SCV Reader March 2016

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18 • THE Reader Reader Opinion o u r V i e w leases as well as alternative and independent films that don’t often find their way into the Santa Clarita Valley. Also included are a six-level public parking structure and mixed-use buildings with retail spaces and 46 housing units. Absent from the vote was Councilwoman Laurene Weste, who recused herself from the proceedings because she owns property near the project, which would create a conflict of interest. The lone dissenter was Councilman TimBen Boydston, who is employed as executive director of the nearby Canyon Theatre Guild. He objected to the public expense of $15.2 million for the 400-space parking structure as well as the project’s $3.4 million subsidy for the theater. State officials had cleared the way for Boydston to participate, saying his role with the nonprofit CTG did not constitute a legal conflict of inlaemmle Deal an investment in old town newhall DaV e b o S S e r t by Dave Bossert Contributing Writer March 2016 horticulture Death has descended onto Stevenson ranch What kind of Old Town Newhall do you want? We’d like to see an Old Town Newhall that serves as a hub of community activity for decades to come, a haven for arts and entertainment, with great alternatives for shopping and dining. That, fortunately, appears to be the kind of Old Town Newhall that the majority of our City Council wants, too. Many steps have already been taken, from the addition of live theater and new shops and restaurants, to the construction of the city’s signature library. The latest step came as the council voted 3-1 in favor of a project that is likely to become a major anchor for a revitalized historic downtown, and it represents a major public investment in helping Old Town Newhall secure its role as a long-term community centerpiece. The highlights include a sevenscreen Laemmle art-house theater, which will show mainstream film re- Community Should reserve Judgment on Clwa-nCwD merger See Laemmle, next page Let’s all take a deep breath. When the Castaic Lake Water Agency and Newhall County Water District announced they were in discussions about joining into one agency, you could have predicted the kneejerk reactions from CLWA’s critics. Those predictions would have been accurate, as evidenced by the critics’ testimony at a Feb. 4 workshop held jointly by the two agencies. Do the critics have some valid gripes? Perhaps. But they, and the rest of the community, would be wiser to reserve judgment – because it’s possible CLWA and NCWD just might be onto something. Ironically, that “something” could address many of those same critics’ long-running concerns about public control over the way our valley’s water is managed. Here’s a Reader’s Digest version of how it works now: We get water from two primary sources: Local groundwater, and imported supplies, led by the State Water Project. CLWA is our local wholesaler of imported water. Water is provided to customers by four retailers, each with its own service area. The NCWD is one. The other three include a small L.A. County water district serving Val Verde, the Santa Clarita Water Division (which used to be a private company but was acquired by CLWA, which now operates it) and the Valencia Water Co., founded by The Newhall Land and Farming Co. as it developed Valencia. CLWA is overseen by a board that is mostly elected by the public, but also includes one appointed representative from each retailer. CLWA acquired Valencia Water a few years ago, meaning it now owns the two largest retailers, and that’s one of the issues that resulted in litigation between NCWD and CLWA. That litigation led to settlement talks starting last year. From there, it Over the last several weeks I have taken special notice of the trees along Stevenson Ranch Parkway in Stevenson Ranch. A few of the trees are starting to bloom but many look like the skeletal remains of once vibrant trees. Drip irrigation lines have been hastily added around these trees recently, likely when the Landscape Maintenance District (LMD) realized that the trees might be dying. It is heartbreaking to see a horticultural genocide playing out in our community especially since, as residents, we are all paying LMD and HOA fees to maintain the common areas. It is appalling to see dead or dying ground cover that has been sprayed with a green substance masking its hideousness. A center median that is filled with weeds that occasionally gets mowed. Remind me, why are we paying these fees? The community common areas as a whole, look tattered; an unkempt mess of weeds and dying trees. Long gone are the days when driving into Stevenson Ranch felt like driving into a beautifully landscaped environment that was lush; a dreamy corridor of well groomed shrubs, manicured lawns, healthy trees, and center medians capped with lavish flowers bursting with color. I’m forlorn for those days. To may dismay, the community evergreen tree, a majestic forty footer that becomes a holiday tree adorned with lights during the Christmas season has succumbed to neglect. Those responsible have murdered what was a healthy vibrant tree. They have in essence killed a Christmas tradition, for if lights were strung on the bare branches of this dead tree it would likely turn into a momentary vertical Yule log; a brief holiday funeral pyre. Replacing such a mature tree will be prohibitively costly. If all of these trees are dead, then who is responsible? The LMD, which has done an exceedingly poor job and is responsible for the was kind of like a new couple meeting for the first time at a nightclub: One thing led to another… The negotiations led to discussions of the agencies’ common goals and principles. Evidently, they have more in common than they once thought. Fast forward to early-2016, and the agencies have jointly announced they are in discussions that could lead to the creation of a new valleywide water agency that would oversee wholesale and retail operations. They’ve made no formal decision, and if a new agency is to be created, it will almost certainly need approval from both the state Legislature and the Los Angeles County Local Agency declining quality of the landscaping over the years, which is evident of that deteriorating service. Or should we point to the HOA and the lack of leadership in directing the LMD service? Either way it continues to spiral down with no indication of a plan or even signage hinting that plan is underway. I’ve been hearing that there is a plan for rehabilitating the landscape but none has been revealed to the community. This has been going on since last year and nothing meaningful has been disseminated to residents, instead all we see is continuing degradation of the common areas, a gardening massacre, which is having an impact on the esthetics of the Stevenson Ranch neighborhood. The lack of visual curb appeal has a direct correlation to home prices. We all want to live in a community that is well taken care, which has curb appeal; a community that you are proud to call home. Look at Valencia Blvd in Westridge or the Pico Canyon medians, they have draught tolerant plants. How long does it take to make a similar choice for the Stevenson Ranch medians? It doesn’t and there is no plausible reason at this point as to why it has taken as long as it has to get the landscaping fixed. The state of the common areas in Stevenson Ranch is abysmal in comparison to the home values and what homeowners are paying in LMD and HOA fees. It’s time that both the LMD and the HOA step up and get the community common areas back in order. If they can’t do that then it’s time for new leadership that can actually get that job done. R Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. He is an award winning artist, filmmaker and author. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the Westside Reader. Dave writes a regular weekly column online at www.thescvebeacon.com Formation Commission, which oversees government agency boundaries. They’ve promised an open, transparent process, and it will take time — we’d guess it will go into 2017. There are many details to sort out, and the LAFCO approval process, in particular, should provide the community ample opportunity to review the concept and weigh in on it. Is a new valleywide water agency a good idea? Maybe, maybe not. It’s too soon to know for sure, so it would be irresponsible to rely on knee-jerk reactions. Community members should reserve judgment, and render informed opinions when all the details are — if you’ll pardon the expression — flushed out. R
March 2016 THE Reader • 19 C a m e r o n S m y t h key Supreme Court Cases Could end in 4-4 tie S C ot t w i l k in wake of aliso Canyon gas leak the Public utilities Commission needs reform by Cameron Smyth Contributing Writer by Assmemblyman Scott Wilk Contributing Writer If the upcoming Presidential election wasn’t important enough, the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has put a spotlight on one of the most critical functions of the President and the Senate — the appointment and confirmation of the members of the Supreme Court. This appointment is even more critical as the Court was viewed as a “center-right” body by a slim 5-4 margin with Scalia. The loss of the most conservative member now puts the court at 4-4 with several key decisions pending before it. What happens in the case of a tie vote?? The lower court’s ruling stands and in the current session that can mead heart ache for both Liberals and Conservatives. Here are a few of the cases court watchers feel are most likely to end up 4-4 along with the ruling of the previous court: Abortion: In what many are calling the most significant abortion case in decades, the court will hear a challenge to a Texas law in that in effect eliminates 75% of the abortion clinics throughout the state as a result of Legislative restrictions on abortion services... Lower court upheld the restrictions, thus the closures would proceed Immigration: A case that has received national attention, the court will consider whether the Obama Administrations executive order which protected undocumented workers from deportation and to allow them to continue to work. Lower court ruled against Administration meaning deportation can proceed Union Dues: Initiated by a case involving the California Teachers Association, the court is to decide whether public employees who choose not to join unions are still required to pay dues for the union’s collective bargaining activities. Lower court ruled in favor of Unions, requiring support for bargaining activities Laemmle Voting Districts: The 14th Amendment sets that each legislative district must contain approximately an equal number of people. However, what is being challenged is whether districts should have the same number of people or the same number of eligible voters. A ruling for eligible voters would have significant impact in California as undocumented residents would not be counted, thus diluting heavily democratic urban districts. Lower court ruled in favor of counting ALL residents, not just eligible voters Along with the fate of these and several other major cases to be decided by the Supreme Court, the greater debate is now whether President Obama should nominate a replacement or leave a vacancy for the next President. I expect Obama will make a nomination and the Senate will simply not hold a hearing, which is their right as a co-equal branch of Government. And if you think this is some Republican ploy with no precedent look no further than the following quote from Vice President Joe Biden, who is now ironically the President of the Senate, where he said in 1992 on the Senate floor: “As a result, it is my view that if a Supreme Court Justice resigns tomorrow, or within the next several weeks, or resigns at the end of the summer, President Bush should consider following the practice of a majority of his predecessors and not — and not — name a nominee until after the November election is completed”. Can’t you just picture the Presidents reaction when that CSPAN video surfaced. . . . Priceless. R Cameron Smyth is a lifelong resident of the Santa Clarita Valley who served six years on the Santa Clarita City Council before being elected to represent the Valley in the State Legislature. After leaving the Assembly in 2012, Cameron returned to the private sector and continues to reside in Newhall with his wife and three children. continued from previous page terest, which ironically received approximately a half-million dollars in city assistance to relocate to downtown Newhall. Boydston staged what amounted to a late-night filibuster, speaking for about an hour regarding his opposition to the Laemmle plan and his suggestion for a stripped-down project for the site, across the street from the Old Town Newhall Library. His long-winded soliloquy tested the patience of Mayor Bob Kellar, who twice urged Boydston to be more concise. Fortunately, the other three council members recognized that this project — which guarantees Laemmle will operate the theater for at least 15 years — will provide major economic and social benefits to Old Town Newhall. The parking structure will be for the use and benefit of everyone who visits Old Town Newhall and all of its business, and the subsidy for Laemmle represents an investment in Old Town Newhall’s future. It has become a fact of life that governments assist projects like this one, and the costs of the subsidies are recouped via future sales tax revenue. In the long run, the city will come out ahead — and so will the community. R Do you recall the last movie you rented from Blockbuster? I know I don’t! Today everyone is using Netflix, HBO GO, and ‘the cloud’ to get the latest and greatest shows and movies. But that’s how society works – huge companies and organizations become outdated and obsolete over time, eventually being surpassed by something new and innovative. As families move back in their homes after the Aliso Canyon gas leak disaster, it’s clear that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is one of these old authoritative bodies — we need something new and improved to protect Californians. Back in 1911, California voters established a Railroad Commission and in 1912, the same year California Governor Hiram Johnson was the vice presidential nominee with Theodore Roosevelt on the Bull Moose Party ticket, the Legislature expanded the Commission’s regulatory authority to include things like natural gas, electrical power, telephones, water companies, and of course it still regulated railroads. In 1946, this commission was simply renamed the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC. But it also expanded its regulatory power to include taxis, limousines, marine transportation and other commonly used things in the hopes that one regulatory body could best oversee these mixed services. In the century since its establishment, the utilities and industries under the oversight of the CPUC have grown and evolved to the point where the current structure of the CPUC is ineffective at best, and obsolete as worst. Ultimately, this leaves Californians without the proper regulatory protections that we all pay to have — and recent disasters highlight this. In September of 2010, a natural gas pipeline exploded into flames in a residential neighborhood in San Bruno, two miles from the San Francisco International Airport. The roar was so loud and shaking so severe, residents initially believed it was an earthquake or a jetliner had crashed. The explosion and fire killed 8 people, injured 58, destroyed 38 homes and damaged 70 more. And after the radiation leak in 2012 at the San Onofre nuclear power plant, a state investigator is now looking into criminal charges against the former CPUC president, Michael Peevey, over backdoor meetings and unreported communications. Specifically, Mr. Peevey worked behind public view to push the idea that Southern California Edison, who owns the San Onofre nuclear power plant, would fund $25 million of greenhouse gas research at UCLA as a part of the $4.7-billion settlement. Most recently, Porter Ranch experienced the worst natural gas leak in U.S. history. 87,000 metric tons of methane has been released into the atmosphere, and thousands of families have been displaced due to obvious health concerns. The cause of the natural gas leak was due to a breached metal pipe, however the safety valve that was removed in 1979 was never replaced and Porter Ranch residents have paid the price. In SoCal Gas’ 2014 General Rate Case Application to the CPUC, SoCal Gas testified for increasing customer rates in order to pay for safety and risk considerations, specifically to older 1940’s era wells at the Aliso Canyon facility. In other words, the CPUC already knew there were serious safety and risk concerns with older wells at Aliso Canyon. These disasters are evidence of the CPUC’s inefficiency and failures in being a regulatory body. Privately owned electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, railroad, rail transit, and passenger transportation companies present a very diverse portfolio of industry. Should the agency regulating UBER and hot air balloons be the same agency regulating California’s systems of natural gas and nuclear power plants? It’s become evident that the CPUC is not able to adequately juggle regulating these varied interests. This is why I joined Assemblymeber Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, in coauthoring an Assembly Constitutional Amendment, the Public Utility Reform Act of 2016. This bill will place an initiative before voters to strike Article 12 from the California Constitution, which would remove constitutional protections the CPUC so regularly enjoys. This would also require the California Legislature to reassign the regulatory functions of the CPUC by 2018. This constitutional amendment recognizes the 21st century presents different challenges that those of the 20th century. The CPUC should no longer be enshrined in the California Constitution, but instead ought to allow reform in order to reassign regulation of industries to more appropriate state bodies to provide greater accountability. The California Legislature understands the current structure of the CPUC is in dire need of modernization, and this legislation will ensure CPUC reform so all Californians get the 21st century protections they pay for. R Assemblyman Wilk represents the 38th Assembly District, which encompasses Simi Valley, the northwestern section of the San Fernando Valley and most of the Santa Clarita Valley. l e t t e r S Readers are encouraged to submit their views, reviews and questions as letters to the editor for publication in the Westside Reader. Submissions may be sent by mail or email. Letters are subject to being edited due to space constraints. Letters to the editor must include the author’s name, town and phone number for verification. Email: Info@westsidereader.com Mail To: 25876 The Old Road, Suite 66 Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381
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