The West Ranch Beacon

Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

Faced with a persistent drought and the threat of tighter water supplies, Los Angeles plans to begin using heavily cleansed sewage to increase drinking water supplies, joining a growing number of cities considering similar measures.

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who opposed such a plan a decade ago over safety concerns, announced the proposal on Thursday as part of a package of initiatives to put the city, the nation’s second largest, on a stricter water budget. The other plans include increasing fines for watering lawns during restricted times, tapping into and cleaning more groundwater, and encouraging businesses and residents to use more efficient sprinklers and plumbing fixtures reports the New York Times.

The move comes as California braces for the possibility of the most severe water shortages in decades.

Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, which supplies about a third of Los Angeles’s water, is short of expectations. At the same time, the Western drought has lowered supplies in reservoirs, while legal rulings to protect endangered species will curtail water deliveries from Northern California.

Worsening the problem, Los Angeles is expected to add 500,000 people by 2030, forcing the city to examine new ways to meet demand. One option off the table, Mr. Villaraigosa said, is a repeat of the city’s troubled history, fictionalized in the movie “Chinatown,” of diverting a distant river southward to slake the city’s thirst.

Read it here: Los Angeles Eyes Sewage as a Source of Water

The Ride is Over for Reckless Motorcyclist in Canyon Country

The ride came to an end for a motorcyclist who is suspected in several incidents of reckless driving and evading Deputy Sheriffs in the Santa Clarita Valley, dating back nearly 18 months. The incidents apparently all involved the same motorcycle and rider, and occurred when deputies and California Highway Patrol Officers attempted to pull the motorcyclist over for various traffic violations, reckless driving, and no license plates on more than six separate occasions.

It became common practice for the suspect to immediately flee from the deputies and officers as they attempted the traffic stop. Although the deputies would immediately terminate their attempts to stop the suspect because of the potential danger to the public, in each incident the rider continued at a high rate of speed, routinely exceeding speeds of 100 miles per hour on Santa Clarita Valley surface streets, with no regard for the safety of other motorists, pedestrians, or himself.

During one of the incidents on Wednesday, November 15, 2006, a deputy was reportedly pulled two feet alongside the suspect’s motorcycle when he attempted to grab the suspect’s arm and prevent him from fleeing following a traffic stop. The suspect then reportedly turned around and drove back towards the deputy. As the deputy attempted to get out of the way, the suspect grazed him with the motorcycle and sped away from the area.

The latest incident occurred on Monday, May 12, 2008, where a motorcycle deputy from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station used his hand-held laser to document, who they believe is the same motorcyclist, traveling at over 100 MPH in the 22500 block of Soledad Canyon Road. The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the rider continued at a high rate of speed westbound on Soledad Canyon Road to Creekside Road and out of sight.

The deputies finally got the break they had been waiting for when another deputy recalled recently spotting a motorcycle matching the description parked in the 14000 block of Begonias Lane, Canyon Country. Investigators from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Traffic Department set up an operation in the area on Tuesday, May 13, 2008, and arrested the suspect without incident.

The helmet the suspect was wearing and the motorcycle, 2006 Honda CBR, were both recovered. Ironically, the helmet the suspect was reportedly wearing during one of the incidents had a sticker with the following phrase on it: “Capable of Evading High Speed Pursuit”. Deputies found the suspect was also on probation for Reckless Driving.

Joseph Milhoan, MW/21, of Canyon Country, was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station on several felony and misdemeanor charges and his motorcycle was impounded.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office - Newhall filed one felony count of Reckless Evading with Willful Disregard for Public Safety, one felony count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Peace Officer, one misdemeanor count of Reckless Driving and one misdemeanor count of Driving on a Suspended License. The suspect was in court today and his arraignment was continued to Friday, May 30, 2008. He was remanded to custody and is currently being held in lieu of $125,000 bail.

Traffic deputies are grateful this reckless behavior was brought to an end before anyone was seriously injured or killed. They were very concerned that this unsafe practice could end in tragedy and were especially concerned because of recent increase in the number of incidents involving fatalities of teenagers and young adults who were also riding motorcycles, many times recklessly or without a license or training.

During a 12 month period, between February 2007 and February 2008, there were five fatality related collisions in the City of Santa Clarita and four of them involved motorcyclists. The City of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station launched an aggressive Public Safety Months campaign in an effort to raise awareness in the community regarding these types of public safety related matters.

The February 2008 message was pertaining to motorcycle and bicycle safety. For more motorcycle related facts, training classes and safety information, visit the following link: Motorcycle and Bicycle Safety.

The investigation is ongoing and there is no further information at this time.

If You See Something, Say Something! Report non-emergency crime anonymously by visiting the following link: Crime Tips or calling (661) 284-2-TIP / (661) 284-2847.

Antonovich reacts to Supreme Court ruling overturning ban on Same-Sex Marriage

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich issued the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling overturning the ban on same-sex marriage: “This is another decision where four members of the judiciary reject the will of the people who overwhelming voted in 2000 to ban same sex marriage.”

Sixty-one percent of California voters approved Proposition 22, which said that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California.

Same-sex marriage ruling adds a volatile new issue to the Presidential Race

The California Supreme Court’s decision allowing same-sex marriage probably throws the politically volatile issue into November, when a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage could spill into the presidential campaign and contests for Congress and the state Legislature reports the Los Angeles Times.

The court’s Thursday ruling was not necessarily good news for the presidential candidates, on whom it could exert problematic pressure.

Republican John McCain’s success depends on melding a fractious coalition of GOP conservatives — who are among those pressing for a ban on same-sex marriage — with independents and conservative Democrats who tend to recoil from candidates campaigning on social issues. Although a November ballot measure could encourage higher turnout by conservatives who are not naturally aligned with McCain, it also could alienate moderates and young voters, who polls show are far more accepting of same-sex marriage.

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had sketched out a more centrist path than the court’s. The decision could encourage Democratic interest groups to press candidates to extend their support for civil unions to same-sex marriage itself.

Read it here: Same-sex marriage ruling adds a volatile new issue to the Presidential Race

McCain Vision Has Most G.I.’s Out of Iraq by 2013

Senator John McCain declared on Thursday that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013 and that the nation would be a functioning democracy with only “spasmodic” episodes of violence. The comments were a striking departure from his usual refusal to set a date for American withdrawal.

In a speech in the heart of Ohio, a major general election battleground, Mr. McCain set forth a sweeping, extraordinarily positive vision of what the world would look like in 2013, when, he said, he would have been in the White House for four years reports the New York Times.

The remarks, which offered no proposals for how he would achieve that vision, were an effort by Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, to define himself and the rationale of his candidacy to voters before he has a single Democratic rival who will try to do it for him.

“By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom,” Mr. McCain said at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. “The Iraq war has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced.”

Read it here: McCain Vision Has Most G.I.’s Out of Iraq by 2013

Fed urged to control future asset bubbles

The Federal Reserve should use regulatory powers aggressively and pro-actively to limit the threat from future asset price bubbles, Frederic Mishkin, one of the Fed’s governors, said on Thursday reports the Financial Times.

Mr. Mishkin, a top academic economist who is intellectually close to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, said “it falls to regulatory policies and supervisory policies to help strengthen the financial system and reduce its vulnerability to both booms and busts in asset prices”.

Such policies “could be made a standard part of the regulatory system and would be operational at all times”. But he also proposed using regulations dynamically to deal with bubbles as they emerge.

“Future bubbles will almost certainly create unanticipated difficulties, and as a result, adjustments to our policy stance to limit the market failure contributing to the bubble could be very beneficial if identified and implemented at the appropriate time,” he said.

His comments in a speech come as the US central bank is reconsidering its traditionally hands-off approach to asset bubbles after two bubbles – housing and the earlier dotcom bubble – in the space of a decade.

Mr. Bernanke is re-evaluating all the evidence, including the use of interest rates to tackle bubbles, but is inclined to favor using regulation more aggressively as Mr. Mishkin proposed on Thursday.

Read it here: Fed urged to control future asset bubbles

Stay Safe in Hot Temperatures: Triple Digits expected many parts of the County this Weekend

High temperatures are forecasted for today and this weekend and will affect much of Southern California. The Los Angeles County Health Officer would like to remind residents that precautions should be taken, especially by those sensitive to the heat.

“While people don’t need to be told it’s hot outside, they do need to be reminded how to take care of themselves, children, the elderly, and their pets when the weather gets hotter,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “When temperatures are high, prolonged sun exposure may cause dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Never leave children, elderly people, or pets unattended in closed vehicles, even with the windows ‘cracked’, since temperatures inside can quickly rise to life-threatening levels.”

If you plan to be outdoors, take precautions to protect yourself from the heat. Symptoms of dehydration and heat cramps include dizziness, fatigue, faintness, headaches, muscle cramps, and increased thirst. Individuals with these symptoms should be moved to a cooler, shaded place and given water or sport drinks. More severe symptoms such as diminished judgment, disorientation, pale and clammy skin, a rapid and weak pulse, and/or fast and shallow breathing may indicate heat exhaustion or impending heat stroke and requires immediate medical attention.

Several tips for beating the heat include:

Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.
Drink water or sports drinks often (do not wait until you are thirsty), and avoid drinking alcohol.
Offer help to those in your neighborhood with limited access to air conditioning and transportation, such as seniors or those who are ill. Check on them frequently or take them to a location with air conditioning.
During peak heat hours stay in an air-conditioned area. If you don’t have access to air conditioning in your home, visit public facilities such as shopping malls, parks, and libraries to stay cool.
Avoid unnecessary exertion, such as vigorous exercise during peak sun hours, if you are outside or in a non-air conditioned building.
Stay out of the sun if you do not need to be in it. When in the sun, wear a hat, preferably with a wide brim, and loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves and pants to protect yourself from sun damage.

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do, please visit http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

Fed Balance Sheet Worries Volcker; Ex-Chairman Sees Fed’s Independence Hurt by Credit Steps

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker said the Fed’s independence could be hurt by the wide variety of assets it has taken onto its balance sheet to combat the credit crunch reports the Wall Street Journal.

Since the credit crisis began last August, the Fed has expanded the volume and types of loans it is willing to make to banks and securities dealers — loans that are backed by a wide variety of collateral from subprime mortgages to student loans. It has so far not directly purchased such debt. It did, however, make an unprecedented loan of $29 billion to facilitate the sale of Bear Stearns Cos. to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Mr. Volcker, testifying on responses to the credit crisis at the Joint Economic Committee of Congress Wednesday, said such activity “has not been the tradition of the central bank and I think that is an issue for the long run for the independence of the central bank. If it is going to be looked to as the rescuer or supporter of a particular section of the market, that is not strictly a monetary function in the way it’s been interpreted in the past.”

Mr. Volcker is credited with reining in surging inflation while Fed chairman from 1979 to 1987. He has since held a variety of private-sector and nonprofit posts and in recent months has been vocal about the need to re-examine the system of financial regulation in the wake of the credit crisis.

Read it here: Fed Balance Sheet Worries Volcker

Honda Shows Off New Fuel Cell Car

Honda’s new hydrogen-powered vehicle, set for leasing within a few months, radically reduced the sizes of its fuel cell and motor, leaving the same interior space as a regular car, engineers said Tuesday, the Associated Press reports in the Los Angeles Business Journal.

That’s a vast improvement from the company’s first such model introduced nearly a decade ago. That fuel cell was so bulky that the car could barely seat one person — and crept along at a snail’s pace.

The new FCX Clarity reaches maximum speed of 99 miles an hour and comfortably seats four people.

“This is the ultimate in cars,” said Sachito Fujimoto, a head engineer at Honda who oversaw the new fuel cell’s development.

Clarity, unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show late last year, was shown to reporters at Honda Motor Co.’s Tokyo headquarters.

The garnet-colored, low-slung sporty sedan is set for leasing in California this summer at $600 a month, and in Japan this fall at a yet undisclosed price. Clarity is an improvement on Honda’s current fuel-cell vehicle.

Read it here: Honda Shows Off New Fuel Cell Car

Republicans fear election juggernaut

Hillary Clinton’s supporters on Tuesday proclaimed her crushing victory in West Virginia as evidence of Barack Obama’s continuing weakness among blue collar workers. But the simultaneous Democratic victory in a Mississippi congressional race suggested there may be little the Republicans can do to stop 2008 from being a washout.

Fuelled by a strong African-American turnout, the Democratic win in Mississippi on Tuesday delivered the third consecutive Republican congressional defeat in otherwise safe districts following a recent loss in Louisiana and in the Illinois district of Dennis Hastert, the former Republican speaker reports the Financial Times.

In both Louisiana and Mississippi, Republican attempts to link the Democratic candidate to Mr. Obama failed. Polls suggest the Democrats could increase their Senate lead from a 51-49 split to a safer 55-45 majority and add to their majority in the House of Representatives by 10 to 15 seats in the elections in November.

“Since 1980 I have not seen a terrain so tilted against one party as it is against the Republicans in 2008,” says Norman Ornstein, a political analyst at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “To be sure, Barack Obama may face a close race against John McCain, but there is no evidence his candidacy would harm Democratic congressional prospects.”

On Wednesday, John Boehner, the Republican House leader, said the Mississippi defeat was a “wake-up call” for Republican candidates nationwide. House Republicans this week acknowledged the yearning for new leadership among voters by unveiling a new campaign slogan – “Change you deserve”– mimicking Mr. Obama’s “Change we deserve” slogan.

Read it here: Republicans fear election juggernaut