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

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will host its annual “Fun In the Sun Chili Cookoff” from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 1, 2011, at the Jack Bones Equestrian Center in Castaic. This event is open to the public and traditionally draws thousands of area residents. (more…)

On October 1, as thousands of state prison parolees are released to the 58 counties, Mayor Michael D. Antonovich warned that the public should be prepared for an increase in crime in the coming year and another unfunded financial burden for taxpayers. “In dumping these felons on local governments’ doorsteps, the Governor is playing fast and loose with the facts. Contrary to his comments that realignment is a ‘bold’ step, it is actually a reckless and pathetic shirking of the state’s responsibility to its citizens.” (more…)

The Wild Beast Concert Series presents an eclectic line-up of CalArts jazz bands in lively performances of their hottest repertoire on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 4:00 PM. Each one will play one number: Latin, world-inflected, free, experimental, traditional, be-bop, fusion… CalArts is renowned for producing jazz phenoms who later become stars; come listen to these bands and you’ll be able to say “I heard them when…” (more…)

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month, everyone is invited to wear a pink ribbon in honor of or in memory of someone they love during the month of October. Pink Ribbon lapel pins can be purchased from Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital’s gift shop, Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center, and many SCV businesses. (more…)

(From Science Daily)  New observations by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, show there are significantly fewer near-Earth asteroids in the mid-size range than previously thought. The findings also indicate NASA has found more than 90 percent of the largest near-Earth asteroids, meeting a goal agreed to with Congress in 1998. (more…)

The following is political activity for Friday, September 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. (more…)

Novelist and column writer Auberon Waugh (1939-2001) wrote a wine book in 1986, that albeit is very dated when it comes to specific wine reviews, shows great wit. I found this interesting as my wit has all been drained from me after completing the Wine & Spirit’s Education Trust Level 2 course, that trains sommeliers to use wine descriptors that people understand. So I had to stop saying “cherry lifesaver candy” and instead use “ripe cherries”. I miss being caustic, and Waugh’s attitude is helping me regain my old self. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) Bank of America Corp. will charge customers $5 a month when they use debit cards to make purchases, a move likely to be followed by other banks as new federal regulations limit their ability to pinch consumers with big fees for overdrafts and late credit-card payments. (more…)

From the sacbee.com) Two days before the state starts shifting responsibility for certain low-level offenders to counties, Gov. Jerry Brown defended the plan this morning in an appearance with law enforcement officials at the Capitol. (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) Corrections officials in Sacramento said Thursday that they would discipline inmates who participated in a renewed hunger strike to protest conditions in the state’s highest-security prisons, where some prisoners have been held in virtual isolation for decades. (more…)

Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon visited the McGrath Elementary School on Thursday, September 29, 2011, and congratulated the administration, staff and students on winning the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award. Despite its being labeled a “school of poverty,” McGrath Elementary has consistently raised their national test scores and has earned four consecutive Title I Academic Achievement Awards. Last year, McGrath received their first California Distinguished Award. This year, McGrath was awarded the prestigious 2011 National Blue Ribbon Award. (more…)

The Community Hiking Club will be traversing Santa Clarita Canyons to Wilson Saddle and back on Saturday, October 1, 2011. This is an easy 6 mile hike with very little gain/loss. The best views in the Santa Clarita Valley are along this ridge. You will be able to see the SFV, the SCV and if it is clear, you will be able to see Catalina. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Earthquake prediction remains an imperfect science, but the best forecasts are about 10 times more accurate than a random prediction, according to a study published Sept. 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the study, UC Davis researchers compare seven different earthquake forecasts (including their own) that were submitted to a competition organized by the Southern California Earthquake Center. (more…)

The following is political activity for Thursday, September 29, 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. (more…)

A warm and Western howdy to you, dear friends. We’ve got a most interesting time ride through Santa Clarita history ahead. There’s teenagers to pick on and a bona fide rarity- a consultant hires a hit man. We’ve got rabbits, rustlers and a serious rethinking of the California Aqueduct through here. C’mon. No moans and groans. Once you’re up in the saddle, all things pretty much simplify. (more…)

(From the-signal.com) Despite a judge’s tentative ruling, the owner of land next to the preferred site for Castaic high school has refused to give up any property rights to the school site. Developer Larry Rasmussen, whose Romero Canyon property has been tentatively selected for the long-awaited school, said Wednesday the ruling over easement claims by his neighbor Eugene Lombardi have gone in his favor. (more…)

The DEMOC-rats are starting to disassociate the Obama ship. As the president refuses to pivot, holds firm on his failed policies, he introduces yet another $1.5 trillion in new taxes. To none one’s surprise or expectation, including his Democrat base, Obama is targeting the mega rich. Flanked by delusional Warren Buffett, Obama called on those earning more than $1 million annually to pay their fair share of the taxes. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, responding to federal investigations of jailhouse abuse, for the first time offered a detailed account of an FBI undercover sting that caught one of his deputies allegedly smuggling a cellphone to an inmate. (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) In another budget-related lawsuit, the League of California Cities went to Sacramento Superior Court on Wednesday to pursue $130 million in vehicle taxes that cities previously received from the state. Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers shifted those funds to local governments as part of the June budget to pay for public safety grants. It was a minor piece of the governor’s $5.5 billion “realignment” plan to transfer state responsibilities to the local level. (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) As the death toll rose this week in a devastating listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes, a national food retailer said that cantaloupe farmers and shippers must confront a history of food safety problems and take steps to make the fruit safe. (more…)