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

On Capitol Hill today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce presented Republican Congressman Howard P. McKeon of California with the annual Spirit of Enterprise Award for his pro-business voting record during the second session of the 111th Congress. “The Chamber is honored to recognize Congressman McKeon for helping create an environment (more…)

Los Angeles County released the Draft Los Angeles County Bicycle Master Plan in early March. The proposed bikeways in the Plan will more than quadruple the amount of County bikeways within the next 20 years. (more…)

(From Science Daily) A new National Research Council report presents a 20-year road map for increasing U.S. resilience to earthquakes, including a major earthquake that could strike a highly populated area. The report was mostly written prior to the March 11 earthquake in Japan, but the committee of experts who authored it noted that the Japanese experience is a reminder of the devastation that can occur even in a country acknowledged as a leader in implementing earthquake-resilience measures. (more…)

It’s hard to do an estimation. But easily, there have been thousands of movies, TV shows, commercials and addendum films shot within the confines of the Santa Clarita Valley. Oddly enough, perhaps the most significant film from a local history standpoint is a little-heard of film noire entitled, “Suddenly.” If you really want to know what the SCV looked like a half-century ago, watch this movie. Better. Memorize it. (more…)

(From the AP) Low levels of radiation have turned up in milk samples from two West Coast states. Traces of radioactive Iodine-131 were found in milk in California and Washington, according to federal and state authorities who are monitoring for contamination as the nuclear crisis unfolds in Japan. But the officials say the levels are still 5,000 times below levels of concern. (more…)

The January 2011 numbers are in from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Welfare and Food Stamp allocations for parents who reside in the United States illegally and collect benefits for their native-born children in the County are up $3 million from one year ago. A staggering total of $53 in welfare benefits ($22 million for Cal WORKS plus $31 million for food stamps) are diverted away from deserving citizens to individuals who have entered the USA illegally. (more…)

“With a ballooning state budget deficit, Governor Brown’s decision to end budget negotiations is delaying California’s economic recovery,” said Mayor Michael D. Antonovich. “With governors across the nation rightsizing their state governments by reducing spending and taxes, California continues to keep its foot on the accelerator. (more…)

Mayor Michael D. Antonovich released figures from the Department of Public Social Services reported that in January 2011, $53 million in welfare benefits ($22 million CalWORKs + $31 million in Food Stamps) were issued to parents who reside in the United States illegally and collect benefits for their native-born children in Los Angeles County — representing an increase of $3 million from January 2010. (more…)

The family of fallen soldier Rudy Acosta is inviting the community to attend his funeral and procession to the gravesite next Thursday morning.  Specialist Rudy Acosta, age 19 was recently killed in Afghanistan. The funeral for Specialist Acosta will be held on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. at the Santa Clarita Baptist Church, 27249 Luther in Santa Clarita.  Following the funeral, a procession to Eternal Valley cemetery will commence at 12:15 p.m.  Eternal Valley is located at: 23287 North Sierra Highway. (more…)

Guy Lelarge at the Valencia Wine Company offers up a quick video on proper pronunciation of the various wine varieties such as Pinot Nior, Merlot, and Bordeaux among others. As always, you’ll receive a 15% discount on the purchase of any wines mentioned in this latest Guy’s Weekly Wine Tip video. View it all here: Guy’s Weekly Wine Tip

(From Science Daily) A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that higher levels of perfluorocarbons (PFCs) in the body are associated with increased odds of having experienced menopause in women between 42 and 64 years old. Women in this age group with high levels of PFCs also had significantly lower concentrations of estrogen when compared to women who had low levels of PFCs. (more…)

The following is political activity for Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 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. The Political Update will resume on Monday, April 4th. (more…)

(From cnbc.com) The number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms fell in March, despite continued downsizing in the public sector, a report said Wednesday. Employers announced 41,528 planned job cuts this month, down 18 percent from the 50,702 cuts announced in February, according to the report from consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas. (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) After staunchly defending the safety of artificial food colorings, the federal government is for the first time publicly reassessing whether foods like Jell-O, Lucky Charms cereal and Minute Maid Lemonade should carry warnings that the bright artificial colorings in them worsen behavior problems like hyperactivity in some children. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) Gov. Jerry Brown has abandoned his effort to negotiate a bipartisan budget, charging that Republicans were unwilling to support his plan unless he yielded to “an ever-changing list of collateral demands.” (more…)

(From the AP) Chris Rivest’s father sent him from San Francisco to the family vacation cabin near the Sierra Nevada crest with a seemingly simple chore — clear it and the driveway of snow. Easy for him to say. When Rivest arrived earlier this week at the cabin near Soda Springs, about 90 miles northeast of Sacramento, the snow was so deep it nearly touched the power lines crossing in front of the cabin. Snow was piled at least 10 feet high on top of the deck of the A-frame home. (more…)

After returning from a Department of Defense fact-finding trip to Alaska, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) today released the following statement on the President’s Monday evening address to the nation regarding military operations in Libya: (more…)

Mayor Michael D. Antonovich announced that the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the 55-point action plan he initiated to provide  comprehensive integrated services for the county’s child welfare system. (more…)

During the month of February, D.I.S.A.R.M. Officers confiscated 107 weapons – including 48 handguns,23 assault rifles, and 21 rifles/shotguns, $3.9 million in illegal drugs, and arrested 264 probationers during 1,400 unannounced searches of residences, persons, vehicles, and businesses, announced Mayor Michael D. Antonovich. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Calculations by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley estimate that the cancer risk associated with one type of airport security scanners is low based on the amount of radiation these devices emit, as long as they are operated and function correctly. (more…)