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

August 31, 2010, marks nine years since Deputy Hagop “Jake” Kuredjian paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting the residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.  Jake was shot and killed in the line of duty while assisting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms during the service of a search warrant on Friday, August 31, 2001, in Stevenson Ranch. He was 40 years old. (more…)

A resident reported that marijuana was seen growing inside a home in the 25300 block of Via Telino in Valencia. Detectives received the crime tip and began an investigation. They were able to show that the crime tip was credible and there was evidence of marijuana being grown inside the home. Today, a search warrant was served at the home. Inside the home, the garage and three bedrooms were being used to grow marijuana. The home was in poor condition, with a mattress for sleeping laying downstairs in the living room and open trash cans filled with chemicals used to feed the plants upstairs. (more…)

The Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station recently developed and implemented a new system for tracking crime tips.  Analysis of the first 30 days of the new crime tip tracking and investigation system has shown that the new program is working effectively and generating results. Since implementation of the new crime tip program, 46 tips have been received and seven arrests have been made. 24 tips have been reviewed and closed, and 16 tips are actively being worked. The process is automated, provides a follow-up and accountability system, assigns specific sheriff’s personnel to each crime tip, and requires that tips are resolved in a timely manner. (more…)

With little rainfall and hot and dry summer months, the valley must carefully manage limited water supplies. So throughout the year, Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA) is asking all customers to rethink water consumption and to reduce water usage by 10 percent. Here are the top 10 easy ways you can conserve: (more…)

(From Science Daily) A group of “professional couch potatoes,” as one researcher described them, has proven that even moderate exercise — in this case walking at one’s own pace for 40 minutes three times a week — can enhance the connectivity of important brain circuits, combat declines in brain function associated with aging and increase performance on cognitive tasks. (more…)

The following is political activity for Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 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…)

Something morally viral seems infect too men these days. They are starting to turn into something very different from the kind of man defined by the Age of Chivalry and the classic Code of a Gentleman. This change seems to be almost as radical as the dinosaurs believed to be changed into birds. But what is happening to so many men these days is a lot worse than a dinosaur being turned into a bird. It is even worse than the men in the Odyssey who were said to be bewitched by Circe and changed into swine. (more…)

The West Ranch Town Council will hold their regular monthly meeting Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at the Tournament Player Club in West Ranch located at 26550 Heritage View Lane in the Westridge neighborhood at 6:30 PM. The meeting will include a presentation by L.A. County DPW / Landscape Architect on the proposed I-5-Pico/ Lyons Beautification Project plus the regular updates from the Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, Parks and Recreation, various County Departments and local HOA’s. The full agenda: (more…)

(From the Signal) A 43-year-old man was being held Monday on $305,000 bail after he allegedly assaulted and held his girlfriend against her will in a Stevenson Ranch hotel last week, authorities said. (more…)

The recently released 2009 Kosmont Cost of Doing Business Survey ranked the City of Santa Clarita among the “Ten Least Expensive Cities in Los Angeles County” in 2009 based on analysis of the overall cost of doing business within the community.  Joining Santa Clarita in the top 10 list (in alphabetical order) include the cities of: Agoura Hills, Bell Gardens, Cerritos, Diamond Bar, Glendora, Lancaster, Signal Hill, Walnut, and Westlake Village.  The City of Santa Clarita continues to offer businesses a lower cost option to doing business than other California cities such as Palmdale, Glendale, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica in this annual report covering 410 cities across the Country. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) Los Angeles County officials have failed to follow state law that requires them to publicly disclose child fatalities resulting from abuse or neglect, according to an independent audit released Monday. The violations involve “potentially dozens” of child fatalities, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. (more…)

(From sacbee.com) Legislation to toughen penalties against sex offenders in honor of Chelsea King, a murdered 17-year-old San Diego teen, cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday and was sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Assembly passed the measure, dubbed “Chelsea’s Law,” without a dissenting vote. (more…)

Our community is made up of a very diverse group of residents whose opinions are just as diverse. It is imperative that those individuals that wish to air their opinions and view points be allowed to do so without censorship, restriction or constraint. If not then we all jeopardize our freedoms! Amendment 1 of the U.S. Constitution states; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Recently The Signal refused to publish, without reason or explanation, a guest commentary by local community activist Roger Gitlin; thereby attempting to squash his freedom of speech. He then distributed his commentary via email to his network of friends and a copy of that email was forwarded on to The Beacon. We contacted Roger to discuss the situation and ultimately agreed that his guest commentary would be published here on The West Ranch Beacon. (more…)

(From the AP) California, birthplace of Hells Angels and home to legions of weekend motorcycle warriors, has taken its latest step to subdue the state’s boisterous two-wheeled culture. The state Senate on Monday voted 21-16, the bare majority needed, to pass a bill aimed at quieting the earsplitting roar from modified motorcycles. (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) Barns infested with flies, maggots and scurrying rodents, and overflowing manure pits were among the widespread food safety problems that federal inspectors found at a group of Iowa egg farms at the heart of a nationwide recall and salmonella outbreak. (more…)

(From the vcstar.com) Two blocks from an Oxnard City Hall targeted in an investigation on possible misuse of public funds, 52-year-old Rudy Perez laughed at the question, eyes widening, as if he were being asked if pigs fly. Trust government? “Hell, no. Would you trust them?” he said, voice rising. “They’re the biggest crooks in the world. You know that.” (more…)

(From Science Daily) A study led by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) chemist Richard Anderson suggests that a water soluble extract of cinnamon, which contains antioxidative compounds, could help reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and heart disease. (more…)

The following is political activity for Monday, August 30, 2010, 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…)

For the last several months I have sat back and watched the proposed City of Santa Clarita takeover of the local County Libraries unfold. The outcome was predictable from the first whiff that the City was eyeing the libraries and even before then with the controversy over the design of the new library slated for Newhall. This was a done deal from the moment it was couched. (more…)

Here is a terrific video by Nota FerryFan that showcases the good local residents speaking out against the City takeover of the County libraries. Nota FerryFan describes the video with this caption; “During the public hearing of 8.24.10, Santa Clarita’s City Council members voted 4 to 1 to take control of the county’s 3 libraries in SCV. This video contains various highlights of that public hearing.” To view the entire video click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUAacVuDz9U