The West Ranch Beacon – News & Commentary for the Santa Clarita Valley

Spring is here, and so is the Pavilion of Wings. Come face to face with the majestic colors and brilliant patterns of more than 40 species of butterflies, and more super-sized moths in the twelfth-annual Pavilion of Wings at the Natural History Museum, April 11 through September 6. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Decades of drought, interspersed with intense monsoon rains, may have helped bring about the fall of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer civilization at Angkor nearly 600 years ago, according to an analysis of tree rings, archeological remains and other evidence. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may also shed light on what drives — and disrupts — the rainy season across much of Asia, which waters crops for nearly half the world’s population. (more…)

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The following is a roundup of political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It is courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available. (more…)

The meek shall inherit the Earth. But not its mineral rights.” — J. Paul Getty 

I’m really quite fed up with Barack Obama and his Socialist agenda. The final straw came this week when his administration help broker a deal with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Yesterday, the latter body in a 3-2 vote passed a measure that will give a European company broad powers here in our Santa Clarita that could, in the future, have devastating effects. (more…)

Finally, The Signal reports on a story that was reported here last week on The Beacon  and at SCV Talk. As usual there is a real bias to the Signal story favoring the City. There is no mention as to why the City spends money on ad campaigns that have no sustainability, instead we get just the usual spoon-fed answers to softball questions. Wouldn’t it be a more responsible use of City tax dollars to set up a youth oriented campaign that continues year over year regardless of who the Mayor is? But then again, they would not be able to promote an incumbent leading into an election year!! This is not election dirty tricks like Ferry uses regularly, these are ligitmate questions that need to be asked. (Posted with permission from The Signal) A local activist has filed a complaint against Santa Clarita City Councilman Frank Ferry, saying his “Mayor Dude” campaign last year was a misuse of public funds. City officials say there was nothing wrong with the Web-based effort to get youth involved in government, and the timing of the complaint is suspect. (more…)

Each day, numerous Santa Clarita Transit riders utilize the Commuter Express Service to arrive at their destinations with ease. To better serve these riders, the City recently launched an interactive map detailing Commuter Express destinations and connection opportunities. Santa Clarita Transit is also inviting riders to participate in an online survey about their experience on the popular local line. (more…)

(From the L.A. Times) A national index of home prices rose unexpectedly in January, with California cities posting strong gains, but some experts warned that the nation’s struggling housing market could be headed for another fall. (more…)

(From the Sacramento Bee) A San Francisco appellate court applied the brakes Tuesday to a judge’s order to end “Furlough Fridays” for tens of thousands of state workers, keeping furloughs in place. (more…)

A friend of ours flagged this piece and we thought that we would pass it on. It not only speaks to the national political frustrations but the local ones as well.(From the American Spectator) There is a quiet anger boiling in America. It is the anger of millions of hard-working citizens who pay their bills, send in their income taxes, maintain their homes and repay their mortgage loans — and see their government reward those who do not. (more…)

To ensure structural and seismic integrity, the Board of Supervisors approved a contract between the Department of Public Works and an independent engineering and consulting firm to provide geotechnical, materials testing, and inspection services for six new Santa Clarita Valley fire stations, announced Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.  The contract will assess risk posed by site conditions, earthwork and foundation construction and take necessary action to meet applicable standards. (more…)

(From the N.Y. Times) The debate over global warming has created predictable adversaries, pitting environmentalists against industry and coal-state Democrats against coastal liberals. But it has also created tensions between two groups that might be expected to agree on the issue: climate scientists and meteorologists, especially those who serve as television weather forecasters. (more…)

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control would like to remind the public of its extended public hours.  The County’s shelters are now open on Sundays, between the hours of 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.  The shelters will be open on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010 to accommodate families looking for a new pet. (more…)

Community members are invited to participate in two springtime community events this Sunday, April 3, including a Splash and Dash Egg Hunt at the Sports Complex Aquatic Center and Eggstravaganza, held at Central Park. Both events will kick off at 10 a.m. with a host of fun games and prizes for kids 10 years of age and under. (more…)

The following is a roundup of political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It is courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available. (more…)

Now that we have a wild Santa Clarita city election going on, I would like to ask my fellow commentators a professional question.  Can we try to keep up with the wild and animated nature of our local politics with commentary that is equally wild and animated?  And isn’t now the best time to take up the example of the great French painter Henri Rousseau, who animated his canvasses with the wildest animals to show what life was becoming like toward the blowsy 20^th Century? (more…)

(Posted with permission from The Signal) A new proposal from the Hart district could mean sending every high school student from Castaic to Valencia High School until the community gets a school of its own. The proposal, which would go into effect in 2011-12, will come before the William S. Hart Union High School District board Wednesday for approval. (more…)

Nota FerryFan is at it again with this latest video, “Tap Dancin’ In The SCV!” The video is described with this tag; “Watch Miss Marsha expertly tap dance her way through SCV’s tough issues while collecting mass quantities of dinero from special interest groups. We are so blessed to have her talent!” You can watch the entire video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzUPZcGCnqw  As always these YouTube videos represent Nota FerryFan’s own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization that that person may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.

(From the AP) California for the first time is commemorating Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year signed legislation making Tuesday an annual day of remembrance. He had originally vetoed an identical bill. (more…)

US consumer spending picked up for the fifth month running in February, lifting hopes that consumers could add momentum to the economic recovery. Personal consumption expenditure rose by 0.3 per cent to $34.7bn last month, commerce department figures showed on Monday. This followed an increase of 0.4 per cent in January and was in line with economists’ expectations. (more…)