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

(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…)

Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA 25) has hired Alissa McCurley as his new Communication Director in his Washington office. McCurley started this position Tuesday, September 27, 2011. “I am pleased to announce that Alissa McCurley is joining our team,” said Congressman McKeon. “Alissa will be an experienced and knowledgeable addition to the staff serving the people of the Twenty-Fifth District.” (more…)

Local members of the California Republican Assembly met Tuesday evening to participate in an endorsing convention for purpose of endorsing candidates running for election for local office in the Santa Clarita Valley November 8. For the Santa Clarita Community College District, Bruce Fortine was endorsed for reelection to Seat #4 and Scott Wilk was endorsed for reelection to Seat # 5. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Adolescents become smarter because they become mentally quicker. That is the conclusion of a new study by a group of psychologists at University of Texas at San Antonio. “Our findings make intuitive sense,” says lead author Thomas Coyle, who conducted the study with David Pillow, Anissa Snyder, and Peter Kochunov. But this is the first time psychologists have been able to confirm this important connection. The study appears in the forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science. (more…)

The following is political activity for Wednesday, September 28, 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…)

“I believe that our Heavenly Father invented man because he was disappointed in the monkey.”- Mark Twain; Years ago, my alma mater- the Mighty Indians at William S. Hart High School in Santa Enchirito- were putting together their Taste of Tradition Cookbook to sell as a fundraiser and were calling for entries from “notable graduates.” I’m not sure how I got onto that list. But, I sent a cherished family recipe for Monkey Bread: (more…)

Expedited judicial review for vital public and non-profit projects was unanimously approved today by the Board of Supervisors. In introducing his motion, Mayor Michael D. Antonovich said, “The State Legislature has the same responsibility to permit those projects that provide vital public services and non-profit capital projects in the County of Los Angeles that serve the public interest — as they did for a football stadium.” (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) Major health insurance companies have been charging sharply higher premiums this year, outstripping any growth in workers’ wages and creating more uncertainty for the Obama administration and employers who are struggling to drive down an unrelenting rise in medical costs. (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) The state of the California state park system gets the spotlight this morning as Capital Public Radio broadcasts live from the Governor’s Mansion, one of the 70 state parks slated for closure due to budget cuts. Bee columnist Dan Walters will talk to “Insight” host Jeffrey Callison about where the state’s governors have lived since then-Gov. Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan moved out. News reports at the time quoted her as calling it a firetrap. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) Firefighters contained a brush fire Tuesday evening near Castaic, but two northbound lanes on the 5 Freeway were still shut down, officials said. The shutdown prompted the California Highway Patrol to issue a Sigalert that was still in effect after 6 p.m. The brush fire was sparked by a big-rig that caught fire shortly before 3:30 p.m., officials said. The blaze burned about 30 acres in the Angeles National Forest before it was contained by crews from the U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles County Fire Department. No structures were threatened, officials said, and no injuries were reported.

Don’t make it easy for thieves. Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 32 year-old Simi Valley man in June 2011 after seeing him smash the window of a car in Santa Clarita. The victim was in a nearby gym and had left her purse in the car in plain view. Detectives soon connected the suspect to more than 50 window smash vehicle burglaries in the parking lots of local businesses and parks dating back to December 2010. (more…)