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July, 2025 - Issue #242
Summertime routines are wonderful. Barbecue, swim, hang out, drink, beach, lay out. It's easy to put that playlist on repeat and, before you know it, the entire season has swept by in some kind of dreamy blur. Trying something new can be invigorating. You're not an expert, you don't know what to expect - and you might just discover something worthwhile. Whether it's an unfamiliar road trip destination or the hobby you've been thinking about or one of those $19 influencer smoothies at Erewhon in LA, sometimes it's fun to just give it a try. There's plenty of inspiration all around.
He got a Podcast
There are two kinds of middle-aged bros: the ones who already have a podcast and the ones who are about to start one. So it was inevitable that City Manager Ken Striplin would host his own SCV-themed podcast. It's produced with city staff and has official sorts of guests and topics, true, but it's also Striplin's chance to give that podcasting dream a try. His studio is the City Hall Council Chambers, sparingly adorned with microphones, a glowing "ON AIR" sign and some requisite coffee mugs that are never touched. The office chairs allow Striplin to swivel back and forth throughout every episode - and he does.
After just a few episodes, the city manager has settled in and has made some genuinely listen-able content. Striplin does a good job of getting guests to open up and share. Kristi Hobrecker talks about a man who sent her a loafer in the mail, Cameron Smyth goes into self-reflection mode and everyone gets giggly when Janine Prado and Lance O'Keefe come by to talk sports and recreation. At just about one episode per month, it's a podcast you can easily keep up with, so you may want to give it a try yourself.
Cat in Tree
Kids and teens may not make the best decisions, but giving new things a try is how we all learn. This principle holds true for mountain lions as well. When a 7-month-old lion decided to see how it liked life in the suburbs of Valencia, little did it know that every Claritan and LA news outlet would be clamoring to get a shot of it lounging in a tree off Cortina Drive. The cat stayed for hours but eventually left under cover of night, perhaps to re-find its mother.
The incident was a good reminder that many wild animals try to make a living in or around our communities. There can be plenty of food, lush landscaping and water. And frankly, it's hard to find any place that's truly secluded from people in Southern California. While some Claritans have expressed concern, the stats say risks from these big cats are very low. The Mountain Lion Foundation suggests that youngsters may engage in riskier behavior more likely to bring them in conflict with people. So maybe the cat that came to Valencia will grow up and learn to keep a lower profile. Then we can all stay neighbors.
Parade Time
Would you like to feel a profound sense of historical context and perhaps patriotism? Divide your age by 249 and multiply by 100 percent. What do you get? The answer tells you what percentage of the United States of America's history as a nation you've lived through. Most of you, I imagine, have been around for over 10 percent of it, and some have already borne witness to a full quarter or third of this nation's existence. This means that InsideSCV, now celebrating its 20th anniversary (Woohoo!), has been printed for 8 percent of America's history as a nation and 53 percent of Santa Clarita's history as a city.
By my count, I have encouraged (Or begged?) you readers to attend the Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade 15 times prior. I've asked you to cheer on the Lil' Miss SCV contingent, be wary of heatstroke and occasional earthquakes (Remember 2019?) and wonder what in the denim cowboy Laurene Weste will wear this year. It's time again. If you've never been, please give it a try because the parade is one of our best and oldest traditions. If you heart the SCV, you don't have to be in the parade, but you better be at the parade.
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.
"By my count, I have ENCOURAGED (Or begged?) you readers to attend the Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade 15 times prior."
There are two kinds of middle-aged bros: the ones who already have a podcast and the ones who are about to start one. So it was inevitable that City Manager Ken Striplin would host his own SCV-themed podcast. It's produced with city staff and has official sorts of guests and topics, true, but it's also Striplin's chance to give that podcasting dream a try. His studio is the City Hall Council Chambers, sparingly adorned with microphones, a glowing "ON AIR" sign and some requisite coffee mugs that are never touched. The office chairs allow Striplin to swivel back and forth throughout every episode - and he does.
After just a few episodes, the city manager has settled in and has made some genuinely listen-able content. Striplin does a good job of getting guests to open up and share. Kristi Hobrecker talks about a man who sent her a loafer in the mail, Cameron Smyth goes into self-reflection mode and everyone gets giggly when Janine Prado and Lance O'Keefe come by to talk sports and recreation. At just about one episode per month, it's a podcast you can easily keep up with, so you may want to give it a try yourself.
Cat in Tree
Kids and teens may not make the best decisions, but giving new things a try is how we all learn. This principle holds true for mountain lions as well. When a 7-month-old lion decided to see how it liked life in the suburbs of Valencia, little did it know that every Claritan and LA news outlet would be clamoring to get a shot of it lounging in a tree off Cortina Drive. The cat stayed for hours but eventually left under cover of night, perhaps to re-find its mother.
The incident was a good reminder that many wild animals try to make a living in or around our communities. There can be plenty of food, lush landscaping and water. And frankly, it's hard to find any place that's truly secluded from people in Southern California. While some Claritans have expressed concern, the stats say risks from these big cats are very low. The Mountain Lion Foundation suggests that youngsters may engage in riskier behavior more likely to bring them in conflict with people. So maybe the cat that came to Valencia will grow up and learn to keep a lower profile. Then we can all stay neighbors.
Parade Time
Would you like to feel a profound sense of historical context and perhaps patriotism? Divide your age by 249 and multiply by 100 percent. What do you get? The answer tells you what percentage of the United States of America's history as a nation you've lived through. Most of you, I imagine, have been around for over 10 percent of it, and some have already borne witness to a full quarter or third of this nation's existence. This means that InsideSCV, now celebrating its 20th anniversary (Woohoo!), has been printed for 8 percent of America's history as a nation and 53 percent of Santa Clarita's history as a city.
By my count, I have encouraged (Or begged?) you readers to attend the Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade 15 times prior. I've asked you to cheer on the Lil' Miss SCV contingent, be wary of heatstroke and occasional earthquakes (Remember 2019?) and wonder what in the denim cowboy Laurene Weste will wear this year. It's time again. If you've never been, please give it a try because the parade is one of our best and oldest traditions. If you heart the SCV, you don't have to be in the parade, but you better be at the parade.
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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