Westside Reader December 2015

SCV Prepares for a Monster El Niño
ere comes “Godzilla.” That’s the name
NASA climatologist Bill Patzert has
given to the coming El Niño storms,
which could rival the force of the 1997-
98 El Niño, which caused $550 million
BY ROBB FULCHER • STAFF WRITER
in damage and 17 deaths in California,
turning 35 counties into federal disaster
areas.
Scientists watching the warning signs
— such as unusually warm temperatures
in the Pacific Ocean — expect a series
of El Niño storms to pound Southern
California in the winter, and
possibly into the spring.
See Godzilla, page 11
Educationg
parents about
new dangers
14
12 Days of
Christmas
Cookies
24 30
Holiday
Family Fun
Plus . . . Town Council coverage • Opinion • Schools • Columnists • Community Calendar • Features . . . and much more!

December 2015 THE Reader • 5

6 • THE Reader
Table of Contents
December 2015
Valencia News Upscale hotel plans take shape for long-dormant site •
Santa Clarita ranked 20th best city to live 7
West Ranch News WRTC: Crime-drama storytelling, county updates •
Bossert authors Disney books 8
Santa Clarita News Taking care of business in the SCV • DIVERT aims to
halt domestic violence • COC educates students on domestic violence 9
Saugus News Soccer Center to move away from disrupted neighbors 10
Cover Story Feature Godzilla is coming . . . SCV prepares for Monster El Niño
• El Niño: How you can prepare 11
Reader Columnists Tim Whyte: Whyte’s World 12
John Boston: Mr. Santa Clarita Valley 13
Newhall News Old Town Newhall: Our Arts & Entertainment
District • Driver Killed on I-5 in Newhall pass 13
Castaic News Educating parents on new dangers • Storli wins election 14
Reader Sports Steve Pratt: SCV Sports Vikings fall in CIF-SS VB finals 15
Canyon Country News Kellar to run for Fifth Santa Clarita Council term •
Small landslide closes Vasquez Canyon Rd. • Sturgeon wins election 16
Reader Education Legacy Academy: Humble beginnings path to
National Blue Ribbon • AOC: High school students earn college
credit • Legacy, AOC win NBR award 17
News Feature Bridge to Home offers winter shelter, comfort and hope 18
Reader People Meet the Blazers 20
Feature Columnists Rep. Steve Knight: A Day in the Life 22
Ray Kutylo: Ray The Realtor 22
Reader Opinion Cameron Smyth, Dave Bossert 24
Assemblyman Scott Wilk, Our View 25
Feature Stories Holiday Entertainment 26
The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies 28
Holidays are for Family Fun 30
Deck The Halls with the Holiday Cheer 34
Restaurant Review Nudie’s Custom Java: Not your ordinary coffee shop 37
Feature Columnists Michele Buttelman: Out & About in the SCV 32
Jane Gates: Garden Gates 39
Beth Heisermann: What a Pair! 39
Publisher
Richard Budman
Features & Entertainment Editor
Michele E. Buttelman
Staff Writers
Brandon Lowrey, Robb Fulcher, Patti Rasmussen, Lauren Budman, Beau Harrper,
Jim Walker, Jane Gates, Josh Premako, John Boston, Steve Pratt, Tim Whyte
Contributing Writers
Steve Knight, Cameron Smyth, Dave Bossert
Michelle Sathe, Ray Kutylo, Beth Heiserman, Dave Guenther, Scott Wilk
Advertising Account Executives
Michelle Earnhart, Chuck Christensen
Production & Prepress Manager
Chris Budman
Digital & Social Media
Lauren Budman
Production
David Perez, Carol Roper
The entire contents of the SCV Reader & Westside Reader is copyrighted 2015 by BGL
Multimedia, Inc. All submitted letters and columns are strictly the opinions of the authors,
and not necessarily those of the publishers. All rights are reserved and no part of this publication
may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers.
For information, call 661-505-7180 e-mail: info @WestsideReader.com
Mail correspondence to: 25876 The Old Rd., Suite # 66, Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381

December 2015 THE Reader • 7
Santa Clarita ranked
‘20th Best City to Live’
The city of Santa Clarita was named
America’s 20th best city to live in by
the recently released 24/7 Wall St.’s
“America’s 50 Best Cities to Live.”
Considering 550 cities that the U.S. Census
Bureau reported as having more than 65,000
residents in 2014, the 24/7 Wall St. report
placed Santa Clarita as the only California city
to rank in the top 20.
24/7 Wall St. ranked the cities according
to several variables, including crime rates,
employment growth, access to attractions,
educational attainment and housing affordability.
“This ranking is a reflection of what we are
committed to providing for our residents,”
said Mayor Marsha McLean. “We are continually
looking for new ways to counteract
crime trends, attract new businesses and
provide a wonderful quality of life for our
community.”
Santa Clarita is the third most populous
city in Los Angeles County and was recently
rated by SafeWise Report’s “50 Safest Cities
in California 2015” as one of the top 10 safest
cities in California, according to the FBI Crime
Report for cities with a population of more
than 10,000.
24/7 Wall St. notes that Santa Clarita’s job
market has grown faster (5.2% according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics) than the national
average (1.8%). In September 2015,
the jobless rate in Santa Clarita dropped to
5.6%.
The city also continues to attract top retailers,
another factor in the high ranking.
With its proximity to Six Flags Magic Mountain,
and frequently visited restaurants, bars,
libraries, theatres, recreational sports centers,
hotels and parks, Santa Clarita is the
ideal place for residents to enjoy high-end
shopping and leisure.
Santa Clarita is also a 2015 finalist for the
“Most Business Friendly City” award by the
Los Angeles County Economic Development
Corporation.
For more information on “America’s 50
Best Cities to Live” and the other ranking factors
involved, please visit 247wallst.com.
valenCia
Upscale hotel plans take shape for long-dormant site
By Robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
Afamily-owned developer will soon
seek approval for an upscale, fivestory,
134-suite hotel at the long-vacant
site of the former Greens miniature golf
course, near the Westfield Valencia Town
Center.
The hotel envisioned by Oliver Hotel
Group LLC, near the corner of McBean Parkway
and Valencia Boulevard, would contain
all suites instead of individual rooms, plus a
restaurant aimed at serving the hotel patrons.
A second eatery, occupying 4,000 square
feet and part of the same development,
would stand separate from the hotel.
Following a meeting to seek public input,
the hotel group has provided documents for
an architectural review from the City of Santa
Clarita, said managing partner Hunter Oliver.
The group wants the hotel to blend into its
surroundings, and said it would look similar
to “the newer elements” of the mall.
“We’re very excited. It’s a great site,” Oliver
said.
Plans call for the Oliver group, a “find and
hold” real estate developer, to hand the project
over to an upscale, national-brand hotelier.
Oliver said a number of national hotel
brands have shown interest.
Several years ago the Sheraton hotel group
proposed a project for the same site, which
is now an area eyesore.
That project was approved by the Santa
Clarita Planning Commission, and then was
appealed to the City Council by neighbors
concerned with increased traffic and the
hotel’s proposed seven-story height.
The council urged the hoteliers to work
with the community to mollify those concerns.
Then the economy slumped, and the
hotel plans were dropped.
Oliver said his group’s plans call for fewer
hotel rooms, less meeting area inside the
A developer will soon seek approval for an upscale, five-story, 134-suite hotel at the long-vacant site of the former
Greens miniature golf course, near the Westfield Valencia Town Center.
hotel, and two fewer stories. He said the hotel
would not exceed 60 feet in height.
If all goes as planned, he said ground could
be broken for the hotel in about spring or
early summer 2016.
“We’d love to see that area move forward,
with a project that would benefit the community,”
said Jason Crawford, economic development
manager for the City of Santa
Clarita. R
C r i m e B l ot t e r
A robbery occurred near the 24200 block
of Valencia Boulevard. Three suspects entered
the location and selected numerous
items off the store shelves and tried to exit
the store without paying for the items.
They were confronted by staff at which time
the suspect pushed the victim and grabbed
the items and fled the location.
A grand theft occurred near the 27600
block of Harwick Place. The victim stated
she left her ring on the night stand for the
day. The victim stated the only person in
her home was the cleaning lady. No one
else was inside the victim’s home the day of
the thefts.
A burglary occurred near the 25600
block of Dorado Drive. While the victim was
out of town their neighbor was taking care
of their home. When he went to go check
on his neighbor’s home he noticed the front
door was open. He looked inside the house
and noticed the home had been ransacked.
The deputies cleared the location and noticed
the house had been ransacked. Due to
the residences being out of town at the time
of the burglary, they were unable to determine
what was stolen. This case is currently
under investigation.
A vehicle theft occurred near the 22800
block of Banyan Place. The victim had his
1991 Honda Accord stolen from the location
during the overnight hours.
A vehicle burglary occurred near the
23700 Sarda Road. The victim stated she
parked her vehicle at her location overnight
and locked her car. During the night hours
an unknown suspect gained access to her
vehicle and stole numerous personal items
from inside her car.
A vehicle burglary occurred near the
28400 block of Avenue Stanford. An unknown
male suspect tried to gain entry to
the victim’s vehicle at which time the victim
snuck up on the suspect and tried to apprehend
him. The suspect got scared and ran
off. The suspect was able to get away before
deputies arrived.
A petty theft occurred near the 28100
block of Smyth Drive. The victim stated an
unknown suspect stole his sons bicycle
from the first floor of the patio area. The
bike is a Mongoose mountain bike, unknown
color. R

8 • THE Reader
west ranCh town CounCil
Crime-drama storytelling, county updates
among Town Council highlights
By Brandon lowrey
Staff Writer
loCal author dave Bossert
Books showcase Disney-Dali film,
caricatures of Disney characters
By Robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
December 2015
Acar burglary ring was busted, the local
homeless shelter has opened early,
and new Los Angeles County supervisors
are "spending like [crazy]," a handful of
Westside residents learned at November's
brief West Ranch Town Council meeting.
The Nov. 4 meeting lasted less than 30
minutes, and because only two members of
the advisory board showed, the board failed
to make quorum and couldn't take any official
action. Still, the handful of residents who
ventured to the Stevenson Ranch Library
were treated to crime-drama storytelling and
updates from the county.
Have A Seat
Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Kevin
Duxbury said deputies have cracked a crime
ring responsible for a series of sport-utility
vehicle break-ins in the Westside. The crooks
burglarized the SUVs and made off with their
removable third-row seats, he said.
Deputies set up a trap vehicle with a tracking
device in the third-row seat. Sure enough,
the thieves fell for it and led investigators to
a warehouse in Palmdale. They took the
warehouse owner into custody, Duxbury said,
and "because there is no honor among
thieves," he ratted out the actual burglars.
West Ranch Town Council. File phoTo
County Updates
Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's Senior
Field Deputy Rosalind Wayman said the
Santa Clarita Valley's emergency winter shelter
for the homeless was opening Nov. 9,
which is two weeks early, due to what was expected
to be a cold and stormy season.
And in other news, she said that the Board
of Supervisors picked veteran juvenile court
Judge Michael Nash to head the county's new
Office of Child Protection.
Wayman noted that the board also has approved
10 raises and a new paid holiday —
Cesar Chavez Day — for sheriff's deputies,
firefighters and some other county employees.
R
In the mid-1940s, animation icon Walt Disney
and surrealist icon Salvador Dali
teamed up to make a short film called
“Destino.” Storyboards were created, along
with a piece of actual film, but the project
eventually was shelved.
In 2003, Disney animators revisited the
project and completed “Destino,” earning an
Academy Award nomination with a graceful,
affecting mix of Dali images and Disney storytelling.
Now, an associate producer on the completion
project, Santa Clarita Valley resident
David A. Bossert, has written “Dali & Disney:
Destino: The Story, Artwork, and Friendship
Behind the Legendary Film.” The book tells
the “Destino” story, and showcases all 150
pieces of art originally created by Dali and
noted Disney animator John Hench.
It’s one of two Bossert books published
this fall. The other one, “An Animator's
Gallery: Eric Goldberg Draws the Disney
Characters,” showcases loving caricatures of
Disney characters originally created by Goldberg
for display at the Shanghai Disney Resort.
The “Destino” book details the working relationship
between two creative forces that,
according to Bossert, formed a natural partnership.
“They were both 20th century titans in the
art world, and they each had something the
other wanted.
Salvador Dali
was a fine artist
who wanted to
have the mass
appeal Disney
had, and Walt
Disney wanted
to have the status
as a fine
artist that Dali
had,” said
Bossert, who
also writes a column
for Westside
Reader.
“The book
tells the complete
story, including the back-story of how
Walt Disney and Salvador Dali used to admire
each other from afar before they met, and
how they became great friends,” Bossert said.
Bossert also cites “parallels in the career
development” of the two men. By the early
1930s Disney was an Academy Award winner
and Dali had immortalized dreamy, sagging
clocks in his painting “The Persistence
of Memory.”
Bossert teased that his book also details
“how the [‘Destino’] artwork was stolen at
one time and then recovered.”
He said the 2003 “Destino” team kept the
film true to the original intent by hewing to
the storyboards and film scrap, and by consulting
with Hench, then in his 90s and still
working.
“They left behind a very good roadmap
with the storyboards,” Bossert said.
The book uses a series of images to show
how a piece of animation art, filmed in 1946
for “Destino,” was digitally cut apart, cleaned
up and then put back together for use in the
2003 version.
Bossert said the film is Dali in its iconography,
with “images you find in a number of
Dali’s paintings,” and Disney in its storytelling
style.
“If you look at the use of animation, and the
storytelling aspect of it, Dali wasn’t necessarily
a linear storyteller, so the collaboration
with Disney allowed the linear story to
evolve,” Bossert said.
The Goldberg book features Brown Derbystyle
line drawings of Disney characters by
Goldberg, supervising animator and director
for Disney’s animation
studios.
Bossert said the
art was not created
with a book in mind.
Goldberg – known
for animating Aladdin’s
Genie, co-directing
the Academy
Award winning
“Pocahontas” and directing
two segments
of “Fantasia/
2000” — was tapped
to create artwork to
be framed and hung
inside a dining room
at the Disney park in
Shanghai.
“He created a wonderful body of work. I
suggested we might want to put all this in a
book,” Bossert said. “It’s a beautiful coffee
table book.”
He said Goldberg was able to take diverse
Disney characters, “sew them together using
a common line,” and still maintain the
essence of the characters as they appear in
their Disney productions.
Bossert has donated copies of his books to
the Stevenson Ranch Library.
He has signed books at The Dali Museum
in Florida, and upcoming signings include the
World of Disney store in Anaheim Dec. 12,
and Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena Jan. 8.
Updates on book signings can be found on
Bossert’s Facebook page. R
“Dali & Disney: Destino: The Story, Artwork,
and Friendship Behind the Legendary Film”
and “An Animator’s Gallery: Eric Goldberg
Draws the Disney Characters” are available in
bookstores and at Amazon.com.

December 2015 THE Reader • 9
DIVERT aims to halt domestic violence
By patti Rasmussen
Staff Writer
Anew local task force hopes to halt a
string of recent domestic violence incidents
in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The Domestic Intervention Violence Education
Resource Team, also known as
DIVERT, has been meeting for the past several
months, to draw attention and generate
solutions to domestic violence crimes.
Comprised of various representatives of
county and city government, as well as several
organizations dedicated to supporting
victims of domestic violence, DIVERT focuses
on education, outreach and enforcement to
affect real change and work to stop domestic
and family violence incidents in the community.
“Whether someone is a victim of domestic
violence, is afraid for their life, or they know
someone who is in a daily violent situation,
the time is now to act, and the DIVERT website
provides the help victims and their families
need right now,” Santa Clarita Sheriff’s
Capt. Roosevelt Johnson said.
The website provides critical information
for survivors of domestic violence, their families
and those who care about them. Several
organizations that provide treatment, services
and support for victims and their families
are listed.
There have been 10 homicides in the Santa
Clarita Valley this year so far — seven of
which were the result of a family-related violent
incident.
Johnson said domestic violence has become
a national issue. He referenced Baltimore
Ravens running back Ray Rice’s abusive
behavior toward his then-fiancée — and current
wife — when a video surfaced showing
the NFL star punching her and knocking her
out cold. Johnson said that video got the attention
of the nation.
According to statistics, one in four women
will experience domestic violence in their
lifetimes. For men, it’s one in 33.
Linda Davies, executive director of the Domestic
Violence Center of the SCV and a
member of the DIVERT Task Force, said
women who need help and don’t know
where to turn should call her organization.
The center has a 24-hour crisis hotline and
emergency shelter for families.
But she said she realizes that making the
first call is difficult for victims.
“They are telling this incredible secret,”
Davis said.
The center offers help with temporary restraining
orders, counseling, self-defense
classes with child care, parenting classes and
support groups. They have trained domestic
violence advocates who partner with sheriff’s
deputies and go on ride-alongs for family
dispute calls to educate victims on the various
resources available to them.
Johnson said he would like witnesses or
observers of domestic violent situations to
get involved. If you witness someone who
seems to be in dire need of help, Johnson said
to call the Sheriff’s Department immediately.
Witnesses can ask for confidentiality, he
added.
“(Witnesses) can play a critical part in saving
the life of someone in this community,” he
said. “Our goal is to get to the victim as
quickly as possible and get them out of that
situation.”
The Sheriff’s Department is working handin-hand
with the District Attorney’s office to
assure that victims testify and perpetrators
are punished.
The DIVERT website (divert.santaclarita.com)
has information about classes,
programs and seminars offered by various
local agencies to provide specific help to victims,
perpetrators and their families. These
include special, often court-mandated programs
for abusers, as well as targeted programs
and services for children.
“Family and domestic violence is a vicious
circle,” Johnson said. “We need to intervene
so it doesn’t continue into another generation.”
R
COC educates students on domestic violence
By patti Rasmussen
Staff Writer
Business
Taking care of business in the SCV
By Robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
When the Logix Federal Credit Union
began to outgrow its Burbank
headquarters, the Santa Clarita Valley
Economic Development Corporation
made an aggressive pitch for the outfit to pick
up and move to this area.
“We pursued this aggressively,” said Holly
Schroeder, president and CEO of the EDC. “We
did tours, meetings, made introductions,
drew comparisons between us and other
areas.”
In the end, the credit union did indeed
choose the Santa Clarita Valley, announcing a
12-acre land purchase for a new headquarters
that will open in about 2017.
“A lot of people think Santa Clarita is far
away from Los Angeles. Logix had some employees
come from the South Bay to Burbank,
and they thought their commute was going to
increase a half-hour,” Schroeder said. “We got
commuting data on rush hours, and found
out that on average, [the move north] would
increase commute times only 10 minutes.”
The EDC counts the credit union among
261 businesses – with 9,756 jobs – that it has
helped attract, expand or retain in the Santa
Clarita Valley over the past six years.
Other successes include helping convince
Sunkist Growers to relocate its San Fernando
Valley headquarters to Valencia, and helping
persuade an aerospace company with facilities
in Burbank and Santa Clarita to consolidate
here. In that instance the EDC arranged
meetings with permitting agencies and persuaded
the aerospace company that the construction
necessary for the move would meet
its internal deadlines.
Clustering companies
The nonprofit EDC, a public-private partner
with area business leaders, the City of
Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County and College
of the Canyons, focuses most of its efforts on
companies in “target industry clusters” that
can easily thrive in the valley:
• Aerospace and defense
• Digital media and entertainment
• Medical devices and biotech
• Advanced manufacturing
• Information technology
The EDC defines clusters as “geographic
concentrations of interconnected businesses,
suppliers, service providers and associated
institutions” in an industry sector.
Keeping companies here
While large businesses moving into the valley
draw headlines, the EDC says 80 percent
of new jobs come from the growth of existing
companies, and it is easier to retain a valley
company than to attract a new one.
With that in mind, the EDC’s business retention
committee works to identify and help
valley businesses that run into trouble.
The program offers one-on-one assistance
for primary industry employers.
“If they’re seeing high turnover, we can
connect them with America’s Job Center of
California,” Schroeder said. “If they’re running
into problems with training, we can connect
them with [College of the Canyons’] workforce
training program. If they’re expanding,
and running into issues with departments
working on their permits, we can make sure
they connect to the right person, and find
their way through the bureaucracy.”
“They want to spend the majority of their
time running their business, and we work
hard to make ourselves a single point of contact
for these other things,” she said. “We can
See Business, page 40
Domestic violence affects all ages. Children who come from families
where violence is a common occurrence may have a hard time
breaking the pattern and understanding what is a healthy relationship.
Once they start college, taking classes, and interacting with other people,
these young adults begin to see how others behave.
Counselors at College of the Canyons understand the confusion many
of their students may have and are addressing the need to educate students
about domestic violence.
Larry Schallert, assistant director of the Student Health and Wellness/Mental
Health Program, is part of the newly formed team of professionals
who have come together to address domestic violence in the
Santa Clarita Valley.
DIVERT (Domestic Intervention Violence Education Resource Team)
is focusing on education, outreach and enforcement to stop domestic and
family violence incidents in the community. Schallert is working with
DIVERT by focusing on the students.
“We’ve been working with the Domestic Violence Center of SCV for
years and have referred students to them,” Schallert said. “There is a
stigma with getting counseling and we try to let (the students) know we
are here for them. It’s hard for the students to walk in the door, let alone
talk to a counselor.”
Fliers are posted throughout the campus with information on programs
that are available. There are also resource fairs, seminars and training
held throughout the year for both the student and the public.
Many times a student will come in to the health office and think something
is not quite right, Schallert said. As the staff begins to ask questions,
more information comes out.
See DIVERT, page 40
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26570 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita 661-263-1484

10 • THE Reader
saugus
Soccer Center to move away
from its disrupted neighbors
By Robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
The Santa Clarita Soccer Center will
move into a building in an industrial
center after neighbors complained
about noise and lights
from the outdoor athletic
facility on
Soledad Canyon Road.
“We do think it’s a
win-win for everybody,”
said Rick
Bianchi, vice president
and regional
manager of The New
Home Company,
builder of the recently
erected Villa Metro
residential development.
Owner Scott Schauer told the Santa Clarita
City Council that he has negotiated a lease on
a new location for the 20-year-old Soccer
Center.
“My living room, my dining
room is right next to the
Soccer Center. I know the
players’ names, I know their
faces, and I’ve also heard
their bad words in Spanish.”
The Villa Metro homes back up to the Soccer Center. Residents
have complained about noise, lights, and offensive words in
Spanish. phoTo By BeAu hARpeR
Schauer told the council that he had secured
a building to house the Soccer Center,
and city officials said the building is located
in the Valencia Industrial Center, a 1,100-acre
complex of office, industrial and retail spaces.
Schauer did not return phone calls seeking
comment.
In his remarks to
the City Council,
Schauer, a 40-year
resident, praised city
staff and thanked the
community for supporting
the center.
He said he was
seeking permits necessary
for the move,
and cautioned, “It
won’t happen
overnight.”
Bianchi told the City Council that New
Homes had taken steps to muffle the noise,
including hiring an acoustic engineer and installing
temporary sound blankets. New
Homes had also planned to build a
sound-buffering wall, 14 feet tall
and 225 feet long.
In an interview, Bianchi said
New Homes would spend the estimated
cost of the wall, $160,000,
to help the Soccer Center relocate.
Bianchi told the City Council
that New Homes lost some sales,
and lowered some home prices,
because of the proximity to the
Soccer Center.
In August, Villa Metro resident
David Keating complained to the
City Council about noise from the
Soccer Center “almost every single
night.”
“We’ve had it…We’re staying up
all night, many nights, fighting
this,” he said.
“My living room, my dining
room is right next to the Soccer
Center. I know the players’ names,
I know their faces, and I’ve also
heard their bad words in Spanish,”
Ana Keating said.
“Unfortunately we are prisoners
in our own home,” another resident
said.
“I am exhausted. I am tired. I don’t sleep at
night,” said another.
One resident pounded on the speaker’s
podium to replicate the sound she said she
was hearing from the Soccer Center, and two
residents shouted an offensive word in Spanish
to mimic the soccer players’ volume and
language.
City Council members said they would
work with the Soccer Center and the developer
to see what could be done, and said they
would hold the Soccer Center to terms of its
use permit.
“It’s extremely cruel for people to not be
able to get their sleep,” Council member Laurene
Weste said.
“Your quality of life is important to us, I assure
you,” Mayor Pro Tem Bob Kellar told the
residents.
Council member Dante Acosta said a solution
must be found that is “fair and reasonable
for everybody.”
Council member TimBen Boydston said officials
would “do everything we can to resolve
this issue.”
“We need to have peace and quiet, and we
need to be able to relax in our homes,” Mayor
Marsha McLean said. R
December 2015
The Santa Clarita Soccer Center is being forced to move after neighbors in the Villa Metro community complained
about noise and lights from the outdoor athletic facility on Soledad Canyon Road. The photo above
shows the close proximity of the homes to the center. phoTo By BeAu hARpeR
C r i m e B l ot t e r
A grand theft auto was reported near the
26600 block of Valley Center Drive. The vehicle
was later involved in a traffic collision
in Palmdale. The suspect was arrested for
being in possession of a stolen vehicle.
A residential burglary was reported near
the 22500 block of Honnold Drive. The suspect
threw a brick through the sliding glass
window to gain entry. The suspect stole a
Toshiba lap top computer and credit cards
that were later used at local businesses.
There was a residential burglary reported
from the 27800 block of Crookshank
Drive. The suspect in this incident also
shattered the rear sliding glass window to
enter the location. The suspect stole a HP
laptop a brown jewelry box perfume and
miscellaneous jewelry.
An additional residential burglary was reported
near the 27300 block of Denoya
Drive. The suspect pried the rear window
of the location to gain entry. The suspect
stole several pieces of women’s jewelry a
Sony DVD player and an unknown amount
of US coins.
A commercial burglary occurred near the
18600 block of Via Princessa. Person(s) unknown
cut the lock to the victim’s storage
unit and stole items from within.
An attempt burglary occurred at the park
and ride at Golden Valley Road and the 145
Freeway. Person(s) unknown pried the
door handle off of the victim’s vehicle. No
entry was made.
A petty theft occurred near the 18600
block of Via Princessa. The victim stated he
was charging his cell phone on an outside
power outlet. He walked away from a shot
time and when he returned, he observed a
person running away from the area where
he was charging his cell phone.
A shoplifting occurred near the 20600
block of Golden Triangle Road. One suspect
was arrested for taking store items and
making no attempt to pay for the items. R

December 2015 THE Reader • 11
‘Godzilla’ is Coming
Santa Clarita prepares for Monster El Niño
By Robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
Here comes “Godzilla.” That’s the name
NASA climatologist Bill Patzert has
given to the coming El Niño storms,
which could rival the force of the 1997-98 El
Niño, which caused $550 million in damage
and 17 deaths in California, turning 35 counties
into federal disaster areas.
Scientists watching the warning signs –
such as unusually warm temperatures in the
Pacific Ocean — expect a series of El Niño
storms to pound Southern California in the
winter, and possibly into the spring.
In the Santa Clarita Valley, officials are taking
measures large and small to prepare for
deluges of rain and wind, and to deal with the
worst of its effects, such as flooding and mudslides.
Officials are giving residents disaster-preparedness
tips, making sure storm drains
and water retention basins are cleaned out,
inspecting flood-prone areas to shore up
their defenses, and preparing for potential
evacuations.
In Santa Clarita, officials are brushing up
on how to request FEMA funds if a federal
disaster area is declared.
“There’s been a lot of preparation,” said
Sgt. Tim Vander Leek of the Santa Clarita Valley
sheriff’s station.
el niño
What you can do
On its website ReadyForRain.santaclarita.com,
the City of Santa
Clarita urges a number of steps
valley residents can take to prepare for
the storms.
Included is advice to keep emergency
supplies on hand, such as a flashlight,
water, food, first aid kit and a portable
radio with extra batteries. You should
know how to turn off a home’s utilities,
and know access route(s) in and out of the
immediate neighborhood.
The city urges residents to clear out
drains and rain gutters, clear downspouts
in rain barrels, remove the overflow drain
cover, and inspect roofs to check for loose
tiles, holes, or other signs of trouble.
Residents are urged to inspect retaining
wall drains, surface drains and ditches
before and after rains.
Inspecting sloped areas for cracks or
slumping, and checking patios and garden
walls for signs of cracking or rotation,
which can indicate slope movement that
should be looked at by a geotechnical engineer.
During a storm, residents are urged to
keep copies of documents such as mortgage
papers, deeds, passports and bank
information on a CD, flash drive, or with
an online service, and/or keep hard
copies in a safe deposit box.
Residents are urged to keep away from
flood control debris basins, channels, facilities,
river beds, downed power lines
and electrical wires, and to avoid driving
through a flooded area. Downed lines
See El Niño, page 12
Eye on Newhall
Armed with flood maps, county sheriff’s
and fire officials are keeping an eye on vulnerable
sites including a Newhall area that is
home to the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center
and Crescent Valley mobile home park.
That area will be prone to floods and mudslides
for several years, because of its proximity
to the site of the Calgrove Fire, which
burned 415 acres in June, consuming vegetation
that would otherwise slow the water
and mud.
According to an Aug. 25 report by the Los
Angeles County Water Resources Division,
areas that the Calgrove Fire has rendered especially
vulnerable include:
• The Old Road.
• Cross Street, Davey Avenue, Haskell Vista
Lane, Calgrove Boulevard, and a privately
owned portion of Wildwood Canyon Road
within Santa Clarita.
• Residential properties below the burned
hillsides along Agramonte Drive, Cross
Street, Davey Avenue, Haskell Vista Lane, and
Wildwood Canyon Road, and within the Crescent
Valley mobile home park.
County officials say it will be four or five
years before the
Calgrove Fire
area “has significantly
recovered
from the
burn.”
In the area,
workers were
m o n i t o r i n g
flood basins,
giving at least
one of them a
p r e - s t o r m
cleanout, and
installed risers on culverts at The Old Road,
to handle a greater volume of runoff.
Ken Kondo, spokesman for the Los Angeles
County Office of Emergency Management,
urged residents to follow a three-step preparation
process (see related story), which includes
identifying an evacuation route, plus
one or two backup routes in case the first one
is blocked.
In an evacuation, people should be ready
to “hit higher ground,” but “should not try to
cross any flooding,” Kondo said. “We call that,
Santa Clarita city workers lay down sandbags to slow potential el Niño flooding. CouRTeSy phoTo
‘Turn around, don’t drown.’”
If an evacuation is blocked by flooding,
people should wait for law enforcement or
fire officials, and “let them know right away
if somebody is trapped or swept away,”
Kondo said.
Santa Clarita officials warn people to avoid
walking through a flooded area, where just a
few inches of
“We’ve grown more since the
1997-1998 El Niño. There’s a
larger area that we address, but
the [standard operating procedure]
is still the same. We’ve mitigated a
bunch of hot spots, now we are
addressing potentially new ones.”
moving water
can knock people
off their
feet.
R e s i d e n t s
can stay informed
of a
coming evacuation
on social
media, over
the radio, and
by signing up
for text alerts
(see related story).
First responders will go door-to-door to
notify people as well.
“If we don’t get an answer we’ll try the
neighbors. We urge that if you’re going out of
town, and you have a neighbor you’re comfortable
telling that you will be out of your
house, they can tell us that you’re gone,” Vander
Leek said.
“If we don’t get an answer, and somebody
is disabled inside the home, and we know
they are in there, we’ll go in there and get
Santa Clarita city workers use heavy equipment to clean out a tunnel next to Discovery park, in anticipation
of potential el Niño flooding. CouRTeSy phoTo
them,” Vander Leek said.
County officials also are watching the
“Powerhouse area” northeast of Santa Clarita,
where fires in recent years have increased the
chances of flooding and mudslides, Kondo
said.
‘Ready for rain’
Santa Clarita officials have launched a
“Ready for Rain” webpage (ReadyForRain.
Santa-Clarita.com) with El Niño updates, tips
and emergency alert sign-ups.
“With El Niño brewing, we’re expecting a
large amount of rain in a small amount of
time, so it’s critical that we prepare now for
all that rain that may come all at once,” said
Mayor Marsha McLean.
“There are simple things you can do
around your home to minimize the damage
that may come from heavy rainfall in your
area,” McLean said.
Santa Clarita officials are clearing debris
from streets, cleaning and monitoring storm
drains, pruning problematic trees and inspecting
city facilities, trails and construction
sites.
“We’re doing our best to get ahead of this
potentially damaging storm system,” McLean
said.
Especially vulnerable to flooding or mudslides
are areas near slopes that are unstable,
or lack enough vegetation to slow the flow of
rain or mud.
Growing pains
Emergency Services Supervisor Donna
Nuzzi said officials have worked to keep up
with the growth of the city, adding storm
drains and taking other mitigation measures.
“We’ve grown more since the 1997-1998
El Niño. There’s a larger area that we address,
but the [standard operating procedure] is still
the same,” she said. “We’ve mitigated a bunch
of hot spots, now we are addressing potentially
new ones.”
Years ago “Soledad Canyon used to flood
like a pond” near the Saugus Speedway, until
the waters were diverted by methods including
a new storm drain.
“Bridges were undermined. Some have
been widened. . . . The Bouquet Canyon
Bridge [over the Santa Clara River] used to be
a wooden bridge,” she said.
With the next round of El Niño weather approaching,
officials continue to carefully
watch the city’s areas of new growth, even
though developers have taken steps to prevent
flooding.
See Godzilla, page 12

12 • THE Reader
December 2015
w h y t e’s w o r l d
my own slice of sCv heaven
A Santa Clarita city worker
diverts debris to keep the
drainage system clear in
anticipation of el Nino
rains. CouRTeSy phoTo
by Tim Whyte
Reader Columnist
It was Halloween six years ago, and I was
walking with my daughter, who was still
young enough that she didn’t object to me
tagging along for trick-or-treat. We stopped
at a neighbor’s house, where Brooke, in costume
as a perfectly adorable samurai
princess or something like that, went to the
door in search of candy.
My neighbor saw me and said, “Hey, aren’t
you Tim Whyte?”
I blurted, “I used to be.”
It had been a couple years since I’d published
a column, having ended an 18-year
newspaper career in 2007 so I could switch
to “the dark side” and become a public relations
consultant. I was still “me,” but I didn’t
think of myself as THAT Tim Whyte anymore.
During those newspaper years, 10 of
which were spent as the paper’s editor, I
wrote a weekly column in which I wrote
about whatever I felt like writing about.
Sometimes it was politics. Sometimes it was
social commentary. Sometimes, it was a “slice
of life,” often involving my trials and tribulations
as a parent.
It was that last category that often got the
most positive feedback. By the time I left
daily newspaper journalism (Hey, remember
daily newspapers? Good times.), my son Luc
was 12 and Miss Brooke was a 6-year-old
first grader. They were both fair game for my
columns and there wasn’t all that much they
could do about it.
Fast forward eight years. One of my former
bosses, Richard Budman, is starting the
Reader, and invites me to write some “slice of
life” columns.
I jumped at the chance. But after a while it
set in: Which “slices of life,” exactly, am I allowed
to write about anymore? So much is
off limits now.
Luc is 20. He’s gone from being a cute little
hockey player to… well, wait. I think he’s still
considered cute by a certain segment of the
population. But it’s not the same “kind” of
cute as when he was 12.
I can’t write much about Luc anymore.
First, I hardly see him. He’s busy. Works two
part-time jobs and he’s co-captain of the Valencia
Flyers, a Tier II Junior A hockey team
that is officially the Santa Clarita Valley’s highest-level
sports team that gets ignored by the
local media. They play a 52-game regular-season
schedule and they’re on the road a lot.
If you haven’t tried it, catch a Flyers game
at the Ice Station. Tickets are cheap and the
Western States Hockey League offers fastpaced
hockey featuring a mix of homegrown
players like Luc, as well as a large number of
aspiring professionals and future collegiate
athletes from Canada and Europe. The Flyers
are comprised of about 50 percent SoCal
players, along with two Canadians, two
Swedes, two Norwegians and one each from
Switzerland, Alaska, Montana and Nebraska.
As of this writing they’re in first place in the
league’s Western Division.
For the players, it’s a semi-pro experience
complete with long bus rides that leave the
boys finding creative ways to fill time. For example,
the team’s Facebook page recently
posted a perfectly embarrassing video clip
featuring my son, on the team bus after
sweeping a three-game road trip in Las Vegas,
leading several teammates in a rousing singalong
to the Miley Cyrus tune, “Party in the
USA.” (Son, the Internet is FOREVER.)
If you liked that, wait ’til you see their Taylor
Swift medley. Who says hockey players
aren’t tough?
But other than the hockey, there’s not a
whole lot, slice-of-life-wise, that I can write
about Luc without him saying, “Dude, you
can’t write about THAT.”
Same with Brooke. She’s a freshman cheerleader
at my alma mater, Saugus High. When
I drive her to school, it’s understood that I will
drop her at a healthy distance from the gate,
avert my eyes and drive away without looking
back or rolling down the window and
shouting something completely Dad-Inappropriate,
like, “Hey, Daddy’s Little Girl, make
good decisions today!”
Nope. Can’t do that. Can’t write about it either.
Nor can I write about things like school
dances.
Suppose — hypothetically, of course — she
went to a school dance, looking positively
stunning in a new dress and making all sorts
of thoughts cross her Dad’s mind like, “Where
did all those years go? My, how you’re growing
into an amazing young woman — smart,
pretty, witty, self-confident. And I’m sure glad
you got your mother’s looks instead of mine
and please keep making good decisions, OK?”
Nope. Can’t write about ANY of that. It
would embarrass the kid.
Geez. After all these years I have a column
again, and I can’t write about the kids. What
ever am I going to do?
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. R
Tim Whyte is a public relations consultant, a
member of the award-winning team at Mellady
Direct Marketing, and a part-time faculty
member in the Journalism Department at California
State University, Northridge. Find him
on Twitter @TimWhyte.
The Reader is looking for Sales
Account Executives & Reporters
Email Richard@WestsideReader.com
Godzilla
continued from page 11
“We have new development, with all new
vegetation that hasn’t all fully rooted yet,”
Nuzzi said.
Systematic efforts
Much of the city’s El Niño preparation involves
systematic, repeated effort.
Workers clear debris from streets, install
signs at flood-prone areas, and clean storm
drains four times a year — more, if needed,
during storms. They also clean parkway
drains and drainage channels before and during
rainy season.
Workers maintain retention basins in lowlying
areas, making sure their inflow and outflow
mechanisms can properly slow floodwaters
without backing up.
“We want to make sure the system is working
the way it’s supposed to,” said Environmental
Services Manager Travis Lange.
El Niño
continued from page 11
should be reported via 911.
County officials urge residents to follow
a three-step disaster preparedness protocol:
• Identify “your hazards and threats,” by
determining whether you are in a lowlying,
drought-stricken or wildfire area.
• “Create a Disaster Plan,” keeping emergency
contact information on hand and
knowing two — or better yet three — evacuation
routes.
• “Stay informed,” following social media
(see below) and traditional news media,
weather reports and, in this area, KHTS
1220-AM radio.
Linking up
Officials have prepared two clearinghouse
websites with numerous resources,
and tips on how to prepare:
https://lacounty.gov/elnino
ReadyForRain.Santa-Clarita.com
People can watch for emergency alerts,
or sign up to receive alerts, various ways:
Register for L.A. County emergency
alerts by cell phone and email at lacounty.gov/
emergency/alert-la. Listed and
unlisted land-line numbers are already included
in the database and do not need to
be registered. The system is TTY/TDD compatible.
Santa Clarita residents can sign up for
The city systematically prunes more than
25,000 trees each year, which reduces the
number of trees that will break up or fall
down when storms blow through.
Pruning the trees lightens their canopies,
keeping them from becoming weight-pulling
“sails” in the wind, and lightens the trees’
overall weight, helping their roots stay firm
in rain-saturated soil, said Administrative
Services Manager Kevin Tonoian.
The city is working to identify problematic
trees and prune or remove them.
Workers are inspecting rooftops and
cleaning rain gutters, and rain channels on
the ground, at facilities such as City Hall, libraries
and Metrolink stations.
City officials inspect construction sites 48
hours before forecasted rain, to see that steps
have been taken to prevent mud and rain
flow from the properties.
debris from streets throughout the day, and
See Godzilla, page 21
emergency text alerts by texting SCEMER-
GENCY to 888777, or they can sign up online
at Santa-Clartia.com/ealerts. The texts
include color-coded evacuation alerts for
the Calgrove Fire area.
County residents can sign up for the text
alerts by texting their ZIP codes to 888777.
During a state of emergency, the City of
Santa Clarita urges residents to visit its
emergency information blog at santaclaritaemergency.com.
For updates on social media:
@LACo_FD is the county Fire Department’s
Twitter handle.
@SCVSHERIFF is the Santa Clarita Valley
sheriff’s station feed.
LACOOEM is the county Office of Emergency
Management’s Twitter feed.
@santaclarita is Santa Clarita’s Twitter
handle.
Facebook.com/cityofsantaclarita is
Santa Clarita’s Facebook page
Countywide, people with disabilities and
others with access and functional needs
can call 211 LA County, toll-free, for emergency
preparedness information and other
referral services.
211 LA County services can also be accessed
via http://211la.org.
County officials emphasize that people
with impaired speech, sight or hearing, and
a variety of other physical disabilities, can
register at snap.lacounty.gov, which is used
to aid the efficiency of first responders.
ReadyForRain.Santa-Clarita.com/freesandbags/
shows a map of valley fire stations
providing free sandbags and/or sand
to residents, while they last. R

December 2015 THE Reader • 13
old town newhall
Our Arts & Entertainment District
Special Message from Santa
Clarita Mayor Marsha Mclean
newhall
Driver killed on I-5 crash in Newhall Pass
The California
Highway Patrol
is investigating
the circumstances
surrounding
a deadly traffic collision
that occurred in
the Newhall Pass.
Shortly after 8:30
a.m., officers were
sent to the northbound
5 Freeway,
just north of the eastbound
14 Freeway
connector, for report
of a vehicle trapped
under a semi-trailer, according to California
Highway Patrol Sgt. Jim Pack.
“Upon arrival it was discovered that there
was a two vehicle collision between a black
Honda Civic and tractor semi-trailer that
was parked on the side,” Pack said.
Ever since word of the
possibility of a Laemmle
Theatre in Old Town
Newhall emerged, many residents
have expressed their excitement
and are asking when
it will happen. As with any potential
development, there is a
process that must be followed.
Over the last two decades,
our City and its partners have worked hard
to revitalize our downtown area and create a
destination location for entertainment, shopping,
services and the arts. Millions of dollars
in public infrastructure projects like the Old
Town Newhall Library, the Community Center,
Veterans Historical Plaza, the streetscape
and storefront façade projects, a new entrance
to Hart Park, landscaping and the
Newhall roundabout have gone a long way
towards the realization of an Arts and Entertainment
District for Old Town Newhall.
These projects have been guided by the
Old Town Newhall Specific Plan, which was
adopted by the City Council in 2005, after extensive
public input. Implementation of these
public projects and more has set the stage for
the next project — the transformation of the
empty City-owned block across from the Old
Town Newhall Library.
The Newhall Specific Plan provided a vision
for this area which included as one of the potential
options, a six-screen movie theater at
the north end of Main Street, in addition to a
combination of retail and residential development,
(called mixed use), plus public parking.
The City-owned block envisioned for the
potential movie theatre development project
is located at Main and Lyons, and was purchased
by using redevelopment funds with
the intent of making that vision a reality.
However with the dissolution of redevelopment
in California, the City is now required
to adhere to a state-directed process to sell
that property, as well as ensure that the revitalization
efforts of the area continue
and a development is completed
that provides a positive
impact for the community.
Over the last several years, the
City and Laemmle Theatres have
received verbal and written
communication from area residents
requesting that a
Laemmle Theatre open in Santa
Clarita. We’ve also seen this
input appear on City surveys
and in letters to the editor at the
Signal newspaper from residents interested
in bringing Laemmle here. The Laemmle
family has visited Santa Clarita several times
and agrees that their theatre concept would
be a great fit with our community.
Earlier this year, and following a competitive
Request for Qualifications process, the
City entered into exclusive negotiations with
a team of developers including: Laemmle
Theatres, Serrano Development Group and
Pacific Coast Housing Development. Right
now, City staff is working with this development
team to negotiate a potential deal for
consideration by the City Council that would
be presented in a public meeting.
At that public meeting, members of the
public will have the opportunity to express
their opinions to the City Council on the proposal.
It is anticipated that there will be an
economic development subsidy from the City
to help bring Laemmle Theatres to Santa
Clarita. We constantly hear from people coming
into Old Town Newhall that more, convenient
parking is needed and therefore, the
City will be funding the construction of a
parking structure.
We are estimating that the proposal will
come before the City Council in the next couple
of months. There is a lot of potential for
this project and the transformation of the
property into something our community is so
enthusiastic about. I encourage you to stay
engaged in the process! For more information
about Old Town Newhall, please visit:
www.OldTownNewhall.com.
The man was the sole occupant of the vehicle
and no one else was hurt in the crash.
Upon their arrival, authorities pronounced
the victim dead at the scene. Their identity is
being withheld pending family notification.
The incident is still under investigation.
m r. sa n ta C l a r i ta va l l e y
Condoman? dr. Freeway Close to
everywhere? oak girl? Captain
light-to-medium industrial Base?
Sigh. What we need is an official
SCV super hero.
by John Boston
Reader Columnist
Last I looked, we don’t have Official Santa
Clarita Super Hero. We have an Official
City Tree (the air fern). We have an Official
City Bird (the Stevenson Ranch Non-
Speckled Blue Bullfinch). We have an Official
City Animal (das party maniac, Duane Harte).
Councilperps Bob Kellar, Tim Larry Joe
Moe Ben Boydston, Laurene Weste, Dante
“Inferno” Acosta and Mayor Zsa Zsu Pitts pull
off a ton of shenanigans in a day. Yet, why
can’t los bozos handle something as simple as
appointing an Official Santa Clarita Super
Hero?
Excuse me.
I’ve just been handed a note from The SCV
Reader’s crackerjack legal team.
Hmm.
I’ve been informed legendary character actress
Zsa Zsu Pitts is NOT — repeat, NOT —
the current mayor. I miswrote. I was thinking
of Marsha McLean, who only looks like Zsa
Zsu Pitts. And speaks through a kazoo.
I like Spiderman,
who really
isn’t a man. He’s a
teen. So technically,
he’s Spiderslacker.
The
problem with
adopting Spiderman
is he couldn’t
travel about the
valley, zinging
sticky spider lines
from skyscraper
to skyscraper. There’s no crying in baseball,
no skyscrapers in SClarita. City ordinances
prohibit buildings over .85 stories tall.
And walking with a known Tahitian.
Batman’s overused. I think the caped crusader
would be uncomfy here. Cripes how
Batman would sweat in his designer rubber/leather
suit and cape. Summertime, the
mercury tops 12,100 degrees Celsius/350
degrees Fahrenheit. I’m a jeans and T-shirt
guy. I perspire. Profusely. In front of the AC.
How would Batman handle sprinting down a
paseo wearing the equivalent of 9-inch thick
black Saran Wrap?
I suppose Batman could modify his costume
for SClarita climes. He would wear a
simple black rubber wife-beater sleeveless T-
shirt and a pair of those gangbanger lowhanging
buttcrack shorts, a fashion statement
that simply will not go away. I don’t know. The
look strikes me as undignified.
Superman?
He’d come in handy with El Niño around
the corner. He could blow on flash floods and
divert rampaging storm waters, maybe use
his X-ray vision to create instant reservoirs
and build dams made entirely out of Democrats
and SCOPE members. Big problem
though: What would his alter ago, Clark Kent,
do with his days?
No local daily newspaper…
There’s Thor, who fits our basic Anglo-
Saxon demographic and I know this is off the
subject, but where do super heroes buy
shoes? They all seem to have not just really
BIG feet, but BIG strangely built feet. It’s like
they’re all walking around on Thanksgiving
turkeys stuffed into primary colors boots.
I like The Hulk. He’s green. Green’s “in”
these days. But what of his legendary temper?
I can just see Mr. Hulk at a yogurt boutique
grand opening. He learns local
developer Jim Backer bulldozed an orphanage
to put up the dessert emporium and
starts to sizzle. He (Hulk, not Backer, although
you never DO see them at the same chamber
mixers at the same time) gets really mad
when some lower case CC&R dictator taps
him on the shoulder and orders him to leave
because he (Hulk, not Backer) is not wearing
a shirt and, well, he’s green, a non-beige color
not supported under homeowner codes. You
just know Hulk’s going to open a 128-ounce
can of Kraft Asterisk Whip on the entire valley.
I shan’t go sissy here, but one problem having
a recognized
super hero living
in SClarita is they
attract an inordinate
amount of intergalactic
super
villains. Super villains
brandish
death rays or exotic
vision powers
enabling them to
level entire mountaintops,
leaving
nothing but shaved vistas.
Which, I guess you could make the case,
we’ve already been there, done that.
Perhaps what’s needed is a super hero to
match Our New America, one that brings
with him or her lowered expectations.
How about Safety Man?
He can lecture ad nauseum about the dangers
of having trees or playground equipment
in schoolyards. He could boldly stride
through grocery store aisles, slapping boxes
of granulated sugar out of the hands of shoppers.
“But it’s Christmas!” bemoans one Canyon
Country Piggly Wiggly patron. “I wanted to
bake!”
Safety Man slaps the shopper.
Horrified at his sin, SM seeks solace in
H.B.D. (Holiday Binge Drinking), then realizes
the last bar in SClarita went extinct in 1964.
Compromising, he runs with scissors.
Heavens. I don’t know.
Maybe we just need to create our own,
tepid super hero, attach some safe, vanilla
local attribute to his personality. You know.
Like how gold was first discovered here?
We could call the guy, “Gold Man!”
Hm. I wonder.
Would Carl over at the radio station sue? R
The hulk would make a great official City Super hero. he
accurately depicts the valley’s inner angst. MARVel CoMiCS
hTTp://WWW.iGN.CoM/Top/CoMiC-Book-heRoeS/9
(John Boston has been named Best Columnist
in America several times. Look for more of
his work at foofmagazine.com and thejohn
bostonchronicles.com.)

14 • THE Reader
CastaiC middle sChool
Educating parents about new dangers
By Steve pratt
Staff Writer
Longtime local educator Bob Brauneisen
has always held a strong belief that education
and awareness are the keys to
fighting an ongoing problem among young
Santa Clarita Valley students.
That’s why the Castaic Middle School principal
recently invited parents of his school to
attend an interactive presentation on the
dangers and misconceptions associated with
drugs and social media, and warning signs for
parents to look for involving their children
and illegal drugs.
“It’s true, drugs were around when we
were in middle school, but it’s just different
now,” Brauneisen said. “My dad used to say,
‘Son, don’t drink the punch,’ at a party because
it might be spiked. Now, kids can’t
share Gummy Bears because they may be
laced with something, or eat a brownie. It’s
just different, and parents should know what
to be looking out for.”
Deputy Bill Velek of the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department’s Juvenile Intervention
Team led the presentation. Velek said
he handles about 200 cases a year of juveniles
in Santa Clarita arrested on narcotics. In
addition, he handles all overdose-related
deaths in the SCV.
“So far this year we’ve had eight overdoses
and I’m investigating four more, so that number
could rise,” he said.
Velek showed examples of hiding places
Castaic Middle School principal
Bob Brauneisen
kids are using for
drugs, as well as
everyday household
items or
school supplies
that could be
used for storing
drugs.
“The biggest
problem we are
having right now
with kids this age
group is the E-
cigarettes,” Velek
said. “Whether they call it a vaping or whatever.
It’s the fastest growing problem with
our youth. It does have nicotine and it is addicting.
You can smoke marijuana or heroin
in these; anything that gets hot enough, and
you can burn it.”
Velek said the marijuana edibles that contain
THC are also very dangerous and common
among middle school children. THC
stands for tetrahydrocannabinol and is the
chemical responsible for most of marijuana's
psychological effects.
Once a student turns 18, they can obtain
marijuana with a medical card at a number
of legal dispensaries in Los Angeles and
places like Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood
and Venice beach.
Velek said it falls on the parents to be
aware of what their children are doing, and
to communicate to them about the dangers
of drugs. “The key to all this stuff is the par-
eleCtion update
Storli wins Hart School Board seat
Linda Storli, retired Canyon High School
teacher defeated longtime incumbent
Gloria Mercado-Fortine in their race
for one of the two open seats on the William
S. Hart Union High School District Board.
Storli earned 57% percent of the vote,
tallying 1,428 votes to Mercado-
Fortine’s 984 votes or 38.5%, according to
the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/
County Clerk’s office.
The November 3rd election was the first
held by the Hart district using voting areas,
where candidates had to run to represent
one seat, covering a specific area of the
Santa Clarita Valley, on the five-member
school board.
Storli was elected to represent Castaic
and part of Valencia. R
ents,” he said. “You’ve got to talk to them
every day or every week. You’ve got to pay attention
to them.
He added: “If they get caught, don’t be
afraid to punish them. We are their parents
and not their friends. If they need to get their
butt kicked, we’re the ones to do it. We have
to keep them alive through their stupid years.
That’s our job.”
Brauneisen said kids like to show off and
they like to brag. “Kids who see something
will snitch on other kids,” Brauneisen said.
“The good kids are the ones that will always
December 2015
end up telling because they don’t want their
school to be that way. They know how dangerous
it is and we’ve scared them enough.
They know this can kill them.”
Parent Stacy Viereck was happy to see the
Castaic community and the Castaic Union
School District school host the event.
“It’s everything to be informed,” Viereck
said. “This is valuable information that we
learned about. I think it’s great that our
schools are educating the parents and letting
us know what is out there. It’s all to protect
the kids.” R
C r i m e B l ot t e r
An attempted residential burglary was reported
from the 29000 block of Elk Avenue.
The homeowner returned home and saw a
male suspect attempting to open a side window
to the house. The suspect realized he
had been seen, and ran away. The crime occurred
on 11-10-15 at 4:20.PM.
An arson was reported from the 30000
block of Sloan Canyon Road. The fire department
responded to the location regarding
a small structure fire. The brush
surrounding the area had caught on fire as
well. Witnesses reported seeing four male
suspects leaving the area.
A theft was reported from the 31000
block of Castaic Road. While getting gas,
two victims were approached by a male
who sold them silver coins. After the suspect
left, the victim’s realized the coins were
fake.
A theft was reported from the 29000
block of The Old Road. A male suspect left
the location with a shopping cart full of miscellaneous
store products. The suspect left
without paying. The store staff confronted
the suspect in the parking lot, and he left in
his vehicle.
A vehicle reported stolen from Livingston
Avenue was recovered by deputies in Lancaster.
A residential burglary was reported from
the 32000 block of The Old Road. A Sony
47” TV, Lenovo laptop and X-Box One were
stolen. The crime occurred on 11-03 between
7:00 am and 10:00 pm. The victim
believes she knows the suspect. R

December 2015
Reader Sports
THE Reader • 15
by Steve pratt
Sports editor
Welcome to my first sports column in
the SCV and Westside Reader. The
Santa Clarita Valley loves its sports
and I hope to capture some of those making
headlines both on and off the field in this
space. If you have an idea for a sports story
you’d like us to cover, send us an email at:
info@WestsideReader.com and let us know
about it.
—
The College of the Canyons football team
lost its third straight game in the final regular-season
game of the season, falling on the
road to Cerritos College, 44-15. The Cougars
end the year with a 6-4 overall and 3-3 in
Northern Conference play…
—
It looks like Colorado redshirt freshman
and Canyon High graduate Cade Apsay may
start getting some serious playing time as the
4-7 Buffaloes (1-6 in the Pac-12 Conference)
look to finish their season on a high note.
Apsay replaced injured Colorado starting
quarterback Sefo Liufau, who left with a
sprained foot in the second quarter. Apsay
finished with 128 yards and two TD passes,
but USC was able to fight off Colorado, 27-24,
in a Pac-12 win.
“I was ready,” Apsay told Laura Mishkind of
CUBuffs.com. “The second I saw (Liufau)
struggling; it wasn’t like a frightened mood or
anything. I was confident.”
According to Mishkind, Apsay had appeared
in two games prior to facing USC,
playing against Nicholls State and Stanford.
But both were fourth-quarter appearances,
when the game had already been decided.
The Buffs finish the season at Utah on Nov. 28.
—
The Einstein Academy girls’ volleyball
team’s season ended with a three-game loss
in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section
Division 5A Playoffs to Avalon. It was the
farthest coach Ken Erenberg’s squad has ever
advanced in postseason play. The team ended
the year at 16-10. Caroline Malka is the only
starting graduating senior for the team so expect
Einstein to go even farther next year.
—
The Valencia High football team was the
only Foothill League team to move on in the
CIF-Southern Section West Valley Division
Playoffs after the first round as the Vikings
recorded a 38-28 victory over San Juan Hills.
Valencia starting quarterback Cole Parkinson
was forced to leave the game with an injury,
and did not return. It was later learned
that Parkinson had suffered a broken leg and
that his season was over. Playing with backup
Aaron Thomas, the Vikings (8-4) were eliminated
in the second round on the road against
Chino Hills, 16-14. A last-second 55-yard field
goal was blocked as time ran out.
In other first-round games, Saugus High
sCv s p o r t s
news and notes and from in
and around santa Clarita
valley press boxes, locker
rooms and coach’s offices
lost its playoff opener to Upland on the road,
45-10. The Centurions finish the season with
a 6-5 record. Hart High fell to Mission Viejo,
49-14, ending its season with three straight
losses.
Santa Clarita Christian fell to Desert of Edwards
Air Force Base, 36-26, in a CIF-SS East
Valley game.
—
Sad to hear the news that likable West
Ranch Football coach Jan Miller won’t be returning
to the sidelines next season for the
Wildcats. The retired U.S. Marine served for
23 years and had several tours in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Miller was 11-19 over three season
as the head man. This year, West Ranch
was 0-5, 3-7 in Foothill League play. Miller
had been with the program since 2007 when
he started as the freshman coach, and moved
up to the J.V. in 2011 and 2012.
—
The Santa Clarita Christian girls’ volleyball
team advanced to the CIF-Southern Section
5-AA finals for the second straight year, and
faced a familiar opponent in Upland Christian
Academy. Last year, the Cardinals won a
five-set thriller, but this year lost in four
games at Cerritos College to Upland Christian
Academy, 3-1 (25-14, 16-25, 25-12, 25-14).
Santa Clarita Christian (18-5) was led by
Kylie Brown, who recorded 23 kills and 13
digs.
—
What an inspiring story that came out of
the 20th Santa Clarita Marathon recently.
Saugus High graduate and cancer survivor
Brandon Jauregui won the overall race with a
time of two hours, 35 minutes and 18 seconds.
Not only has Jauregui tackled leukemia
head on for the past two years, but also the
24-year-old was making his marathon debut.
Turns out Jauregui is an accomplished
writer and is studying journalism at Cal State
Northridge. You can read his writings at his
blog here: brandosblog.weebly.com.
He said on his Instagram account
@brando1013: “There's many reasons why I
wanted to win this race, but most of all, it was
because I wanted to give back to my family,
friends, teammates, coaches and community
for standing by my side over the last decade
of my running career. So thank you each and
every one of you. There's nothing I could ever
say to describe how happy I am that I got to
share this moment with all of you today, and
it's a day I'll remember for the rest of my life!”
—
Moreno Valley’s Carri Arrieta, 49, was the
top female finisher coming in with a time of
three hours, 22 minutes and eight seconds.
—
And finally, our thoughts and prayers to
See SCV Sports, page 40
Valencia Volleyball falls to Trabuco
Hills in CIF-SS Division Title game
By Steve pratt
Sports editor
The Valencia Vikings (28-10) were
handed a three-set loss in the championships
at Cerritos College, falling to
Trabuco Hills, 25-17, 30-28, 25-22. However
because the team advanced to the CIF Southern
Section finals, Valencia’s season continues
as they now advance to the CIF State
Tournament.
It was a raucous crowd that stormed the
court and danced in circles around the jubilant
Valencia High School volleyball team
minutes after the Vikings had clinched their
CIF-Southern Section Division 1A semifinal
over No. 1-ranked Rancho Cucamonga convincingly
in straight sets.
The dream season would continue with a
first-ever trip to the CIF Championship just
four days later. And the focus immediately
turned to Trabuco Hills, the Vikings finals opponent.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said junior Kelsey
Knudsen after the 25-20, 25-14, 25-19 victory.
“There really are no words. I think we
were all ready for this, and now we have one
more win to the goal.”
Said senior Holly Pittman: “I just wanted to
fall on the floor and cry because I was so
happy.”
Sophomore Lauren Russ was also in disbelief.
“I’m honestly speechless,” she said. “It
hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s not something that
comes around a lot. We wanted to get past
the second round. I woke up this morning
and said, ‘Let’s go. We’re ready for this.’ But
it’s not over. We need one more win and have
to finish strong.”
But in the end it just wasn’t meant to be.
Valencia head coach Ray Sanchez couldn’t
stop smiling following the biggest win in program’s
history over the No. 1 team in the
semifinals.
“This team’s work ethic is unbelievable,”
Sanchez said. “They care so much for one another.
And they work so hard for each other.
They are such a strong and mentally tough
team. You put them in a tough situation and
so many teams can’t handle that pressure. We
just happen to have that right mix. We’ve had
a little bit of luck and a little bit of skill and
you throw it all together and we’re in the
final.”
Sanchez looked around the gym as fans
continued to celebrate with his team. “That’s
definitely the biggest crowd we’ve had all
year,” he said. “This volleyball community has
been great and have really supported us.”
A lot of those same fans would make the
See Valencia Volleyball, page 16

16 • THE Reader
December 2015
Canyon Country
Kellar to run for fifth Santa Clarita City Council term
By Michele Buttelman
Staff Writer
Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem Bob Kellar,
who has served four terms on the Santa
Clarita City Council, announced Nov. 12
that he will seek his fifth term in the November
2016 election.
California State Assemblyman Scott Wilk
introduced Kellar to the crowd gathered at
the Robinson Ranch clubhouse in Sand
Canyon to support Kellar.
“Thank you for coming out to support a
great man, Bob Kellar,” Wilk said. “I don’t
know anyone in public life who is more authentic
than Bob Kellar. He is a person of integrity
and he loves this community.”
Kellar made his re-election announcement
before a packed room of nearly 200 supporters.
“Why am I running again?” he said. “Because
the job isn’t done yet. Simple as that.”
Kellar said he is seeking another term to
finish the work of keeping CEMEX from ever
opening a mine in Canyon Country.
“We’ve made great progress, but until the
BLM (Bureau of Land Management) signs off
and says there will never be a mine, we
haven’t completely won the battle,” he said.
Kellar also mentioned the work that needs
to be done on the cleanup of the Whittaker-
Bermite site and the Via Princessa roadway
extension.
Valencia Vollyeball
continued from page 15
trek south for the final only to see the Vikings
lose in the championship. Valencia had its
chances in the second set and were led by
outside hitter Lauren Russ who recorded
nine of her 16 kills in the second set that
ended in a 30-28 defeat.
Like they have been all season, the Vikings
were led by seniors Emily Burns, Demi Dawson,
Rachel Perez and Saugus transfer Brian
Coleman.
“I never thought that we would make it
this far,” said Burns, who led the team with
13 kills against Rancho Cucamonga. “I wasn’t
nervous as I thought I’d be. I was just more
excited than nervous. It’s crazy to think that
Bob and kathy kellar stand next to a large Bob kellar for City Council banner in the Robinson Ranch clubhouse.
phoTo By MiChele BuTTelMAN
He also spoke about his accomplishments
during his four terms as a councilman, including
the installation of the motto, “In God
We Trust” above the Santa Clarita City Council
dais.
“I am very proud of the completion of the
Cross Valley Connector,” he said. “It is a
tremendous benefit to this community.”
Among the many other successes Kellar recounted
was working to return the murderer
of Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff David
March to the United States from Mexico to
Small lanside closes Vasquez Canyon Road
Motorists advised to take Sierra Highway
Alandslide closed Vasquez Canyon Road
between Bouquet Canyon Road in Saugus
and Sierra Highway in Canyon Country
on November 19th. as reported by The California
Highway Patrol.
The CHP said “The road will be closed for a
long time. and they have erected barriers to
prohibit access to the road. The landslide is uplifting
and buckling a 150-foot stretch of the
roadway, according to Los Angeles Department
of Roadway’s Steven Frasher.
“Cracks are active and continue to expand; the
heave is continuing to rise in height to more than
six feet,” Frasher said. “L.A. County Public Works
engineers and geologists are investigating the
cause. There are no homes or buildings in the
immediate area.”
There were no injuries reported due to the
landslide. R
this team has gone as far as any other team in
school history.”
Added Sanchez after the huge semifinal
upset. “It feels great. It feels fantastic. You set
your goals to win your league and to get to
the championship and win the championship.”
It was a memorable season for Valencia as
it won its third straight Foothill League title
and 14th in 15 seasons. The Vikings opened
the playoffs with wins over Calabasas and
Villa Park and then beat No. 4 Aliso Niguel before
taking out the top-seeded Rancho Cucamonga.
“They outplayed us in every facet of the
game,” Rancho Cucamonga coach Aaron Flores
said. “They come at you from a lot of different
areas, and have a lot of different
weapons. They have a lot of people who can
beat you. We gave them too many opportunities
to do what they wanted. We weren’t able
to take anyone out of it and create opportunities.
They are a very good team. We got outdefended
and out-served and out-played in
every way tonight.”
Sanchez’s team kept improving week in
and week out all season long. “Looking back
over the summer I knew we had a pretty good
team, but that we had to do a lot of work,” he
said. “We’ve been improving since the very
first day. It was a little rough in the summer,
but then we got better and better and it never
stopped. That’s been the most remarkable
thing about these girls. They are just a
tremendous team and I’m not surprised at
anything they’ve done at this point.” R
face justice; the creation of the Santa Clarita
Arts Commission and the redevelopment of
downtown Newhall.
Kellar joined the City of Santa Clarita as a
first-term council member in April 2000, and
served as mayor in 2004, 2008 and again in
2013. Kellar began his life of public service by
serving in the U.S. Army from 1965 through
1967. This was followed by 25 years with the
Los Angeles Police Department. He retired
from the LAPD in 1993, finishing up his career
as the supervisor in charge of reserve officer
training at the Police Academy.
Kellar was named Santa Clarita Valley Man
of the Year in 1998 and was honored as a
Leader of Character by the Bill Hart District
of the Boy Scouts of America in 2008.
He is a supporter of many Santa Clarita
nonprofits and an active volunteer.
Kellar worked with the Canyon Country
Chamber of Commerce in the 1980s, serving
as president and as Frontier Days rodeo chairman.
He was a board member of the American
Red Cross, and was president of the SCV
Veterans Committee. He served on the board
of the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Health
Foundation and on the board of the American
Cancer Society. He is also an active supporter
of the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley
and the SCV Senior Center.
Santa Clarita moved its City Council elections
from April to November as a result of a
lawsuit brought forth by Jim Soliz and Rosemarie
Sanchez Fraser, who sued the city of
Santa Clarita claiming a California Voting
Rights Act violation.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Kevin
Shenkman of Shenkman & Hughes, claims
racially polarized voting has denied Hispanic
voters the opportunity to select their candidate
of choice.
As a result of the lawsuit, the city is moving
its elections to November of even-numbered
years.
In March, Los Angeles County signed off on
the change of election dates.
The council seats of Kellar and TimBen
Boydston will be up for election in November
2016. R
eleCtion update
Sturgeon returns to
Hart School Board
Businessman Steve Sturgeon, a 16-
year veteran of the William S. Hart
Union High School District was reelected
defeating his challenger 19 year
old Andrew Taban, a student. Sturgeon
received 61.8% and 1,313 votes to
Taban’s 38.5% and 984 votes. according
to the Los Angeles County Registrar-
Recorder/County Clerk’s office.
The November 3rd election was the
first held in the Hart district using voting
areas, where candidates had to run to
represent one seat, covering a specific
area of the Santa Clarita Valley, on the
five-member school board.
Sturgeon was elected to represent
Canyon Country. R

December 2015
Reader Education
THE Reader • 17
legaCy aCademy
Humble beginnings started path to National Blue Ribbon award
By patti Rasmussen
Staff Writer
It could be said that the idea of Legacy
Christian Academy began in the mid-
1980s when two public school teachers,
Tim and Donna Borruel, opened Sunshine
Day Camp for kids at a local church in
Newhall. Soon after, the Borruels expanded
Sunshine Day Camp and placed preschools
on several elementary school campuses.
Parents convinced the Borruels to offer
kindergarten classes, which led to the creation
of Legacy as a private kindergarten in
1995. Soon, fourth through sixth grade were
added and, in 2008, Legacy Christian Academy
welcomed its first group of middle
school students.
Located near Valencia High School with
slightly over 400 students, and a strong emphasis
on academic achievement, Legacy
Christian Academy was recently named a
2015 National Blue Ribbon School.
The school’s mission statement promises
a comprehensive, rigorous and well-rounded
preparatory education within a Christian,
family-oriented and safe environment. The
curriculum focuses on language arts, mathematics,
science and technology, with advanced
college-preparatory skills and
concepts. Students are also taught Spanish
and Mandarin Chinese.
The school’s teacher-to-student ratio is
aCademy oF the Canyonsvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
High school students earn college credit
By patti Rasmussen
Staff Writer
Xxxx
1:13 with two teachers in every classroom.
On a recent Monday, Donna Borruel gave a
tour of the school to several prospective parents.
She explained how the teachers teach to
the top of the class.
“Your children are never going to be bored
because it’s too easy or exasperated because
class is too hard,” she said. “There is a joy in
learning because (instruction) should be
slightly beyond the student’s grasp.”
Eighty-five percent of Legacy Middle
School graduates enroll in honors and advanced
placement classes in local high
schools. Legacy students traditionally score
One unique high school in Santa
Clarita is providing teens with the
opportunity to earn college credits
while working toward their high school
diploma.
Academy of the Canyons, part of the
William S. Hart Union High School District,
gives its high school students the opportunity
to experience college life and, upon graduation,
complete one year of transferable college-level
courses.
This year, AOC earned the distinguished
title of a National Blue Ribbon School.
AOC was established in the year 2000 to
provide education to 11th and 12th grade
students. The school expanded in 2009 to include
the 9th and 10th grades as well.
Located on the Valencia campus at College
of the Canyons, students at AOC dual enroll
at the college to meet educational goals that
include high school graduation, college freshman
admission, college transfer, an associate’s
degree and career certification.
“It’s a very dynamic environment,” Principal
Pete Getz said. “We help our students
transition into the college environment and
they learn what is expected and how to survive.”
With just 400 students, AOC provides a
more flexible and smaller learning environment,
and an opportunity to explore individual
interests with a wider selection of classes,
Getz said.
Ninth and 10th grade students are introduced
to the college atmosphere by taking
physical education classes at COC. Juniors
and seniors can take a maximum of 11 college
units per semester, as per California
state law. All AOC students have complete access
to the college library, computer labs,
gym and tutoring center.
While AOC has no team sports, Getz said
students are exposed to more traditional high
school activities through numerous clubs and
a very active student government on campus.
Additionally, AOC students may attend proms
at other high schools.
Getz said the success of AOC is due to the
quality relationships among the staff, students,
parents and its partner, College of the
Canyons.
With its new National Blue Ribbon status,
the school is already experiencing an increased
level of interest from students who
would like to attend for the 2016/17 school
year.
“There are 500 to 600 applicants and we
take barely a quarter of those who apply,”
Getz said. “We have very few students leave
once they get here.”
He added: “Academy of the Canyons is a serious
educational environment where students
can take control of their own learning.
I am very proud of our students and our
staff.” R
nationally in the top 6 percent in mathematics,
top 10 percent in reading and top 8 percent
in language in SAT scores.
Drama, art, music and physical education
round out the student’s educational day.
After-school tutoring and enrichment classes
are available.
Leadership skills and character education
play a big role at Legacy. Each classroom assigns
a student to welcome adults entering
the room. Once a month students and their
parents work together on “Heartwork,” an assignment
that corresponds with a character
trait.
Many Legacy graduates go on to become
student body presidents at their high school
and earn college scholarships in academics,
art and sports. A Wall of Fame is located in
the hallway that displays photographs of numerous
graduates, offering inspiration to the
younger students.
Legacy, AOC win Blue Ribbon Award
By patti Rasmussen
Staff Writer
Volunteer and parent Kellie Davenport
said she has been pleased with her decision
to enroll her children in Legacy.
“It’s been wonderful,” she said. “Seeing the
children in the classrooms and how well-balanced
the curriculum is. My kids are very motivated
and incentive driven.”
Sixth grader Joshua Reyes, 11, said he liked
coming to school because the teachers are
fun.
“Every day they do fun activities to get us
to learn,” he said. “I’m learning a lot more
than I did before.”
While an emphasis is placed on a solid
Christian education, as well as Bible lessons
and chapel service, Legacy is not affiliated
with any specific church and students of all
religious and ethnic backgrounds are enrolled
in the school.
Co-founder and Superintendent Tim Borruel
said, “Our open admissions policy allows
us to take students from all backgrounds. Our
Statement of Faith, though, is distinctly Christian
and all families admitted understand
that their students will be learning about
Christ and the Gospel.”
Interested families are welcome to tour the
campus. An online application form needs to
be completed as well as a scheduled interview
and academic assessment.
Tuition fees start at $10,000 for kindergarten
and are up to $13,000 for upper
grades. Sibling discounts and scholarships
are available.
“Parents who do not invest in the early
years of their child’s education make a grave
mistake,” Borruel said. “The foundations and
the joy of learning must be established before
one can be equipped for advanced secondary
and post-secondary schooling.” R
Two local schools have been awarded
the prestigious National Blue Ribbon
School Award, which recognizes
the nation’s top-performing schools for
their efforts in providing excellence in education.
Legacy Christian Academy (a private
school) and Academy of the Canyons (a
middle college high school in the William
S. Hart Union High School District) were
the only two schools in the Santa Clarita
Valley to receive the award this year.
The National Blue Ribbon School Program
recognizes outstanding public and
non-public schools. Started by Terrell H.
Bell, secretary of education under President
Ronald Reagan, the program celebrates
the most skilled and effective
educators in the country.
All schools are eligible for this award –
public, charter, magnet, private and Title 1.
The Department of Education honors highperforming
schools and schools that are
making great strides in closing any
achievement gaps among student groups.
Both public and private schools are recognized
as “Exemplary High Performing”
if their student achievement in English and
mathematics is among the highest in the
country (the top 15 percent), measured by
state assessments or nationally normed
tests.
”Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing”
schools are recognized for having made the
greatest advances in closing subgroup
achievement gaps in English and mathematics
over the past five years.
Individual schools apply for the title of
National Blue Ribbon School. The application
process is rigorous and requires
schools to quantify categories of excellence
and achievement. All data is checked and
double-checked.
One perk of being named as a National
Blue Ribbon School, says the Education Department,
is that those schools find they attract
new business partners, financial
assistance and volunteers. In addition, they
see a spike in applications.
It’s common for the principals and
teachers at the winning schools to share
best practices of their innovative education
techniques for students and faculty, and
they’re expected to become models in leadership
and instructional strategies. R

18 • THE Reader
December 2015
homeless shelter opens early
Bridge to Home offers winter shelter, comfort and hope
By Josh premako
Staff Writer
With the threat of a winter of especially
heavy rainfall on the horizon,
Santa Clarita Valley’s emergency
winter shelter began its season nearly a
month early on Nov. 9, giving the community’s
homeless residents a safe place to sleep
at night.
Located off Railroad Avenue near the intersection
of Magic Mountain Parkway, the
shelter is operated by nonprofit organization
Bridge to Home, and on any given night will
see 45-60 homeless individuals. Volunteerdriven,
the shelter provides men and women
with a hot dinner, a place to shower and
sleep, a hot breakfast and a sack lunch. Families
are provided vouchers for local motels.
While the shelter will help approximately
250 people by the end of its season on March
15, officials estimate there are roughly 1,000
homeless individuals in the SCV, said Tim
Davis, executive director of Bridge to Home.
The homeless population in the SCV, Davis
said, is “younger and not diminishing. With
unemployment coming down we expected to
see the number of people at the shelter begin
to go back to 2008 levels. That is not happening.”
While official Los Angeles County estimates
peg the local homeless population at
about 300, Davis said Bridge to Home has
personally helped 300-400 people.
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
The emergency Winter Shelter is located in a complex of portable buildings at the end of Drayton Street, near
the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Magic Mountain parkway. phoTo By JoSh pReMAko
A Range of Services
Bridge to Home’s mission extends beyond
the winter shelter, though it’s likely what the
organization is best known for.
Founded in 1996, the organization operates
the yearly winter shelter through support
of public and private funding and has a
vibrant base of volunteer support. On any
given day at the shelter, different church and
community groups can be seen bringing and
serving hot meals to the shelter’s clients.
With the exception of early openings such
as this year, the shelter generally operates for
about 120 nights starting after Thanksgiving.
However, the work of Bridge to Home continues
throughout the year. At “The Bridge,”
its client care offices in Newhall, the organization
provides case management, assistance
and access to services to help homeless individuals
pursue employment and get off the
streets.
During the shelter season, the volunteerdriven
Healthy Lives medical program offers
free health screenings and limited care, plus
referrals to free or low-cost medical care facilities.
Year-round, Bridge to Home also
holds twice-monthly free dental clinics for
homeless and low-income individuals and
veterans.
“Volunteers do a lot for us — drive the
vans, provide courtesy patrols, evening hosts,
morning hosts, meals and lunch,” Davis said.
“Like all years, they are doing it all.”
Planning for a New Home
The reality of the SCV’s homeless population
and the continued needs are all part of
the reason Davis is looking to the future, with
Bridge to Home’s plans to establish a single
campus for all its services.
Bridge to Home has been in ongoing conversations
with city officials to lease property
for a full-time campus for the organization,
Davis said. In the next six months, he expects
an agreement for a roughly 30-year lease to
be in place. Then, he said, comes the capital
campaign for fundraising and construction.
“It’s on its way. The intent is to put everything
under one roof,” he said.
Davis said the site is envisioned as having
approximately 12,000 square feet of space to

December 2015 THE Reader • 19
house a 60-bed winter shelter and community
center, plus office space for medical and
dental clinics and veterans services. While it’s
still too soon to project a final cost, he expects
somewhere between $1.5 million and $3 million
will need to be raised.
Funding, he said, he will be sought from
government agencies, grants from foundations
and community fundraising efforts.
“The community has been positively amazing
for the last 20 years anytime we needed
something,” Davis said.
While much work remains to be done,
Davis said if all goes well he would hope to
see the new campus operational by 2018.
Learning to Hold His Head Up
Lean with tanned skin and piercing eyes,
Mike Crosby will be quick to tell you what a
difference has been made in his life by Bridge
to Home.
With the exception of one year, he’s been
living on the streets of Santa Clarita Valley
since 2004, but said he’s hopeful that chapter
is coming to an end. He’s been a Bridge to
Home client since 2011.
“My experience before I came here was
awful. It was dark, I was alone and I was
afraid,” he said. “It’s taken me three and a half
years to learn to walk across the street and
hold my head up.”
Nearly five years sober, he credits the staff
and volunteers of Bridge to Home with helping
him make positive changes in his life. In
addition to being a client, he helps out at the
shelter, and is hoping to move into affordable,
permanent housing soon.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to get out
of here, and it’s
going to happen
soon,” he said.
Crosby said he
strives to be a positive
influence in the
lives of others at the
shelter, and said he
also helps counsel
others who have
dealt with substance
abuse.
“God puts people
in your path for a
reason,” he said.
“It’s been a long road. If I don’t give up, there’s
many opportunities.”
Illegal Campsite Cleanups
Over the past year, Bridge to Home officials
have assisted with efforts by the city of Santa
Clarita and the SCV Sheriff’s Station to remove
homeless camps from the Santa Clara
River bed. Officials have cited code violations
and crime concerns as reasons for the
cleanup efforts.
“To date, there have been a total of 140 illegal
campsites that have been cleaned up, 32
on private property and 108 on public property,”
said Tom Cole, Santa Clarita’s director
of Community Development.
He said officials have seen a number of individuals
return to the same areas to set up
“My experience before I
came here was awful. It was
dark, I was alone and I was
afraid. It’s taken me three
and a half years to learn to
walk across the street and
hold my head up.”
new campsites. Cole said the city and Sheriff’s
Department have been carrying out the
cleanup efforts on a monthly basis, with no
plans at this point to discontinue the program.
Davis said when city and sheriff’s officials
go out prior to removing camps to make contact
with homeless individuals, Bridge to
Home staff and volunteers go along to let
people know about
resources and help
that are available for
them.
He said the visits
also provide an opportunity
to survey
homeless individuals
using the Service
Prioritization Decision
Assistance Tool,
or SPDAT, to interview
people.
“It gives you a real
good reading of
what the issues are that the client has,” Davis
said.
The SPDAT compiles survey information to
score the individual on a scale of 1-4, he said,
1 signifying the individual has very low barriers
to entry to get off the streets, and 4 signifying
high barriers and that the person
would likely require supportive housing and
case management services.
Davis said the cleanup efforts have resulted
in success stories.
Bridge to Home officials have met about
100 people through the course of the
cleanups, he said, and added about 40 have
been able to get into assistance programs
and about 40 have moved into housing.
However, through the course of outreach
there are individuals who either won’t or
Mike Crosby, a longtime Santa Clarita Valley resident,
has been a shelter client since 2011 and credits
its services and volunteers for many positive
changes in his life. phoTo By JoSh pReMAko
can’t take help, Davis said.
“It’s very complicated,” he said. “We’re seeing
a number of people with drug, alcohol
and mental health issues that don’t want
help.”
Davis has described the SCV’s homeless
population as generally falling into three categories:
Those who are briefly homeless due
to any number of life situations, such as losing
a job and falling behind on bills; those who
may go through several years of being in and
See Bridge to Home, page 22

20 • THE Reader
Reader People
December 2015
proFile: mark and traCy Blazer
Meet the Blazers
Couple builds a life, and a strong, vibrant Jewish community, in the SCV
By Michele e. Buttelman
Features and entertainment editor
Rabbi Mark Blazer, of Temple Beth Ami,
met his wife Tracy, when they were
students studying at Oxford University
in England.
The couple met just two months before
Mark was scheduled to return to the United
States after a year in a study abroad program.
After the couple spent their senior year
dating “long, long distance” Tracy decided to
move to the United States after graduation.
The Blazers have been married 23 years.
They have three children, daughters, Rachel,
19, Dina, 16, and Shira, 11.
The couple moved to San Diego and New
York before settling in the Santa Clarita Valley
where Blazer, 48, has served as rabbi of Temple
Beth Ami, a Reform Jewish congregation,
for 15 years.
Mark Blazer
Mark Blazer grew up in the San Fernando
Valley, the son of Phil and Jackie Blazer.
He grew up in Northridge and graduated
from Granada Hills High, before he started
college at the University of California, San
Diego. Blazer studied for a year at Oxford
University in England before he started rabbinical
school in New York.
Initially, the life of a rabbi was not Blazer’s
chosen destiny. He expected a career in his
father’s business. Phil Blazer is the host of a
Jewish television show and has published a
Jewish newspaper since 1973.
SCV Roots
Blazer’s roots in the Santa Clarita Valley
are deep. His uncle was the well-known resident
Milt Diamond, owner of the Newhall
General Store and founder of the Newhall
The Blazer family, Tracy, Rachel, 19, Mark, Shira, 11 and Dina, 16.
Rabbi Mark Blazer with wife Tracy and daughter Shira, 11, on a recent visit to where the couple met in oxford,
england.
Western Walk of Stars.
“I used to come out here frequently,”
Blazer said. “I used to camp out here. I remember
this area when there was literally
nothing out here.”
Blazer said Diamond was a long-time resident
of the SCV.
Diamond lived for 50 years in a house
nearby to the current location of Temple Beth
Ami.
Blazer said an annual ritual in
his family was visiting Diamond’s
store each year so Blazer could be
outfitted for the new school year.
“Every year, at the beginning of
September, we’d come out here so
I could get my new school clothes,”
he said.
In addition to Diamond’s store,
another member of Blazer’s family,
a cousin, owned Billy’s on the
corner of Main Street and Lyons
Avenue.
Tracy Blazer
Tracy Blazer grew up in London
and attended Oxford University
where she studied nutrition, biology
and dietetics. After graduation
she moved to the United States.
“I was 21 and decided to see
what life was like in America.
When I moved here I didn’t know
anyone but Mark,” she said. “I
came here and I never left.”
When Mark decided to attend
graduate school in San Diego
Tracy joined him and also decided to seek an
advanced degree. She commuted to Loma
Linda University in Riverside area.
“As a child I always loved food and nutrition.
My mother was always into cooking and
eating healthy,” she said.
Her parents and sister still live in England
and the Blazers try to visit them every year.
Tracy is a regional director for a food service
company that serves retirement homes.
She spends much of her time traveling and
working long days, but said she enjoys her
work.
“I have spent 20 years with the same company
and work with a great group of people,”
she said.
Tracy said her job gives her flexibility to do
volunteer work, which is an important part
of her life.
After their marriage Mark decided to attend
rabbinical school and the couple moved
to New York where they lived for nearly five
years. Their oldest daughter, Rachel, was
born during their time in New York.
“When we had our first child we wanted to
move back to California, we had no family in
New York,” she said.
The couple moved to Stevenson Ranch 18
years ago.
“We really liked Santa Clarita, we saw it as
a young community, a growth community,”
she said. “We still live in the same home we
purchased when we first moved here.”
In addition to their work Tracy said the
couple enjoys traveling to new places. They
have a trip to Costa Rica planned for next
year. They also enjoy skiing.
Becoming a rabbi
Mark Blazer had been told by relatives and
friends for years, “You are going to be a rabbi
someday.”
It wasn’t an idea that Blazer initially embraced.
“For me, being a rabbi meant that I would
have to live a life that was completely separate
from everybody,” he said.
That kind of life didn’t appeal to Blazer.
“I didn’t like that idea,” he said. “I always
knew I would be involved in the Jewish community,
but I didn’t think I would be a rabbi.”
However, Blazer discovered he could create
his own vision of what kind of rabbi he
wanted to be.
“I realized that I could live the life I wanted
to live and still be a rabbi,” he said. “I am not
going to pretend to be somebody I am not.”
For Blazer, “being one of the guys” is important.
He played sports in high school, and enjoys
watching football and having an occasional
beer.
The Blazers often host social gatherings for
temple members at their home which have
included wine tastings and the popular
“Vodka and Latkas” event, to be held this year
on Dec. 13.
Life and work
The couple decided to move to the Santa
Clarita Valley on the advice of Mark Blazer’s
father, who lived in the SCV at the time.
“We moved to Stevenson Ranch when you
could afford to buy a house here,” said Tracy.
Mark Blazer commuted to Agoura, where
he served as a rabbi for a private Jewish
school.
When Blazer got the offer to become the
rabbi of Temple Beth Ami he knew it was a
natural fit.
“I already loved the SCV,” he said. “I wanted
to create a stronger and more vibrant Jewish
community here because I already lived
here.”
The most rewarding part of his job, Blazer
said, is working with people of all ages.
“In one day, I can work with teens, the preschool
and adults,” he said.
Temple Beth Ami
The Newhall synagogue, which currently
serves more than 200 member families, was
previously a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall
for 40 years before it was purchased in 1997
by the temple community.
When Blazer arrived in 2000, the synagogue
served only 65 families. In addition to
member families, Blazer estimates there are
another 150 or so families served by the synagogue.
Jewish community
Tracy said she always knew that Mark
would be involved in the Jewish community.
See Blazer, page 21

December 2015 THE Reader • 21
Godzilla
continued from page 12
help with traffic control and emergency evacuations.
Ranking the Niños
Some scientists say the coming El Niño could eclipse the
strongest one on record. Others say it will rank somewhere
among a new top three — along with the 1997-98 storms and
the 1982-83 El Niño, which caused more than $8 billion in damage
throughout the Pacific region, and knocked out power to
1.6 million Southern Californians.
There’s a silver lining, even in El Niño. The rains are expected
to ease California’s severe drought, although they will not fully
alleviate it.
In the Santa Clarita Valley, officials are concentrating their efforts
to prepare for the dark clouds, not the silver lining.
“They’re calling it Godzilla,” Nuzzi reminded. R
The Blazers love to travel and to ski. left to right, Dina, 16, Shira, 11,
and Rachel, 19.
Blazer
continued from page 20
“That was how he was raised,” she said. “Where I grew up
in England the Jewish community is a very tight-knit community.
I grew up very involved in the Jewish community. I
like being involved in the community.”
Tracy said she enjoys “helping people” and being part of
the Jewish community is the couple’s “social life.”
“I feel we’ve built something here, together,” she said.
“We’ve been able to build something. I like philanthropy, I
like giving back. My parents were always very involved in
our congregation, so that was how I was raised.”
Einstein Academy
Outside of his work at Temple Beth Ami, Mark Blazer is
the founder of the The Albert Einstein Academy for Letters,
Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit, co-educational, public charter
school that has grown to include campuses in Agua
Dulce, Beverly Hills and Cleveland, Ohio.
“We are maxed out at the number of students we can take
in the SCV,” he said.
Plans to expand have been stymied by the lack of a building
site.
“We haven’t been able to find a large enough site in the
Santa Clarita Valley to have our dream campus,” Blazer said.
“We’re still looking. We want to build recreation facilities, a
school, a synagogue, but we can’t find a piece of land.”
Blazer said he wanted to start the school for students who
needed “a little bit of extra attention.”
The first Einstein Academy opened served high school age
students because Blazer felt Santa Clarita Valley high schools
were too big to give some students the attention they
needed.
“Some students were falling through the cracks because
the schools were too big to know what was going on with
these students,” he said. “Some kids just need a little bit more
help.”
Blazer was clear to point out that the Einstein Academy is
not a “Jewish school.”
“It was never started with the intention of being a Jewish
school or even a quasi-Jewish school,” he said. “The majority
of the students at the school are not Jewish.”
Hanukkah
Hanukkah begins the evening of Sunday, Dec. 6. The annual
community lighting of the Menorah will be held at
Westfield Valencia Town Center during “Chanukkah at the
Mall” 5-6 p.m.
Temple Beth Ami, Temple Beth Shalom and Chabad will
all participate in the event.
Blazer said the community should come out and celebrate
and learn about Hanukkah.
“This is one of the great events we do to bring people together,”
he said. “This is what makes our country great, the
ability to publically celebrate our faith.”
Among the other Hanukkah events in the SCV: Story time
with Rabbi — Canyon Country Library, Monday, Dec. 7, 6
p.m.; Story time at Barnes and Noble, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 7p.m.;
Story time with Rabbi — Old Town Newhall Library,
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 p.m.; Story time with Rabbi — Valencia
Library, Monday, Dec. 14, 6 p.m.
Dec. 14 is the last day of the Hanukkah celebration. R

22 • THE Reader
December 2015
a day i n t h e l i F e
remembering our
veterans
r ay t h e r e a lto r®
happy holiday real estate!
by u.S. Rep. Steve knight
Contributing Writer
by Ray the Realtor® kutylo
Contributing Writer
Veterans Day is a day to reflect on the
many brave men and women who
have risked their lives to protect our
country.
I am blessed to live in a community that
has a large veteran population and is very
grateful for that fact. Every year on Nov. 11,
there are ceremonies, parades and vigils to
commemorate our military men and women
throughout the Antelope, Santa Clarita and
Simi Valleys. I always make sure that I go to
as many of these as possible and that my staff
attends the events where I cannot.
This year, my day started at my Antelope
Valley Office. My staff had been talking for a
while with the wife of a gentleman who
served in the Air Force in the 1950s who
never received his service awards. We
tracked down his medals, filed some paperwork
with the Air Force, and the awards were
delivered to our office.
At 0915, fifteen minutes prior to the appointed
time, the gentleman arrived excited
to finally receive the medals he earned. He
brought his entire family… his wife who first
contacted our office about the awards, his
children who live in the area, and his grandchildren.
He was excited to point out that one
grandchild was following in his footsteps and
would be shipping out to Air Force basic
training in December.
I had everyone gather in the conference
room for a short award ceremony. I am not an
officer and he is not wearing dress blues, so
there is no formal medal pinning. However, I
say a few words about the significance of his
medals and thank him for his service. His son
then tells him how thankful he is to have a father
who has dedicated so much to his country.
Lastly, our honoree spoke to all of us
about his experience in the service and what
his awards meant to him.
My next event was down the street at
Marie Kerr Park in Palmdale, where the Mobile
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall for the
Antelope Valley was on display. Every time I
see the Wall, I am moved by the number of
names it bears. Each engraving signifies a soldier
who made the ultimate sacrifice for our
nation during the Vietnam War.
I paid my respects at the Memorial Wall,
then found my wife and son who had come
for the Veterans Day ceremony. Around 11,
the program began. We said the Pledge of Allegiance,
sang the national anthem, and heard
speeches and poems from veterans around
the community. The ceremony concluded
with a local choir singing a medley of songs
for the various branches of the armed forces,
with service members standing during the
song of the branch in which they served. Men
and women of all ages stood together, World
War II veterans alongside those who fought
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When the ceremony was over, my wife Lily
and I got in my car and headed toward the
Santa Clarita Valley. We had another ceremony
that afternoon at Pacifica Senior Living
in Newhall, and we couldn’t be late.
When we arrived, we were greeted by the
Director of Silverado Hospice, who has organized
a pinning ceremony for the veterans
who live there. The room is full of older service
members, their wives and their caretakers.
After a quick introduction, I gave a short
speech thanking everyone for their service
and sacrifice. I called each man by name, and
presented them individually with a congressional
certificate of recognition and pin a red,
white and blue ribbon on their lapel.
The process takes a while, but I feel extremely
honored to take part in it. The health
of many of these men is declining, so I am
very glad that they can be recognized for
their service while they are still able.
After the event concluded, I checked in
with my staff, who attended the Habitat for
Heroes ceremony off of Centre Pointe Parkway
in Santa Clarita. They told me that that
the event went off without a hitch.
That being said, the events for the day
were all finished. I headed home to spend the
rest of the day with my family, and to remember
all the veterans who risked everything
so that I would have the life and
freedom I enjoy today. R
Steve Knight is the U.S. Representative of
California's 25th District, which covers the
Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys as well as
portions of Simi Valley.
Bridge to Home
continued from page 19
out of homelessness; and those (particularly
those with substance abuse or untreated
medical issues) who are chronically homeless.
After years of helping the SCV’s homeless
community, he said the key is to focus on the
positive stories and keep pressing forward.
“We’ll celebrate the wins,” he said, and
added over the past year Bridge to Home has
been able to help more than 80 families move
into housing.
A Hand Up, Not a Handout
Angela moved to the Santa Clarita Valley
when she was 13 years old. Now 43, she’s
spent most of her life here. She’s been homeless
for about three years.
Raising three daughters as a single mother,
and with no child support, her full-time job
didn’t provide enough money and they fell
behind on rent, leading to an eviction. Her
daughters are staying with a relative while
she works on getting back into permanent
housing.
While many active or prospective
home sellers and buyers may be
taking a break over the holiday
season, there are some who want or need to
make it happen right now! If either selling
your home or buying a home is on your wish
list, listen up. This column is for you!
This can be a great time to sell your home!
There are generally fewer homes on the market
from Thanksgiving and into the new year,
which means there is less competition for the
home seller. In addition, the buyers who are
actively looking are motivated! Remember, it
only takes one buyer, and the right buyer for
your home might be looking right now!
Here are some tips for selling your home
during the holidays. First, don’t overdo the
decorations. While decorations, season’s
greetings and holiday cheer will make your
home warm and inviting, as always, we want
the buyers to be focused on all of the features
of your home, not distracted by all of the
lights and seasonal decor that you will be
taking with you when you move. Consider
that, and tone it down a little.
Second, work with a Realtor who works
year-round and won’t disappear over the holidays.
I have a recommendation, of course!
But beyond that small solicitation for your
business, whomever you use for professional
representation, listen to your Realtor in pricing,
staging, and negotiating your home for
sale. Motivated buyers will be looking for motivated
sellers, especially right now, and pricing
your home right for today’s market is a
must if you want to sell your home.
Third, show your home at its finest by
making that first impression shine! Buyers
For the past several months, she has been
using Bridge to Home’s services, and said the
organization has made a difference in her life.
“This place has given us an opportunity,
and a sense of not being looked down on.
will generally see the home during the day, so
clear the front yard of dead leaves and winter
debris, and make sure the entry and front
door are clean, fresh, and welcoming! Inside,
clear the home of excess clutter and furniture.
Pre-pack for your move! We want that clean
and neat appearance, for that will get you
your best price!
Finally, when the home is being shown
make sure it is a refuge from the winter cold
by bumping up the heat a bit, playing some
soft background music, and offering some
homemade holiday treats. Remember that
any home buyers who are out looking during
the holiday season are generally serious buyers,
so welcome them into your home, make
yourself scarce so that their Realtor can do
their job, and if the buyers linger around take
some comfort that they like your home just
as much as you do. Put a smile on your face
and thank them for coming!
Home buyers, you know that some of the
best deals of the year happen with a holiday
home purchase, so take heart with what may
be comparatively few offerings, and know
that some of the most motivated sellers with
some of the best homes are selling this time
of year!
For each and every one, I wish you joy and
happiness, good health, and a wondrous holiday
season! R
Ray the Realtor® Kutylo grew up in Santa
Clarita, and is associated with the SCV Home
Team at Keller Williams VIP Properties in Valencia.Call
or text us at 661-312-9461 or email
at Ray@SCVhometeam.com. CalBRE license
number 00918855
A shelter volunteer checks the bag of a client checking in to the shelter for the night on Nov. 19. phoTo By JoSh
pReMAko
This is a family for us,” she said. “A lot of us on
the streets are looking for jobs. . . . I may not
have an address, but it doesn’t mean I won’t
See Bridge to Home, page 40

December 2015 THE Reader • 23

24 • THE Reader
Reader Opinion
December 2015
C a m e r o n s m y t h
thanksgiving history,
from plymouth to
the Brady Bunch
dav e B o s s e r t
sCv arts Community carves
up nearly $130,000 from
art & wine gala
by Cameron Smyth
Contributing Writer
by Dave Bossert
Contributing Writer
Happy Thanksgiving, Santa Clarita!
Like many of you, I plan to have the
cliché Thanksgiving Day: overeating,
napping and watching football. Of course, I
will also take some time to give thanks that
despite all the challenges faced over the past
year, we are fortunate to live in this county, in
this community, at this time.
While I was also inclined to follow another
cliché by composing my own list of reasons
to be thankful, I thought it would be more fun
to take a look at the history of this holiday
and how we’ve ended up celebrating the way
we do now.
I came to this inspiration after watching “A
Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” as well as the
“Thanksgiving episode” of “The Brady
Bunch” (yes, I watch “The Brady Bunch”).
While much of what is portrayed about
Thanksgiving is based in fact, it really falls
into the category of Historical Fiction.
One thing most historians can agree upon
is the first record of a “thanksgiving” was
held in 1621 after the first fall harvest, and
although the exact date is unknown it was
most likely held in early October. Records
show that after the harvest had come in, the
governor sent four men out “fowling” to
bring meat to accompany the harvest celebration.
The settlers were seen by members
of the Wampanoag tribe who, upon hearing
the gunshots, feared war was brewing and
alerted their leader, Massasoit, who then visited
the English settlement with 90 of his
men.
After realizing there was no war, he sent
some of his own men on a deer hunt to join
the feast, which actually ended up lasting
three days. Along with the dear and fowl (including
turkey) the menu likely included
other foods harvested from the ocean including
several varieties of fish and crustaceans.
Along with the corn and wheat from
the harvest, ground nuts, beans, fruits and
wild berries were also likely included. No
record of pigs, goats or cattle exist, which
isn’t a surprise since they did not arrive until
two years later.
From that first harvest feast, “thanksgiving”
virtually disappears until William Bradford’s
“Of Plymouth Plantation” was
recovered in 1854 after being stolen by the
British during the war for independence.
This find gave momentum to the efforts of
author Sarah Josepha Hale (the composer of
“Mary had a Little Lamb”), who in 1827
began a campaign to establish Thanksgiving
as a national holiday.
After over three decades of effort, President
Lincoln finally agreed and, in 1863, during
middle of the Civil War, issued a
proclamation calling all Americans to ask
God to “heal the wounds of the nation” and
scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday
in November. It was celebrated on that
day every year until 1939 when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, trying to spark the
economy during the depression, moved the
holiday up a week. Roosevelt’s plan flopped
when many states ignored his edict and, after
two years, “Franksgiving” as it was called,
came to an end when he signed federal legislation
returning Thanksgiving to the fourth
Thursday in November.
So what about our second favorite Thanksgiving
tradition… Football? How did it become
a tradition and why do the Detroit
Lions always have a game regardless of their
record? First the tradition itself: Dating back
to 1876, college football teams realized they
could increase their crowds by playing on
Thanksgiving Day since most people had the
day off work. In that year, Yale and Princeton
began an annual Thanksgiving game tradition
and, through the 1890s, the University of
Michigan played annual Thanksgiving games
against the Chicago Maroons. These games
are recognized as kick-starting the Thanksgiving
game tradition.
At the professional level, the Detroit Lions
have hosted a Thanksgiving game (aside
from 1941-45, during World War II) every
year since 1934. It all goes back to when the
Lions were purchased by a Detroit radio station
owner named George A. Richards.
You have to remember, at that time baseball
was in its heyday as “America’s favorite
pastime” and the Detroit Tigers were a powerhouse.
Struggling to draw a crowd and generate
some buzz around the new team,
Richards pitched the idea of playing a game
on Thanksgiving. Because he owned one of
the largest radio stations in the country,
Richards had the influence to convince NBC
to broadcast the game on 94 stations nationwide.
Fate also intervened when in that first year
the Chicago Bears came into the game undefeated
and defending NFL champions. The
Lions had only one loss at the time, making
the winner of the first Thanksgiving game
champions of the NFL's Western Division. Not
only did the game sell out, but also fans had
to be turned away at the gate. Not surprisingly,
the Lions lost, but a tradition was born
and the Lions have been playing (and usually
losing) on Thanksgiving ever since.
So enjoy the day, Santa Clarita Valley — for
we have many reasons to be thankful! R
Cameron Smyth is a lifelong resident of the
Santa Clarita Valley who served six years on the
Santa Clarita City Council before being elected
to represent the Valley in the State Legislature.
After leaving the Assembly in 2012, Cameron returned
to the private sector and continues to reside
in Newhall with his wife and three children.
The annual TPC/West Ranch Art & Wine
Gala is about as pure of a charity event
as can be done. It is nearly all driven by
volunteers. Aside from a stipend for the event
producer, the only expenses are the actual
hard costs of the food, the labor to serve it,
rentals, and a few other necessities. The organizers
of this year’s event will be giving out
grants and scholarships totaling nearly
$130,000.00 to various local arts organizations
and schools this month. That is the total
net proceeds from this year’s gala, which is
considered by many to be the “best” charity
event in the Santa Clarita Valley!
This Gala is the only charitable event that
raises funds for multiple organizations all at
the same time. In doing so, it has actually reduced
the number of charity events in the
valley by using economies of scale to benefit
all. This has helped to combat donor fatigue
and the fact that there are just too many local
charity events. By bringing together a group
of charities in the same area, in this case the
arts, it reduces the need for individual events.
The amount each organization receives is far
greater than if they tried to do it on their own.
The best part about it is that the local Santa
Clarita Valley arts community will benefit immensely.
As planned, each year the event
committee evaluates local arts groups and
will add new recipients based on the expected
fundraising. This year’s beneficiaries
of the gala fundraiser include the Santa
Clarita Ballet Company, The Canyon Theater
Guild, the Joe Ranft/CalArts Alumni Scholarship
Fund, The SCV Master Chorale, The
Charlie Haden Scholarship fund, COC PAC K-
12 Arts Education Outreach Program, and the
COC Art Gallery, as well as other programs
throughout our community.
The amounts are game changers for some
of the organizations and will allow them to
focus less on financials and more on their respective
performing and visual arts. It will
allow these arts organizations to drop their
own events which often require a lot of effort
with small rates of return. Some of the arts
groups have already done exactly that as the
grants they have received have allowed them
to expand their performances and program
schedules without having to worry about
fund-raising.
To date the TPC/West Ranch Art & Wine
Gala has now given away over three-quarters-of-a-million
dollars to Santa Clarita Valley
arts organizations and schools. This is
more than any other arts focused charity has
contributed locally to strengthen the local
arts community.
This is a far cry from past “Arts Councils”
that have done nothing but hold meetings
and talk about acquiring a building to operate
from! Or some local politicians that want to
form “foundations” or other non-profit organizations
which can’t get out of their own
way to actually help the local arts community.
The last thing this valley needs is another
non-profit.
There is a City of Santa Clarita Arts Commission
but they have struggled to make a
mark on the community as well. I actually attended
on Santa Clarita Arts Commission
meeting once and I was virtually the only person
in the audience. There certainly is a potential
for the City Arts Commission to be
relevant but it needs to have a larger vision.
My suggestion to make the City Arts commission
more robust and effective is to expand
it by two seats to seven member
commissions. Allow L.A. County Supervisor
Michael D. Antonovich to appoint those two
additional commissioners with the criteria
that the appointees be knowledgeable about
the arts and be residents of the Santa Clarita
Valley or work full-time in the arts locally.
This would accomplish several things.
First, it would allow for the City Arts Commission
to participate in our entire valley arts
community; the arts do not delineate between
municipal boundaries. Second, it
would gain economies of scale by allowing a
“pooling” of resources that would collectively
benefit the entire SCV arts community. And
third, it would build a mutually beneficial
bridge between the City and the unincorporated
areas fostering better cooperation that
will pay dividends for many years into the future.
The City Arts Commission would still be
seated in the City but would have a greater
role in the valley and would garner more resources
to be more pertinent. By taking such
a bold step the City of Santa Clarita would in
essence be taking a step closer to a true one
valley vision.
In either case the annual TPC/West Ranch
Art & Wine Gala continues to grow and further
raise more money to benefit the entire
SCV arts community. The arts are a vital part
of a sturdy and robust community fabric. The
Santa Clarita Valley can boast that it has a
very strong and vibrant arts community because
of the support and generosity of its residents
through a “pooled” Gala. Other
charities may want to explore a similar strategy!
R
Dave Bossert is a community volunteer
who serves on a number of boards and
councils. He is an award winning artist, filmmaker
and author. His commentaries represent
his own opinions and not necessarily
the views of any organization he may be affiliated
with or those of The Westside
Reader. Dave writes a regular weekly column
online at www.thescvebeacon.com

December 2015 THE Reader • 25
s C ot t w i l k
i-5 dedication is a small
tribute to remember a
fallen hero
o u r v i e w
‘Buyer Beware’ should apply
to homebuying, too
by Assmemblyman Scott Wilk
Contributing Writer
Unlike many professions in California,
serving as a law enforcement officer
does not end when the clock strikes 5
p.m. It’s a job that engages you every hour of
every day because crime doesn’t take a day
off. It was the unfortunate combination of
these two events occurring at the same time
and location that led to a deadly consequence.
It was on the night of Aug. 12, 1997, in
Buena Park, California, when Deputy Shayne
Daniel York of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department was brutally murdered during
a robbery. While he and his fiancée,
Jennifer Parish, were visiting Jennifer’s sister
at her hair salon, two members of the Crips
street gang robbed the salon and held everyone
at gunpoint. During the robbery, the gang
members discovered that Shayne was a
deputy sheriff and shot him execution-style
in the back of the head. Shayne died four days
later.
During the robbery, Shayne’s fiancée was
also discovered by the gang members to be a
deputy sheriff, but her life was spared. Both
York and Parish were unarmed during the
robbery. While facing a dangerous unknown
of what was going to transpire during the ordeal,
Shayne remained cooperative with the
armed robbers and comforted the other victims.
The sole reason he was executed was
for being a law enforcement officer.
Shayne and Jennifer had only been working
for the Sheriff’s Department for a couple
of years and they met while working together
at the Sheriff Department’s Pitchess
Detention Center in Castaic. Their desire to
serve as deputy sheriffs grew from both of
them seeing their fathers wearing the uniform
of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Shayne made the decision to
become a deputy at the young age of 8 years
old.
In a tribute to memorialize the ultimate
sacrifice made by Deputy Shayne Daniel
York, his father, retired Deputy Sheriff Daniel
York, requested that a highway be named for
him. I was honored to have the opportunity
to work with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department and introduce Assembly
Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 16, which designates
a specified portion of Interstate 5 between
Newhall Ranch Road and Hasley
Canyon Road as the Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Deputy Shayne Daniel York Memorial
Highway. This stretch of interstate is the
gateway to the Pitchess Detention Center and
the location Shayne met the love of his tooshort
life.
ACR 16 gained the support of many organizations
such as American Federation of
State, County, and Municipal Employees (AF-
SCME); Association of Los Angeles Deputy
Sheriffs; California State Lodge, Fraternal
Order of Police; Los Angeles County Professional
Peace Officers Association; Long Beach
Police Officers Association; Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department; Sacramento
County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association; and the
Santa Ana Police Officers Association. R
Assemblyman Wilk represents the 38th
Assembly District, which encompasses
Simi Valley, the northwestern section of
the San Fernando Valley and most of the
Santa Clarita Valley.
l e t t e r s
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The quality of life is a big reason
many of us choose to call the
Santa Clarita Valley home.
Great schools, a low crime rate, a
general sense of tranquility as opposed
to life in the “big” city — SCV
residents want those things, even expect
them. As they should.
You might sense there’s a “however”
coming, and there is.
However: When you select a home,
you bear a certain level of responsibility
for becoming informed about
the environment surrounding your
new abode. If you buy a home next
door to a fire station, you should expect
to be awakened in the middle of
the night by sirens.
Moving in next to a trash dump?
Prepare for foul odors when the
winds are unfavorable. And, if you
buy a home on the 18th fairway of a
country club, there’s a good chance
an errant ball might seek out your
living room window at some point.
Caveat emptor, yes?
That’s why it’s dismaying to see a
long-standing business essentially
forced to move to a new location due
to complaints from newcomers.
The Santa Clarita Soccer Center has
operated in the same location next
door to the Santa Clarita Lanes bowling
alley for two decades. When the
Soccer Center opened, it was adjacent
to vacant land bordering the
Santa Clara River. Evening soccer
games didn’t bother the neighbors,
because the nearest neighbor was a
squirrel.
You know where this is going.
Inevitably, that vacant land was approved
for development and the Villa
Metro community popped up — with
some homes literally a throw-in’s distance
from the Soccer Center. Development
being a profit-driven enterprise,
the builder jammed the homes
about as close to the Soccer Center as
they could be jammed.
Now that the homes are occupied,
Villa Metro residents’ otherwise
tranquil evenings are punctuated by
shouts and hollering emanating from
the Soccer Center, often laced with
profanity. This should come as no
shock. Spend time on the sidelines of
a football game, at the glass of an ice
rink, or courtside at a basketball
game, and you will quickly under-
stand that athletes of all ability levels
— and all ages past pre-teen — tend
to spit out bad words when they play.
This offends the sensibilities of
some of the new Villa Metro residents.
One even pointed out that
some of the profanity is in Spanish
(!), as if that’s inherently more offensive.
We don’t blame them for not wanting
to live next door to such clamor.
We wouldn’t want to, either. But
whose fault is that? One has to wonder
how quiet they expected their
neighborhood to be when they
moved in next door to the Soccer
Center AND a bowling alley.
Really?
Predictably, the new residents
complained. All five City Council
members lined up to sympathize,
lamenting the Soccer Center’s negative
impacts on quality of life and
vowing to do whatever it takes to establish
tranquility. Never mind that
the Soccer Center had been there 20
years before Villa Metro opened its
first model.
Rick Bianchi, the developer’s regional
manager, characterizes the
Soccer Center’s relocation as a “winwin
for everybody.” That may prove
true, if the new location works out
well. To its credit, The New Home Co.
has pledged to spend $160,000 to
help the Soccer Center relocate
rather than building a new sound
wall. So that’s nice.
Soccer Center owner Scott Schauer
told the City Council he has negotiated
a new lease in the Valencia Industrial
Center, but relocation will
take some time. In the end, everyone
might end up happy, which is great.
But that’s not the point, it shouldn’t
have been an issue in the first place:
The Soccer Center was there first.
Homebuyers and the developer all
had ample opportunity to be aware
of it.
If you wanted to build a development
where residents wouldn’t be
bothered by the Soccer Center, don’t
build so close to it. And, if you don’t
want to hear soccer players yelling as
they compete at night, you shouldn’t
buy a house so close to the Soccer
Center that you could header a goal
from your dining room.
Isn’t that just common sense? R

26 • THE Reader
December 2015

December 2015 THE Reader • 27

See Holiday Family Fun, page 36

32 • THE Reader
December 2015
Empowering Hearts benefits
Single Mothers Outreach
The sixth annual Empowering Hearts Gala
and Art Exhibit celebrating women, art and
community honored six SCV women, Abi
Caruthers, Melanie Cross, Kristin Drucker,
Tracy Hauser, Alesia Humphries and Cyno
u t & a B o u t i n t h e sCv
nonprofits Celebrate
women and more
in the sCv
The holiday season is fully upon us now
and I hope everyone has enjoyed the
somewhat “seasonally coolish”
weather. I’m loving it!
Zonta Club of SCV honors
Elizabeth Hopp
The 31st annual “tribute” dinner hosted by
Zonta Club of SCV chose Elizabeth Hopp as
its honoree for 2015 as the service club
changes its fundraising theme to “Tribute to
Women.” The event, chaired by Lois Bauccio
and Adele Macpherson, is one of two major
fundraisers held by the club each year to benefit
its programs to improve the lives of
women and girls locally and globally. The
club’s other major fundraiser is Lunafest,
which will be held again in 2016.
Seen at Zonta’s Tribute to
Women 2015
Among those spotted at the beautiful tribute
to Elizabeth Hopp were Scott Wilk,
Wayne and Dianne Crawford, Marlee Lauffer,
with daughter Katharine, Tony and Ericka
Watson, David Z. Menchaca, Diane
Fiero, Brian Whiteley and Karen Maleck-
Whiteley, Laurene Weste and James Mc-
Carthy, Bryan Lake, Carl and Terry
Kanowsky, Jim Ventress, Kathy Ayl and
Marshall Hann, Michael Burger, Mike
Lebecki, Jeff and Kiki Hacker, Margo and
Bob Hudson, Jim and Susan Lentini and
Susan Reynolds.
by Michele e. Buttelman
Features & entertainment editor
thia Smith. Artists Kirby Lanier, Chole de-
Jong, Norma Warden, Falon Renteria, Cecily
Willis and Jennifer Calderon were
paired with the honorees to create works of
art using the stories of the honorees as inspiration.
The annual event is a fundraiser for
Single Mothers Outreach which works to assist
single parents in the SCV and offer them
a “hand up.”
Assistance League hosts
Sunset in the Vineyard
The Eighth annual Sunset in the Vineyard
was held on a warm and sunny day in the
backyard vineyard of the adjoining Newhall
homes of Chris and Jeannie Carpenter and
Tim Carpenter. The event is held to benefit
the philanthropic programs of Assistance
League of Santa Clarita. Among those seen at
Sunset in the Vineyard were: Joel and Judy
Cox, Marjanne Priest, Howard Pointer,
Debbie Heyes, Billie and Don Hubbard,
Duane and Pauline Harte, Beth Heiserman,
Judy Penman, Carolyn Lodes, Pam
Ingram, Juan Alonzo, Steve and Elizabeth
Hopp, Joyce Carson and Doren Schleifer,
Marlee Lauffer and Laine Hedwell, Mike
Marlee lauffer, with daughter katharine, at the
Zonta Club of SCV tribute to elizabeth hopp.
Debbie heys visits with Duane and pauline harte at
Sunset in the Vineyard.
and Anne Marie Bjorkman and Bruce and
Gloria Fortine.
The 35th Annual Home Tour
The Home Tour League will host the 35th
annual Home Tour to benefit Henry Mayo
Newhall Hospital on Saturday, Dec. 5. The
event will be held 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and
feature three SCV home decorated for the
holidays. Tickets are $30 each. The Home
Tour is open to adults and children 12 years
of age and older. The theme of this year’s
Home Tour is “Magic of the Season.” A special
“preview gala” will be held Friday, Dec. 4 (advance
ticket sales only). Tickets are $125
each. Kudos to homeowners Norma and Elio
Gomez, Laura and Rob Hall and Susan and
Michael Marin for opening their homes to
the community. Info: 661-600-1202 or visit
www.henrymayogiving.com.
Holiday Boutiques
You haven’t missed out on all the holiday
boutiques in the SCV just yet! There are still
a few more opportunities to find unique holiday
gifts.
The Hart Park Holiday Boutique will feature
vendors who will offer unique crafts,
fashion accessories, jewelry and gift baskets
for the holiday season.
The boutique will be held from 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 28-29 at Hart
Hall, 24151 Newhall Ave., Newhall.
The Santa Clarita Artists Association Holiday
Boutique will feature 18 local artists. The
boutique will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Saturday, Dec. 5, at Home Care Services Santa
Clarita, 23340 Cinema Dr., Suite 5, Valencia.
The Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Home
Tour Holiday Boutique will be held 9 a.m.-4
p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at Pico Canyon Elementary
School, 25255 Pico Canyon Road,
Stevenson Ranch.
Joyce Carson and Doren Schleifer and Steve and elizabeth
hopp enjoy an afternoon at Sunset in the Vineyard
to benefit Assistance league of Santa Clarita
Valley.
Billie and
Don hubbard
at Sunset in
the Vineyard.
Start Perfecting Your Chili Recipes
The fourth annual 2016 Charity Chili Cookoff
will be held 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19 at
Wolf Creek Brewery. Prizes and donations for
the live and silent auction are being sought
for the event which will benefit Single Mothers
Outreach and The Santa Clarita Food
Pantry.
There’s also still time to perfect and enter
your secret recipe, serve it up to event attendees,
and compete for the 2016 trophy for the
best chili.
Sponsors are also being sought. Sponsors
and chili chefs can contact Nicole Stinson of
Estate Realty Group 661-816-4234 or Phillis
Stacy-Brooks of Main Street Graphics at 818-
268-1228 for application and rules.
Michele E. Buttelman is the features and entertainment
editor of the SCV and Westside
Reader. She can be reached by email at
Michele@WestsideReader.com.
Cheryl Gray
and Christine
Sexton work
the crowd
selling raffle
tickets at the
Zonta Club of
SCV Tribute
to Women
2015.
Zonta Club of SCV president karen
Maleck-Whiteley and College of the
Canyons Assistant Superintendent/Vice
president of human Resources Diane
Fiero at Tribute to Women 2015.
Wayne Crawford, Boys & Girls Club of SCV Foundation
president and recently hired Boys & Girls Club
of SCV Ceo David Z. Menchaca attend the 31st annual
Zonta tribute dinner.
Nicole and kirk Stinson were “out and about” at
the sixth annual Single Mothers outreach empowering
hearts event.

December 2015 THE Reader • 33

December 2015 THE Reader • 35

36 • THE Reader
Continued from page 31
December 2015

December 2015 THE Reader • 37
Food
Nudie’s Custom Java
Not your ordinary
coffee shop
By Michele e. Buttelman
Features and entertainment editor
Jaime Nudie, granddaughter of famed tailor
Nudie Cohn, has opened Nudie’s Custom
Java on the corner of Railroad Avenue
and Market Street in downtown Newhall.
Nudie’s, open since Oct. 1, offers more than
just coffee, it is a shrine to her grandfather
Nudie Cohn, one of Southern California’s
most notable personalities, as well as a place
to pick up a pastry, sandwich, soup or salad.
The Duke, a custom tuna lettuce wrap, or on your
choice of bread. $8.50.
The elvis panini sandwich, white grilled bread,
peanut butter, banana, bacon and honey. $6.95. Ms.
Nudie’s ice Blended Mocha includes a double shot of
espresso. $4.50.
A wall in the restaurant is dedicated to
Nudie Cohn with more than 100 photos on
display of Nudie and his popular “Nudie
Suits,” decorative rhinestone and chain stitch
embroidery outfits made for the most famous
celebrities of his era.
The photos are culled from a collection of
more than 4,000 photos that adorned the
walls of Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors in the San Fernando
Valley.
A corner of Nudie’s Custom Java offers
guests a chance to view (and order) a real
Nudie suit, or purchase Nudie’s t-shirts and
other items.
Nuta Kotlyarenko, known professionally as
Nudie Cohn, died in1984 after a long life
clothing everyone from Elvis Presley to Country
superstar Porter Wagoner.
He also became famous for his outrageous
customized automobiles.
Cohn met Jamie’s grandmother, Helen
“Bobbie” Kruger, and married her in 1934.
The couple moved to California in the early
More than 100 photos of Nudie Cohn and his famed “Nudie Suits” are displayed at Nudie’s Custom Java on
Railroad Avenue in downtown Newhall.
1940s and designed and manufactured clothing
in their garage. In 1947 Cohn persuaded
a young, country singer named Tex Williams,
who lived on Apple Street in Newhall, to buy
him a sewing machine, reportedly with the
proceeds of an auctioned horse.
The Cohns opened Nudie’s of Hollywood
on the corner of Victory and Vineland in
North Hollywood. In 1963 the Cohns relocated
their business to a larger facility on
Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood
and renamed it “Nudie's Rodeo Tailors.”
Among his most famous creations was
Elvis Presley’s $10,000 gold lamé suit, worn
by the singer on the cover of his 50,000,000
Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong album.
He also designed the iconic costume worn
See Nudie’s, page 38

38 • THE Reader
Nudie’s
continued from page 37
December 2015
by Robert Redford in the 1979 film “Electric
Horseman,” and created a host of other iconic
outfits for Hank Williams, Gram Parsons, Roy
Rogers and Dale Evans, John Lennon, John
Wayne, Gene Autry, George Jones, Cher,
Ronald Reagan, Elton John, Robert Mitchum,
Pat Buttram, Tony Curtis, Michael Landon,
Glen Campbell and Hank Snow, among many
others.
Much of this history is documented in the
photos that adorn the walls of Nudie’s Custom
Java café.
“My inspiration for this place came from
when I worked at Nudie’s,” said Jamie Nudie.
“One day there would be Glen Campbell or
Roger Miller or Marty Robbins or Roy
Jamie Nudie, the granddaughter of famed tailor
Nudie Cohn, at right, with her oldest daughter Desiree
and son-in-law Angelo Valadez.
Nudie’s Custom Java is the only restaurant in the SCV to offer Stubborn Soda, made with Fair Trade Cane
Sugar and natural ingredients.
Rodgers, all Nudie’s buddies would have a
jam session and then they’d sit around and
have coffee.”
As a kid working in the store Jamie Nudie
said she would serve the coffee to everyone.
“I would love it if this became a community
hangout,” she said. “Downtown Newhall has
all this history, too.”
Jaime Nudie said she is devoted to crafting
food with the best ingredients and giving customers
what they want.
“We’ll customize any order,” she said.
Among her specialty sandwiches are The
Cash ($7.95) with Black Forest Ham on wheat
bread with whole grain mustard aioli, lettuce,
tomato and Swiss cheese; The Nudie ($8.25)
with roast beef on a French roll, lettuce,
tomato, whole grain mustard aioli, red onion
and sharp cheddar cheese; “The Lone Ranger
($7.95) with smoked oven roasted turkey on
white bread, lettuce, tomato, cranberry aioli,
red onion and sharp cheddar cheese; “The
Duke” ($8.50) with sundried tomatoes on
wheat bread, lettuce and tomato; “The Hank”
($7.95)a club sandwich on toasted white
bread, ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, roasted
garlic aioli and aged provolone cheese and
“The Hillbilly” ($5.95) with white or wheat
bread with dill cream cheese, cucumber,
black olives and tomato.
Sandwiches can be made as wraps, or on a
bed of lettuce.
My favorite was The Elvis ($6.95), made
with grilled white bread, peanut butter, bananas,
bacon and honey. It is a rich, decadent
sandwich that is satisfying on many levels,
especially for those with a sweet tooth.
“It’s a fun sandwich,” Jamie Nudie said.
Panini sandwiches include one named for
Jamie Nudie’s grandmother, “The Bobbie
Nudie” ($6.95) made with oven roasted
turkey on sourdough with aged provolone
and homemade pesto.
“The Grown Up Grilled Cheese” Panini
($6.95) is made with sharp cheddar and
Havarti on white bread.
Wraps include the Custom Chicken Caesar
($7.95) with homemade Caesar dressing, let-
A photo of Nudie Cohn and elvis presley. elvis is
wearing one of Nudie’s most famous creations, a
$10,000 gold lamé suit, worn by the singer on the
cover of his “50,000,000 elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong”
album.
tuce on a sundried tomato tortilla and Turkey
Pesto ($7.25) with mixed greens tomato and
aged provolone.
Jamie Nudie said she also employs a pastry
chef who offers up an ever changing selection
of pastries, cookies and desserts.
Coffee is the heart and soul of Nudie’s Custom
Java along with a selection of breakfast
sandwiches including the Elvis Bagel ($5.95),
made with honey, peanut butter, banana and
bacon.
Other breakfast offerings include bagel and
cream cheese ($2.50); butter bagel ($1.75);
sausage and cheese bagel ($4.95); lox bagel
($6.95) and cream cheese, ham and tomato
bagel ($5.95).
Jamie Nudie said all her coffee drinks are
made with a double shot of Italian espresso.
Her signature drink is Ms Nudie’s Ice
Blended Mocha ($4.50). It is a wonderfully
smooth and seductive beverage that is the
perfect blend of chocolate and coffee with
whipped cream on top.
Customers can order a macchiato, cappuccino,
Americano, Latte or Espresso from
$2.25 to $3.50 or hot or iced tea, or hot or iced
coffee from $1.75 to $1.75.
Also unique to Nudie’s Custom Java is Stubborn
Soda, all natural craft soda. The sodas
are made with natural flavors and Certified
Fair Trade cane sugar. Among the flavors offered
are sparkling Clementine, cream soda
and root beer, among others.
Customers can also order salads including
Nudie’s House Salad ($4.95) with mixed
greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and
croutons; Tuna Salad ($8.95) with mixed
greens, cherry tomatoes and cucumber and
Caprese Salad ($6.95) with fresh mozzarella
cheese, tomatoes, basil, olive oil and balsamic
glaze. Dressings include Caesar, Ranch, Thousand
Island and Raspberry Vinaigrette.
Nudie Dogs include the All Beef Nathan Hot
Dog ($5.25) with a poppy seed bun and chips
and the Chicago Style Dog ($5.99) which includes
the poppy seed bun, Nathan All Beef
hot dog with relish, mustard, tomatoes,
onions and celery salt.
Soup is also available ($3.99 or $4.99). R
Nudie’s Custom Java, 24307 Railroad Ave.,
Newhall, is open Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturdays 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sundays. Open
for private parties on Sunday. Call 661-678-
0955 for information.

December 2015 THE Reader • 39
w h at a pa i r!
g a r d e n g at e s
orange wine is among
the oldest styles of
wine in the world
The secret is leaving the grapes in their skins.
by Beth p. heiserman
Contributing Writer
too much sun? too much
rain? what’s a garden to
do?
by Jane Gates
Staff Writer
When you go shopping at a store for
wine, you have choices of red,
white, sparkling, rose; but now you
also have orange.
Orange is considered to be the oldest
style of wine in the world. Archaeologists
have found grape seeds that have been
dated at 8,000 years old.
In Eastern Europe, around the western
side of Russia, Georgia and other neighboring
countries, it is estimated that orange
wine has been produced for at least 5,000
years.
The style of wine produced in this area is
considered to be an “orange” wine because
the color of the wine is amber to orange in
color.
The skin of a grape creates tannins, astringency
and color to the wine.
To make an “orange” wine winemakers
process their white wine as if it was a red
wine by leaving the skins on to macerate for
approximately 30 days to six months.
This process still occurs today in Georgia
and that region of the world. Around two
years ago I read an article and I was absolutely
fascinated by this process.
They consider their process to be “natural.”
They don't use additive or chemicals
to enhance the flavor, or the color of their
wine.
In the country of Georgia, they have a museum
of winemaking. I have not been there,
but I did go on the Internet and took a virtual
tour to see how they have processed
wine for centuries.
When they harvest their grapes and start
to crush them they actually placed the
grapes in a log that was hollowed out and
then they stomp the grapes.
In modern winemaking we have many
machines to do the same thing.
After they crush the grapes and they destem
the grapes, they put them into clay
pots called qvevri.
The skin of the white grapes is not removed
when the grapes are placed inside
these pots. When the wine is ready for bottling
it is filtered from one pot to another,
without machines, and then poured into the
bottle. The wine is then ready to drink.
After reading this intriguing article, I
wanted to create something similar to that.
I did not want to have the wine age in clay,
so Reyes has aged our “orange” wine in
French Oak barrels.
Another article I read recently was about
an artist who went to the country of Georgia
and spent time traveling around the
country wine tasting.
He met a gentleman who had been creating
wine on his family vineyard, just as his
parents and grandparents had.
This artist was fascinated, as I would be
also, and decided to speak to someone that
he knew in France to help distribute this
wine to the Western world.
In 2008 they started a company and the
wine is now sold around the world.
I ran into an acquaintance who knew
about orange white and mentioned to me
that they had done a tasting in the United
Kingdom some months back where they got
to taste and experience orange wine from
around the world.
A few months back, I went to a wine tasting
at a downtown Los Angeles wine bar
that was doing a special event around “Orange”
wines. The representative from the
winery explained that in Georgia they usually
have just a few varietals that they grow,
but increasingly throughout the world many
people are choosing very aromatic grape varietals
to make orange wine.
Reyes Winery chose to use our Chardonnay
grapes for our orange wine. Our first
vintage is 2013 “Amber” Chardonnay wine.
It will be available for tasting and purchase
on Dec. 1. On Feb. 13-14, Reyes Winery will
host a Valentine’s Day winemaker dinner
which will feature the Amber Chardonnay
wine.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup
Growing up, my grandma made the best
cabbage soup. She had the recipe handed
down from her mother as she handed it
down to me and my mother. I remember
eating at various local delis and always ordering
the cabbage soup.
There was one restaurant that came close
to the style of my grandma’s and when they
closed they gave me their recipe.
I have treasured it since, but of course I
have use elements of the two recipes to
make it my own.
I remember they always served it Saturdays,
but some Sundays they still had some
left in the morning.
It was such a treat to have it for Sunday
brunch.
We enjoyed it with rye bread or even
sometimes pumpernickel bread with butter.
3 pounds short ribs
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 16oz package of baby carrots
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. salt, kosher
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cabbage, cored and cut into 1” chunks
3 cups beef stock
1 cup Reyes 2011 Les Deux Rois
In a large stock pot, brown the meat with
butter and add 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
When both sides of meat are browned,
add onions and remaining salt.
Let cook for about 5 minutes, when
onions are translucent, add Reyes 2011 Les
Deux Rois.
Add remaining ingredients and cook and
low heat for 2-3 hours. R
Beth P. Heiserman is the sales and marketing
director for Reyes Winery in Agua Dulce.
She is also the event director for the Sierra
Pelona Valley Wine Festival. Heiserman has
spent her life in a “food and wine” family, as
well as working in restaurants and in the sale
of “spirits.”
Although the holidays are forefront in
many people’s minds, the winter is beginning
and 2016 is just around the
corner. What will the weather bring us? Forecasts
have this winter as being a record
breaking deluge. Or maybe the rains will miss
us altogether. Time will tell. Filling up our
water storage reserves will be a welcome
event for California, but too much rain all at
once can spell disaster. Don’t let the weather
ruin your holidays. Keep your home and garden
prepared so you can focus on family and
fun.
One of the reasons I advocate “water-wise”
gardening is because the term takes into consideration
the best ways to efficiently put
water to work in your landscape. That needs
to cover drought years, El Niño winters of
heavy rainfall, and years of in-between precipitation.
Historically, we live in a dry climate; low
humidity, low rainfall. Most of our soil is low
in organics due to millennia of sparse, desertlike
native growth (as opposed to the thick
acid soils that have evolved in heavily
forested parts of the country where rains are
plentiful and centuries of these plants breaking
down into natural compost has created an
entirely different soil structure) and high in
minerals from rock erosion.
Also, historically, we have gone through
many extreme droughts that have lasted from
a few years to a several decades. All have been
peppered with rainy years, some even offering
torrential rains.
If we are to receive pounding rains this
year, here are some actions you should take
right away.
• Clean out your house gutters, downspouts
and drain areas so water will not back
up.
• Dig out filled-in vee ditches (those cement
vee-shaped depressions that were built
to protect you from sliding mud).
• Walk your property and note depressions
or low areas that can fill with water —especially
if they lead up to your home or other
structures. Then dig a swale (a channel that
leads to a safer drainage area) to conduct the
water safely away.
• Have your roof checked for potential
leaks.
• Clean up your yard so there is no material
that could blow or float into a water dam
(or catch on fire should wild fires burn in
your area).
• Cut off dead tree branches or living
branches that could scrape against your
house in wind and rain.
• Tie down or put away items that could be
blown over, swept into swimming pools,
smack into windows or structures or become
dangerously airborne.
Think about designing your yard to be
water-wise in drought or rain. Cool months
can offer opportunities for sketching out
ideas, building and planting new designs.
New plants will establish roots better with
natural, aerated rain than with treated, ex-
A rain barrel is a good way to save the “free” water
coming our way this winter.
pensive city water. Digging is easier in moist
(but NOT wet) soil. And there are some excellent
new designs out there to create your
own water storage in both underground
tanks and above-ground barrels. These can
be integrated into artistic designs and become
aesthetic assets as well as practical
water (and money) savers. Designing to
make your landscape efficient and easy-care
can actually make your garden look showier
if done right.
Take steps now to make sure your landscape
and home are prepared no matter
what weather we have this winter. And consider
redesigning your outdoor space so you
never have to be anxious about extreme
weather or the inevitable, increasing water
rates (which, as I understand it are scheduled
to increase considerably over the next few
years to pay for growing population demands,
additional home construction and infrastructure
repairs — whether we have
more rain or not!).
Take a little time to prepare for this year’s
winter to keep your home safe. Then enjoy
the holidays with more peace of mind.
Next month I’ll give you some ideas for
choosing plants and planting them in the
water-wise garden — yes, even in the winter.
This way you can take advantage of winter
rain to allow for the development of the
strong root system they will need for the dry
summers to come. R
You can find Jane locally at Gates & Croft
Horticultural Design where she offers garden
consultations and quick-sketch or formal landscape
plans (www.gatesandcroft.com). A professional
artist and garden writer, she is the
author of “All the Garden’s a Stage” and “Design
a Theme Garden”. She is a licensed landscape
contractor and a member of the
Association of Professional Landscape Designers,
Garden Writers Association and Great Garden
Speakers. Jane is a resident and avid
gardener here in Santa Clarita.

40 • THE Reader
Numerous church and community groups volunteer to provide and serve nightly hot dinners at the emergency
Winter Shelter. phoTo By JoSh pReMAko
Bridge to Home
continued from page 22
be there 10 minutes early.”
Angela said it gives her peace of mind
knowing her daughters are in a safe home environment,
and that it has likewise given
them peace of mind to know she is safe at
night.
She praised the community support provided
to the shelter in helping its clients.
“We’re not hopeless and we’re not lost,”
she said. “We’re looking for a hand up, not a
handout.” R
For more information on the SCV Winter
Shelter, including volunteer opportunities, visit
www.btohome.com or call (661) 254-4663.
Business
continued from page 9
save them a lot of time and frustration.”
The retention committee also holds workshops
and seminars, and consults with companies
on incentive programs, tax credits, and
trade and enterprise zones. Schroeder said
companies often are unaware of recently approved
tax breaks they can use.
In a “blitz” with the Valley Industry Association
and the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of
Commerce, the EDC last May identified 75
companies to offer one-on-one assistance.
Streamlining info
The EDC has worked to streamline businesses’
access to economic information about
the valley.
Last year the organization hosted an “Economic
and Real Estate Outlook” conference
with College of the Canyons, attracting more
than 300 registrants, and hosted an event for
Harvard Business School to show off a webbased
cluster mapping tool.
The EDC also releases regular economic
publications, blog posts and forecasts, with
data on regional permitting activity, real estate
transactions, unemployment, vacancy
rates and occupancy rates.
On the social media front, the EDC last year
realized a 236 percent increase in Facebook
page likes, a 105 percent increase in LinkedIn
followers and a 119 percent increase in Twitter
followers, according to its 2014 annual report.
“The post ‘Santa Clarita named top city for
young families’ went viral, reaching over
23,000 Facebook users,” the report stated.
The EDC also works to keep real estate brokers
informed of business resources that can
be pitched to companies considering settling
in the valley.
On to China
The EDC went overseas with Los Angeles
County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich to
seek Asian investment in the Santa Clarita
Valley from Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China.
“We visited several companies that were
pre-screened and identified as fast growing
and seeking to expand their footprint outside
China and enter the U.S. market,” Schroeder
said.
A delegation of six valley business leaders
met with 16 companies and groups. Soon
after, the EDC completed a new business
guide to the Santa Clarita Valley for foreign
companies.
In China, Schroeder was struck by similarities
in the growth patterns of her valley and
of Shenzhen, which is located on an ocean bay
north of Hong Kong.
Beginning about the 1970s, Shenzhen
grew from what the Chinese called “a sleepy
fishing village” of 200,000 people to a city of
15 million, while the Santa Clarita Valley was
growing from 20,000 people to some quarter-million.
Despite the difference in scale, the two
communities mirrored each other’s growth
“in the same window of time,” Schroeder said.
R
DIVERT
continued from page 9
SCV Sports
continued from page 15
December 2015
“Some of them have grown up in a violent
home and they think it’s normal,” he said.
“They get into relationships that may be violent
and controlling and they think it’s OK.”
Counselors generally use a checklist approach
when talking to students about relationships.
Is it really love? Is he a controlling person?
Does he try to isolate you from your friends
and family? Is he jealous? Does he check your
phone or pressure you to have sex, use drugs
or alcohol? Does he put you down?
“Most of the time they can talk it out with
the counselors and (the counselors) help the
student learn to be more assertive and set
limits,” Schallert said.
“Students who are in a despotic relationship
are very vulnerable,” he added. “If we
can get to those kids early, they can do well.
It’s really all about empowering them and
helping them figure out what is good for
them.”
The Student Health and Wellness office is
located in the Student Center, across from the
bookstore. Schallert wants students to know
the counselors are available to them throughout
the school year.
“If you find yourself in a relationship that
has problems, we are here to help sort things
out,” he said. R
For more information about the DIVERT
task force, visit the website at santaclarita.com/DIVERT.
For information about
the College of the Canyons Student Health and
Wellness program, visit canyons.edu/
offices/health.
those who lost loved ones in France recently.
I visited Paris in 2010 on assignment to cover
the French Open tennis championships at
Stade Roland Garros outside of Paris and
watched Rafael Nadal avenge a defeat the
previous year to Robin Soderling to win his
fifth French Open title. The City of Lights will
come back stronger than ever, that’s a guarantee.
Several sporting events were affected by
the terrorist attacks. A soccer friendly between
France and Germany was taking place
at the Stade de France where three suicide
bombers died in blasts outside the stadium.
Both teams were forced to stay the night in
the stadium because it was too dangerous to
leave the grounds. France midfielder Lassana
Diarra’s cousin was killed in the attacks.
It’s amazing to think that one of the attackers
in the Paris tragedy had a ticket to the
Germany-France soccer exhibition in Stade
de France and attempted to enter the
80,000-person venue, according to the Wall
Street Journal. Two other terrorists also had
plans to enter the stadium but were not allowed
access and detonated their bombs
outside of the stadium. The explosions could
be heard inside the stadium, but the game
was never interrupted. R
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