I just got home from a meeting in Val Verde. The Val Verde Civic Association invited two special guests. The first guest was Geraldo Villalobos, chief environmental health specialist. The second was Edel Vizcarra, Supervisor Antonovich’s planning deputy. They were there to discuss why the Chiquita...

Just when I was thinking California’s High Speed Rail Authority couldn’t sink to a lower level of deception and lies, it does just that. It looks like it has been taking lessons from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill folks. You know those folks – the company that donates all kinds of money to all kinds...

Chiquita Canyon Landfill takes in trash from all over Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties. Less than 20 percent of the trash that goes into Chiquita is generated in the Santa Clarita Valley. If Chiquita only took SCV trash, the landfill in its current configuration probably would have lasted our...

For years, big business has been holding public meetings on draft environmental impact reports in the county of Los Angeles. Citizens have shown up and stated their approvals or concerns for these projects. The myth is that the county then takes all of the information and, based on that, either approves...

Some neighbors are good by habit. Something deep within them just drives them to be a good neighbor. Others have to practice at being a good neighbor. And lastly, some have to be nudged. If you are a big corporation, you might have to be nudged by legal agencies. Some of the nudging might be in the form...

Texas-based Waste Connections Inc., operator of 44 landfills including Chiquita Canyon in the Santa Clarita Valley, reported first-quarter adjusted earnings Monday of 49 cents per share, beating Wall Street expectations of 47 cents. For the full year ending Dec. 31, the company posted a loss of $95.8...

Chiquita Canyon, a local business that is home to a 9.2 megawatt clean energy facility, helped make the holiday season a little brighter for children at the Child & Family Center, Help the Children and the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley on Tuesday. Dozens of bicycles that were assembled...

The Val Verde Community Benefits Funding Committee will hold its annual election Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Val Verde Park poolhouse, 30300 Arlington St. It’s the same time and place as the regular general election, but unlike the other election, a valid California I.D. is required...

Years ago when I was a new teacher, I learned a valuable lesson. It was a hot winter day when one of my students approached me with tears in her eyes and a quivering voice. A boy had choked her. I could visibly see the finger marks on her neck. I demanded that the boy come over. “Why did you choke...

At the Sept. 16 meeting of the Castaic Area Town Council, with nine board members present and an audience of 25, a resident of Val Verde named Susie Evans requested that Greg Kimura, the representative for Val Verde, be recalled. The board was in shock. The sitting president did not know how even to...