’ll put us up against any of the top<br />
teams I’ve had. You’ve got to put them in the<br />
group of one of the best teams ever.”<br />
The Cougars have been led by 6-foot-tall<br />
sophomore wonders Monica Friedl (Canyon<br />
High) and Hannah Green (West Ranch High).<br />
Friedl was the leading scorer this year and an<br />
all-conference performer last year while<br />
The Cougars’ sophomore Monica Friedl (Canyon high) leads the team in scoring this year and an all-conference<br />
performer last year.<br />
Green began at Sonoma State before transferring<br />
to College of the Canyons. She led the<br />
state in blocked shots this year and was third<br />
in rebounds. In one game, she had 15 blocked<br />
shots.<br />
“The chemistry amongst the players is really<br />
good this year,” Herrick said. “The kids<br />
come to practice and play hard. It’s fun to go<br />
to practice with this type of team.”<br />
Herrick turned 63 a couple weeks ago, but<br />
said he plans to keep coaching for another six<br />
or seven years. “I enjoy what I’m doing and<br />
I’m passionate about it,” he said. “I plan is to<br />
go to 70 and then evaluate it. If I’m still motivated<br />
to go to practice then I’ll keep doing it.”<br />
Herrick retired from teaching two years<br />
See Basketball, page 34
Celebrate the Luck O’ the Irish<br />
St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 17<br />
by Michele E. Buttelman • features and entertainment editor<br />
St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally a day to drink green beer and eat corned<br />
beef and cabbage.<br />
However, the day is firmly rooted in Christian tradition. Saint Patrick's<br />
Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious celebration<br />
held on the traditional date of the death of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–<br />
461), the patron saint of Ireland.<br />
Who was St. Patrick? St. Patrick was a 5th-century Christian missionary<br />
and bishop in Ireland. According to tradition, he came to Ireland to convert<br />
the pagan Irish to Christianity.<br />
On St. Patrick's Day it is customary to wear shamrocks and/or green<br />
clothing or accessories (the “wearing of the green”).<br />
St. Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to<br />
explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.<br />
A common myth is that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. In<br />
truth, Ireland never had snakes and it is believed that the term “snakes”<br />
in reference to St. Patrick refers to his efforts to convert the population<br />
to Christianity.<br />
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early<br />
17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion<br />
the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Church.<br />
Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which<br />
has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.<br />
Large numbers of Irish people came to the United States during the<br />
Great Irish Famine of the 1840s. Because of this large wave of immigration,<br />
about 33.3 million Americans, 10.5 percent of the total population,<br />
reported Irish ancestry in the 2013 American Community Survey conducted<br />
by the U.S. Census Bureau.<br />
Irish dancers entertain on stage in the<br />
Parish Hall at Our Lady of Perpetual Help<br />
Catholic Church during the annual Corned<br />
Beef and Cabbage dinner.<br />
Lyons Ave., Newhall, 91321. Tickets<br />
are also available at the Pastoral<br />
Center, 661-259-2276. Tickets: $30<br />
adults, $15 children under 12. At 6<br />
p.m. the Knights of Columbus will<br />
host their 40th St. Patrick's Day<br />
Celebration, with a dinner (starts<br />
about 7 p.m.) of corned beef and<br />
cabbage, Irish potatoes and carrots,<br />
Irish soda bread and desserts.<br />
Entertainment will be provided by<br />
Irish musicians, dancers and singers.<br />
Featuring: The Fulcos.<br />
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in<br />
the <strong>SCV</strong> • <strong>March</strong> 12<br />
St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/Dance<br />
and 5K Run<br />
The Knights of Columbus will<br />
sponsor the annual St. Patrick’s<br />
Day Dinner/Dance and St.<br />
Patrick’s Day 5K Run on<br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 12.<br />
Enjoy a fun-filled weekend of musical<br />
entertainment and a delicious<br />
corned beef and cabbage dinner.<br />
Tickets will be available from<br />
Knights of Columbus members<br />
after Masses at Our Lady of Perpetual<br />
Help Catholic Church, 23405<br />
Guests to the Knights of Columbus annual<br />
Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner<br />
wait for dinner to be served.<br />
Knights of Columbus 34th Annual<br />
St. Patrick’s Day 5K run, Saturday,<br />
<strong>March</strong> 12, 9 a.m. Registration at<br />
8 a.m. Mentryville, 27201 Pico<br />
Canyon Road, Newhall, 91381. The<br />
Knights of Columbus will sponsor the<br />
34th St. Patrick's Day 5K race at the<br />
historic oil drilling town of Mentryville<br />
Corned beef, cabbage, Irish soda bread and dessert will be<br />
featured at the annual Knights of Columbus St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/Dance on<br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 12.<br />
in Newhall, near Stevenson Ranch. The race is an “out and back” course<br />
that begins at Mentryville Park and takes runners in front of Charles Mentry’s<br />
grand 13-room mansion, a one-room school house, and a period barn.<br />
The course is mostly on newly paved asphalt and the elevation climb is<br />
about 330 feet. Due to this elevation gain, the course is considered moderated<br />
to difficult.<br />
The Knights of Columbus Council #6016 of Newhall is a local non-profit<br />
charitable organization and the race is a community and family event. Race<br />
day registration starts at 8 a.m. The 5K run begins at 9 a.m. Awards and<br />
raffle will follow shortly after 10 a.m. Info: kofc6016.org.<br />
<strong>March</strong> 17<br />
SENSES in Old Town Newhall, Main Street, Newhall, 91321.<br />
May your day be touched by the Luck o’ the Irish. SENSES is<br />
going green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday,<br />
<strong>March</strong> 17 from 7-10 p.m. Shamrocks, pots of gold, and lucky<br />
charms will fill Main Street in Old Town Newhall at this free<br />
evening of entertainment. Dance a jig to Celtic rock music by Ken<br />
O’Malley and the Twilight Lords, grub on gourmet food trucks,<br />
and enjoy the libations of green beer and<br />
whiskey. Info: oldtownnewhall.com/thursdaysatnewhall/senses/<br />
St. Patrick’s Day Eats <strong>March</strong> 17<br />
Tournament Players Club, The Oaks Grille, 26550 Heritage View<br />
Lane, Stevenson Ranch, 91381, 661-288-1995 ext. 109, will offer the St.<br />
Patrick’s Day Specials on <strong>March</strong> 17. Celebrate all day with these Irish inspired<br />
specials: Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes ($18); Corned Beef<br />
Sliders, ($13); Beer Cheese Soup, Cup ($5), Bowl ($7).<br />
Salt Creek Grille, 24415 Town Center, Drive, Valencia, 91355, 661-<br />
222-9999, features a special St. Patrick’s Day menu featuring Corned<br />
Beef Sliders ($13.95); Guinness Corned Beef Soup ($7.95); Corned Beef<br />
and Cabbage entrée ($22.95) with slow cooked corned beef and<br />
braised cabbage served with boiled red potatoes and buttered carrots.<br />
Finished with a whole grain mustard sauce. Dessert ($11.95)<br />
is Irish Coffee Cheesecake.<br />
Egg Plantation, 24415 Walnut St., Newhall, 91321, 661-<br />
255-8222, will have live Irish music from 5-9 p.m. The<br />
menu will include Corned Beef and Cabbage, Fish and Chips,<br />
Irish Stew, Irish soda bread, a burger and desserts.<br />
Green beer is a tradition for<br />
St. Patricks’ Day celebrations.<br />
See St. Patrick’s Day, page 28
22 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
November 2015
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 23<br />
reStaurant reView<br />
Crazy Otto’s Diner<br />
Makes <strong>SCV</strong> Debut<br />
Antelope Valley institution<br />
opens outpost in Canyon<br />
Country<br />
By Michele e. Buttelman<br />
Features and entertainment editor<br />
Crazy Otto’s Diner was founded on<br />
Sierra Highway, adjacent to the train<br />
tracks, in Lancaster in 1975 by Otto<br />
Lindsel. The diner, which started with only 12<br />
seats, now has five locations. Canyon Country<br />
Just because it’s a diner doesn’t mean you can’t get a<br />
spectacular salad. The Cobb Salad ($10.99), with lettuce,<br />
tomato, turkey, bacon and blue cheese crumbles<br />
includes a thinly sliced hardboiled egg, as well.<br />
Crazy otto’s Diner in Canyon Country is decorated in “diner kitsch” with old license plates and a replica of<br />
the famous numbered wheel to be spun every time a train passed at the diner’s original location in Lancaster.<br />
The seat corresponding to the number on the wheel won a free meal.<br />
hosts the newest member of the Crazy Otto’s<br />
family and joins locations in Lancaster, Acton<br />
and Rosamond.<br />
The diner serves breakfast and lunch 5<br />
a.m.-2 p.m. daily.<br />
The restaurant is located on Soledad<br />
Canyon Road in part of the location that once<br />
housed the El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant,<br />
a fixture in Canyon Country for decades.<br />
The cozy, brightly lit diner is decorated in<br />
“diner kitsch” with old license plates lining<br />
the walls and a variety of posters and other<br />
“memorabilia” on display. Behind the counter<br />
is a replica of the famous numbered wheel<br />
that was spun every time a train passed at the<br />
diner’s original location in Lancaster. The<br />
seat corresponding to the number on the<br />
wheel won a free meal. The original location<br />
was so close to the tracks that the restaurant<br />
building would shake as trains passed by.<br />
After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake<br />
Metrolink expanded rail service to the Antelope<br />
Valley and Crazy Otto’s had to give up its<br />
original location.<br />
Crazy Otto’s is famous for their huge<br />
omelettes, and has held the world record for<br />
The Club house sandwich at Crazy otto’s ($10.99) is<br />
a huge mouthful of ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce and<br />
tomato on toasted white bread. Choice of sides.<br />
making the world’s biggest omelet several<br />
times.<br />
If you are a breakfast aficionado then this<br />
is your place.<br />
In June of 1993 Crazy Otto’s Diner broke<br />
the world record for the largest omelette creating<br />
an omelette that measured 1,364<br />
square feet.<br />
The omelette gauntlet had been thrown,<br />
though, and Japan broke enough eggs to steal<br />
the “World’s Largest Omelette” crown.<br />
In October of 2002, Crazy Otto's Inc.,<br />
brought the “World’s Largest Omelette” title<br />
back to the U.S. More than 200 volunteers, we<br />
were able to assemble an omelette consisting<br />
of 34,000 eggs, 200 pounds of cheese, 50<br />
gallons of milk, 500 pounds of bell peppers<br />
and 75 gallons of crushed tomatoes. The<br />
omelette was prepared on 11 portable grills<br />
and took approximately 6.5 hours to create.<br />
The omelette measured 1,850.9 square feet.<br />
Unfortunately, in 2012, chefs in Portugal<br />
created an omelette weighing 14,225<br />
pounds, 6 ounces and made using 145,000<br />
See Restaurant Review, page 28
24 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
<strong>March</strong> Calendar<br />
ongoing<br />
Santa Clarita City Council Meetings, 6 p.m. City Hall - City Council Chambers, 23920<br />
Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita, CA 91355. The five-member Santa Clarita City Council holds<br />
regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month (except during summer<br />
hiatus which is the second meeting in July and the first meeting in August. In addition,<br />
there is no Council meeting Christmas week). City Council meetings <strong>March</strong> 8, 22. Info:<br />
www.santa-clarita.com.<br />
thursdays, march 17, 24, 31<br />
Start Your Own Business – “Entrepreneurship<br />
Series!” Noon-1 p.m. at College of<br />
the Canyons, Canyons Hall, Room 201,<br />
26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Valencia,<br />
91355. This event is free and open to students<br />
and the public. Limited seating, first<br />
come, first serve. Learn the steps to start a<br />
business; generate income and cash flow;<br />
and explore how to develop a business<br />
model to bring your vision to life. Participants<br />
will also be introduced to resources to<br />
help you take the next step in starting or<br />
growing your business, or transitioning<br />
from current activity into a formal business.<br />
Event Contact – Career Center, 661-362-<br />
3286, career_services.tech@canyons.edu<br />
Sunday, march 6<br />
Gentlemen for a Cause, 5:30 p.m. Santa<br />
Clarita Activity Center, 20880 Centre Point<br />
Parkway, Santa Clarita, CA 91350. Dinner,<br />
entertainment and a cash bar. Bid on professional<br />
services, dates with some of the <strong>SCV</strong>’s<br />
most talented gentlemen and raise money<br />
for a great cause. A portion of the proceeds<br />
will benefit local charities. Event sells out<br />
early. Tickets: Single Tickets $75 each. Includes<br />
dinner, 1 drink ticket and one raffle<br />
ticket. SPECIAL: Purchase before Feb. 19,<br />
and receive 2 drink tickets. Info:<br />
http://siscv.org/events/gentlemen-for-acause/<br />
wednesday, march 9<br />
JCI of Santa Clarita will host its first Politics<br />
On Tap mixer of the year, 6-8 p.m. JJ's<br />
Bar & Grill, 25848 Tournament Road, Valencia,<br />
91355. At 7 p.m. U.S. Rep. Steve Knight-<br />
R, Palmdale, will attend to review what is<br />
transpiring in the Santa Clarita Valley and<br />
his plans to support his local constituency.<br />
Info: Lindsay Schlick, 661-313-3907, lindsay@schlickart.com.<br />
thursday, march 10<br />
Note by Note Singer/Songwriter Series,<br />
7-10 p.m. at Newhall Refinery, 24258<br />
Main St., Newhall, 91321. Note by Note<br />
songwriter’s night is a chance for professional<br />
and aspiring songwriters to showcase<br />
their songs in front of a live audience and an<br />
opportunity for fans to hear new music.<br />
Each songwriter selected will perform four<br />
original songs of their own composition. Interested<br />
performers can apply at:<br />
http://oldtownnewhall.com/thursdaysatnewhall/note-by-note/.<br />
For more information<br />
about this event or other<br />
Thursdays@Newhall events happening in<br />
Old Town Newhall, visit www.oldtownnewhall.com.<br />
Revved Up: A monthly gathering for<br />
car enthusiasts will be held 7-10 p.m. in<br />
Old Town Newhall on Main Street between<br />
8th St. and Market St. Revved Up is held<br />
<strong>March</strong> to October on the second Thursday of<br />
the month. <strong>March</strong> 10 – Classic VWs. Shine<br />
up your buckets and dime pieces for the<br />
Classic pre-1980’s VW car show and see a<br />
collection of Beetles, Buses, Karmin Ghias,<br />
and Things and enjoy the live band, food<br />
truck and adult beverages provided by Persia<br />
Lounge. Owners interested in submitting<br />
an automobile for the Revved Up car show<br />
can apply online or contact the City’s Arts<br />
and Events office at aeo@santa-clarita.com.<br />
There is no fee to enter. Revved Up applications<br />
must be submitted at least one week<br />
prior to the event in which the applicant<br />
wishes to participate. Eligible winning vehicles<br />
will be submitted for consideration in<br />
the annual OTNA Classic Car Show. Info:<br />
www.oldtownnewhall.com.<br />
wednesday, march 16<br />
Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce<br />
Business After Hours Mixer, 5:30-7:30<br />
p.m., Logix Federal Credit Union, Golden<br />
Valley Branch, 19085 Golden Valley Road,<br />
91321. Cost: Members $10 Nonmembers<br />
$25. The monthly Business After Hours<br />
(BAH) event is the premiere networking<br />
event hosted by the Chamber. Info: Chris<br />
Donald, email cdonald@scvchamber.com.<br />
thursday, march 17<br />
SENSES — A themed monthly block<br />
party, 7-10 p.m. in Old Town Newhall on<br />
Main Street between 6th St. and Market St.<br />
Santa Clarita’s favorite block party,<br />
SENSES, presented by Galpin Subaru, features<br />
a new theme each month to engage<br />
festival-goers in an evening of entertainment,<br />
activities, great food trucks, and adult<br />
drinks. <strong>March</strong> 17 – Luck o’ the Irish. May<br />
your day be touched by the Luck o’ the Irish!<br />
SENSES is going green in celebration of St.<br />
Patrick's Day. Shamrocks, pots of gold, and<br />
lucky charms will fill Main Street in Old<br />
Town Newhall at this free evening of entertainment.<br />
Dance a jig to Celtic rock music by<br />
Ken O’Malley and the Twilight Lords, grub<br />
on gourmet food trucks, and enjoy the libations<br />
of green beer and whiskey. Info: Old<br />
Town Newhall, visit<br />
www.oldtownnewhall.com.<br />
Saturday, march 19<br />
Up With the Birds, 8-10 a.m., Ed Davis<br />
Park in Towsley Canyon, 24255 The Old<br />
Road, Newhall, 91321. Free Program, parking<br />
$7. Check out unique migratory birds<br />
as they travel through Southern California.<br />
Join us on this morning hike that reminds<br />
us to remember to look up.<br />
Beginners are welcome on this easy walk.<br />
Binoculars optional. Meet at Towsley<br />
Canyon’s front parking lot. Info: 310-858-<br />
7272 ext. 131.<br />
<strong>2016</strong> <strong>SCV</strong>i Castaic Charter School Benefit<br />
Dinner, 5:30 p.m., <strong>SCV</strong>i Campus, 28060<br />
Hasley Canyon Road, Castaic , CA 91384.<br />
$100 per meal ($1,500-$2,500, table sponsors<br />
available). Benefit Dinner Fundraiser<br />
Reception, Dinner, Live and Silent Auction.<br />
Honorees: Carl and Jerri Goldman of KHTS.<br />
Contact: Charlene Spiteri at charlene.spiteri@ileadschools.org.<br />
College of the Canyons Silver Spur Celebration<br />
Honoring Jill Mellady, 6 p.m. Sheraton<br />
Universal Starview Room, 333<br />
Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City,<br />
California 91608. The College of the<br />
Canyons Foundation's Silver Spur Award for<br />
community service is one of the Santa<br />
Clarita Valley's most prestigious honors.<br />
Info: 661-362-3434 or cocfoundation.com.<br />
Sunday, march 20<br />
Temple Beth Ami will have a urim carnival<br />
on Sunday, <strong>March</strong> 20, from 10 a.m to 1<br />
The Castaic Town Council meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the Board<br />
room of the Castaic Union School District, 28131 Livingston Ave., Valencia Commerce Center.<br />
The next meeting is <strong>March</strong> 16. Info: www.castaicareatowncouncil.org.<br />
West Ranch Town Council meets the first Wednesday of every Month at 6:30 p.m. at either<br />
the new Stevenson Ranch Library - LA County Library, 25940 The Old Road, Stevenson<br />
Ranch or at the Tournament Players Club, 26550 Heritage View Lane, Valencia, CA 91381.<br />
The West Ranch Town Council’s next meeting will be held April 6 at TPC.<br />
Info: www.westranchtowncouncil.com.<br />
p.m. The address is 23023 Hilse Lane, Santa<br />
Clarita, CA 91321. For more information call<br />
661- 255-6410.<br />
Soroptimist International of Greater<br />
Santa Clarita Valley's 6th Annual Fashion<br />
Show and Boutique, Hyatt Regency Valencia,<br />
24500 Town Center Drive, Valencia,<br />
91355. Boutique Opens at 10 a.m.; Fashion<br />
Show at noon. For tickets contact Sue Tweddell,<br />
661-373-4222 or<br />
stweddell1@gmail.com or visit<br />
www.sigscv.org.<br />
thursday, march 24<br />
An Evening with Mike Beck, 8 p.m.<br />
Repertory East Playhouse, 24266 Main St.,<br />
Newhall, CA 91321. Mike Beck is an engaging<br />
acoustic solo artist who consistently<br />
performs in the United States and Europe.<br />
He is a regularly featured performer at The<br />
National Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering.<br />
He has six albums under his belt with<br />
original songs that have been recognized as<br />
some of the finest compositions on Western<br />
Americana. The Western Horseman magazine<br />
picked “The 13 Best Cowboy Songs,”<br />
and included two compositions by Beck,<br />
putting him alongside other writers such as<br />
Ian Tyson, Tom Russell, Lucinda Williams,<br />
and Gene Autry. <strong>SCV</strong>TV Presents The Out-<br />
West Concert Series. Hosted by Jim and<br />
Bobbi Jean Bell of OutWest. Cost: $20-25.<br />
Advance ticket sales: OutWest Hotline: 661-<br />
255-7087, or visit their http://www.outwestmktg.com/events/live-music.cfm<br />
Saturday, march 26<br />
Fifth Annual Special Olympics &<br />
Hoops of Hope Shoot-a-Thon, 10 a.m.-4<br />
p.m. Santa Clarita Sports Complex (Gymnasium),<br />
20880 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa<br />
Clarita, 91351. Make a basket and raise<br />
money. Special Olympics athletes and<br />
coaches, community members and students<br />
will attempt to make more than 12,000 baskets<br />
during the Shoot-A-Thon benefiting<br />
Special Olympics Santa Clarita & Tri-Valley<br />
and Hoops of Hope. All are welcome.<br />
Whether you are a former basketball star or<br />
you haven't picked up a ball in years, we invite<br />
you to join the fun and raise money for<br />
charity. For more information and to register,<br />
visit http://bit.ly/1nwcrUI<br />
Eighth Annual Splash and Dash Egg<br />
Hunt, 10 a.m. Santa Clarita Aquatic Center,<br />
20850 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita,<br />
91351. Ages 10 years and under. Bring your<br />
little ones to collect eggs with prizes in the<br />
waterslide pool. A parent must accompany<br />
all small children and are encouraged to<br />
swim with their child. Life jackets are available<br />
at no charge. Participants will be admitted<br />
in groups of 200 and everyone will<br />
get a chance to participate. Free. There is no<br />
charge for this event, but participants are<br />
encouraged to bring nonperishable or<br />
canned food items with them to be donated<br />
to the Santa Clarita Food Pantry. Info: Santa-<br />
Clarita.com.<br />
Eggstravaganza, 10 a.m. Central Park,<br />
27150 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita,<br />
91350. City of Santa Clarita egg hunt for<br />
ages 1 to 10 years. The “Egg Scramble” begins<br />
at 10 a.m. Central Park will be divided<br />
into different areas by age. Free. There is no<br />
charge for this event, but participants are<br />
encouraged to bring nonperishable or<br />
canned food items with them to be donated<br />
to the Santa Clarita Food Pantry. Limited<br />
parking. Info: Santa-Clarita.com.<br />
Egg Hunt at Castaic Sports Complex, 10<br />
a.m., Castaic Sports Complex, 31230 Castaic<br />
Road, Castaic, 91384. Ages 12 and under.<br />
Bring your Easter basket. Info: 661-775-<br />
8865<br />
Egg Hunt Richard Rioux Park, 10 a.m.-<br />
noon, the egg hunt begins at 10:30 a.m.<br />
Richard Rioux Park, 26233 West Faulkner<br />
Drive, Stevenson Ranch, 91381. The event<br />
includes an egg hunt, moon bounce and the<br />
Easter Bunny will be available for photos<br />
with children. Info: 661-222-9536.<br />
Saturday, march 26,<br />
Sunday, march 27<br />
Vasquez Rocks Easter Sunrise Celebration,<br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 26, Matinee 2 p.m.,<br />
Sunday, <strong>March</strong>27, promptly at 5 a.m. Gates<br />
open at 4:10 a.m. Vasquez Rocks Natural<br />
Area County Park, 10700 W. Escondido<br />
Canyon Road, Agua Dulce, 91390. Limited<br />
seating fills up early, bring a blanket. The<br />
resurrection is timed to coincide with sunrise.<br />
This dramatic presentation of the life<br />
of Jesus Christ includes a reenactment of<br />
the crucifixion with more than 60 costumed<br />
actors. Dress warmly. Info: thesunriseservice.com,<br />
661-268-0840.<br />
Saturday, april 9<br />
Women in Service Celebration, 9 a.m.,<br />
Robinson Ranch Clubhouse, 27734 Sand<br />
Canyon Road, Canyon Country, 91387.<br />
Zonta Club of <strong>SCV</strong> will hold its annual<br />
Women in Service Celebration brunch.<br />
Women nominated by local non-profits will<br />
be honored, and the top volunteer will receive<br />
the Carmen Sarro Women in Service<br />
Award. Tickets to the event are $45 per person<br />
if postmarked and paid before <strong>March</strong><br />
25, and $50 thereafter. All nominees are<br />
guests of Zonta. Payment can be made online<br />
at www.scvzonta.org. For information<br />
or reservations, call the Zonta message line<br />
at 661-252-9351.<br />
To add your event to the Westside <strong>Reader</strong><br />
Calendar please email Michele@Westside<br />
<strong>Reader</strong>.com.
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 25
Easter Traditions<br />
Meet Easter Fun in the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
From Eggstravaganza to Easter Brunch, enjoy a colorful and tasty holiday.<br />
by Michele E. Buttelman • features and entertainment editor<br />
This year, Easter is on Sunday,<br />
<strong>March</strong> 27. Is your inner Easter<br />
Bunny dyeing to fill a plethora of<br />
Easter baskets with hip-hoppity<br />
fun?<br />
Easter celebrates the resurrection<br />
of Jesus Christ, and the date<br />
of Easter changes each year. The<br />
date is calculated as the first<br />
Sunday after the first full moon<br />
following the vernal equinox (the<br />
first day of spring).<br />
As Easter approaches it is now<br />
time to “hop” to it!<br />
Fill your Easter baskets with a variety of goodies, and don’t<br />
forget the simple joy of munching on a chocolate bunny<br />
this season.<br />
In addition, I’ve always enjoyed filling Easter baskets for my family. I love creating a<br />
nest with fake Easter grass and placing jelly beans, candy eggs and chocolate bunnies<br />
into the basket with a few other treats, as well, (movie tickets, gift cards and small<br />
trinkets).<br />
Is there any better way to start Easter morning than a backyard egg hunt? Or chomping<br />
the ears of the chocolate Easter bunny nestled in your Easter basket?<br />
Some traditions are just too much fun to ever give up, no matter what your age! In<br />
our neighborhood we hold a multi-family egg hunt where everyone participates,<br />
young and old.<br />
It’s a great chance to share Easter with<br />
neighbors whose children have outgrown<br />
Easter Egg hunts, and don’t yet have grandchildren.<br />
Dyeing Easter eggs is a fun tradition in my family. We usually buy several different<br />
egg dyeing kits from traditional, pastel colored eggs to glitter eggs. This year I’ve<br />
spied a “golden egg” kit that I think will be different and fun.<br />
Create special Easter memories by dyeing your own<br />
eggs and hiding them in the backyard.<br />
Fun Easter Facts:<br />
The tradition of decorating eggs dates back to the<br />
ancient Persians, known as Zoroastrians, who<br />
painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year’s celebration<br />
during the spring. On the first day of spring,<br />
they would give each other an egg dyed red.<br />
Thirteenth-century Macedonians were the first<br />
Christians known to use colored eggs in their Easter<br />
celebrations. Crusaders<br />
returning<br />
from the Middle<br />
East spread the<br />
Decorate blown eggs and hang them<br />
on branches arranged in a vase for a<br />
special Easter Egg Tree.<br />
Children will love to make “stained<br />
glass window” art.<br />
custom of coloring eggs, and Europeans then began<br />
to use colored eggs to celebrate Easter and other<br />
holidays.<br />
The ancient Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans<br />
all used colored eggs to celebrate spring. Among<br />
the Chinese, parents of newborn children still present<br />
gifts of colored eggs to their friends as a sign<br />
of new life.<br />
Easter Egg hunts and egg rolling are also longstanding<br />
traditions. The first White House Easter<br />
Egg Roll occurred in 1878 and the tradition continues on the Monday after Easter.<br />
Easter Crafts:<br />
A fun family craft project is to create an “Easter Egg Tree.”<br />
First “blow out” your eggs. This can be accomplished in many ways.<br />
You can find dozens of YouTube videos demonstrating tricks and<br />
techniques for egg blowing.<br />
As a child I remember using a hobby knife and piercing a small hole in the large end<br />
of the egg. This was followed by inserting the end of a large paper clip that had been<br />
straightened to make the hole a little larger. Next, I did the same procedure at the<br />
small end of the egg. Then, I would put my mouth to the egg and actually blow the<br />
contents out into a bowl.<br />
Today, I just use one of those blue, bulbous baby aspirators to push the egg contents<br />
out of the egg. I placed the aspirator over one hole and squeezed repeatedly until<br />
the egg emptied into the bowl.<br />
After you have collected your empty eggs, dye the shells a variety of festive colors.<br />
You can also add decals, ribbon and sparkles, too.<br />
Next, you need to affix something that will allow the egg to hang from your tree.<br />
I’ve seen videos and online suggestions using needle and thread (making use of a<br />
magnet to get the needle out the bottom of the egg), as well as fancy and expensive<br />
“hangers.” I just glue some ribbon or string on top of the egg, cover it with a decorative<br />
decal and I’m done.<br />
Next, find a clear vase and fill it with sturdy dead branches. Make sure there are<br />
enough branches to hang plenty of eggs. I like to spray paint my branches white, gold<br />
or silver, depending on the color scheme I am using. One year I painted each branch<br />
a different pastel color.<br />
Fill the vase with colored glass pebbles (sometimes called glass jems, or glass<br />
“blobs”), washed pebbles or small river rocks to hold the branches in place.<br />
Hang your eggs.<br />
Viola! You now have a beautiful and colorful Easter table centerpiece.<br />
Another fun Easter craft project for children is to construct tissue paper “stained<br />
glass windows.”
Hop to it! There are numerous Easter Egg hunts<br />
scheduled for parks in and around the Santa<br />
Clarita Valley on <strong>March</strong> 26, the day before Easter.<br />
When their “window” is complete, place another<br />
piece of clear contact paper on top<br />
and remove from the table.<br />
Cut a black construction paper “frame” to<br />
fit the “window” and glue, or tape it all together.<br />
Display the colorful artwork on a window<br />
where the light can shine through the<br />
pieces and give the effect of a stained glass<br />
window.<br />
Family Easter Fun<br />
To complete this project you will need various<br />
colors of tissue paper cut into geometric<br />
shapes, black construction paper, clear<br />
contact paper, tape and scissors.<br />
First, tape a piece of clear contact paper<br />
sticky side up onto a table.<br />
Next, have your children pick out the colors<br />
and shapes of tissue paper they want to use<br />
on their “window” and press the pieces<br />
onto the clear contact paper.<br />
Central Park on Bouquet Canyon Road in Santa<br />
Clarita hosts the annual Eggstravaganza event<br />
on Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 26.<br />
Eighth Annual Splash and Dash Egg Hunt<br />
10 a.m. Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 26<br />
Santa Clarita Aquatic Center, 20850 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita, 91351.<br />
Ages 10 years and under. Bring your little ones to collect eggs with prizes in the waterslide<br />
pool. A parent must accompany all small children and are encouraged to<br />
swim with their child. Life jackets are available at no charge. Participants will be admitted<br />
in groups of 200 and everyone will get a chance to participate.<br />
Free. There is no charge for this event, but participants are encouraged to bring nonperishable<br />
or canned food items with them to be donated to the<br />
Santa Clarita Food Pantry. Info: Santa-Clarita.com.<br />
Eggstravaganza<br />
10 a.m. Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 26<br />
Central Park, 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, 91350.<br />
City of Santa Clarita egg hunt for ages 1 to 10 years. The “Egg Scramble” begins at<br />
10 a.m. Central Park will be divided into different areas by age. Free. There is no<br />
charge for this event, but participants are encouraged to bring nonperishable or<br />
canned food items with them to be donated to the Santa Clarita Food Pantry. Limited<br />
parking. Info: Santa-Clarita.com.<br />
Egg Hunt at Castaic Sports Complex<br />
10 a.m., Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 26<br />
Castaic Sports Complex, 31230 Castaic Road, Castaic, 91384.<br />
Ages 12 and under. Bring your Easter basket. Info: 661-775-8865<br />
Egg Hunt Richard Rioux Park<br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 26, 10 a.m.-noon, the egg hunt begins at 10:30 a.m.<br />
Richard Rioux Park, 26233 West Faulkner Drive, Stevenson Ranch, 91381.<br />
The event includes an egg hunt, moon bounce and the Easter Bunny will be available<br />
for photos with children. Info: 661-222-9536.<br />
Vasquez Rocks Easter Sunrise Celebration<br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 26, Matinee 2 p.m.<br />
Sunday, <strong>March</strong>27, promptly at 5 a.m. Gates open at 4:10 a.m.<br />
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area County Park, 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Road, Agua Dulce, 91390.<br />
Limited seating fills up early, so bring a blanket. The resurrection is timed to coincide<br />
with sunrise. This dramatic presentation of the life of Jesus Christ includes a reenactment<br />
of the crucifixion with more than 60 costumed actors. Dress warmly. Info:<br />
thesunriseservice.com, 661-268-0840.<br />
For a special Easter meal hop onto the Fillmore &<br />
Western Easter Lunch Train.<br />
Easter Eats<br />
For a unique take on “Easter Brunch” take the<br />
Fillmore & Western Easter Lunch Train Sunday,<br />
<strong>March</strong>27. The train departs the depot , 351<br />
Santa Clara St, Fillmore, 93015, at noon and<br />
returns at 2:30 p.m.<br />
Enjoy a scenic ride<br />
through the Heritage<br />
Valley. The Easter<br />
Bunny will also be<br />
aboard to pass out<br />
treats. The adult<br />
lunch menu includes<br />
Black Forest ham, rice pilaf, vegetable, garden<br />
salad and dessert; child’s menu includes<br />
sliders, macaroni and cheese, fresh fruit and<br />
dessert.<br />
Salt Creek Grille offers unlimited complimentary<br />
champagne, hand-carved meats, chilled seafood,<br />
steamed snow crab legs, pasta bar, made-for-you<br />
omelet bar, chef-prepared salads, fresh fruit<br />
spread, aebleskivers and more for Easter Brunch.<br />
Salt Creek Grille offers a special Easter Brunch with an omelet station and other<br />
special treats.<br />
Adults $50; Youth 4-12 $29; Children<br />
2-3 $25, 23 months and under are<br />
free. Reservations required: 805-524-2546,<br />
www.fwry.com.<br />
Le Chene French Cuisine, 12625 Sierra Highway,<br />
Agua Dulce, 91390, 661- 251-4315. Le<br />
Chene offers an elegant brunch every Sunday,<br />
but on Easter they always add a few<br />
special menu items.<br />
Brunch is served from<br />
10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.<br />
Reservations recommended. Visit www.lechene.com for the full<br />
Easter menu.<br />
Salt Creek Grille, 24415 Town Center Drive, #115, Valencia, 91355,<br />
661- 222-9999. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Salt Creek Grille offers unlimited<br />
complimentary champagne, hand-carved meats, chilled seafood,<br />
steamed snow crab legs, pasta bar, made-for-you omelet bar,<br />
chef-prepared salads, fresh fruit spread, aebleskivers, farm and<br />
bakery favorites including smoked sausage, and gourmet selections<br />
including Eggs Benedict and chicken and mushroom-stuffed<br />
crepes, blackened salmon and hand-crafted desserts. My favorite<br />
has always been the aebleskivers, Danish pancake puffs that resemble<br />
donut holes. Add strawberries and whipped cream and I<br />
can’t think of anything better on my Easter brunch table! $39.95<br />
for adults, $14.95 for kids 12 and under.<br />
Aebleskivers are Danish pancake puffs that resemble<br />
donut holes. Salt Creek Grille serves aebleskivers<br />
at Sunday brunch.<br />
Celebrate with a<br />
Mimosa cocktail as<br />
you enjoy your Easter<br />
Brunch.<br />
The 38th Annual Lenten Fish Fry. St. Clare’s Catholic Church is the host of the<br />
Santa Clarita Valley’s best Lenten Fish Fry. You still have several chances to enjoy this<br />
annual treat as the fish fry continues on <strong>March</strong> 4, 11, and 18. Beer Battered Alaskan<br />
cod, French fries or rice pilaf, coleslaw and rolls are available for dine in or take out.<br />
Dinner is served from 4:30- 8 p.m. Cost: $9 for a 2-piece dinner, $10 for a 3-piece<br />
dinner. All proceeds benefit local charities and families in need.<br />
This year they’ve opened up a separate room for take-out service.<br />
St. Clare is located at 19606 Calla Way in Canyon Country.<br />
Info: 661- 252-3353 or www.st-clare.org.
28 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
Restaurant Review<br />
continued from page 23<br />
eggs, 880 pounds of oil and 220 pounds of<br />
butter. The title of “World’s Largest Omelette”<br />
now resides in Portugal.<br />
If you like omelettes, stop by Crazy Otto’s<br />
and try one of the restaurant’s 15 signature<br />
omelettes, or make your own ($15.50) using<br />
any five omelette ingredients.<br />
All omelettes come with toast, or biscuits<br />
and gravy.<br />
Omelettes are priced between $10.50 and<br />
$15.50 for a full omelette or $9.50 to $11.99<br />
for a half omelette.<br />
Choices include Scotty’s Chili Cheese Dog<br />
Omelette, ham and cheese, turkey and<br />
cheese, Crazy Otto’s Burgermeat, Spanish,<br />
Denver, bacon and cheese, cheese, bacon and<br />
chicken liver, sausage and cheese, vegetarian,<br />
Ortega beef, avocado, crabmeat and The Popeye.<br />
A full selection of Breakfast “Specials” includes<br />
just about any breakfast entrée your<br />
heart desires. All are served up with hash<br />
browns and your choice of toast or a biscuit<br />
and gravy.<br />
The Eggs Benedict ($11.50) includes two<br />
poached eggs on sliced ham atop two grilled<br />
English muffins smothered in rich Hollandaise<br />
sauce.<br />
Two eggs (any style) and your choice of top<br />
sirloin, pork chops, country fried steak, ham<br />
steak, sausage patty, bacon, chorizo or burger<br />
patty costs between $15.99 and $10.99.<br />
For the adventurous try the Hobo Eggs,<br />
($12.50), scrambled eggs, hash browns,<br />
onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms,<br />
all cooked together, the Machaca and<br />
Eggs ($12.50), eggs scrambled together with<br />
shredded beef, tomatoes, onions and bell<br />
peppers, topped with your choice of cheese,<br />
Diced Ham Scrambled with Onions ($10.99)<br />
or the Crazy Combo ($12.50) one-half ham,<br />
bacon, sausage and two eggs any style.<br />
Crazy Otto’s also features homemade<br />
corned beef hash with two eggs ($11.99).<br />
There is also the traditional Breakfast Burrito<br />
($10.99) and a Breakfast Sandwich<br />
($10.99).<br />
If you like your breakfast sweet ($10.50)<br />
you can order a stack of three pancakes,<br />
French Toast or two Belgian Waffles, add<br />
your choice of bacon, sausage or ham and<br />
two eggs for a total bill of $11.99.<br />
If you stop by Crazy Otto’s on the weekend<br />
or a holiday you can order Prime Rib and<br />
Eggs (10 oz. $16.50, 14 oz. $20.50) or the<br />
Prime Rib Sandwich ($14.50).<br />
Breakfast sides include everything from<br />
cottage cheese to oatmeal.<br />
Servings are large, and if you want to order<br />
one entrée and split it, you can get an empty<br />
plate for $1.<br />
There’s also a good selection of lunch items<br />
including burgers, salads and sandwiches.<br />
Crazy Otto’s burgers half pound USDA<br />
ground beef and served with mayonnaise,<br />
mustard, Thousand Island dressing, onions,<br />
tomatoes and lettuce on a sesame seed bun.<br />
You can choose from the Chuckburger<br />
($7.99); Cheeseburger ($8.99); Avocado<br />
Cheeseburger ($10.50); Ortega Jackburger<br />
($9.99); Hickory Mushroom Cheeseburger<br />
($9.99); Bacon Cheeseburger<br />
($10.50) or the Garden Burger<br />
($8.99).<br />
Hot sandwiches include diner<br />
favorites: Turkey, Melt, Patty Melt<br />
or Tuna Melt ($9.50); Grilled<br />
Cheese ($6.75); Grilled Ham and<br />
Cheese ($8.50); Grilled Bacon and<br />
Cheese ($9.50) and Grill Chicken<br />
($10.50).<br />
Specialty hot sandwiches include<br />
the California Roast Beef<br />
which is served with Ortega chilies<br />
and jack cheese on sourdough<br />
($10.50); Philly Cheese Steak<br />
($10.50); Pastrami and Jack<br />
($10.99) and the Chiliburger,<br />
served open faced and topped<br />
with home-style chili and your<br />
choice of cheese and onions<br />
($10.50).<br />
Other options include a French<br />
Dip ($10.50) and Fillet of Fish<br />
($9.50).<br />
Class sandwiches include: Club<br />
House ($10.99); Chicken Salad<br />
($8.50); Cold Cut ($8.99); BLT ($8.50) and<br />
Egg Salad ($6.99).<br />
Guests can also opt for the Half and Half,<br />
where you can select any two items for $8.99.<br />
Options include a cup of soup, French fries,<br />
side salad and one half a ham, tuna, egg salad,<br />
turkey, roast beef or chicken salad sandwich.<br />
“Lighter Side” options include:<br />
Grilled Chicken Breast, Chef or Cobb Salad<br />
($10.99); Two Scoop (Egg Salad, Chicken<br />
Salad, Tuna or Cottage Cheese) served with<br />
tomatoes, sliced hardboiled egg, jack and<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
The cover of Crazy otto’s Diner menu pays tribute to otto Lindsal<br />
who opened the original Crazy otto’s Diner adjacent the train<br />
tracks that run adjacent to Sierra highway in Lancaster.<br />
cheddar cheese on a bed of leafy green lettuce<br />
($10.99) or the Patty Platter ($9.99)<br />
which offers a ground beef patty ,sliced tomatoes<br />
and cottage cheese.<br />
Crazy Otto’s offers lots of good food in an<br />
authentic diner atmosphere. Canyon Country<br />
welcomes this new addition to the foodie<br />
scene. R<br />
Crazy Otto’s Diner, 19132 Soledad Canyon<br />
Road, Canyon Country, 91351, 661-299-6886.<br />
Open seven days, 5 a.m.-2 p.m., crazyottosdiners.com.<br />
St. Patrick’s Day continued from page 21<br />
Rose and Crown British Pub, 24246 Lyons Ave., Newhall,<br />
91321, 661-255-5048, will feature spicy Guinness Chili,<br />
Corned Beef and Cabbage and Stout.<br />
Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewing Company, 27746 McBean Parkway,<br />
Valencia, 91354, 661-263-9653, will serve up Corned Beef and<br />
Cabbage and green beer.<br />
Out of the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 12<br />
Ventura Elks Lodge #1430 will present the 28th annual St.<br />
Patrick's Day Parade down Main Street in downtown Ventura<br />
at 10 a.m. The <strong>2016</strong> Theme: Honoring our troops. <strong>2016</strong> Grand Marshal:<br />
Descendants of Ventura's Historic Families including: Chumash,<br />
EP Foster Family, Olivas Family and Smith Hobson Family. Info: venturastpatricksdayparade.com.<br />
South Bay St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival. The annual St.<br />
Patrick's Day parade in Hermosa Beach will be held<br />
Saturday, <strong>March</strong> 12, 11 a.m. The intersection of Pier andValley drive, west<br />
to Hermosa Avenue then South on Hermosa to 9thStreet. Festival at Pier<br />
Plaza. Metered street parking. Info: southbayevents.com/events/saintpatricks-day-parade-hermosa-beach.asp.<br />
Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 17<br />
St. Patrick's Day Noontime Celebration at Pershing Square. A parade and<br />
free outdoor lunchtime concert with a Celtic-rock band. Food trucks and a<br />
beer garden will be available. The Parade route will start at 4th and Hill, proceeding<br />
south on Hill Street past the park to 7th, west on 7th and north on<br />
Olive back to the Pershing Square. Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 17 with parade at 10:30,<br />
concert at noon. Free event at Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive St., Los Angeles,<br />
90013. Parking: Paid parking lots. The Metro Red Line runs to Pershing<br />
Square from North Hollywood. Info: laparks.org.<br />
Friday, <strong>March</strong> 18<br />
Shamrock ‘n’ Roll Aboard<br />
the Queen Mary. The St.<br />
Patrick's Day celebration on<br />
the Queen Mary is a 21+<br />
party that features two simultaneous<br />
Celtic entertainment<br />
venues on the<br />
Promenade Deck in<br />
the Grand Salon and<br />
Royal Salon featuring<br />
Hoist the Colors,<br />
California Celts,<br />
Craic Haus and more.<br />
There will be traditional and<br />
modern Irish food, pub games, trivia<br />
contests and a full bar at each venue. Friday,<br />
<strong>March</strong> 18, 5-11 p.m. Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, 90802.<br />
Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at the door, $5 validated parking. Info:<br />
queenmary.com<br />
<strong>March</strong> 19-20<br />
Celtic Fair at the Fairplex in Pomona.<br />
The biggest Irish event of the month, the Celtic Fair in Pomona, will happen<br />
after St. Patrick's Day this year. The event includes carnival rides, historic reenactors,<br />
several stages of Irish music from rock to traditional, dance performances<br />
and social dancing, casual and fine dining, Irish and other Celtic<br />
product vendors, children's crafts and more. The event will be held at Plaza<br />
of the States, Expo Hall 10 and Plaza de las Américas, <strong>March</strong> 19-20, <strong>2016</strong>, 10<br />
a.m.-6 p.m. The Fairplex in Pomona, 1101 West McKinley Ave., Pomona, 91766.<br />
Cost: $10, $5 Children 6-12, Children 5 and under are free. Check Goldstar for<br />
discount tickets. Parking: $10 at Gate 17. There are MetroLink trains from<br />
Union Station to the Fairplex. Info: fairplex.com/fp/
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 29<br />
Purim fun for everyone!<br />
By Lauren Budman<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Like most people, when I think of holidays<br />
in <strong>March</strong>, I think of St. Patrick’s<br />
Day. This year, even Easter falls during<br />
the month of <strong>March</strong>. But another fun-filled<br />
holiday that also lands around other <strong>March</strong><br />
celebrations is not always highlighted or<br />
talked about as it should — Purim!<br />
Purim is often celebrated by throwing carnivals<br />
and parties, wearing fun costumes, and<br />
giving gifts of food to friends and neighbors.<br />
It is essentially the Jewish version of Halloween,<br />
and perhaps one of the most joyous<br />
celebrations of the year. In a common facet of<br />
Jewish tradition, giving to the less fortunate is<br />
another way that Purim is celebrated.<br />
Another tradition of the holiday is to read<br />
the story of Purim, which is in the Biblical<br />
book of Esther, or the “Megillah." A rabbi usually<br />
reads the story in a synagogue at sundown<br />
and again on Purim morning. Part of<br />
the tradition is that when the name of<br />
“Haman” is read, the congregants often use<br />
noisemakers or boo to show disgust.<br />
Haman was the anti-Semitic prime minister<br />
of the Persian Empire in 4th century BCE.<br />
In the story of Purim, King Ahasuerus orchestrated<br />
a beauty pageant to find a new<br />
queen after he had his wife executed for failing<br />
to follow his orders. The winner of this<br />
pageant, Esther, became the new queen while<br />
hiding the fact that she was really Jewish. Esther’s<br />
cousin, Mordechai, was the leader of<br />
Privacy<br />
continued from page 17<br />
private data once their analysis is complete.<br />
But parents like Cindi Lim, whose child attends<br />
Highlands Elementary School, are worried<br />
the information could still be breached.<br />
“My concerns are that once this information<br />
is released, once it’s put out there, there’s<br />
no way to retrieve it,” Lim said “And there is<br />
no certainty that it won’t end up in the wrong<br />
hands. After all, clerical errors happen all the<br />
time.”<br />
However, not all parents are concerned<br />
about the judge’s ruling.<br />
Danielle Bendrat, whose children attend<br />
Rosedell Elementary and Arroyo Seco Junior<br />
High School, said she’s OK with the ruling.<br />
“I’m not worried about this information<br />
going to the nonprofits,” Bendrat said. “From<br />
what I’ve read, they are trying to help children<br />
with disabilities. After they are done,<br />
they need to return or destroy the information.”<br />
the Jews who refused to bow to Haman.<br />
Haman then convinced the king to issue a decree<br />
ordering the killing of all the Jews on the<br />
13th of Adar. The Jews then fasted and<br />
prayed, and Esther finally revealed her Jewish<br />
identity to the King. She convinced the<br />
King to save the Jews, and have Haman<br />
hanged. Mordechai was appointed Haman’s<br />
position of prime minister, and new decree<br />
was issued — granting the Jews the right to<br />
defend themselves against their enemies. The<br />
Jews of Persia celebrated on the 14th of Adar,<br />
the day after they were supposed to be annihilated.<br />
Purim is celebrated to recognize and<br />
honor the bravery of Esther and Mordechai<br />
and the deliverance of the Jewish people<br />
from the cruelty of oppression.<br />
Purim occurs every year on the 14th day<br />
of the Jewish month of Adar. This year, that<br />
begins at sundown on Wednesday, <strong>March</strong><br />
23rd, and goes to Thursday evening, Mar.<br />
24th. An interesting side note is that the Jewish<br />
month of Adar occurs twice on a leap year,<br />
such as this one. Adar I is the 12th month of<br />
the year, while Purim lands in Adar II this<br />
leap year.<br />
If you’d like to hear the Megillah reading<br />
and partake in the festivities for yourself, you<br />
can visit Temple Beth Ami on Wednesday,<br />
<strong>March</strong> 23, at 7:00 p.m. Temple Beth Ami will<br />
also have a Purim carnival on Sunday, <strong>March</strong><br />
20, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. The address for<br />
both events is 23023 Hilse Lane, Santa<br />
Clarita, CA 91321. For more information call<br />
661- 255-6410. R<br />
The deadline to opt out of the release is<br />
April 1, <strong>2016</strong>. Parents must complete an objection<br />
form for each child. The form can be<br />
downloaded on the website below:<br />
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/ws/<br />
documents/form<strong>2016</strong>jan26.pdf<br />
The completed forms must then be mailed to:<br />
United States District Judge Kimberly J.<br />
Mueller<br />
c/o Clerk of the Court<br />
Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse<br />
501 I Street, Room 4-200<br />
Sacramento, CA 95814<br />
Attn: Document Filed Under Seal<br />
For more information about the lawsuit,<br />
visit:<br />
http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/ws/<br />
morganhillcase.asp<br />
Parents who have additional questions can<br />
call: 1-916-319-0800. R<br />
win $100 Cash<br />
identify the artwork from one<br />
of the advertisements in this<br />
publication and be entered into<br />
a drawing to win $100 Cash.<br />
email the name of the advertiser,<br />
your town and the page<br />
number the ad is on to:<br />
info@westsidereader.com
30 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>Reader</strong> People<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
ProFile: margo miller huDSon<br />
Santa Clarita’s Icon of Style<br />
Known by nearly everyone simply as, ‘Margo,’ for decades she dressed the <strong>SCV</strong>.<br />
By Michele e. Buttelman<br />
Features and entertainment editor<br />
Margo Miller Hudson was born on a farm in Granby,<br />
Quebec Canada as Margo Leduc, and still speaks with<br />
a charming French Canadian accent.<br />
Her mother died two months after Hudson was born. She<br />
was raised by her father, a farmer, her aunt Elsie, and her stepmother<br />
Marie Berthe.<br />
Hudson said Granby was an industrial town, with lumber,<br />
textiles, dairy and tobacco as major industries.<br />
“It never grew that much, but it is adorable,” Hudson said.<br />
Hudson’s family, on her mother’s side, arrived in Canada<br />
from Liverpool, England, when her grandfather was only between<br />
8 and 10 years of age.<br />
“His father left him at an orphanage after his mother died<br />
and in those days they would send children to work on farms<br />
in Canada to earn a living,” she said. “His father said he would<br />
come back for him, but he never did.”<br />
Hudson’s mother was an English Protestant and her father<br />
a French Canadian Catholic.<br />
“Neither one spoke the other’s language,” said Hudson. “But<br />
somehow they met, fell in love and married.”<br />
When Hudson’s mother, Ruby, knew she was dying she<br />
asked her sister Elsie to “take care of my baby (Hudson).”<br />
“And she always did take care of me,” said Hudson. “Until<br />
she died in 1998, my aunt taught me how to cook, how to sew,<br />
how to set a table, manners, everything.”<br />
Hudson’s father soon found he needed to supplement his<br />
farm income by taking a job in a steel factory in Montreal.<br />
Hudson was left in the care of a woman, named Maggie,<br />
until she was 2 1/2 when her father remarried.<br />
“My stepmother, who died in 1975, was wonderful,” said<br />
Hudson. “She treated my older sister and I the same as she<br />
treated her own children. I never saw a difference in how she<br />
treated us, never.”<br />
Hudson said she is has been “been very blessed meeting<br />
people who have been giving and mentoring to me.”<br />
Coming to California<br />
When she was 19 her fiancé, Georges deSeve, asked her if<br />
she would like to live in California after he was invited to follow<br />
his boss who had been transferred to Glendale, CA.<br />
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me? You mean where Rock Hudson<br />
A newspaper clipping from 1978 shows “Margo deSeve” welcoming a<br />
crowd to a fall fashion show in the Plaza Posada in newhall.<br />
Margo and Bob hudson arrive at the hyatt Regency Valencia for the henry Mayo<br />
hospital 40th Anniversary Gala.<br />
lives?” said Hudson. “I was 19. As a teenage I was in love with Rock Hudson.”<br />
In May 1960 the couple moved to the Cadillac Apartments on Glendale<br />
Avenue in Glendale.<br />
“It had a swimming pool and was furnished,” she said. “I thought I was<br />
in total hog heaven.”<br />
The couple was married June 4, 1960.<br />
Even in 1960’s Los Angeles, Hudson stood out.<br />
“I would go to the supermarket wearing gloves,” said. “I was like an oddity<br />
even in 1960, because for me, when you go out you wear gloves.”<br />
Hudson didn’t want to have children until she was 21.<br />
“I didn’t want to be a child, having a child,” she said.<br />
But soon she became bored and applied for a job at Sears.<br />
“In no time at all I went from being a salesgirl to a manager,” she said.<br />
Part of her success in selling jewelry and watches she attributes to her<br />
exotic French Canadian accent and the fact she was well dressed and polite.<br />
Sears offered her a position in the women’s department but Hudson<br />
became pregnant and left Sears a few months later.<br />
Hudson became an American citizen in 1966.<br />
Moving to the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
In 1968 Hudson and Georges moved to the second phase of Orchard<br />
Village in Valencia.<br />
Immediately Hudson became involved in philanthropy<br />
in the Santa Clarita Valley.<br />
In 1969, she co-chaired the development of the<br />
Foster Parent Organization in Valencia Valley.<br />
Hudson ultimately fostered 11 children. In the<br />
same year, she became a founding officer of the<br />
Adoption Guild of Valencia Valley.<br />
Through a friend who had contacts with a Los<br />
Angeles modeling agency Hudson soon began<br />
doing tea room modeling at World Fashions in<br />
Santa Monica for nearly two years in the 1970s.<br />
“It was a popular way to sell clothing at that<br />
time,” Hudson said. “I met a lot of celebrities; I met<br />
Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Barbra Streisand...”<br />
In 1974, Hudson became a business partner in<br />
Aggi’s, an upscale boutique in Newhall.<br />
“Aggi Lewis asked me to become her partner,”<br />
Hudson said. “So I went to the bank, this was in<br />
1974, and I applied for a loan.”<br />
Hudson visited the bank without telling her<br />
husband her plans.<br />
“I wanted to have all my ducks in a row before I<br />
approached him about this business opportunity,”<br />
she said.<br />
In 1974, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act<br />
(ECOA) was passed by Congress that allowed<br />
women equal access to credit. However, the finer<br />
points of the law were apparently yet to reach the<br />
<strong>SCV</strong>.<br />
“The bank called my husband and told him that<br />
I had been in to ask about a loan,” Hudson said.<br />
“When I came home Georges asked if I had been to<br />
the bank. I told him about the store. He thought<br />
about it and then said yes. We had to take a loan<br />
out against the house.”<br />
Hudson said she appreciated Georges’ faith in<br />
her.<br />
“That’s what he gave me. He believed in me,” she<br />
said.<br />
After a few years Lewis asked Hudson to buy<br />
her out so Lewis could pursue other interests.<br />
Hudson purchased the store in 1978 and renamed<br />
it Margo in 1982.<br />
“I named the store M-A-R-G with a heart replacing<br />
the ‘O’, I always wanted to do things a little<br />
differently,” Hudson said.<br />
Margo Fashion<br />
Making the store a success was not without difficulty,<br />
said Hudson.<br />
However, Hudson persevered and the store<br />
found a niche catering to <strong>SCV</strong> women who wanted<br />
high quality, timeless fashion with the eye on current<br />
trends.<br />
Hudson said customer service was extremely<br />
important to her success.<br />
“We dressed our customers from head to toe,”<br />
she said. “As we became bigger people began to<br />
rely on us for sportswear, weekend wear, business<br />
wear, formal wear, they really didn’t want to shop<br />
elsewhere.”<br />
Hudson said her fashion philosophy was to “sell<br />
timeless fashion.”<br />
“Shopping at Margo’s was an amazing experience,”<br />
said Marlee Lauffer, President, Henry Mayo<br />
Newhall Hospital Foundation, Vice President,<br />
Marketing and Communications Henry Mayo<br />
Newhall Hospital. “It was a comfortable yet elegant<br />
respite; an escape from everyday retailers; a
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 31<br />
Margo Miller hudson was named the <strong>SCV</strong> Woman of<br />
honor in 2012. Cameron Smyth was named <strong>SCV</strong> Man<br />
of honor.<br />
safe place to explore fashion. I half jokingly<br />
called it a ‘club house for women.’ Many Saturday<br />
afternoons were spent at Margo’s<br />
browsing or buying, sipping coffee or champagne,<br />
catching up with friends that worked<br />
there or shopped there.”<br />
Lauffer said Hudson “is a true icon, of style,<br />
graciousness, independence and success. I<br />
miss her store, but am so glad she is still my<br />
friend.”<br />
Long time customer, Shelly Hann, said she<br />
heard about Margo in Newhall when she<br />
worked as a hairdresser in the San Fernando<br />
Valley.<br />
“One of my clients told me it was very expensive,”<br />
Hann said. “When I moved to the<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> I didn’t go to the store for 10 years. One<br />
day I walked in and I wanted to move in. I fell<br />
in love with Margo and the store.”<br />
Hann worked with Margo bringing Margo<br />
fashions to the runway to benefit <strong>SCV</strong> charities<br />
including Soroptimist International of<br />
Santa Clarita Valley and the Henry Mayo<br />
Newhall Hospital Foundation.<br />
“She is a classy woman. From the minute<br />
you walked into the store the staff was always<br />
there to help you. It was like going to a<br />
friend’s house and shopping in their closet,”<br />
said Hann. “The thing I loved most about<br />
Margo was that she had her own style, but<br />
she helped everyone else develop their own<br />
style. I have clothes I still wear that I bought<br />
from Margo 20 years ago. When you buy the<br />
best, the classics never go out of style.”<br />
Celebrity and Charity<br />
In 1980 Hudson founded the first Miss<br />
Santa Clarita Valley Beauty Pageant. She continued<br />
to dress beauty pageant contestants<br />
when the store was contacted in 1975 to<br />
dress a young women vying for the Miss California<br />
USA crown.<br />
Summer Bartholomew not only won the<br />
Miss California USA title in 1975, but also<br />
went on to win the Miss USA crown. She competed<br />
at the Miss Universe 1975 pageant held<br />
in El Salvador and was named second-runner<br />
up.<br />
Other celebrities dressed by Hudson have<br />
included Mary Hart of “Entertainment<br />
Tonight” and movie star Tippi Hedren (“The<br />
Birds”).<br />
Through the years Hudson has supported<br />
many charitable events such as the Rocking<br />
Horse Derby, Santa Clarita Child and Family<br />
Center, Carousel Ranch and Boys & Girls Club<br />
of <strong>SCV</strong>.<br />
She still has a program from the very first<br />
Boys Club Auction (before it became the Boys<br />
& Girls Club of <strong>SCV</strong>) held at the Ranch House<br />
Inn in 1972.<br />
In the early years Hudson frequently participated<br />
in the Newhall Fourth of July Parade.<br />
Hudson closed Margo in the Plaza Posada<br />
in 2010.<br />
Because of her long involvement with community<br />
service in the <strong>SCV</strong> Hudson was nominated<br />
for 2015 <strong>SCV</strong> Woman of the Year and<br />
2012 Zonta Club of <strong>SCV</strong> Women in Service<br />
Carmen Sarro Award.<br />
In 2012 Hudson started volunteering at<br />
Single Mother Outreach, a nonprofit which<br />
empowers single parents and their families.<br />
January 2013 Hudson founded Closet on<br />
Main, a resale shop on Main Street in downtown<br />
Newhall, with the help of volunteers<br />
which included three of her former employees<br />
Maria, Terry and Maggie.<br />
In November 2015 Hudson passed the<br />
Closet on Main baton to Laurie Auger.<br />
“I hope Closet on Main continues the tradition<br />
of quality, ambiance and camaraderie<br />
in the spirit of Single Mothers Outreach,”<br />
Hudson said.<br />
Profits from donated clothing, shoes, handbags,<br />
jewelry and other small items benefit<br />
the programs of Single Mothers Outreach.<br />
Each month every member of Single Mothers<br />
Outreach client families receives eight<br />
pieces of clothing from The Closet on Main.<br />
“That is what got me involved in founding<br />
Closet on Main, helping families,” said Hudson.<br />
“I knew this would make mothers feel<br />
good about themselves. That is probably the<br />
biggest reason I became involved.”<br />
Hudson said founding Closet on Main is<br />
Margo Miller hudson, seen in 1977, top right, in the newhall Fourth of July Parade. “i made my own costume<br />
of gold satin,” she said.<br />
her proudest accomplishment.<br />
Currently Hudson is mentoring girls ages<br />
13-19 seeking to pursue their dreams.<br />
In 2012 Hudson and Cameron Smyth were<br />
named the <strong>SCV</strong> Woman and Man of Honor at<br />
a gala event held at the Hyatt Valencia Regency.<br />
Hudson said she has lived “a very interesting<br />
life.”<br />
Hudson has two children, Lisa and Steven<br />
deSeve and three grandchildren. She and<br />
Georges divorced in 1978 and Hudson married<br />
Jay Miller in 1980. That marriage ended<br />
in 1984. She married C.R. “Bob” Hudson in<br />
2008.<br />
“Life is unplanned, sometimes things just<br />
happen,” she said. “I love my life. It was not<br />
easy. I took a lot of risks. But I was lucky to be<br />
at the right time, at the right place with the<br />
right people.” R
32 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
o u t & a b o u t i n t h e <strong>SCV</strong><br />
an early Spring has<br />
Sprung in the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
The <strong>2016</strong> Sierra Pelona Wine<br />
Festival will be held at Reyes<br />
Winery in Aqua Dulce on Saturday,<br />
April 23 and benefit the<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> Senior Center.<br />
Iam still waiting for El Niño. And waiting.<br />
And waiting. While the temperate Southern<br />
California climate can be lovely, 80 degrees<br />
and higher, even into the 90s is not my<br />
idea of February! Spring is my favorite season<br />
and I am delighted to see some green in<br />
the hills surrounding the Santa Clarita Valley.<br />
It remains to be seen how long the green will<br />
remain, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. I was<br />
expecting more wildflowers to be in bloom,<br />
but perhaps we are still a few weeks away<br />
from those delicate, white, yellow and purple<br />
flowers dotting the hillsides. It is distressing<br />
to think that the “monster” El Niño we were<br />
promised might not materialize, but the silver<br />
lining is that there is some beautiful<br />
scenery to take in all around the <strong>SCV</strong>. Take a<br />
hike, get out and enjoy the natural beauty before<br />
summer rears its ugly head.<br />
Kudos to Women in Service Nominees<br />
Twenty-three outstanding community volunteers<br />
have been nominated by local nonprofit<br />
organizations to be honored at the<br />
annual Women in Service Celebration sponsored<br />
by Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley.<br />
This year's event is scheduled for Saturday,<br />
April 9, at Robinson Ranch Golf Clubhouse,<br />
and tickets are now available for members of<br />
the nominating organization or friends of the<br />
nominees who would like to attend in support<br />
of the honorees.<br />
This year's nominees, and the organization<br />
which nominated each of them, include: Jill<br />
Bondy, Circle of Hope; Chris Bratzel, LARC<br />
Ranch; Charlotte Briggs, Domestic Violence<br />
Center of <strong>SCV</strong>; Jill Broline, Assistance League<br />
of <strong>SCV</strong>; Mary Ann Colf, Samuel Dixon Family<br />
Health Centers; Rebecca Corona-Nickerson,<br />
American Association of University Women;<br />
and Sharon Dawson, Help the Children.<br />
Also, Rebecca DeLuca, JCI Santa Clarita;<br />
Sue Endress, Rotary Club; Amanda Etcheverry,<br />
Soroptomist International of <strong>SCV</strong>; Kim<br />
Goldman, <strong>SCV</strong> Youth Project; Terry<br />
Kanowsky, <strong>SCV</strong> Scholarship Foundation; Jessica<br />
Lee, Sheriff's Youth Foundation; Mitzi<br />
Like, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation;<br />
Delaney Marbach, Boys & Girls Club of<br />
Santa Clarita Valley.<br />
Also Patti Massman Neuwirth, Children<br />
of the Night; Brenda Neilson, Michael Hoefflin<br />
Foundation; Linda Pippin, <strong>SCV</strong> Senior<br />
by Michele e. Buttelman<br />
Features & entertainment editor<br />
Christine Sexton,<br />
daughter of the<br />
late Carmen<br />
Sarro, will present<br />
the <strong>2016</strong> Carmen<br />
Sarro Community<br />
Service Award to<br />
the Zonta Club of<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> Women in<br />
Service winner on<br />
April 9.<br />
Recent rains have given the <strong>SCV</strong> an “emerald” hue in<br />
the surrounding open spaces.<br />
Center; Michelle Roberts, Girl Scouts of<br />
Greater L.A.; Deborah Rocha, Straightening<br />
Reins; Diana Sevanian, American Cancer Society;<br />
Phillis Stacy-Brooks, Mothers Fighting<br />
for Others; and Doris Marie Zimmer,<br />
College of the Canyons Foundation.<br />
The April 9 event includes a plated lunch,<br />
prize drawings, a marketplace featuring vendors<br />
whose merchandise supports women's<br />
causes, and presentation of all 23 nominees<br />
and their nominating organizations. At the<br />
end of the program, one of the honorees will<br />
be named the <strong>2016</strong> Carmen Sarro Community<br />
Service Award winner, representing outstanding<br />
service to her organization, to the<br />
community as a whole, and to Zonta's goal of<br />
improving the lives of women and girls.<br />
The award is named for the late Carmen<br />
Sarro, a longtime Zonta member whose wide<br />
range of community service epitomized the<br />
well-rounded community volunteer. Sarro’s<br />
daughter, Christine Sexton, will make the<br />
presentation in honor of her late mother.<br />
Tickets to the event are $45 per person if<br />
postmarked and paid before <strong>March</strong> 25, and<br />
$50 after. Payment can be made online at<br />
www.scvzonta.org. Info: http://scvzonta.org/<br />
calendar/public_events.php.<br />
Wine Festival Benefits <strong>SCV</strong> Senior Center<br />
I can’t help but think how much the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
Senior Center will miss the efforts of Duane<br />
Harte. I know he would have supported the<br />
Fourth Annual Sierra Pelona Wine Festival to<br />
The beauty of a single yellow rose has been a favorite<br />
Zonta symbol for decades. yellow rose corsages are<br />
giving to the honorees at the annual Zonta Club of<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> Women in Service nominees.<br />
Ray and Janey<br />
Tippet. Ray Tippet,<br />
of Circle of hope,<br />
inc., is among the<br />
recent nonprofit<br />
executive directors<br />
who have announced<br />
retirement<br />
plans.<br />
benefit the <strong>SCV</strong> Senior Center. I would have<br />
expected Duane to be on hand directing traffic,<br />
delivering ice to the vendors and helping<br />
set up. He was always the <strong>SCV</strong>’s volunteer “go<br />
to” guy. The Wine Festival, featuring more<br />
than 80 wineries, food purveyors and more,<br />
will be held Saturday, April 23 at Reyes Winery<br />
in Aqua Dulce. It’s a first class event with<br />
swag bags and as many tastings and food<br />
samples as you want for one price. Get your<br />
$100 VIP tickets before they’re gone (only<br />
100 available). General admission tickets are<br />
$75 before April 10. The event opens at 11<br />
a.m. for VIP, noon for general admission. It<br />
runs until 4 p.m. in the picturesque vineyard<br />
of Reyes Winery. This year’s event will benefit<br />
the <strong>SCV</strong> Senior Center. For more information<br />
visit reyeswinery.com or call<br />
661-268-1865.<br />
Robert Reyes, of Reyes Winery, right, speaks about<br />
the upcoming Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival to<br />
be held on April 23.<br />
Silver Spur Celebration Honors<br />
Jill Mellady<br />
The College of the Canyons Foundation's<br />
Silver Spur Award for community service is<br />
one of the Santa Clarita Valley's most prestigious<br />
honors. This year’s honoree, Jill Mellady<br />
has been a tireless advocate for College<br />
of the Canyons. She will be honored <strong>March</strong> 19<br />
at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Universal Starview<br />
Room, 333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal<br />
City, 91608. For more information contact<br />
661-362-3434 or cocfoundation.com<br />
Executive Directors on the Move<br />
I’ve been surprised at the number of nonprofit<br />
executive directors on the move recently.<br />
I knew last year that Tim Davis, of<br />
Bridge to Home, was planning to retire in<br />
<strong>2016</strong>. But I am surprised that February has<br />
seen several other well-known nonprofits<br />
lose executive directors as well including<br />
Rachelle Dardeau from the <strong>SCV</strong> Senior Center,<br />
Ray Tippet of Circle of Hope, Inc. and<br />
DaAnne Smith of Single Mothers Outreach.<br />
Nonprofits are among the heart and soul of<br />
the <strong>SCV</strong>, (despite cranky grumblings from<br />
some who think there are too many outstretched<br />
hands). I make the case that the<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> would not be the awesome place it is to<br />
live without the numerous nonprofits in our<br />
landscape. It is nice to live in a place where<br />
people do care about others, and dig deep<br />
into their pockets to help. It’s what makes the<br />
<strong>SCV</strong> such a special place to live. With the<br />
changing of the guard at so many <strong>SCV</strong> nonprofits<br />
recently, the charity landscape will<br />
soon have a very different look, hopefully as<br />
vibrant as in years past.<br />
The Titanic, 104 Years Later<br />
The story of the Titanic still enthralls, even<br />
104 years after it sank to the bottom of the<br />
ocean and took so many lives with it. Meet Titanic<br />
expert and local author Bill Blowers at<br />
2 p.m. Thursday, <strong>March</strong> 10 at the <strong>SCV</strong> Senior<br />
Center, 22900 Market St., Newhall, 91321.<br />
Discover little known facts about many aspects<br />
of the Titanic and her tragic demise.<br />
Blowers will present fascinating expanded<br />
information and explain the “story” behind<br />
his novel, “Dangerous Betrayal – the Vendetta<br />
That Sank Titanic.” On display will be a scale<br />
model of the famed ship. Info: myscvcoa.org.<br />
Welcome Home to the <strong>SCV</strong><br />
Congrats to all the new <strong>SCV</strong> moms and<br />
dads (and grandparents, too!) After months<br />
of following the pregnancy of Deanna Rivetti-Reid<br />
on Facebook, it is hard to believe<br />
that the big day finally arrived (Feb. 13) and<br />
Giselle Josephine Reid (7 lbs., 13 oz. and<br />
20.75 in. born at 4:22 a.m.) was welcomed<br />
into the loving arms of her mom and dad,<br />
Deanna Rivetti-Reid and Kevin Reid, as<br />
well as grandparents Mardi and Dominick<br />
Rivetti, of Canyon Country.<br />
Also arriving, on Feb. 19, was Lucy, born to<br />
Martha Aguilera (and let’s not forget Phil!)<br />
of Kokolita Cakes & More. Have you checked<br />
out Kokolita’s new location? It’s a little tricky<br />
to find, 24623 Arch Street, Newhall, 91321,<br />
but well worth the visit. (I was fortunate that<br />
I was able to get my Kokolita’s empanada fix<br />
at the Ventura Farmer’s Market on a recent<br />
Sunday morning at College of the Canyons<br />
parking lot 5).<br />
At a Loss…<br />
I’m at a loss for words. We’ve had so many<br />
of our best taken from us in the past few<br />
months including Duane Harte and Frank<br />
Kleeman. Kathy Fortine, daughter of Bruce<br />
and Gloria Fortine, and graduate of William<br />
S. Hart High School, recently died at age 56.<br />
Too much loss and all too soon. R<br />
Michele E. Buttelman is the features and<br />
entertainment editor of The Westside <strong>Reader</strong>.<br />
She can be reached by email at Michele@<br />
Westside<strong>Reader</strong>.com.
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> THE <strong>Reader</strong> • 33<br />
g a r D e n g at e S<br />
Design: the most<br />
important landscape tool<br />
by Jane Gates<br />
Staff Writer<br />
Since it looks like the grand<br />
promise of El Niño rain<br />
seems to be offering an<br />
ever-shorter season of hope in<br />
our part of California, our<br />
reservoirs, water table, gardens<br />
and open lands are still not getting<br />
the water they need. Without<br />
a long winter season of<br />
precipitation to reverse the impact<br />
of years of drought, reducing<br />
water usage will be more<br />
important than ever in the<br />
coming dry season. (If we do<br />
have a lot of rain in the two remaining<br />
winter months, much<br />
is likely to wash off without the<br />
time to sink deeply into the<br />
ground.) So let’s be prepared<br />
for anything and look at how to<br />
design our gardens to look<br />
beautiful and function better<br />
than ever — regardless of what<br />
happens with rainfall.<br />
The best tool you have to<br />
create a successful water-wise<br />
garden is a design. Seriously. It<br />
may seem like an unnecessary<br />
waste of time or money, but,<br />
the more effort expended on<br />
planning and preparation, the<br />
better final product you will get<br />
— financially, practically and<br />
aesthetically. Whether you<br />
sketch it out on a napkin, have a full architectural<br />
scale plan done or draw it out in some<br />
fashion in-between, a plan will help you control<br />
the whole process.<br />
Winter months are the perfect time to put<br />
together all the aspects of the water-wise<br />
garden into a plan. Once you have considered<br />
what elements, materials, special features<br />
and some of your must-have plants, you can<br />
start designing. You will want to design with<br />
your individual tastes and lifestyle in mind as<br />
well as respecting your budget and the style<br />
and functionality of your house and lot.<br />
The idea is to get the biggest bang for your<br />
buck and the highest efficiency from your<br />
outdoor property. This means thinking of<br />
your garden with the same mind-set as you<br />
do when renovating the interior of your<br />
house. Place things where they function well<br />
and look great. It isn’t really a hard thing to<br />
do; look at your whole garden as a single entity<br />
— the big picture.<br />
Put yourself in control of your landscape<br />
design. Make sure you have all the measurements<br />
for where your house sits in the lot<br />
and any permanent structures or trees you<br />
intend to keep. You can sketch it out on grid<br />
paper or use a simple landscape software. If<br />
you need things simplified, it is better to do a<br />
rough, not-to-scale drawing on a piece of<br />
paper or on your computer than to do nothing<br />
at all. You can also hire a professional to<br />
help you or to provide anything from a hand<br />
sketch to a detailed architectural plan. The direction<br />
you take will depend on how you<br />
want handle the creation of your landscape.<br />
(How much control do you want over the finished<br />
product? Do you plan to stay in your<br />
house for a long period of time? How much<br />
time do you want to invest? Do you want to<br />
install it yourself? Do you want to put the design<br />
out for bids? What kind of budget do you<br />
realistically have to spend for both the design<br />
and the finished landscape?)<br />
A good design will offer easy access to all<br />
parts of the garden for maintenance, careful<br />
positioning of useful permanent structures<br />
(hardscape), good drainage, efficient irrigation,<br />
appropriate plant choices, a smooth visual<br />
flow and a major focal point for a<br />
primary point of interest.<br />
1. Start with a layout of the basics of your<br />
property including property lines and all permanent<br />
features from house to trees to cement<br />
and anything else that you will be<br />
working around.<br />
2. Add essential areas like patios, walkways,<br />
garden beds, fencing, trees, orchards or<br />
vegetable areas, swimming pools, outdoor<br />
rooms/bars/kitchens, sports/play/child/pet<br />
areas, etc.<br />
3. Lay out utility lines, drainage and irrigation<br />
— make sure you are thorough since<br />
adding these subterranean lines after the<br />
landscape is installed will be intrusive and<br />
expensive.<br />
See Garden Gates, page 34
34 • THE <strong>Reader</strong><br />
w h at a Pa i r!<br />
everyone’s a ‘little bit irish’<br />
on St. Patrick’s Day<br />
Enjoy this baked corned beef<br />
and cabbage hash recipe<br />
by Beth P. heiserman<br />
Contributing Writer<br />
<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Have you ever had an Irish wine?<br />
Many people are familiar with Irish<br />
whisky, beer and even Irish<br />
liqueurs. Who doesn’t love Irish crème<br />
liqueur and coffee? However, the Irish do<br />
make wine, too!<br />
They grow varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon,<br />
Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer,<br />
and many others. They also<br />
produce apple and pear hard cider and<br />
even mead (honey wine).<br />
The European Commission has now officially<br />
listed Ireland as a wine producing<br />
country. We know from history that in the<br />
5th century, the monks planted a vineyard<br />
at the Cistercian monastery in County<br />
Kilkenny.<br />
In 1300 an Irish Dominican friar, Father<br />
Geoffrey, who spoke many languages,<br />
wrote about viniculture and fermentation.<br />
As time passed, fewer monks were<br />
needed for the production of wine because<br />
many wine-educated Irish started to commercialize<br />
the industry. Today we have<br />
many winemakers in America and other<br />
parts of the world which had ancestors<br />
who made wine in Ireland.<br />
Did you know that the traditional St.<br />
Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef<br />
and cabbage started<br />
in the early 1900’s in<br />
New York?<br />
This dish was<br />
originally made<br />
with bacon and<br />
cream. Many Irish in<br />
the United States realized<br />
that corned beef was a less expensive<br />
choice than using the traditional bacon. In<br />
Ireland, pork was very economical, but in<br />
America it was pricey.<br />
Americans ate beef which was very affordable.<br />
The Irish middleclass frequented<br />
many Jewish delis and markets where they<br />
would enjoy eating corned beef.<br />
Corned beef and cabbage became so<br />
popular it was served at President Lincoln’s<br />
inauguration dinner in 1862.<br />
My grandmother always made casseroles<br />
for dinner in her CorningWare or Pyrex<br />
dishes, which I still have. Casseroles are<br />
comfort food and remind us of good memories.<br />
She would tell me stories of my<br />
grandfather’s stepfather George, whom<br />
was Irish.<br />
Every year my grandmother would make<br />
corned beef and she would wear a silver<br />
leprechaun pendant for St. Patrick’s Day.<br />
Even though we weren’t Catholic, she<br />
would celebrate this holiday for George’s<br />
memory because he was Irish.<br />
And isn’t everyone a “little bit Irish” on<br />
St. Patrick’s Day?<br />
Baked Corned Beef and Cabbage Hash<br />
Recipe by Beth P. Heiserman<br />
Ingredients<br />
1 cabbage, chopped<br />
2 tbsp. olive oil<br />
1 medium onion, chopped<br />
1/2 cup Reyes 2013 Sauvignon Blanc<br />
1 lb corned beef<br />
3 cloves garlic, chopped<br />
8oz. carrots, sliced<br />
8oz. parsnips, sliced<br />
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley<br />
1 cup nonfat milk (you can use any type<br />
of milk or cream)<br />
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard<br />
1 lb Yukon potatoes, cut into chunks<br />
6 oz. Dubliner cheese, shredded<br />
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt<br />
1/4 tsp. pepper<br />
Directions<br />
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.<br />
2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over<br />
medium heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper<br />
and Reyes 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and<br />
cook, covered, stirring occasionally,<br />
until tender, 8 to 10<br />
minutes.<br />
3. Add the corned beef and<br />
garlic and cook,<br />
sear on both sides,<br />
for about 4 minutes.<br />
4. Remove from heat and fold in<br />
the cabbage, carrots, potatoes,<br />
parsnips and parsley.<br />
5. In a bowl, whisk together the milk and<br />
mustard.<br />
6. Pour the cream mixture into pan.<br />
7. Cover the Dutch oven with lid or foil,<br />
and bake for 45 minutes.<br />
8. Uncover, sprinkle with the cheese, and<br />
bake until the potatoes are tender and the<br />
top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes<br />
more. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.<br />
R<br />
Beth P. Heiserman is the sales and marketing<br />
director for Reyes Winery in Agua<br />
Dulce. She is also the event director for the<br />
Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival. Heiserman<br />
has spent her life in a “food and wine”<br />
family, as well as working in restaurants and<br />
in the sale of “spirits.”<br />
Garden Gates<br />
continued from page 33<br />
4. Add plant choices and construction material<br />
preferences.<br />
5. Fill in the details from final finishes to<br />
furniture and décor.<br />
There are two really big reasons to do a<br />
plan. The first is so you can avoid making expensive<br />
mistakes. The second is to keep control<br />
over the whole process. Whether you<br />
intend to do the work yourself, bring in some<br />
consulting or help or hire someone to do<br />
everything for you, you want to end up with<br />
your garden, not someone else’s. You will<br />
want a landscape you’ll love living in for<br />
The Cougars’ hannah Green (West Ranch high) began at Sonoma State before transferring to College of the<br />
Canyons. She led the state in blocked shots this year and was third in rebounds. in one game, she had 15 blocked<br />
shots.<br />
Basketball<br />
continued from page 20<br />
ago at the William S. Hart Union High School<br />
District after 37 years. He spent the last seven<br />
years of his teaching career at the Academy<br />
of the Canyons and has also taught and<br />
coached basketball at Hart High.<br />
COC freshman Marina Rojas has been a<br />
strong asset for Herrick as she runs the floor<br />
from the point guard position and led the<br />
team with 15 points and two steals in its final<br />
home game of the year.<br />
In 2014, Herrick won his 500th game as<br />
head coach. He currently has an overall<br />
record of 514-223.<br />
-----<br />
The Valencia High girls’ basketball team<br />
beat West High of Torrance by 30 points in<br />
the first game of the season. So you would<br />
think it wouldn’t take much effort to at least<br />
record a win against the same team in the<br />
CIF-SS 1AA quarterfinals. But West High rallied<br />
for a 43-41 comeback win in the playoffs<br />
to upset the No. 2-seeded Vikings and end its<br />
season, much to Valencia head coach Jerry<br />
Mike’s dismay.<br />
The Vikings were outscored 17-9 in the<br />
fourth quarter and ended the year with a 23-<br />
7 record.<br />
The Vikings won the Foothill League with<br />
a perfect 10-0 record and were led by the<br />
play of Kenadee Honaker, and Kayla Konrad,<br />
who finished the night against West with 13<br />
points. They received clutch long-distance<br />
shooting from Sabrina Thompson all season<br />
long.<br />
many years.<br />
A plan breaks everything down into understandable<br />
pieces and can keep you from<br />
feeling overwhelmed. You can even do your<br />
installation a little at a time in accordance<br />
with your time and budget and still be confident<br />
all the pieces will fit together in the end.<br />
Drawn or printed designs offer you control of<br />
your over-all budget by allowing you to plan<br />
ahead and prioritize.<br />
Start with basic design principles, make<br />
sure everything works practically, consult experts<br />
to avoid making major mistakes and<br />
have that physical landscape plan in hand before<br />
breaking soil. This will be your most important<br />
tool in creating a landscape you can<br />
love for years — with or without a lot of rain.<br />
The Vikings won their second-round game,<br />
63-28, over Downey High after receiving a<br />
first-round bye.<br />
----<br />
The Hart girls’ basketball team made it to<br />
the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2A<br />
playoffs before a road loss ended their season<br />
against Dos Pueblos of Goleta, 68-65.<br />
Coached by Terra Palmer, the Indians ended<br />
the year at 15-13. Nicole Benz led the team<br />
with 25 points and seven rebounds in the<br />
final game.<br />
----<br />
Trinity Classical Academy fell in the quarterfinals<br />
of the CIF-SS Division 5A girls’ basketball<br />
quarterfinals, 48-41.<br />
Trinity junior point guard and co-captain<br />
Taylor Oshiro led her team with a game-high<br />
31 points in the loss. Trinity head coach Jessica<br />
Bethke’s Knights ended the year 16-6<br />
and advanced to the division quarterfinals for<br />
the first time.<br />
The only other player to score for Trinity<br />
besides Oshiro was JaNasjia Bethke, who had<br />
10 points.<br />
----<br />
Santa Clarita Christian girls’ basketball<br />
team did much of the same as Hart, falling in<br />
the second round of the 5A playoffs in a 49-<br />
28 loss to Avalon of Catalina Island. Payton<br />
Schwesinger led SCCS (13-8) with 20 points.<br />
R<br />
Steve Pratt reports news and notes and from<br />
in and around Santa Clarita Valley press boxes,<br />
locker rooms and coach’s offices.<br />
Don’t balk at spending a little money and/or<br />
time here. It will be worth whatever you invest<br />
and could end up saving you thousands<br />
of dollars. R<br />
You can find Jane locally at Gates & Croft<br />
Horticultural Design where she offers garden<br />
consultations and quick-sketch or formal landscape<br />
plans (www.gatesandcroft.com). A professional<br />
artist and writer, she is the author of<br />
“All the Garden’s a Stage” and “Design a Theme<br />
Garden”. She is a licensed landscape contractor<br />
and a member of the Association of Professional<br />
Landscape Designers, Garden Writers<br />
Association and Great Garden Speakers. Jane<br />
is a resident and avid gardener here in Santa<br />
Clarita.