Westside Reader December 2015

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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 New and gently used brand name children’s clothing and toys at 50-90% off retail prices. Savvy Santas rely on Children’s Orchard all year long. . . . Fancy clothes without fancy prices. 26570 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita 661-263-1484
Page 1: SCV Prepares for a Monster El Niño
Page 6 and 7: 6 • THE Reader Table of Contents
Page 10 and 11: 10 • THE Reader saugus Soccer Cen
Page 12 and 13: 12 • THE Reader December 2015 w h
Page 14 and 15: 14 • THE Reader CastaiC middle sC
Page 16 and 17: 16 • THE Reader December 2015 Can
Page 18 and 19: 18 • THE Reader December 2015 hom
Page 20 and 21: 20 • THE Reader Reader People Dec
Page 22 and 23: 22 • THE Reader December 2015 a d
Page 24 and 25: 24 • THE Reader Reader Opinion De
Page 26 and 27: 26 • THE Reader December 2015
Page 30: See Holiday Family Fun, page 36
Page 33: December 2015 THE Reader • 33
Page 36 and 37: 36 • THE Reader Continued from pa
Page 38 and 39: 38 • THE Reader Nudie’s continu
Page 40: 40 • THE Reader Numerous church a

Westside Reader December 2015

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?