Facebook has a new version coming out today that will change everything and make it a little better. It is a version that even the NSA can navigate without a problem.
What the NSA sees about me doesn’t worry me. For more than 40 years of my life in and around the Navy, it was my command; the NIS (now NCIS), NSA and just about anyone else knew exactly where I was, what I was doing and why I was doing it. I might not have known what was happening, but they did – er, do.
I am worried the folks at the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy are watching me. Someone overheard the radio of a SMMC ranger sitting in Towsley, saying he’d better get to Mentryville because I had many carloads of third-grade students and their parents were breaking the parking regulation.
Oh, no. Reminds me of the song, “Alice’s Restaurant.” Off to jail because they didn’t pay for parking. On State Property. In the middle of an empty parking lot. Oh, the humanity.
The city may have received the first complaint about the new traffic circle, or roundabout, in Newhall. Someone made 34 complete revolutions before realizing they could get off of the circle anytime. They want a warning sign erected, saying you could get dizzy using the circle. The ACLU is representing them. The city might settle out of court for $52,000 plus lawyers’ fees. Nothing unusual about it at all.
I was thinking it seemed a little strange that the city of Santa Clarita has a new head of communications and, like the last one, was named Gail. Nobody told me about the wedding. So Gail Ortiz is now Gail Morgan. Congratulations. Sorry I missed the party. I’ll send a gift as soon as Leon gives me another raise. (Maybe this year … decade … whatever.)
As part of an emergency test, the California Department of Water Resources is going to see how fast Castaic Lake can be drained today. Please watch for rising water levels in Castaic Creek. This is being done to determine how long it would take a natural disaster to cause the dam to fail. Of course, it could be because the high-speed rail system has found yet another way to disrupt as many people as possible.
Wouldn’t it be easier just to let the folks in that lesser valley to our south water their lawns longer? Oh, they already do that.
Speaking of high-speed rail, the first tests of the new system’s trains have once again been delayed. Lionel has production orders that must come before any placed by the Great State of California. (One of the big orders is from an individual named “Santa Claus” or “Kris Kringle.”)
With the current budget problems at the state level, Gov. Brown is trying to find his old Plymouth (the one he had during his first terms in office). He doesn’t want to drive it, but he figures if he can find it, it could be worth a lot as an antique. He could be worth a lot as an antique, too. Guess not. Worthless is just that.
Did you hear Councilman TimBen Boydston is going to limit his remarks to two hours at the next meeting? I didn’t hear that, so let me know if you did. That would be Big News.
With the election only eight days away, I’m predicting that no incumbent will stay in office. They’ll be at the polls instead. Got to work to the last minute of the last vote of the last polling place. I’ve solved my voting problem. I’ll vote right and vote often. Just like the folks in Chicago and New York. (Some in Florida, too.)
Some more news: John Boston got married last week. He found a Sasquatch to be his best man. John got a new hat for the wedding. He now has a 15-gallon hat instead of the old 10-gallon. We still want to meet the bride. So does John.
I’m really going to miss the billboard with Tami Tetreault Edwards and Dave Caldwell’s pictures. Maybe not Dave’s picture – but that picture of Tami can never be called “blight.” Do I hear an “Amen” to that? Thank you.
As soon as it is built, the new “Central Cross Valley Connector” from Lyons Avenue to Sierra Highway and Highway 14 will speed us to downtown – er, Old Town Newhall – a lot faster. It is scheduled to be completed about the same time the high-speed rail system connects Los Angeles and San Francisco. Maybe 2055?
Sure is fun today. Whatever I wrote, remember: Have a safe and happy Aprils Fool’s Day.
Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com and his commentaries, published on Tuesdays and Sundays, are archived at DManzer.com. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].
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The city of Santa Clarita continues to be a forward-thinking city, providing residents with the resources and amenities that make Santa Clarita a great place to raise our families.
Every school shooting is a tragedy. Beyond their common elements, however, there are differences, and in the case of Santa Clarita, collateral suffering that may be less obvious — and a lot more difficult for many to accept.
The real measure of our impact is our ability to deliver on the promise of opportunity – which can be seen in the hundreds of thousands of lives changed because students could access higher education at College of the Canyons.
Returning key players from last year’s squad and adding some more talent, the Saugus girls soccer team is still trying to figure out what combinations work well with each other.
With the new year just around the corner, the Santa Clarita City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors each approved their 2020 state legislative agenda, highlighting priorities ranging from supporting infrastructure legislation to homeless services efforts.
Seven prep volleyball players, one of whom was the league’s most valuable player, were named All-Heritage League selections at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
Tickets are now on sale for Santa Clarita Transit’s Holiday Light Tour of some of the city’s most festively decorated neighborhoods from Thursday, December 19 through Saturday, December 21.
Los Angeles County will only buy cars from automakers that comply with California’s clean air laws, joining the state’s boycott of companies like General Motors and Toyota that have sided with the Trump administration in the high-profile bout over emissions standards.
The Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra will present a free concert by SCVYO's Guitar Orchestra in the Choir Room at Pico Canyon Hall, located on the College of the Canyons' Valencia campus, on Saturday, December 14 beginning at 7 p.m.
The Los Angeles County CEO’s office unveiled an interactive GIS mapping tool on Tuesday created to show the locations of the county's homeless population juxtaposed with the availability of existing and projected homeless housing resources.
The nonprofit Family Promise of the Santa Clarita Valley is seeking donations of supplies, toys, gift cards and more to be given to low-income and/or homeless families during a Holiday Shopping event at Valencia United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 14 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved College of the Canyons’ $31 million general obligation bond refund Tuesday, saving taxpayers $8.3 million over the next 23 years, according to COC.
The Rancho Camulos Museum invites local history fans and aficionados to experience a faithful reenactment of the January 23, 1882 visit by best-selling author Helen Hunt Jackson on Saturday, January 25, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Citing the uncertainty about the company ever mining in Soledad Canyon, state water officials have put the Cemex request for water on hold, according to a letter sent by state officials to State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, who had inquired about the company’s water application.
Recent California voter registration figures show that Republican congressional candidates vying to take back their seats from Democrats, including in the 25th Congressional District, might not be facing an easy feat.
At the start of every school year, teens from the SCV YMCA’s Youth and Government chapter gather to discuss current issues and this year’s top issue is ghost guns.
Handed a bill to pay more than $25 million in missed annual payments over the last two decades, Cemex now has three options, according to the Bureau of Land Management, which issued the bill Friday.
The Cougars shot better than 50 percent from the field and had four starters score in double figures to defeat visiting West Hills Coalinga College 93-71 on Saturday night at the MacArthur Center.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested a woman who was allegedly recognized by loss-prevention staff on suspicion of possible prior thefts at the Walmart on The Old Road in Stevenson Ranch, officials said Tuesday.
California State University, Northridge chemistry professor Gagik Melikyan has been elected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow – a recognition given to AAAS members who contribute to the advancement of science and technology.
Hart High School alumnus Derek Waldeck felt a little extra motivation entering his fourth year as a midfielder for the Stanford University men’s soccer team. Not only because it would be his final collegiate season playing for the team, but because of how the previous campaign ended.
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1 Comment
Kinda looks like a white steve harvey