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

It is a tragedy that Israel gave Hezbollah and its sponsors just what they wanted - a major kill of civilians. Most tragic is more than half were children. But, is anyone asking - Why didn’t Hezbollah get those people to safety when Hezbollah was using that very area from which to fire rockets and missiles at Israeli civilians?

Israel dropped leaflets on the target area warning civilians to get out, yet, Hezbollah fighters, no doubt read the same leaflets and allowed the civilians to stay in the target area. Perhaps the charge is true - Hezbollah cares more about winning than about their own women and children. Why else would they launch rockets and missiles from schoolyards, mosques, and neighborhoods? Are there no open fields in Lebanon?

The United Nations Security Council may bring a temporary end to the killing on both sides but the fact that Hezbollah is armed, in defiance of United Nations Resolution 1559, proves the United Nations remains an impotent organization. Hezbollah should have been disarmed long ago and the new Democratic government of Lebanon would be at peace with Israel, no civilians would be dead. The blame for this tragedy must be laid fully on Hezbollah, not on Israel, and surely not on the United States.

Terrorists carrying, planting, and exploding bombs, shooting rockets and missiles, have murdered thousands. These are the very same people, and their State sponsors, Iran and Syria, who are calling Israel a terrorist State. Let us not forget that the fighting began after Hezbollah crossed Israel’s border and kidnapped Israeli soldiers, holding them as bargaining chips trying to extort prisoner releases.

When one looks behind-the-curtain who do we see hiding backstage?

It is interesting that all this took place just days before the G8 meeting. On the agenda of the meeting was to be a discussion about sanctions against Iran for its nuclear ambitions. Is it possible that Iran created the Middle East crisis to say to the United States and other nations - “you push us, we can push back”?

Intelligence sources agree that Iran and Syria are partners in supporting groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah who have sworn to destroy Israel. They have been supplying money and weapons to these groups and, therefore, have tremendous influence over them. World pressure must also focus on Syria and Iran.

After all the shooting finally stops, this question remains - When will the world, like Israel, have enough and join together to rid us of the terrorist scourge? Let’s remember - we are dealing with a minority claiming to represent a majority, at least that’s what they spin to the world.

All groups have a right to promote their dogma in a democratic society but none have the right to force that dogma on others at the point of a gun.

Talking, not shooting, should always be the first way forward.

People have the inherent right to choose whom they will follow and whom they will elect to represent them. The world is faced with a minority of radicals trying to do maximum damage to freedom. If they will not put down their weapons and talk, this minority must be crushed.

It will take Democratic nations to take a stand against these criminal actors, outside of the U.N. Security Council, because it’s the only way for freedom to take root in the Middle East.

I remain convinced that Israel’s battle against radical elements of Hezbollah and Hamas, and, the U.S. War on Terror in Iraq, can be catalysts to finally crush the criminals who have used innocents as a tool to impose radicalism upon the world. Every freedom loving nation should take the cue and make eradicating these killers the number one priority.

One must again ask - Is there any other nationality who has such a terrible history of being victims of hate and eradication as Israel? Who can honestly deny Israel’s right to defend herself, her right to destroy her enemies?

Israel was struck first. Innocent Israeli’s were killed first.

Hezbollah must be disarmed and forced to work within the Lebanese political system and allow the Lebanese people the freedom to decide the way forward. While Hezbollah has elected members in Lebanon’s Parliament, elements of Hezbollah, thus far, have used the point of a gun to force their will.

This can end if the nations of the world make an effort to end it.

Jim DeSantis

There are some who are wondering what the heck is happening in the Santa Clarita Valley lately. First, Darryl Manzer writes a descent column, in the local fish wrap, that actually had some great ideas and suggestions. Next, Chris Austin posts a piece on SCVTalk.com that picks up on Darryl’s ideas and embellishes on them in an intelligent way. She does this without espousing her usual communist doctrine that everyone and everything must be equal. What’s next, tangerine trees and marmalade skies, alien abductions or possibly Elvis sightings at the Town Center?

Maybe so, but I think that we are heading into autumn with the possibility of a very different atmosphere than has been experienced over the past year or so. It seems as though there is going to be more productive dialogue about the future of our valley and less death threats! This may go against the grain of the City politico whose tongues are already wagging about this week’s local columns and postings.

The fact is that many of us have much more in common than not. We are all interested in a better valley; we all care about our community. Whether that means the unincorporated areas annex into the City of Santa Clarita, a new city gets formed or the valley stays the way it is. What is important is that there is a thorough dialogue that is inclusive and respectful of the communities that will be most affected.

That discussion should have started a few years ago and would have been near a decisions point by now. Although, the local goon squad running the fish wrap would have you believe that it started 18 years ago. Unfortunately the West Ranch area was nothing more than cattle grazing on rolling hills way back then. Now there seems to be enough of a population that the community can have an active role in determining at least the future status of the west side.

One way that the city could actually start to gain some traction in regards to annexation would be to reflect on where they are now and how they got there. As I mentioned in yesterdays column, the city may want to look at bringing in a consultant that can evaluate whether or not some structural changes need to be undertaken as the city continues to grow. It is quite valid to ask such questions especially given the growth of the valley over the past 20 years.

It is obvious, based on local writings, that we have found some common ground. Now the questions is, can we get a ground swell going that will help be a catalyst for change valley wide. Is it possible for a group of residents to get the local political machine to change the way they do business? Is it possible for the City to shift the tactics currently being employed to grow itself?

In this topsy turvy world any thing is possible. Who knows maybe Darryl Manzer or Chris Austin will write a guest commentary for the West Ranch Beacon. That would truly turn heads here in the Santa Clarita Valley…….and rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies!

Dave Bossert

My friend that clips bits for me from the local fish wrap couldn’t wait to get the latest column from Darryl Manzer to me Sunday afternoon. He said that it wasn’t another attack and but felt I needed to see it sooner rather than later. I read it immediately and thought; “okay, who wrote this and what have they done with the real Darryl Manzer!”

Finally there was a column that was decent and acknowledged the other side. It was a column that was advocating a dialogue, something that I and many others have wanted all along, and didn’t attack any of us for the sake of selling papers. It was a column that actually had some constructive suggestion and some downright good points about how the city could jump start talks with the unincorporated areas.

Darryl asked a great question, why would those of us living in the West Ranch area want to trade five County Supervisors for five City Council members? He went on to suggest that the City of Santa Clarita may want to consider expanding the number of City council members. This, by the way, was a talking point that some of us in the unincorporated areas have brought up in the past. It is worth discussing because all organizations need to look at where they have been and where they are going. How an organization started out is not always how it can stay as it grows and the environment changes around it. The City of Santa Clarita may need to change how it operates if it wants to continue to grow.

One only needs to look at other cities, as Darryl pointed out in his column, like Suffolk, Va. which has seven council members or Chesapeake, Va. which has eight council members and a directly elected Mayor. You could also look at New York City which has 51 council members from 51 different council districts throughout the five boroughs that make up the city. Looking around the country many of these cities have changed the city charters, some multiple times, as the needs have arisen.

Darryl goes on to suggest that the City of Santa Clarita council members start to be more inclusive and respectful of the outlying town councils. Again, this has been a basic request that many of us have had for some time. Having a civil relationship with you neighbors is a good thing for the entire valley. Unfortunately, the City has not felt a need to have a good relationship with its neighbors to date. Remember, Councilman Frank Ferry bellowed that if the West Ranch area “didn’t annex, we’ll (the City) bury you!” Many of us are still waiting for Frank to shovel the dirt; he’s certainly been shoveling the bull crap up to this point though!

The column continues with the point that both sides should listen to one another. This is just a very basic part of a decent relationship. Again, I have advocated having discussions and that the city should be patient with those discussions. Everything needs to be put on the table regardless of what it is. Comparing services and asking questions is just a basic right in any discussion regarding annexation. Sadly though, when I did attend a City Council meeting to speak out against the City’s duel park fees Councilman Ferry, red faced, yelled out me for five minutes about annexation!

Generally speaking I thought that Darryl Manzer’s column this week was a good piece that had some excellent suggestions at moving the dialogue forward. No doubt there are going to be folks that think his suggestions are out of line or not possible. There are going to be a lot of excuses why the City can’t expand the council or why it is not possible to invite in representatives from the town councils. They’ll be city council members that will say it would be too hard, too difficult, and too expensive to make changes. There will be people that are incensed with outsiders suggesting changes to their City. All of that highlights why the City Council should probably look at these issues. Maybe it is time for the City to hire an outside consultant to evaluate these issues and make some unbiased recommendations.

Dave Bossert

Ok COC folks, if you know what is in the best interest of your school you better pick Bucks man Scott Wilk with-out delay. Don’t horse around. The choice of Scott is in the best interest of the community and the school, especially with Buck about to be running the education committee in Washington. Ok, MAINLY because of Buck. But who cares. This is our school and our community. We want the best and if this is one way to get it. So be it.

So please, you have a great opportunity here, don’t blow it. During the next election you can then bring on the Great Brian Koegle and round out that board with the best of the best.

Dont blow this COC!

Jack Murphy

The Los Angeles Times reported that Six Flags Corporation announced, after the stock market closed on Friday, that it intended to sell Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor as part single transaction sale. As previously reported, Six Flags the parent company is trying to reduce it’s dept load.

Speaking to Bloomberg News Service, CEO Mark Shapiro said that they may decide to keep the parks if they don’t receive an adequate offer for the six parks that are proposed for sale. The company said on Friday that it has sent out detailed financial information to potential buyers.

Land around the parks in the West Ranch area sells for $750,000 to $1 million an acre. That puts a value on the Magic Mountain parks of nearly $200 million or more. Local developer have expressed interest in the parcel. Newhall Land/Lennar is already developing a mixed use site of office and retail on property at the corner of The old Road and Magic Mountain Parkway. That proposed project will be presented to the west Ranch Town Council later this year.

The local parks have had a reputation in recent years for security problems and attracting a rougher crowd that has turned off the local family population. If the parks don’t sell then Six Flags may look at trying to re-tool the park so that it is a more family friendly environment. It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the demographic mix of the nearly 350,000 residents of the Santa Clarita Valley!

Over the past week I have heard all the bad there is to hear about Joe Lieberman from pretty much every Democrat I know, sans one. Everyone says Joe is a Republican. I want to bang my head against the wall. A Republican? Joe Lieberman? The liberal Democrat?

Well, apparently since Joe votes liberal on EVERYTHING except the War in Iraq Joe is a Republican. Its the 90/10 rule the Democrats seem to embrace these days. You can vote liberal on every issue, but if you vote for ONE thing that the President thinks is good and wants, well then you are a Republican. So, We have another NEW Republican we need to welcome into the party. Ted Kennedy. He voted in favor of the no child left behind, hell he actually WORKED with the President on the darn thing. That should make him our Chairman or something based on a Joe Lieberman comparison.

Some folks still just dont seem to get it. Why is it that pretty much the ENTIRE Republican party is supporting Joe Lieberman? Is it because of his anti-abortion stance? Uh, no. He is pro-choice. How about his stance on tax cuts? Uh, no. He opposes tax cuts and making them permanent. How about his, oh who cares. Joe is a Liberal plain and simple. He is a great guy however. Because he does what HE thinks and KNOWS is right. The reason everyone in the Republican party supports Joe is because we all know that Joe gets it. We know that Joe understands that what we are doing globally in the war on terrorism and in Iraq is important not just for today but for the future of this country.

So, when was the last time you saw an ENTIRE party come out in support of a opposition candidate? Um, never. Not like this. We dont want Joe for his liberal stance on a lot of issues, we want Joe to win because Joe freaking GETS IT folks! He understands that NOTHING matters if we fail in Iraq and fail in Afghanistan and if Israel fails in defeating the Hezbollos and Hamases. Joe knows that you aint gonna care about universal health care if your already dead. Joe knows that talking about taking an unborn baby’s life is moot if the mother is killed by a suicide bomber on a bus on her way to the mall.

You see, we support Joe and we would support ANY OTHER DEMOCRAT that got it. But most don’t. You want to win the election in November and then take the White House in a few years? Get a back-bone and wake the heck up. Please. We WANT to support you. We truly do. We would rather debate health care and all that other stuff then this. We CANT believe that there is still people in this country that just dont understand that this is it. This is the most important thing we can do right now in this day and age. And to NOT understand it is basically to be naive to the threat. I would prefer to not be known as the most scared generation. How about the most courageous generation instead!

I am worried about Iraq. I have been for a while. I doesn’t change my opinion of the goal however. I support the mission. No matter how concerned I may be I still get IT. If we leave them alone and bring all the troops home I get it that the bad people in this world dont just go back to work and forget about his. They hated us before George Bush came into office and they will hate when he is gone. There was more terrorist attacks on American interests during President Clinton’s time in office then there has been in George Bushes time in office. You have to ask yourself why so few now in comparison? Is it because we decided to take the fight to them? Or is because they just dont want to fight us anymore? Well, it cant be that one. All the anti-war folks in this country tells us that MORE people hate us now because of what we are doing. So what exactly is it? Its because we are taking the war to them. Not letting them bring it to us again. Preemption. I would not support a preemptive attack on Canada, but I would support one on Iran, North Korea, Somalia and anywhere else there is brutal oppression and terrorists states.

Now that you have read this, you can go back to work, make dinner for the family or head out to the mall and know that you are safe and secure daily here in the USA. I highly dought that any of you are worried about a terrorist attack on the way to Valencia town center. So, for all of us who do get IT. Your welcome!

Jack Murphy

The U.S. Housing starts have fallen for the fifth time in the last six months and that does not bode well for the Santa Clarita Valley. The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for July 2006:

BUILDING PERMITS
Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,747,000. This is 6.5 percent (±1.2%) below the revised June rate of 1,869,000 and is 20.8 percent (±1.3%) below the July 2005 estimate of 2,206,000.
Single-family authorizations in July were at a rate of 1,318,000; this is 6.1 percent (±1.3%) below the June figure of 1,404,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 342,000 in July.

HOUSING STARTS
Privately-owned housing starts in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,795,000. This is 2.5 percent (±8.7%)* below the revised June estimate of 1,841,000 and is 13.3 percent (±7.7%) below the July 2005 rate of 2,070,000. Single-family housing starts in July were at a rate of 1,452,000; this is 2.3 percent (±8.9%)* below the June figure of 1,486,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 264,000.

HOUSING COMPLETIONS
Privately-owned housing completions in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,927,000. This is 5.4 percent (±7.5%)* below the revised June estimate of 2,038,000, but is 2.3 percent (±9.8%)* above the July 2005 rate of 1,883,000. Single-family housing completions in July were at a rate of 1,665,000; this is 4.6 percent (±7.2%)* below the June figure of 1,745,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 244,000.

Early, it was reported that builder confidence has sunk to a 15 year low, a level not seen since February of 1991. One only needs to look around the Santa Clarita Valley, on any given Saturday, to see all of the Real estate For Sale signs littering the green belts. David Seiders, chief economist for a home builders’ industry group said “Two factors are coloring builders’ perceptions of the market right now — rising sales cancellations and substantial growth in inventories of both new and existing homes, These factors are largely the result of an increasing number of potential buyers adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude because of uncertainty about where the housing market is headed”. Also, speculators are fleeing the market, he said.

Los Angeles County Department of Building and Safety has opened up a case on the abandoned Good Guys building at Pico Canyon and The Old Road. As we have reported previously, since the electronics store closed earlier this year there have been problems with graffiti, abandoned cars and vandalism.

The building owners are currently in a lease dispute with the now defunct Good Guys and have not been cooperating with County requests to rectify the problems. County DWP has been handling the on going graffiti abatement. Now Building and Safety are getting involved because of the hazards of the apparent abandoned cars on the property. This may all get resolved quickly as rumor has it that the corner property may be the site of a new Office Max store. Let’s hope so!

Thankfully, the leadership of the Santa Clarita Valley Republican Assembly (SCVRA) knows how to run a meeting. They stuck to their agenda and the meeting moved along at a very good clip and got to the guest speakers on schedule. The worst thing about local community meetings is when they drone and drag on for hours on end. A few people I spoke with last night complained about a local meeting the night before that went on for nearly 5 hours. That kind of thing just turns off most residents from attending these meetings. Kudos to the SCVRA for doing it right!

I was very much inspired after attending the SCVRA meeting last night at the IHOP on Pico Canyon in Stevenson Ranch. The guests at this regular monthly meeting were our California State Senator George Runner and Mr. Mark Lunsford speaking about the Jessica’s Law Campaign.

Lunsford’s 9-year-old daughter, Jessica, was abducted last year from her Florida home. She was raped and killed. John Couey, who had been living just 150 yards away, confessed that he kept her locked in a closet for three days before burying her alive behind the mobile home where he was staying.

Mark has been doing a cross-country tour to urge states to pass tough anti-sex-crime laws like the new Florida statute named after Jessica. The push is on in Sacramento to sharply increase penalties for sex crimes and had come to Santa Clarita after meeting with Governor Schwarzenegger and Former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliano in Santa Monica. Both the Governor and the former Mayor support Proposition 83, also known as Jessica’s Law, which would set a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for sex crimes against children and require registered sex offenders to wear a GPS tracking system for life.

I was reminded of the actor Peter Finch who portrayed Howard Beale, a news anchor, in the 1976 film Network. You may recall that the Finch character, who was fed up, told his viewers to “go to your windows and shout I’M MAD AS HELL AND I’M GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE”. That was the sense that I got last night from Mark Lunsford who decided to turn his terrible personal tragedy into a campaign to get a Jessica’s law on the books in every state in our country. Based on seeing him last night, I believe that he will.

At 5:30 am a big rig driver lost control of his vehicle while heading south bound on the I-5 at Magic Mountain Parkway. The truck struck the center divider and apparently the load on the vehicle burst into flames.

ABC News has reported that the load was wine coolers. It doesn’t appear to be explosives related at this time. The southbound lanes were closed at Magic Mountain Parkway. The north bound lanes have been reduced to one lane open.

The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department reported that on August 16, 2006, at 4:15 p.m., a citizen reported that there was a male adult in Deputy Jake K. Park carrying an unknown type rifle and another male adult holding an unknown type pistol.

Deputies responded and contacted two teenage boys who had air soft guns in the area. Both boys were released to their parents with the appropriate admonishments about the danger of being in public with items that appear to be guns.

The Sheriff Deputies probably should have arrested the parents for allowing these boys to walk around in public caring guns. What were they thinking?! That is the kind of stupidity that can end tragically. Some of these people should not be allowed to raise children.

You may have missed it yesterday because it was a small story. It had nothing to do with the Mid East conflict nor did it involve a celebrity. The news story was about a couple who lived about 500 feet from the Gulf Coast in Mississippi.

Last year when Hurricane Katrina hit a five foot high wall of water washed through their home and did more than $130,000 worth of damage. The couple turned to their insurance company, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., which refused to cover the water damage because there was no flood insurance coverage in the policy.

The couple claimed that their insurance agent did not make clear that they were not covered for water damage and that in fact the “wind” had blown the water into their home. The policy did cover wind damage but they did not have the necessary flood insurance.

The Federal Court in Mississippi basically ruled that the couple could not effectively rewrite their insurance policy after the fact. The Judge went on to say the couple should have asked their insurance agent more questions and should have thoroughly read the policy to fully understand the coverage.

Finally a victory for personal responsibility! I am so tired of seeing stories where people are not taking responsibility for their own actions. Burning yourself with a hot cup of coffee does not give you the right to file a law suit against the vendor. Doing a 150 MPH in a boat, flipping it over and killing yourself should not be rewarded with a windfall from litigation. All of us as individuals need to take personal responsibility for our own action and not blame others for what sometimes amounts to stupidity.

If you live in a flood zone get the appropriate insurance. We in the Santa Clarita Valley live in an earthquake zone and should have the appropriate earthquake insurance coverage. I can tell you that I review my insurance almost on an annual basis especially as home prices have increased and as I have made improvements to my house. It only takes a few minutes to pick up the phone to speak with your agent and to ask a couple of intelligent questions. If and when disaster strikes I know that I am prepared. Are you?