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Slow Down
May, 2022 - Issue #210
Mother's Day may be the most heartwarming of May holidays, but Memorial Day and the unofficial kick-off of summer is the most eagerly awaited. The weather is getting hot. Co-workers can't stop talking about vacations. Wedding ceremonies are filling calendars. 2022 is set to be the busiest season for the wedding industry in nearly four decades - which means lawyers will have their busiest year come 2029!? Everyone is being reminded of precisely how exhausting it is to look presentable, leave the house and do things. That must be why it's so striking to see news stories where the pace of Claritan life isn't speeding up, but slowing down.
Pause for a Cause
Even at 6,000 miles away, the brutality and consequences of the war in Ukraine have been witnessed by Santa Clarita and around the world - at least where the news isn't censored. People in our city have stopped what they would otherwise be doing to show that they are thinking about Ukrainians. Several non-profits, churches and other groups have held fundraisers to support humanitarian causes. Santa Clarita City Councilman Bill Miranda and 38th District Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares attended a rally in Bridgeport to show their support. Valladares mentioned that her office had helped a constituent's sister with a visa issue as she fled the country.
On a decidedly more pragmatic note, the war in Ukraine may have made Claritans slow down simply because driving has gotten more expensive. Gas prices, which were already quite high prior to the war, spiked higher yet and have remained there. A day's commute to work in LA could easily cost $20 or $30 in gas. High energy prices will feature prominently in debates leading up to the mid-term elections. Santa Clarita is a city where public transportation is the exception, not the rule, so voters are sure to be listening closely.
Camp Scott...Camp Not?
Months ago, Camp Scott, located near Bouquet Canyon Road and Copper Hill Drive, was shortlisted to become a secure youth treatment facility. In a 4-1 vote of the LA County Board of Supervisors this March, Camp Scott was indeed selected. The dissenting vote was 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger. She characterized the juvenile offenders who would be housed at Camp Scott as "high needs and that are at high risk," and therefore incompatible with a location near residential neighborhoods. Barger has advocated for using the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall facility in Sylmar instead. Supervisor Kuehl characterized Nidorf as "like an adult prison." She and most of the other supervisors preferred facilities they said would better promote rehabilitation.
Santa Clarita's City Council opposes the decision. Part of its strategy now is to halt or at least slow progress down with a lawsuit. Shortly after the supes made their decision, the council approved filing a lawsuit to force what Mayor Laurene Weste called "a proper CEQA review." She and staff have pointed out that the environmental review is needed to comprehensively consider fire risks and flooding dangers - Bouquet Dam is nearby. The fight will likely be expensive and slow.
Dallas, SCV
It is always jarring, and almost always bad, to see Santa Clarita mentioned in British tabloids. So when I saw our Claritan name in the Daily Mail, it was a relief to see the topic was celebrity luxury real estate. It seems Linda Gray - star of 348 episodes of "Dallas" between the old series and the less-old reboot - is selling her SCV home of 50 years. The asking price is $3 million. Beige suburban boxes sell for seven figures already, so that may be a bargain for her country estate.
Picture quintessential Sand Canyon. Ancient oaks dot "the grounds," which span three acres. Finishes are white, woodsy, Western. There are stables for one's horses, naturally. The golf course isn't far. The pace of living seems slow, in a good way. As Gray explains in her video tour, "It's like, 'Who am I?' This is a great place to ask those questions. What am I doing here on the planet? It's the perfect place to ask those questions. [camera pans to tennis court]." I'm sure we've all wondered, "What am I doing here?" many, many times in the SCV, but if you'll slow down to think about it, there's always something worth hearting.
This column is intended as satire and a (sometimes successful) attempt at humor. Suggestions and catty comments intended for the author can be e-mailed to iheartscv@insidescv.com.
"Santa Clarita's City Council opposes the decision.
Part of its strategy now is to halt or at least slow progress down with A LAWSUIT."
Part of its strategy now is to halt or at least slow progress down with A LAWSUIT."
Even at 6,000 miles away, the brutality and consequences of the war in Ukraine have been witnessed by Santa Clarita and around the world - at least where the news isn't censored. People in our city have stopped what they would otherwise be doing to show that they are thinking about Ukrainians. Several non-profits, churches and other groups have held fundraisers to support humanitarian causes. Santa Clarita City Councilman Bill Miranda and 38th District Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares attended a rally in Bridgeport to show their support. Valladares mentioned that her office had helped a constituent's sister with a visa issue as she fled the country.
On a decidedly more pragmatic note, the war in Ukraine may have made Claritans slow down simply because driving has gotten more expensive. Gas prices, which were already quite high prior to the war, spiked higher yet and have remained there. A day's commute to work in LA could easily cost $20 or $30 in gas. High energy prices will feature prominently in debates leading up to the mid-term elections. Santa Clarita is a city where public transportation is the exception, not the rule, so voters are sure to be listening closely.
Camp Scott...Camp Not?
Months ago, Camp Scott, located near Bouquet Canyon Road and Copper Hill Drive, was shortlisted to become a secure youth treatment facility. In a 4-1 vote of the LA County Board of Supervisors this March, Camp Scott was indeed selected. The dissenting vote was 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger. She characterized the juvenile offenders who would be housed at Camp Scott as "high needs and that are at high risk," and therefore incompatible with a location near residential neighborhoods. Barger has advocated for using the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall facility in Sylmar instead. Supervisor Kuehl characterized Nidorf as "like an adult prison." She and most of the other supervisors preferred facilities they said would better promote rehabilitation.
Santa Clarita's City Council opposes the decision. Part of its strategy now is to halt or at least slow progress down with a lawsuit. Shortly after the supes made their decision, the council approved filing a lawsuit to force what Mayor Laurene Weste called "a proper CEQA review." She and staff have pointed out that the environmental review is needed to comprehensively consider fire risks and flooding dangers - Bouquet Dam is nearby. The fight will likely be expensive and slow.
Dallas, SCV
It is always jarring, and almost always bad, to see Santa Clarita mentioned in British tabloids. So when I saw our Claritan name in the Daily Mail, it was a relief to see the topic was celebrity luxury real estate. It seems Linda Gray - star of 348 episodes of "Dallas" between the old series and the less-old reboot - is selling her SCV home of 50 years. The asking price is $3 million. Beige suburban boxes sell for seven figures already, so that may be a bargain for her country estate.
Picture quintessential Sand Canyon. Ancient oaks dot "the grounds," which span three acres. Finishes are white, woodsy, Western. There are stables for one's horses, naturally. The golf course isn't far. The pace of living seems slow, in a good way. As Gray explains in her video tour, "It's like, 'Who am I?' This is a great place to ask those questions. What am I doing here on the planet? It's the perfect place to ask those questions. [camera pans to tennis court]." I'm sure we've all wondered, "What am I doing here?" many, many times in the SCV, but if you'll slow down to think about it, there's always something worth hearting.
This column is intended as satire and a (sometimes successful) attempt at humor. Suggestions and catty comments intended for the author can be e-mailed to iheartscv@insidescv.com.
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