(From rightonscv.com) Last evening’s City Council meeting should act as a wakeup call to local and statewide environmental organizations and Congressman McKeon’s sleepy re-election campaign – a campaign that seems to be based on keeping him away from adverse issues and the candidates running against him.

The mine, slated to begin production in Soledad Canyon in a matter of days, is an issue that the very active California environmental community has been oddly mute on. Other than a member or 2 from the Sierra Club speaking out against the mine, Santa Clarita has not had assistance from one of the most well-funded and organized special interest groups in the state.

There may be a very good reason for this: The Desert Ground Squirrel. It has not been widely reported that the closest wehave come to preventing the mine from beginning operations involved a “land swap” deal that would have compensated Cemex for the loss of the mining rights using the proceeds of a Mohave Desert land sale to The City of Victorville. Victorville had its eyes on the property for development of rail and business ventures. The potential for profit was huge. But then that damned squirrel showed up. Actually it wasn’t the squirrel that showed up. It was a union-funded pseudo-environmental organization called California Unions for Reliable Energy (C.U.R.E.). C.U.R.E. came to dispute the DRAFT E.I.R. on a separate project that Victorville is heavily invested in — a state-of-the-technology hybrid Solar Power Plant called Victorville 2. One would think that environmental groups would be for solar power plants – and they generally are. But C.U.R.E. is not a legitimate environmental organization. They are professional interveners on California energy projects and are run by a union-funded, San Francisco law firm called Adams, Broadwell, Joseph and Cardozo.

Read more here: If The Cemex Mine Comes To Pass It Will Be Due To CEQA Abuse and Buck McKeon’s Inattentiveness to the District

With fewer than two weeks before the Statewide Presidential Primary Elections, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC), Dean Logan, today released a list of cities and communities in Los Angeles County that lack a sufficient number of poll workers. The Department is calling on local citizens to support the democratic process by volunteering as poll workers on Election Day, Tuesday June 5, 2012.

“Community pollworkers are essential to fair and open elections,” said Dean Logan. The RR/CC recruits up to 25,000 poll workers every major election. Pollworkers are assigned to work in their local election precinct. Any registered voter can volunteer to serve their local community by working as a pollworker. It is a chance to assist friends and neighbors in exercising their right to vote. “Without poll workers elections cannot function,” concluded Logan.

Interestingly, the cities and neighborhoods experiencing pollworker shortages are characterized by high levels of voter turnout and civic participation. The RR/CC is calling on these voters to help support their local polling place.

Registered voters residing in these communities are strongly encouraged to volunteer as poll workers for the June 5, 2012 Statewide Primary Elections. Pollworkers receive a stipend of up to $105 in appreciation for their service.

To apply visit www.lavote.net or call (800) 815-2666 (Option 7). Registered voters may apply up until June 4, 2012.

Residents who are not sure if they are registered to vote should visit www.lavote.net to verify voter registration status online, or call the RR/CC at (562) 466-1310 or (562) 466-1323.

Sign up for E-Sample Ballot on the RR/CC website at www.lavote.net.

On Wednesday, former congressional candidate Harrison Leonard, who about a year ago formed an exploratory committee to run against incumbent Howard “Buck” McKeon as a Republican with self-described libertarian leanings, endorsed Democrat Lee Rogers for Congress. He is a 2010 graduate of California State University at Northridge with a degree in history. Leonard released the following statement:

“I’m deeply troubled by what I see going on today in our nation’s capital. Our country is saddled with a seemingly irreversible burden of debt that is weakening the dollar and jeopardizing our retirement. Our international standing remains strained as the men and women of our armed forces are stretched to the breaking point. And the civil liberties we cherish as a free people are being undermined by bureaucrats who seem to care more about power than freedom.

“I get the sense that Americans of all political stripes are tired of ‘politics as usual’, and are searching for a candidate with substantive, principled positions in which Republicans, Democrats, and independents can all find common ground.

“Today, I am proud to announce my full support for Dr. Lee Rogers. Lee is a family man who has found success by making his own way in the medical field. He is one of us and his story perfectly embodies the spirit of our community. Most importantly, he’s a concerned citizen who loves his country. Lee will be a common-sense advocate for the revitalization of the American workforce, for strengthening our national defense, and for improving our health care system. I am confident that Lee will always put his values and guiding principles ahead of special interests and party politics.

“At one point I was an intern to Representative Buck McKeon, and with all due respect to the Congressman, being a career politician doesn’t make one a leader. Real leaders lead on the issues and aren’t a rubber stamp for their party. After two decades, I think it’s fair to say Mr. McKeon’s had his chance to make a difference in our community and he is currently failing us miserably on the local front with his paralysis on Cemex.”

Lee Rogers said, “I’m honored to have the support of Harrison Leonard, who has really been personally impacted by the policies of our current Congress. He is a young, brilliant mind and his generation is the future of America. We must be more responsible with our country’s finances, our liberties, and our environment so that future generations will enjoy the America we all love.

“We’ve been welcoming a coalition of Republicans, Democrats, libertarians, and independents to our campaign. What’s most important to people is that we have true representation in Washington. Our current Congressman is motivated by self-interests and special interests. We need our Representative to be on our side.”

“The Golden State was once the leader in job creation and economic growth,” commented Councilmember Glen Becerra.  “As a small business owner, Scott Wilk is the right leader to target obstacles in our economy and get Californians working again.”

Joining with the Simi Valley leader endorsements, the Scott Wilk for Assembly campaign would like to announce the official opening of its Simi Valley office.

The Wilk for Assembly Headquarters is at 2906 Cochran St., Simi Valley, CA 91365 and is located in the Sycamore Plaza between Sycamore and Galena in between Staples and Senior Gomez Mexican Restaurant .  The hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.   For more information regarding volunteering, please contact Claira at claira@wilkforca.com or (805) 409-5201.

Scott has worked as the Chief of Staff for California Assemblymembers Tom McClintock and Paula Boland as well as the District Director for Representative Howard P. “Buck” McKeon. He was recently re-elected to a second term on the Santa Clarita Community College Board of Trustees after being appointed in 2006 and elected in 2007.

For more information and a complete list of endorsements, visit www.Wilk2012.com.

(From Science Daily)

Pachacamac, situated on the Pacific coast about thirty kilometres from Lima, is one of the largest Prehispanic sites in South America. Professor Peter Eeckhout — under the auspices of the ULB — has been carrying out fieldwork at the site for the past 20 years. The 2012 season resulted in some particularly remarkable discoveries.

The Ychsma Project team undertook to record and excavate a series of Inca storage facilities (15th-16th c. AD), as well as a more ancient cemetery which had been detected during exploratory work in 2004.

It was here — directly in front of the Temple of Pachacamac — that the most important discovery was made. A scatter of later period burials was found to conceal an enormous burial chamber 20 metres long ; miraculously, it had survived the pillaging of the colonial period — which was particularly intensive on this site — and was completely intact.

Read more here: Spectacular Tomb Containing More Than 80 Individuals Discovered in Peru

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120522114643.htm

IN THE HOUSE

The House is not in session.

Away from presidential race’s glare, battles for Congress rage - Republican Representative Joe Walsh was campaigning recently at a diner in this Chicago suburb when he came across an elderly woman who rebuffed his charms. (Reuters)

IN THE SENATE

The Senate convenes at 9:30am.

Following the prayer and pledge, the Majority Leader will be recognized. It is his intention to resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.3187, the FDA user fees legislation.

Following the remarks of the Majority Leader and the Republican Leader, the first hour will be equally divided and controlled between the two sides with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Majority controlling the final half.

At 11:00am, the motion to proceed to S.3187 will be adopted, the Harkin-Enzi substitute amendment will be agreed to and considered original text for the purposes of further amendment. The Majority Leader will then be recognized.  Additionally, the Majority will control the time from 1:00pm until 2:00pm.

Senate panel approves airline security fee hike  -  Democratic-controlled Senate panel Tuesday approved a $2.50 increase in airline security fees that would double the per-passenger fee for those taking nonstop flights. (Business Week)

OTHER NEWS

CBO warns Obama, GOP about tough tax choices  -  Regardless of who wins the elections in November, lawmakers already face a series of tough choices in December. (USA Today)

game begins over next Treasury chief  -  Wanted for the Treasury Department: a new boss who can fix trillion-dollar-plus budget deficits, overhaul the tax system and spur a reluctant Europe into fixing its debt crisis. (Reuters)

Is Congress broken? Startup Act shows what can work  -  The Startup Act is a modest piece of pro-business legislation unveiled Tuesday. It won’t change the world, but that’s why it may pass. In a partisan Congress, ‘good’ may be better than ‘perfect.’  (Christian Science Monitor).

THE RACE: Polls show presidential race tightening  -  With about five months to go, the presidential race is tightening, polls show, with voters nearly evenly divided between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, his likely Republican challenger. (AP)

FEDERAL GRANT OF THE DAY

Advancing Informal STEM Learning- [K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)]- The Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) solicitation invites investigators to propose ideas, concepts, models, and other opportunities for learning and learning environments that will capture the creative and innovative potential of informal STEM learning for the future, and potentially forge new connections across all STEM learning communities. Leveraging new and emerging technologies, STEM learning can now be located and situated wherever the learner is and customized to meet the learner’s educational needs. New interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships for informal learning among academia, industry, and government can greatly advance our nation’s goals to produce a scientifically and technologically literate population and workforce. For more information, see NSF.

TODAY IN HISTORY

May 23,1934- On this day, bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death in a police ambush as they were driving a stolen Ford Deluxe along a road in Bienville Parish, La.

Source and thanks www.anchor-consult.com / For more information, contact Anchor Consulting at 703-333-6013

We suffer from a most serious problem with illegal aliens. No. I don’t mean dry wall contractors from Honduras or tenors from Ireland. Killer Bees buzz amongst us in SClarita. Have been for a few years now.

Also called Africanized bees because they wear colorful full-length tribal robes and like to hunt lions while singing: “A-wheem-away a-wheem-away, a-wheem-away,” Killer Bees (always capitalized because if they found out we were referring to them in lower case, the consequences would be dreadful), were invented in 1956. That’s when a janitor in Brazil left a laboratory door open and a soft-spoken and polite regular bee had sex with the Warner Brothers’ Tasmanian Devil. The resulting devil spawn was the dreaded Killer Bee.

I don’t know from whence the second Killer Bee came. I think it’s like the Old Testament and you just have to take it on faith that, yes, there was a Second Killer Bee and a third called Cain and another called Abel and a whole lot of other Killer Bees named Ezekial and Loco.

“And Ezekial beget Chewy, and Chewy dated Congolium, but Congolium didn’t like it that Chewy didn’t have a job and kept finding excuses to bump into her with his stinger so she married Caleb, who begat Hiram, who got drunk and begat Lagerfield and Lagerfield told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on.” (Book o’ Bees; 12:22)

Like the unstable vice president, Joe Biden, Killer Bees are unrelenting and live in barns, holes in the ground, under logs and in your car iPod. Their favorite songs are “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies, “Sugar Walls” by the recording artist formerly known as Prince, “Honey, Don’t,” believe it or not, by the Beatles and “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith.

Killer Bees LEAST favorite songs are “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple; “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” by The Platters; “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room” by Brownsville Station and any song by Poison.

Killer Bees especially hate the old “Barney” song. You remember? The annoying purple dinosaur? If you play his tune backwards, it goes a little something like this: “WE HATE BEES. BEES EAT TREES. BEES REAL DEAD IS A COOL DISEASE WITH A NICK-NACK PADDY-WHACK GIVE A BEE A BONE,’ THIS KILLER BEE IS A BIG STUPID DRONE.”

The government isn’t much help. About the only piece of legislation that Barack Obama has ever been involved with/actually vote on was a study the Reader’s Digest version of which is: “If you come in contact with Killer Bees, run, run, run away and don’t make eye contact. While the president confessed (and apologized for) that he had no knowledge of the existence of Killer Bees, his longtime spiritual advisor, the Rev. Wright, accused Killer Bees as being a plot by a racist government and asked why is it the bees were “Africanized.” A government spokesman — a white government spokesman — noted they were called “Africanized” because they didn’t come from Sweden, among other places, and Rev. Wright rolled his eyes and said “Yeah. Right. That’s what The Man WANTS you to believe.”

There are several ways to get Killer Bees mad. Like not surrendering your car keys and Versateller Card when they demand them. You might not want to be in a bar in a large fly suit loudly bragging that one common house gnat could kick the stripes off of any 3,000 KB’s with one stinger tied behind his butt. You especially don’t want to do this around closing time, which is when Killer Bees get really hammered.

You might not want to sneak up behind a Killer Bee while he’s sniffing a rose and yell: “RAAAA-YYYYDDD!!!” then slap him on the shoulder and start laughing like an idiot.

On the bright side, many local law enforcement agencies have an informative video instructing folks what to do when faced during a Killer Bee Event.

It pains me to say, but, yes. It’s a “B” movie.

With 119 major writing awards, John Boston has been noted as one of America’s top humorists and political satirists. Look for his major new multimedia website, thejohnbostonmagazine.com, to come out this summer.

(From the sacbee.com)

Rick Simpson, the Assembly’s education finance guru, said he believes Brown accurately calculated how much the state owes K-12 schools and community colleges at $53.7 billion in 2012-13. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office contends that Brown overestimated that amount by $1.7 billion.

Simpson said he wrote the language in the 2009 budget bill spelling out the formula by which the state must pay schools in years when revenues grow faster than inflation and attendance. “The governor is following what the law says,” Simpson said today.

He added that he believes the law merely confirms what voters placed in the constitution with Proposition 98 and Proposition 111.

Read more here: Assembly school finance guru sides with Brown on Prop. 98

(From the latimes.com)

Now Walt Disney Co. is moving closer to transforming part of the historic movie ranch into one of the largest high-tech production developments in the last decade – and the public will soon get its first say on the project.

Disney proposed plans in 2009 to build a multi-hundred-million-dollar production center for ABC Studios, complete with a dozen sound stages, offices, mill shops, writer bungalows and a commissary.

Read more here: Disney moves forward with ABC Studios project at Golden Oak Ranch

On May 21, a former Los Angeles County property appraiser was arrested in Oregon and charged with falsifying department documents and unlawfully lowering property values of multi-million dollar homes and businesses in exchange for campaign contributions for the Assessor.  He is currently being held on $1.5 million bail.  The Assessor and a tax lobbyist’s home and office were searched in April pursuant to a warrant obtained by the District Attorney for suspected fraud.