Westside Reader January 2016

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Photo by Dan Faina/For the ReadeR
Whittaker-Bermite site holds development potential
ome have called it “the doughnut hole”
— nearly 1,000 acres of seemingly
prime real estate sitting in the middle of
the city of Santa Clarita. With room for
residential and commercial develop-
BY JOSH PREMAKO • STAFF WRITER
ment — plus the extension of several arterial
roads — the former Whittaker-
Bermite property holds plenty of
potential while cleanup of the site’s polluted
past continues.
For the majority of the 20th century, the
property was used for munitions manufacturing.
The 996-acre site is generally
bounded by Railroad avenue to the
See Whittaker-Bermite, page 11
Disney’s
Golden Oak
Ranch
Epic Rains
in the SCV
Deliciously
Local Last-
Minute Gifts
9
15 26
Plus . . . Town Council coverage • Opinion • Schools • Columnists • Community Calendar • Features . . . and much more!

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January 2016 THE Reader • 5

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6 • THE Reader
Table of Contents
January 2016
Valencia News effects of lawsuits unclear, and there might be more •
Henry Mayo Hospital to open health, fitness, rehabilitation center 7
West Ranch News antonovich addresses WRTC within hours of mass
shooting • West Ranch HS names new football head coach 8
Newhall News Golden Oak Ranch: New disney Soundstage facility
expected to be economic boom 9
Castaic News Newhall Ranch project suffers a setback • Board of
Supervisors move ahead on Olympic pool construction of an Castaic
Sports Complex • CLWa appoints new General Manager 10
Cover Story Feature Cleanup of contaminated land continues 11
Reader Columnists Tim Whyte: Whyte’s World 12
John Boston: Mr. Santa Clarita Valley 13
Saugus News City of Santa Clarita upgrades activities Center • Santa Clarita
seeking 100 greener homes 13
Local History an abridged History of SCV Christmas 14
Canyon Country News Forget el Niño: a scary look at SCV rainfall • Canyon
Country Couple sue Kohl’s, pressure cooker maker after explosion 15
News Feature Captain Johnson: Community policing is key 16
Reader Education City’s resident artist program brings sculptures to
Newhall elementary • Hart, Valencia bands win state championships 17
Feature Columnist Rep. Steve Knight: a day in the Life 20
Reader Sports Steve Pratt: COC Volleyball Makes Unprecedented Run at
State Title • Playing Smart at The Paseo Club 21
Reader Opinion Our View • Cameron Smyth 22
dave Bossert • assemblyman Scott Wilk 23
Feature Columnists Beth Heisermann: What a Pair! • Ray Kutylo: Ray the
Realtor 24
Feature Story What’s Your New Year’s Resolution? 25
Feature Story deliciously local last-minute gifts 26
Holiday Gift Guide 27
Feature Columnist Michele Buttelman: Out & about in the SCV 29
Reader People The Hallak Family: The spirit of Christmas Lives in
Stevenson Ranch 30
Restaurant Review Pizza del Sardo: authentic Italian food with an emphasis
on quality 31
Finding Pet-Friendly Housing 32
Feature Story Where to go, what to do for New Year’s eve 33
Feature Columnists Jane Gates: Garden Gates 34
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

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January 2016 THE Reader • 7
Henry Mayo Hospital
to open heath, fitness,
rehabilitation center
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has
leased the entire 53,515-square-foot
former Spectrum Club site, located on
Town Center drive and expects to open in
spring of 2016.
“Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is committed
to serving our community’s health
needs,” said Roger Seaver, president and CeO.
“Being healthy and fit are key to our wellness
efforts. This new center will allow us to extend
our mission into additional preventive
programs to improve health and manage
chronic medical conditions.”
“Henry Mayo Fitness and Health will be a
dynamic environment that offers all of the attributes
of a state-of-the-art fitness center,”
said Seaver. “additionally, it will be combined
with diagnostic and therapeutic healthcare
services, and customized to patient, employer
and the community.”
The fitness club side of the building will be
managed by a credentialed professional staff,
to include a variety of exercise amenities
such as a strength training area, weight training
and cardio equipment, group exercise
studios, pool and locker rooms.
The clinical services and medical resources
side of the building will be managed
by the hospital with emphasis on rehabilitation,
orthopedic services, diabetic conditions
and cardiology in addition to other physician
specialties. Many community education programs
will be conducted at the facility.
as a clinically integrated medical fitness
and wellness center, Henry Mayo Fitness and
Health will offer the Santa Clarita Valley a
premier destination designed for individual
and family preventive health care.
applications for charter memberships to
the Henry Mayo Fitness and Health facility
are being taken at the site.
For further information on health club
membership, contact (661) 200-2FIT.
C r i m e B l ot t e r
Va l e n C i a
an assault with a deadly weapon occurred
near the intersection of McBean
Parkway and Avenue Scott. an unknown
male tried to hit the victim with his vehicle
after an argument broke out.
an assault with a deadly weapon occurred
near the 25800 block of Tournament
Road. an unknown male Hispanic
adult pulled a knife on the victim and got
close enough to stab him. The victim pulled
back from the suspect and walked away
from the area. The incident took place late
at night near a local bar.
a burglary occurred near the 24200
block of Valencia Boulevard. an unknown
suspect entered the location by smashing
the front door and smashing a display case
which contained numerous sunglasses.
a burglary occurred near the 27300
block of Parklane Way. an unknown suspect
entered the victim’s residence through
the back door which was left unlocked by
the victim. The suspect was able to take a
few personal items from the location.
a petty theft occurred near the 24500
block of Town Center Drive. an unknown
suspect stole a package from the door step
of the victim residence. R
Valley Voting
Effects of lawsuits unclear, and there might be more
by robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
adeluge of lawsuits over minority voting
rights has brought sweeping
changes to the way people will cast
ballots in much of the Santa Clarita Valley and
the rest of the state.
The lawsuits, brought under the California
Voting Rights act, swept away at-large voting,
in which each member of an electorate can
vote for any of the candidates on a ballot. The
at-large balloting was replaced with voting by
geographic districts, in which each district
chooses its own candidate.
No government entity has successfully defended
a California Voting Rights act lawsuit.
Cities, school boards and other entities have
settled their lawsuits in waves, paying an estimated
$14 million in attorneys’ fees as part
of their settlements.
Creating what some believe as extortion by
a few attorneys to local governments in the
state.
Voters in the City of Santa Clarita and the
school districts of Saugus, Newhall, Sulphur
Springs, Castaic and College of the Canyons
agreed to change their election systems, after
they were sued, or received pre-lawsuit letters
from lawyers.
Santa Clarita officials paid $600,000 in attorneys’
fees, and the Santa Clarita Community
College district, which operates College
of the Canyons, paid $850,000. Officials at the
Sulphur Springs Union School district placed
the total cost of its voting rights case above
$190,000.
In the still-simmering aftermath, some critics
of the lawsuits say the old election systems
were fair, and the plaintiffs’ attorneys
used a sloppily written law to collect easy-towin
legal fees from the local governments.
Proponents of the lawsuits say their arguments
are based on cities and school districts
that go decades without seeing the election
of a member of a racial minority. They say the
lawsuits were needed to force governments
to follow a law aimed at giving minorities an
equitable amount of balloting clout.
Meanwhile, demographers and voting experts
are waiting to see whether the changes
in voting will have the effects that the lawsuits
intended.
Valley a special case
The Santa Clarita Valley might be something
of a special case.
Observers of the process, including some
who speak favorably of the lawsuits, say minority
populations in the valley are geographically
dispersed, so dividing electorates
into districts might do little to increase minority-voting
clout.
and the City of Santa Clarita might be a
special case within a special case.
The city settled the lawsuit by agreeing to
adopt — instead of district voting — cumulative
voting, which would allow each voter
to cast as many as three votes for a single candidate.
The city also agreed to consolidate its
elections with statewide balloting on evennumbered
years, and pay $600,000 in attorneys’
fees.
The settlement was signed and sealed, and
then the secretary of state determined that a
“general law” city without its own charter,
like Santa Clarita, cannot adopt cumulative
voting.
Now, plaintiffs’ attorney Kevin Shenkman
Santa Clarita officials paid $600,000 in attorneys’ fees defending lawsuits brought under the California Voting
rights act.
said the lawsuit no longer fixes what it was
meant to fix. He declined to comment on
whether there will be further legal action in
the matter.
Latina seat lost
also in the valley, the William S. Hart Union
High School district’s lone Latino board
member, Gloria Mercado-Fortine, lost her
seat in a district-by-district election that was
forced by the lawsuit.
Mercado-Fortine primarily blamed her
loss on what she called a dirty campaign by
the victor, Linda Storli, a charge Storli has denied.
See Lawsuits, page 12

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8 • THE Reader
West ranCh toWn CounCil
Antonovich addresses West Ranch Town
Council within hours of mass shooting
County Supervisor
offers candid
monologue on radical
Islamic terrorism
by brandon Lowrey
Staff Writer
Hours after the mass shooting in San
Bernardino, Los angeles County Supervisor
Michael d. antonovich told
constituents his mind immediately turned to
the question of whether the shooting was an
instance of radical Islamic terror: "The first
thing I asked about this incident, was the guy
named Muhammad?" he said.
The Republican supervisor, who is seeking
a state Senate seat soon to be vacated by democrat
Carol Liu, told a small crowd at the
West Ranch Town Council meeting that mass
shooters tend to be the mentally ill or radical
Islamic terrorists.
"You got that problem [radical Islam] to
deal with, and then you got the nuts, who are
really crazy," antonovich said, then cited a
Wall Street Journal editorial advocating for
mental health legislation "so that the mentally
ill, the crazy crazies, are required to have
treatment."
The mood was grim at the monthly West
Ranch Town Council meeting. It had been just
Los angeles County Supervisor Michael D.
antonovich
hours since the mass shooting in San
Bernardino, and details were still trickling in
about the dead and the suspected shooters.
Los angeles County sheriff's Capt. Roosevelt
Johnson, who heads the Santa Clarita
Valley Sheriff's Station, told the crowd local
deputies are getting prepared. He cited recent
"active shooter" training exercises at
Six Flags Magic Mountain, and a joint event
West Ranch High
School names new
football head coach
West Ranch High School Principal
Mark Crawford has named Chris
Varner as the Wildcats new
head football coach. He will join West
Ranch as a teacher to begin the second semester
in January.
“We are excited to have Chris Varner on
board as our new head football coach,”
Crawford said. “Not only is Chris a great
addition to our athletic program as a
coach, but he is an outstanding teacher as
well. I know there are great things to
come for the Wildcat football program.
We look forward to him becoming part of
the West Ranch family.”
Coach Varner has over 17 years of football
coaching experience, including four
years as the Canyon Cowboys head coach
from 2007-2010. In his last year as the
Cowboys coach, Varner amassed a 10-2
record and a trip to the CIF quarterfinals.
Varner was also a member of the Canyon
coaching staff that won a state title in
2006.
January 2016
“West Ranch has tremendous athletes
with so much potential,” said Varner, who
has spent the last five years as a high
school football commentator on Fox
Sports West and SCVTV. “I was impressed
with the athletes I saw this past season at
the lower levels. I’m looking forward to
implementing my system, which I believe
can start a competitive tradition for Wildcat
football.”
Varner replaces Jan Miller, who stepped
down at the end of the 2015 season after
three years at the helm. R
involving Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital to
ensure it's ready for mass casualties.
But antonovich, who makes only rare appearances
at the meetings, was the star attraction.
He was late because he was dealing
with county business stemming from the
shooting, his chief of staff Kathryn Barger
told the crowd.
Shortly after arriving, antonovich
launched into a candid monologue about the
horrors in the news lately, which he said are
often perpetrated by the mentally ill and terrorists.
"It's like the world's going to hell every
time you read the news," he said.
He said that Islamic radicals are oppressing
women and killing children, and that U.S.
leaders are "crazy" for worrying about
global warming while the threat of terrorism
exists.
"The crazies are running the system today,"
he said. "We have people losing their heads.
We have terrorists blowing up delicatessens
... and a lot of people at the top are saying
we've got to fight global warming."
He specified that we are "not at war with
good people, but with radicals," and said they
are trying to move society back a thousand
years. He lambasted liberals for failing to
speak out against conservative Islamic traditions.
"Very liberal women groups aren't protesting
what they're doing to women," he said, including
not allowing them to drive and
forcing them "to be dressed in, like, a cage."
He closed his remarks on the subject with
a call for vigilance, before discussing other,
more typical county business, such as adoptions.
In an interview after the meeting,
antonovich said that mental health reform
would be an appropriate response to the
shootings. When asked about the potential
role of gun control legislation, he cited his
dISaRM program, in which authorities
search the homes of people on probation who
are restricted form possessing firearms.
He said that when that program began, half
of the probationers were in violation. Now,
about 10 percent are, he said.
antonovich said his "Muhammad" comment
stemmed from another terrorist attack
some time earlier, in which the suspect actually
was named Muhammad.
"The guy — not the man in Colorado," he
said, before describing the shootings in July
of five servicemen in Tennessee by a man
named Muhammad Youssef abdulazeez. R
C r i m e B l ot t e r
W e s t r a n C h
an armed robbery occurred on the 25800
block of The Old Rd. employees of the
store noticed a Hispanic male adult attempting
to cut the security cable off a display
item. When contacted by the
employees, the suspect displayed a hand
gun which he had in his pocket. He then
took an employee’s cell phone from the
counter and left the location in an unknown
direction. No arrest was made.
a burglary occurred on the 24900 block
of Constitution Ave. Person(s) unknown
went into the victim’s home and stole her
silver wrist watch valued at $6,000.00 and
her prescription medications. The victim
stated that her front door was locked, but
that she found it open when she returned
home. There were no signs of forced entry.
a burglary shoplifting occurred on the
25400 block of The Old Rd. a female adult
selected several items from the store, then
tried to return them for a cash refund, even
though she had not paid for the items. She
was arrested for burglary.
a vehicle burglary occurred on the 25300
block of The Old Rd. Person(s) unknown
entered the victim’s vehicle and stole a deli
meat scale. The victim stated that his vehicle
was locked. There were no signs of
forced entry.
a grand theft shoplifting occurred on the
24900 block of Pico Cyn Rd. a male adult
exited the store with a ‘Gibson’ brand
acoustic guitar valued at $2,100.00 which
he did not pay for. No arrest was made. R

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January 2016 THE Reader • 9
neWhall
Golden Oak Ranch
New Disney soundstage
facility expected to be
economic boon
by robb Fulcher
Staff Writer
anew studio complex, to be built by
Walt disney and aBC in the oak-dotted
backdrop for movies like “Old
Yeller” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: at
World’s end,” is expected to bring $533 million
a year in economic activity to Los angeles
County.
The Studios at the Ranch complex — approved
by Los angeles County supervisors
and continuing to clear various regulatory
hurdles — will be built just north of Highway
14, on a 58-acre portion of disney’s 890-acre
Golden Oak Ranch.
The complex will include as many as 12
state-of-the-art soundstages for film and TV
the “Farmhouse” set on Golden oak ranch
shoots, primarily
by disney and
aBC, but by other
companies as
well on a rental
basis.
amy Lemisch,
executive director
of the California
Film Commission,
said the disney
project is approaching
at a
time of increased
demand for
soundstages.
“So this is great
timing,” she said.
Production offices, writers’ bungalows, administration
offices, production shops and
storage facilities for items including sets,
props and costumes also will be built.
disney says the development will take up
no more than 7 percent of the sprawling
the Studios at the ranch complex will be built just north of highway 14, on a 58-acre portion of
Disney’s 890-acre Golden oak ranch.
Golden Oak Ranch, and will not mar the vistas
of Placerita Canyon.
disney plans to earn Leed (Leadership in
energy and environmental design) certification
with features such as “green walls” that
include soil or another growing media, solar
panels, cool roofs that reflect away the sun’s
heat, and drought-tolerant plants.
during construction, disney estimates the
studio project will create 3,152 jobs and $522
million in direct economic activity throughout
the county.
Once the project is completed, disney expects
it to generate:
• 2,854 full and part-time jobs.
• $533 million in annual economic activity
throughout the county.
• $26 million in annual revenues to the
state.
• $1.3 million in annual revenues to the
county.
• $200,000 in annual revenues to the City of
Santa Clarita.
evan Thomason, who heads up the City of
Santa Clarita’s film office, said the area’s
movie ranches are important attractions to
Hollywood filmmakers and TV producers.
Within Santa Clarita, the last fiscal year set
a record with a total economic impact of
$33.9 million from location filming. That continued
a five-year upward trend, and was a 1
percent increase over the previous year.
Golden Oak Ranch was first leased by Walt
disney Productions the late 1950s, for filming
of “The adventures of Spin and Marty”
segments of “The Mickey Mouse Club” TV
show.
Spin and Marty were the odd-couple boys
who roped and rode for the Triple R Ranch.
Marty was the rich and originally spoiled one,
and Spin was the more natural wrangler. The
folksy series was popular enough to make its
return in the late 1950s as “The Further adventures
of Spin and Marty” and then “The
New adventures of Spin and Marty.”
disney bought the Golden Oak Ranch
property in pieces, beginning in 1959.
disney productions that have shot at the
ranch include “Old Yeller,” “The Shaggy dog,”
“The Santa Clause,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Pirates of
the Caribbean: dead Man’s Chest” and “Pirates
of the Caribbean: at World’s end.”
See Golden Oak, page 10
C r i m e B l ot t e r n e W h a l l
an assault with a deadly weapon occurred near Newhall Avenue
and 16th Street. a citizen observed the suspect driving
erratically. Responding deputies located the vehicle and a pursuit
ensued. When the suspect was trapped in a cul-de-sac, she
turned her vehicle around and drove towards the radio cars of
two pursing deputies, colliding into both. The suspect was then
able to maneuver around the deputies’ vehicles and continued to
flee. The pursuit terminated when the suspect drove through a
dirt field, which disabled her vehicle. She was then taken into
custody without further incident.
a residential burglary occurred near the 21240 block of Ficus
Drive. Suspect(s) unknown entered the victim’s residence by
prying open a patio sliding glass door and after entry, they stole
items.
a residential burglary occurred near the 20900 block of Costa
Brava. Suspect(s) unknown entered the location by prying open
a kitchen window and then after entry, they stole various items.
an assault with a deadly weapon occurred near Newhall Avenue
and 9th Street. The victim’s vehicle was struck by another
vehicle while the victim was stopped at the intersection. The suspect
proceeded to exit his vehicle and confront the victim who
was sitting in his car. He then punched him in the mouth and
stabbed him in the hand. afterward, the suspect drove off. The
victim recognized the suspect as a former high school classmate
whom he had arguments with in the past. R

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10 • THE Reader
Newhall Ranch project suffers a setback
by Josh Premako
Staff Writer
Castaic Lake Water
Agency appoints new
General Manager
The Castaic lake Water agency has
appointed a new General Manager
to replace retiring General Manager
dan Masnada.
Matthew Stone approved by the Castaic
Lake Water agency( CLWa,) board of
directors in a unanimous vote at its last
meeting.
Stone brings 30 years of experience in
the water resource field and beat out 34
other candidates for the position. Currently
Stone is the general manager for
the Rancho Water district in Temecula.
Stone will start his position on december
28.
The Valencia-sized housing development
planned to be built a stone’s
throw from Six Flags Magic Mountain
suffered a setback at the end of November,
after the state’s highest court essentially sent
it back to the drawing board.
On Nov. 30, a year after the project’s more
than 5,000-page environmental impact report
received court approval, the California
Supreme Court rejected the eIR, a decision
that could set the project back years.
In its decision, the court said the eIR — finalized
roughly five years ago — failed to adequately
support conclusions that
development of Newhall Ranch will not significantly
affect greenhouse gas emissions.
additionally, the court said the eIR illegally
allowed for capture and relocation of the unarmored
threespine stickleback, an endangered
fish whose protection has been among
local environmentalists’ concerns over the
years. Two of the court’s five justices dissented
with the ruling.
In his dissenting opinion, Justice Ming W.
Chin noted that continued lawsuits could indefinitely
stall the project.
“delay the project long enough and it has
to meet new targets, and then perhaps new
targets after that,” Chin wrote. “all this is a
recipe for paralysis.”
First proposed more than 20 years ago,
Newhall Ranch — the last major development
by Newhall Land — would, when complete,
add nearly 21,000 new homes west of
the Interstate 5/Highway 126 junction. earlier
this year, then-spokeswoman Marlee
Lauffer said the developer hoped to see the
first occupants move in by late 2018 or early
2019.
In a Nov. 30 statement after the court decision,
Newhall Land expressed optimism for
continuing the project.
“We are reviewing the decision of the
Supreme Court and will continue to consult
and work with the California department of
Fish and Wildlife on appropriate next steps
consistent with the court’s guidance,” the
statement read. “We remain committed to realizing
the vision of Newhall Ranch and the
significant benefits it promises for the economy
and future of Los angeles County.”
The Newhall Ranch Specific Plan was approved
by the Los angeles County Regional
Planning Commission in 2003, and in the ensuing
years has faced repeated legal challenges
by environmental groups, particularly
over the project’s water supply and the endangered
vegetation found on the project site.
In april, a three-judge panel of the state
Second appellate district unanimously
backed a 2013 Los angeles Superior Court
ruling in favor of the eIR and land use permits
approved in 2011 for Landmark Village,
one of the first planned phases of the development.
The court was acting on a lawsuit
that had been brought against Los angeles
County by the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological
diversity, Santa Clarita Organization
for Planning and the environment and other
environmental groups.
Holly Schroeder, president and CeO of the
Santa Clarita Valley economic development
Corp., said the buildout of Newhall Ranch
plays an important role in the community.
“Beyond the tremendous positive economic
impacts from construction activity,
Newhall Ranch would provide an ongoing
Board of Supervisors
move ahead on Olympic
pool construction of an
Castaic Sports Complex
The board’s action authorized the department
of Public Works to bid, award
and construct the $7.5 million second
phase project.
Facilities inside the pool building will also
be expanded to meet the needs of the new
pool and its users.
Remodeling of the pool building begins in
January and will be completed by June 2016.
Work on the pool itself is projected to begin in
March with completion in October 2016.
“In addition to the superb recreational
swimming pools and children’s splash pool
completed in 2013,” said Supervisor Michael
d. antonovich, “the Castaic Sports Complex
will soon be able to host competitive swimming
and water polo events for schools, and
Golden Oak Ranch
continued from page 9
TV shows with scenes shot at the ranch include
“Lassie,” “Bonanza,” “Murder She
Wrote,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Charmed,”
“The X-Files,” “CSI,” “Bones,” “Sons of anarchy,”
“My Name is earl” and “american Idol.”
Various movie and TV projects have created
temporary sets at the ranch and then left
them there for further use.
a western street, created for the 1978 TV
miniseries “Roots II,” remained in use until
2008. Other large and small sets created at
the ranch include an entire small Floridian
town for “Their eyes Were Watching God,” an
old New england lighthouse for “The Majestic,”
and a large-scale fortress for “Pirates of
the Caribbean: at World’s end.”
Sets and locations currently at the ranch
include a rural covered bridge on a lake,
wooden bridges, the rustic Golden Oak Hall,
a general store, farmhouses, barns, fields,
country roads, tree groves, a jungle area and
a waterfall.
disney and aBC Studios earlier this year
announced the completion of two new back
lots at the ranch. They include a 42-storefront
business district, with stretches of vary-
supply of housing. Having a range of housing
types for all workers is important for recruiting
employers to the SCV,” she said.
“Newhall Ranch is probably one of the most
analyzed and reviewed projects in California
history. To have it sent back after decades of
scrutiny by dozens of government agencies
shows that the process is clearly broken.”
The court decision was met with support
from Ron Bottorff of Friends of the Santa
Clara River, which has long opposed the project.
Bottorff said in light of what’s known
now about the impacts of land development,
more work needs to be done.
“They must do much more avoidance of
floodplains and creek habitats to bring the
project into compliance with the Clean Water
act,” he said. “The proposed 20 million cubic
yards of fill that would be dumped into the
Santa Clara River and its tributaries, an
amount of dirt that would fill six Great Pyramids,
is clearly unacceptable.” R
swim clubs, and other local groups.”
Currently, the Castaic Sports Complex features
a 6,000-square-foot competition-style
recreational swimming pool and a 4,435-
square-foot lap pool with an integrated children’s
splash pool.
The complex also features a 12,500-
square-foot pool building with change rooms,
showers, restrooms, staff offices, storage and
mechanical rooms.
The construction contract for the project
will include a local hiring preference and
maintain the Leed, or Leadership in energy
ing architecture to serve as backdrops for
various eras and locales.
The district was built with straight, horizontal
rooflines to make CGI backdrops easier.
The back lots also include a 14-home residential
street, with different architectural
styles. The street is curved to allow movie
and TV cameras to easily show a group of
houses while leaving out the others.
The ranch lies within the 30-mile studio
zone, a geographical radius used by union
film projects to determine per diem rates and
driving distances for crew members. It can
January 2016
C r i m e B l ot t e r
C a s ta i C
an arrest for vehicle burglary was made
at the 31000 block of Ridge Route Road.
after an ongoing investigation, Station detectives
arrested a local resident for the vehicle
burglary.
a theft was reported from the 30000
block of Marigold Circle. The victim(s) reported
their garage door opener was stolen
from their unlocked vehicle while it was
parked in the driveway. The crime occurred
in the early morning hours of 12/06/15.
a burglary was reported from the 32000
block of Castaic Road. a company reported
a storage shed broken into and numerous
tools stolen. among the items stolen were a
“Milwaukee” power saw, and a “Makita”
hammer drill. The crime occurred between
11-13 and 11-16. R
and environmental design, silver certification
for optimizing energy and water use, improving
indoor air quality and maximizing
the use and reuse of sustainable and local resources.
The project is partially paid for by the Los
angeles County Safe Neighborhood Parks,
Proposition a, and enhanced Unincorporated
area Services, Proposition 62, funds.
Located at 31350 North Castaic Road in
Castaic, the Sports Complex is operated by
the Los angeles County department of Parks
& Recreation.
the original “Parent
trap” ranch house exterior
is part of Golden
Valley ranch.
be less expensive to shoot within the zone
than beyond it, and various film offices offer
streamlined information on items such as
permits.
The zone radiates out precisely from the
southeast corner of Beverly and La Cienega
boulevards in Los angeles.
“any infrastructure development for the
entertainment industry is a good thing. We
pride ourselves in having the biggest and best
infrastructure for film production,” Lemisch
said.
She praised disney for its “commitment to
California.” R

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 11
January 2016 THE Reader • 11
Cleanup of contaminated land continues
Sprawling former munitions manufacturing
site holds development potential
by Josh Premako
Staff Writer
Some have called it “the doughnut hole”
— nearly 1,000 acres of seemingly
prime real estate sitting in the middle of
the city of Santa Clarita. With room for residential
and commercial development — plus
the extension of several arterial roads — the
former Whittaker-Bermite property holds
plenty of potential while cleanup of the site’s
polluted past continues.
For the majority of the 20th century, the
property was used for munitions manufacturing.
The 996-acre site is generally
bounded by Railroad avenue to the west,
Soledad Canyon Road to the north and
Golden Valley Road to the east.
In an era of lax waste disposal methods
and few environmental regulations, by the
end of its time as a manufacturing site the
land was considerably polluted. Particularly,
the use of perchlorate — a rocket fuel
byproduct linked to human thyroid problems
— led to soil and groundwater
contamination, the cleanup of
which has taken years and continues
today. Closely involved in
its cleanup are the state department
of Toxic Substances Control
(dTSC), local water agencies and
the city of Santa Clarita. The socalled
“plume” or perchlorate
contamination under the site has
spread through the years and led
to shutdown of some local water
purveyors’ wells.
as recently as October, Castaic
Lake Water agency installed new
monitoring wells near Westfield
Valencia Town Center to monitor
groundwater, particularly for the spread of
perchlorate.
The Whittaker-Bermite site is divided into
several Operable Units, or OUs, as part of a remedial
action plan that was approved by the
dTSC in 2010. Officials have estimated soil
cleanup could take several more years.
Cleanup in OU 2-6 is continuing, with soil
treatment having recently wrapped up in OU
5 and work in OU 2 continuing for several
more months, according to dTSC spokesman
Russ edmonson.
“Nine soil vapor extraction units located
throughout the site have been operating for
several months to clean up volatile organic
compounds in soil gas,” he said. “Construction
of the water pump-and-treat system also
started (in October) and is scheduled for
completion by april 2016, and then treatment
of contaminated groundwater (OU 7)
will start.”
The dTSC estimates construction of
groundwater cleanup infrastructure could
take close to a year, and officials have estimated
complete groundwater cleanup could
take nearly 20 years.
An Explosive History
The history of the Whittaker-Bermite site
reaches back nearly 100 years. In 1917 the
L.a. Powder Co. set up its Saugus plant to
begin manufacturing gunpowder. In 1935,
Halafax explosives Co. opened a plant on the
property, along with Golden State Fireworks
“(The property) has the potential to
provide development opportunities that
includes a focus on creating high-quality
jobs for the SCV. Given its central location
in the valley, it will be an attractive
location for many businesses.”
— Holly Schroeder, president and CEO
of the SCV Economic Development Corp.
opening a plant on adjacent property in
1939.
When Halafax defaulted on property taxes,
the Bermite Powder Co. took over, manufacturing
an array of explosives into the late
1960s. Plant inventories through the years
included dynamite, practice bombs, flares,
fireworks, oilfield explosives, igniters, gas
generators, ammunition rounds, and
sidewinder and spin rocket motors.
Women assemble fuses at the bermite Powder Co. in the mid-1950s. the company produced an array of explosive
devices and fuses for the U.S. military. Photo CoUrteSy oF SCVhiStory.CoM
City oF Santa CLarita
as a major local employer, Bermite also
played a role in the development of the
Newhall area, including construction of a row
of bungalows on Walnut Street for employees.
In 1967, the Whittaker Corp.
purchased Bermite and continued
munitions manufacturing and testing
on the site for the next 20 years,
until finally shutting down production
in the late 1980s, with the rise
of increased environmental regulations.
anecdotal information from
ex-employees in the past suggested
that in “the old days” waste material
on the site was simply buried
underground, according to Leon
Worden of the SCV Historical Society.
In 1989, plans were made for a
nearly 3,000-home community
called Porta Bella to be developed on the site.
The Whittaker Corp. sold the property in
1999. Today, multiple entities have a stake in
its ownership, though the Whittaker Corp.
and its successors are still financially responsible
for site cleanup.
Cleaning a Mountain of Dirt
The dTSC has used a truly organic approach
to cleaning up the site’s contaminated
soil. The dirt is mixed with nutrients and an
acid that is essentially water and vinegar and
placed in large, sealed bags for several weeks.
The resulting bacteria that grows feeds on the
perchlorate and destroys it without leaving
any harmful byproducts, according to the
dTSC.
While not a new treatment method for the
department, it has reportedly been one of its
largest cleanup operations, with nearly
400,000 cubic yards of soil to be decontaminated.
Soil-sifting cleanup was also required several
years ago on a small portion of the land
that contained depleted uranium. described
by officials at the time as “the size of two large
living rooms,” the land was used in the mid-
1980s as a test location for military armorpiercing
bullets.
Cover Photo
the former Whittaker-bermite property is visible in
this photo, looking southwest from near the intersection
of Golden Valley road and Centre Pointe Parkway.
the California aqueduct is visible at the lower
right. Photo by Dan Faina/For the ReadeR
The Future of Development
It was 1995 when the Santa Clarita City
Council approved the Porta Bella Specific
Plan and its accompanying development
agreement that created land-use entitlements
for the property. The agreement and entitlements
expire in 2016, and any future developer
will need to gain new entitlements and
go through a full environmental review and
public hearing process, said Tom Cole, the
city’s director of community development.
The current entitlements allow for 1,244
single-family homes, 1,667 multi-family residences
and 96 acres of commercial use. The
specific plan for the site also envisions more
than 400 acres of open space and 42 acres of
recreational-use space.
Currently, Cole said, there are no potential
proposals on the horizon for the site.
In addition to development opportunities,
the site also allows for local infrastructure improvement.
as part of the city’s general plan,
extensions would be added to Magic Mountain
Parkway, which currently dead-ends at
Railroad avenue; Santa Clarita Parkway,
presently a dead-end street running south
from Newhall Ranch Road; and Via Princessa,
which would connect to Wiley Canyon Road.
“One key to a successful development of
any site would be for the future developer to
propose land uses that are appropriate for
the site and which produce value not only for
the developer but for the community as a
whole,” Cole said. “In the case of the Whittaker-Bermite
site, construction of the general
plan roadways produces a definite
community benefit, but that, in itself, may not
be enough to gain community support of a future
project.”
Cole said for a project to be successful in
gaining support it will need to include community
benefits such as job creation, open
space or park sites, community facilities and
elements tailored toward economic development.
While the development agreement and entitlements
are expiring, the specific plan will
remain in place indefinitely until it’s amended
or replaced by future entitlements.
“(The property) has the potential to provide
development opportunities that includes
a focus on creating high-quality jobs for the
SCV,” said Holly Schroeder, president and CeO
of the SCV economic development Corp.
“Given its central location in the valley, it will
be an attractive location for many businesses.”
R

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 12
12 • THE Reader
January 2016
W h y t e’s W o r l D
ruby’s the Best emergency
Backup Dog ever
by tim Whyte
reader Columnist
There’s this scene in my favorite movie,
“Slap Shot,” about a ragtag minor
league hockey team that reverses its
losing ways by gooning it up. early in the
1977 film (in which Paul Newman is at his
best, as player-coach Reggie dunlop), one of
the players, Ned Braden, is picked up for a
ride home after a tough road trip.
Braden’s disgruntled wife is behind the
wheel of their beat-up van, and as they careen
through the streets of Charlestown,
Pennsylvania, you hear Braden cooing to his
beloved:
“Ruby, you’re the best girl in the whole
world. Yes you are. You’re my girl. Ru-beee!”
The shot cuts to the van’s interior and you
see Ruby isn’t his wife. The object of his affection
is a giant, drooling St. Bernard.
That’s a great moment in film. So, eight
years ago, when some friends gave us one of
their shih tzu’s puppies, we named her Ruby
— as a nod to “Slap Shot,” and with a little
irony because the original Ruby was a St.
Bernard that could probably down OUR Ruby
in one gulp.
Once in a while I’ll address Ruby like
Braden did in the movie: “Ru-bee! You’re the
best girl in the whole world. Yes you are!”
She looks at me quizzically, cocking her
cute little head back and forth as if she’s trying
to figure out why, exactly, am I talking to
her like she’s an idiot.
I’ll admit. I’m a little patronizing about it.
But here’s what I’m building up to: Ruby,
even as the “senior” dog in the Whyte House,
is what I would call a “backup” dog. My second-favorite
columnist, dave Barry, came up
with the concept of a “Primary dog” and an
“emergency Backup dog” in the ’80s, and it
still works.
Our Primary dog is Blue, a robust 40-
pound australian shepherd who can jump really
high and likes to kill small animals. He’s
been around less than half as long as Ruby,
but he clearly performs the functions of a Primary
dog.
For some reason, this offends my wife and
14-year-old daughter. When I recently referred
to Blue as the Primary dog and Ruby
as the emergency Backup dog, they got all
twisted up, as if I had insulted Ruby.
“That’s messed up,” said my daughter
Brooke, shooting me daggers. “It’s like saying
you love one of your kids more than the
other.”
Well, no. It’s not like saying that at all.
These are dOGS. They’re nothing like my children.
For one thing, the dogs are more obedient.
and, the assignment of roles has nothing
to do with love. It’s a matter of function.
Who will scare off an intruder? Certainly
not the yappy one, Ruby. That function goes
to Blue, who is big, jet-black and has a grownup
bark with a bit of a snarl to it when he’s
angry. Primary dog.
Who keeps our back yard’s wildlife population
under control?
No contest. Blue’s kill list includes:
• a half-dozen lizards. Just a few days ago I
used a dustpan to scoop one up on my way to
work. Tossed it out the front door.
• a bird, which he generously deposited on
the living room couch as a gift for my wife.
(She wasn’t thrilled.)
• a frog.
• assorted mice and rats. Figure a halfdozen
in three years.
• a snake, which he left right outside the
patio door where we would be sure to find it
while barefoot.
• Two baby bunnies, which was sad. Blue
thought they were toys, and when we found
him with one, he was tossing it up and trying
to catch it. When we tried to get it from him,
he thought we were playing a game. Yuck.
Blue is a brute. Primary dog.
Ruby hasn’t ever killed anything except a
cookie. She likes cookies. a LOT. Backup dog.
It’s nothing to do with how much I love one
or the other. When I’m watching TV and I
want a warm puppy to sit on my lap, who do
I call? Of course it’s Ruby, who’s not as svelte
as she once was but still qualifies as a lap dog.
Blue is different. He’s a “boy and his dog”
dog. He was a rescue, so he’s known danger.
The kids found him at the Castaic animal
Shelter. He’d been there three weeks and was
dangerously close to The Final Stall. My 20-
year-old son, Luc, likes to take credit for finding
him and would claim Blue is HIS dog, even
though Luc has never fed him, cleaned up
after him, or disposed of his backyard kill.
Blue seems happy to have a family, and I
think he’s grateful for the rescue. He stays
awake a lot at night, vigilantly watching the
hallways, while Ruby sleeps contentedly on
our bed, comfortable in her role as emergency
Backup dog.
I’m pretty sure Blue will forcibly neuter
anyone who tries to harm my wife or daughter.
Primary dog.
and Ruby? Well. She’s still the best girl
ever. Yes she is. 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
Santa Clarita Community College District, which operates College of the Canyons, paid $850,000 in attorneys’
fees defending lawsuits brought under the California Voting rights act.
Lawsuits
continued from page 7
However, Mercado-Fortine also said the
change to district-by-district voting did nothing
to encourage local minority representation,
but does much to line the pockets of
attorneys who pressed the lawsuit.
“For our valley, that will not address the
concerns that the [Voting Rights act] has. It
will not help minorities get elected,” she said.
Mercado-Fortine said the 14-year-old Voting
Rights act might have achieved a good
purpose in other parts of Los angeles County,
at some point in time.
“It’s an old law, and it’s resurfaced because
someone is making money,” she said. “In end,
it’s only attorneys that will be making money,
right?”
A broader law
The California Voting Rights act of 2002
expands the federal Voting Rights act, which
has been on the
nority voting clout.
“In Santa Clarita there is no place to create
a majority-minority district for the school
board, for the City Council, for anything.”
However, Mitchell had positive words for
the state law, saying it might be needed to
compensate for a more unwieldy federal
process.
Under the federal law, “even if [the unfairness
of an election system] is blatant, to file
in federal court takes years. The federal system
is bogged down to a place where these
things are not being resolved,” Mitchell said.
“If there is a civil rights violation and the
federal courts are bogged down, and there’s a
remedy go for it, God bless you,” he said.
Mitchell added that the possibility of collecting
legal fees gives attorneys more incentive
to represent voting rights plaintiffs.
“The guarantee that legal fees will be paid
if [a lawsuit] is successful helps move the
process forward. It ensures that attorneys
will try to take the case forward,” he said.
Mitchell said it is too early to determine
[Palmdale] Mayor Ledford said
the California Voting rights Act
serves primarily to allow lawyers
to “extort” local governments up
and down the state.
books for nearly
40 years. The
state law is designed
to counteract
the
effects of “polarized
voting,”
in which the
preferences of a
racial minority
are different from those of the rest of the electorate.
The state law also aims to protect minorities’
“influence” on elections, although the
law “does not define ‘influence,’” wrote Marguerite
Mary Leoni and Christopher e. Skinnell
in the 2012 “america Votes!” published
by the american Bar association.
In addition, the state law awards fees to
plaintiffs’ attorneys if the lawsuit leads to the
public agency making any change in its election
system.
Expert’s view
Some Santa Clarita Valley school districts
sought expert help from Paul Mitchell, head
of Redistricting Partners and one of Capitol
Weekly’s 100 Most Influential People in
Sacramento.
Mitchell said areas with geographically diffuse
minority populations — such as Santa
Clarita’s Latino population — make it difficult
to create individual districts that increase mi-
whether the
state law will
serve to increase
minority
r e p r e s e n -
tation.
“We probably
need to look
at a six-year,
eight-year, 10-
year range,”
Mitchell said, when more post-lawsuit elections
will have been held.
From the plaintiffs
Shenkman, one of the plaintiff attorneys in
the Santa Clarita Valley lawsuits, said they are
“about an election system that is unfair to a
large group of people.”
“I don’t think there is any question there is
a real problem” of racially polarized voting,
he said.
The lawsuit cited voting in three statewide
ballot propositions between 1994 and 1998,
and an unsuccessful run for City Council by
Michael Cruz in 2006.
In the ballot initiatives, the lawsuit claims,
Latinos voted no while the rest of the electorate,
especially whites, voted yes. Cruz’ candidacy
drew “significant support” from
Latinos and was rejected by non-Latino voters,
the lawsuit claims.
See Lawsuits, page 18

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 13
January 2016 THE Reader • 13
The City of Santa Clarita is upgrading the Santa
Clarita Activities Center to better accommodate special
events for residents. Formally renamed The Centre
on Centre Pointe Parkway, The Centre offers customizable
space for everything from weddings and birthdays
to retirement parties and conferences.
m r. sa n ta C l a r i ta Va l l e y
let’s make Castaic’s mascot the
Buckaroo…
by John boston
reader Columnist
City of Santa Clarita upgrades
Santa Clarita Activities Center
The City of Santa Clarita is upgrading the
Santa Clarita activities Center to better
accommodate special events for residents.
Formally renamed The Centre on Centre
Pointe Parkway, The Centre offers
customizable space for everything from weddings
and birthdays to retirement parties and
conferences.
The Centre overlooks Santa Clarita as it sits
at the top of the Santa Clarita Sports Complex,
located at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway.
Four distinct spaces make up The Centre,
including Cedar Hall, the Oak Room, the
Sycamore Rooms, and a conference room.
The impressive 4,000 square foot Cedar Hall
is the ideal setting for weddings, speaking engagements
or large banquets.
The Sycamore Rooms have the ability to
seat up to 180 guests banquet style and can
be kept open as one large room, or split into
a two smaller rooms if needed. The Sycamore
Rooms also have a warming kitchen available
for an additional charge. The Centre’s Oak
Room is an intimate space perfect for conferences
or receptions.
Whether hosting a large gathering or an
intimate affair, The Centre can be adapted to
fit individual needs for groups ranging in size
from 12 to 400 people. all reservations include
complimentary use of tables, chairs,
dance floor, Pa system, projector, screen, pipe
and drape and stage.
For more information, including reservation
inquiries, please call The Centre at
(661) 250-3710 or visit TheCentreSanta
Clarita.com.
Santa Clarita seeking 100 Greener Homes
The City of Santa Clarita, in collaboration
with The energy Network, continues
its efforts in the Santa Clarita 100
Greener Homes Project, a program designed
to help property owners make energy efficient
home upgrades.
The program encourages participation in
the energy Upgrade California® Home Upgrade
program, a statewide rebate and incentive
program supported by utility
customers. Home Upgrade rebates are available
for energy efficient projects including
windows, insulation, high-efficiency water
heaters, and green heating and cooling improvements,
which offer increased comfort,
efficiency, savings and property values for
homeowners who take advantage of the program.
“The Santa Clarita 100 Greener Homes
Project is a valuable resource for our residents,”
said Mayor Marsha McLean. “Programs
like this help improve the quality of life
here in Santa Clarita by making homes more
energy efficient, more comfortable and more
sustainable for homeowners.”
The energy Network connects interested
residents with a local participating contractor
who then helps choose the right options
and checks homeowners’ eligibility for rebates
and incentives. Special financing options
are also available.
Benefits of the upgrades include improved
indoor air quality, increased resale value of
the home, enhanced comfort and less expensive
energy costs. Residents in Santa Clarita
with homes built prior to 1995 are especially
urged to look into this valuable program in
order to increase their home’s comfort and
sustainability.
For more information about The energy
Network, the Home Upgrade Program and
available incentives and rebates, contact The
energy Network at (877) 785-2237 or visit
tenres.com.
C r i m e B l ot t e r
s a u g u s
There was a school burglary reported at
Highlands Elementary School on Catala
drive. The subjects broke into a classroom
and vandalized it. This case is being investigated
by Santa Clarita Station detectives.
a grand theft was reported near the
28200 block of Evergreen Lane. In this incident,
the victim’s home cleaning crew
stole jewelry from the location.
a grand theft auto was reported from the
22400 block of Lemon Street. The victim's
1998 Toyota Tacoma was stolen from the
location and later recovered on Copper Hill
drive/Sycamore Creek drive.
2014 Toyota Rav 4 was stolen near the
27800 block of Garnet Canyon Road. This
vehicle was later recovered on Clearidge
drive in Valencia. R
It’s no secret I’m a Mighty Indian. Hart
High Class of 19-cough-into-my-hand-8.
Best high school ever created.
When the high school and its one-campus
district was founded in 1945, locals had no
problem inventing the name. Hats in hand, a
group of mucky-mucks visited a dying ailing
screen legend. Back when Wm. S. Hart actually
lived in his castle, the first trustees asked
this valley’s most famous citizen for permission.
They wanted to name the SCV’s first
high school (and district) after the cowboy
superstar.
Hart actually wanted the campus named
after his hero, John C. Fremont.
The locals pointed out there were already
Fremont campuses. Besides, Hart had meant
so much as an identity to this community.
So, by the late 1940s, the still-small student
body had a school name, but no mascot. Only
a few voted in a hasty election — not quite
20. The vote was narrow. The second-place
choice with six votes?
The Buckaroos.
Obviously, the leading vote-getter was the
Indian (8 votes). The mighty Indian is still
with us today, proudly honored by thousands
who attended the school. It wasn’t picked to
demean anyone or offend the unborn cult of
the Politically Correct. It was chosen as a tribute
to Wm. S. Hart’s heritage and for his
growing up with the Sioux and Mineconjou
Indians in the dakotas.
every few years, a subcompact of the usual
disgruntled suspects rolls through town. Out
pop three or four generic clown protesters,
lower lips preceding them by a quarter of an
hour.
Sometimes in tow is a 1/128th alleged
aborigine claiming to represent not only Indians
everywhere, but also the entire planet.
a pathetic case for horror, famine, suffering
and indignity is unveiled. It makes great artwork
for a newspaper front page and convinces
no one, save for a daft and
teeth-chattering administrator or local politician
seeking higher office, to suggest changing
the mascot name.
I’m a Mighty Indian ’til my dying day. Still.
I can smile at the possibility of being a Hart
High Buckaroo. Now THaT’S a letterman’s
jacket that would go well with a cowboy hat.
Which got me to thinking.
Perhaps in our lifetime, Castaic High will
open its doors. Fall of 2017 is the latest crossyour-fingers
date. Before it’s too late, I’d like
to suggest The Castaic Buckaroos as the mascot.
The handle would tie a nice bow around
the valley, linking the first high school of 1945
with the one opening its doors two years
hence.
The Castaic Buckaroos has a nice meter to
it. It certainly makes for great artwork. On the
bright side, Buckaroos aren’t easily offended
and you wouldn’t have protests from legions
of sourpusses.
I suppose some bureaucrat deep within
district bowels is already working on a more
topical connection.
this could be a basketball poster from two years
hence. i see a stout Castaic buckaroo defending a
plucky cheerleader (in Castaic Lake, of course).
that’s the visiting hart high indians in the background.
think it will pass the hart District brain
PC Police? artWork CoUrteSy oF WiL hULSey, “the CoWPoke
& hiS $50,000 Date”
There’s the I-5 Road Closures after the concrete
ribbon bisecting California’s tendency
to close the 5 for anything from vampire bat
sightings to snowfall. I’d probably be more
partial to the I-5 Fighting Road Closures. expense
for the costume wouldn’t be a problem.
The Hart district could subtly spend
$50,000 for a study on how to design such a
costume. Then, they could spend $0 stealing
a Caltrans hard hat, safety vest and day-glow
orange coveralls.
To appease the granola/earth’s dying liberals
crawling about the district, we could
name Castaic mascot, The Grape. Or maybe,
The Grapeviners. Problem: You’d probably
end up with an athletic program of pacifists
who wouldn’t win a game until the 23rd century.
Second problem? abbreviation. In no
time, they’d be the G-Viners, which seems to
suggest exotic dancing.
exotic dancing is not out of the question,
considering Castaic’s various bucket-of-blood
beer joints. diesel and pole dancing are the
region’s top money makers.
another mascot name? The Range Warriors.
That would be in honor/dishonor of the
biggest range war in american history, fought
right in Castaic’s back yard for 40 years.
There’s the dam Busters, in tribute to that
hunk of concrete with all that water behind
it. But, if you’re going to pay homage like that,
call them the Castaic Lakers.
I like anything with monkeys as a mascot.
There’s not a school in america that has a
monkey for a mascot.
What about the Road Monkeys?
Or, in español — Los autopista Changos.
ah, the Changos.
You’d have a campus that comes already
formed with its own graffiti.
I have all the confidence the Hart district
will come up with some safe, offend-no-one
compromise, as inspiring as a rectal suppository.
One can only hope that in the spirit of compromise,
something a little more exciting can
be created as Castaic High’s new mascot.
Like, The Buckaroo Changos…
Has a certain ring to it, don’t it? R
John Boston has been named Best Columnist
in America several times. Look for more of his
work at foofmagazine.com and thejohnbostonchronicles.com.

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 14
14 • THE Reader
January 2016
loCal history
An Abridged History of Santa Clarita Valley Christmas
by John boston
Staff Writer
Christmas has been around the Santa
Clarita, long before the arrival of the
first europeans, long before there were
even Tataviam Indians here. The symbols.
The stories. The poetry and deeper meanings.
Christmas was always a special time in
Santa Clarita, sometimes bringing mirth and
good will, sometimes bringing laughter and
head shaking. Here’s an abridged version of
the History of SCV Christmas…
SCV Christmas Trees, 5000 B.C.
Interestingly, before we were filled with
tens of thousands of oaks, the weather here
was colder with two-to-three times the average
rainfall of today. The SCV was covered in
Christmas trees — pines and conifers — year
round. You can still see some of the last remnants
of these ancient great forests at the top
of Newhall Pass and up Bear divide today.
A Canyon’s claim to Christmas
St. Francis of assisi, patron saint of animals,
invented the Christmas carol. He reportedly
conducted the first-ever sermon in
song and singing from the Bible. In the 17th
century, during the reign of the Puritans, caroling
went underground, as the Puritans felt
any celebration should not be joyous. It wasn’t
until the 19th century when the carol
came back. Local angle? San Francisquito
Canyon was named after St. Francis of assisi.
aNd — the Santa Clarita Valley was named
after his contemporary and student, St.
Claire.
St. Francis of assisi artwork
httP://2theSoUrCe.orG/2015/01/28/Dont-bLaMe-FranCiS/
Christmas 1863-1930
The LeBrun family traces its roots here
going back 150 years-plus. Years ago, George
LeBrun, recalled being a little boy here. They
were so poor, there wasn’t a holiday tree. The
kids hung their socks on their bedpost and
woke in the morning to presents of nuts,
fruits and onions.
On dec. 25, 1921, Frank LaSalle had 25
head of prize beeves stolen from his ranch,
the scene around the Saugus train Depot looked like it belonged on the east coast, as the SCV was blanketed by snow in 1970. Photo by GorDon GLattenberG
which doubled as a famous movie lot.
Jumping ahead a year, we had our own dry
Squad, a federal office stationed here. Their
job? Catch bootleggers. Head agent? James
Bond. Instead of unwrapping presents, on
Christmas day 1922, Bond captured a moonshiner
and brought in 35 gallons of illegal
hooch. The whiskey maker’s plea was that he
was too drunk to remember how the booze
got on his property.
In the 1920s, Santa used to make an appearance
at the old Hap-a-Land Hall on Market
(today, the Courthouse Building). There
were no iPads or robots. Santa gave out bags
of walnuts and dried apricots.
downtown Newhall nearly burned to the
ground in 1927. every able body person in
town, including screen legend Wm. S. Hart,
manned bucket brigades to stop the fire at
Staughty’s Pool Hall from spreading. Gladys
Laney once shared it was set by a jealous
young man who didn’t like his girlfriend
hanging out there.
Before automation, extra postal clerks had
to be hired to fight the Christmas rush. Clerks
at the Newhall had to handle almost 1,000
pieces of mail the day before Christmas in
1929.
Christmas 1931-1950
Famed slapstick mogul Mack Sennett
moved to 8th Street in Newhall Christmas
day, 1932. His neighbor? W.C. Fields.
In 1935, two of the dumbest crooks were
captured. They had looted several homes.
Mistaking two Sheriff’s deputies for gas station
attendants, they boasted of their crimes
and spent the holiday in the local pokey.
Certainly the worst holiday in local history
was dec. 27, 1936. an airliner crashed in Rice
Canyon, killing all 12 aboard.
The year 1938 was a most bittersweet
Christmas. Minnie Martin, 91 and emma
Johns, 92, both best friends, died the same
day. With World War II around the corner, it
brought in six somber years, with loved ones
overseas in combat and strict rationing here
Mack Sennett with african lion photo
httP://WWW.exaMiner.CoM/reVieW/MaSSiVe-book-on-MaCk-
Sennett-FiLMS-noW-aFForDabLe-SoFtCoVer
in the SCV. In 1944, we had the second-worst
Christmas disaster. another airplane, a B-24
Liberator bomber, crashed in a pea soup fog
in acton. all 10 crewmen died.
Christmas 1951-1970
We had a big quake measuring 6.0 on the
Richter in Gorman in 1951 and felt down
here in Santa Clarita.
a less shocking event was the Hart High
Christmas Tournament of ’53. Gary Yurosek
(who became famous actor Gary Lockwood)
sank the winning free throws with 1 second
on the clock. The Burroughs coach protested,
walked out with his team and Hart won by
forfeit, 2-0.
Christmas day, 1958, it was 90 degrees.
There aren’t too many capers like this anymore
in the SCV. On 12/25/61, 72-year-old
rancher Sylvia Gonzalez found two of her cattle
in Honby dead. Culprit? a huge mountain
lion.
Right before Christmas 1970 will be long
remembered. Not only did it snow, but the
entire SCV was stranded due to the heavy
snowfall. an oddity? a run on film. Stores ran
out of it. There were six-foot-drifts in Saugus.
Christmas 1971-1987
a couple days before Christmas, one of
Calarts founding fathers, Roy disney died. Six
years earlier, his brother, Walt died almost the
same day.
This may have been that line of demarcation
of the end of civilization. Four teenage
boys beat up Santa Claus. In 1972, dan Curasi
donned the suit for the downtown Newhall
merchants and had earlier tossed the punk
high schoolers for cursing in front of children.
They came back and beat him up.
In 1978, in the early birthing of Political
Correctness, several local schools banished
traditional carols due to “ethnic sensitivity.”
Hart Park hikers had an unexpected treat
— a rare all-black 200-pound puma. It had
killed a couple deer on the grounds and one
woman jogger had the scare of her life when
she ran under an oak with the beast lounging
on a limb above.
black mountain lion
httPS://LyGSbtD.WorDPreSS.CoM/taG/ anDy-CaFFrey/
Perhaps 1987 was our coldest Christmas.
dawn — and pipes — broke in downtown
Newhall when the mercury plunged to 22 degrees,
down to single digits in some upper
canyons. automatic water sprinklers created
a menagerie of ice sculptures around town. R
John Boston the local historian, author and
one of America’s most-decorated journalists.
Read more of his work at thejohnboston
chronicles.com

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 15
January 2016 THE Reader • 15
Canyon Country
Canyon County couple sue
Kohl’s, pressure cooker
maker after explosion
ePiC rains
Forget El Niño: A scary look at SCV rainfall
by John boston
Staff Writer
Gene and Bridget Iovino of Canyon
Country are suing Kohl’s and a pressure
cooker maker after one of the devices
exploded and left the Bridget with
serious burns.
The couple filed the lawsuit in Los angeles
Superior Court, naming both Kohl’s department
Stores Inc. and Maxi-Matic USa Inc
, the maker of the pressure cooker.
They are seeking unspecified damages on
allegations of negligence, failure to warn,
strict liability, breach of express warranty
and loss of consortium.
a Kohl spokesman did not have a comment
on the pending lawsuit
according to the lawsuit, the couple
bought the pressure cooker online from
Kohl’s last October. On March 6, Bridget
Iovino was preparing chicken broth with the
cooker in the same way she had done four
times before, the suit states.
She says she added ingredients and poured
10 cups of water into the cooker and set the
timer for an hour. after the cooker turned off
automatically, she left it alone for about 45
minutes, according to the complaint.
The woman then depressurized the cooker
and added some more seasoning in the broth,
then put the lid back on and set the timer for
another 25 minutes, the suit says. She says
she saw more steam than was normal coming
from the exhaust valve even though all appeared
to be in order.
“(Bridget) Iovino walked two steps away
from the pressure cooker before it exploded,
covering (her) with hot water and steam” and
leaving her with second- and third-degree
burns, the suit states.
The suit alleges the 50-year-old woman
was harmed due to the negligence of both
Kohls and Maxi-Matic, and that her husband
has been deprived of his wife’s love and companionship
due to her injuries.
Back before the days when grown-ups
whispered “el Niño” in hushed reverence,
Winter would visit. Sometimes,
with a vengeance.
In February of 1857, it rained every day except
for one. In a Martians Land-sized headline,
an L.a. paper screamed: “SUN COMeS
OUT!!”
Supposedly, 1861 was our wettest in modern
history. Some old-timers claimed a Brazilian
rainforest total of nearly 100 inches fell
that year. In 1884, the Santa Clara River didn’t
run bank to bank — it ran foothill to
foothill.
a rare early October storm in 1932
knocked out 30 miles of rails and 19 trestles
from the SCV to acton. a 1-by-3-mile lake
formed in Canyon Country and train cars disappeared
in mudflows.
In the storms of 1938, the Santa Clara
River changed course, wiping out the Saugus
Rodeo Grounds and Highway 99 was closed.
For — two — months. One resident noted the
valley looked like Yosemite with all the waterfalls.
Word spread and tourists rushed
here, unaware another front was bearing
down. The squall hit, dumping a quick 5
inches in local canyons and 50 tourists were
trapped. Many lost their cars to the raging
torrents. a mounted posse dragged them out
by rope. The out-of-towners were divided up
at local ranches and sat out the storm for a
week before they could get out.
the big floods of 1938 washed away everything from barns to horses. a 50-year-flood, it destroyed nearly 6,000
buildings and killed about 115 Southern California residents. this photo was taken in acton in early March of
1938. (photo courtesy of SCV historical Society.)
That storm was responsible for one of our
grimmest weather-related deaths. a young
housewife swerved off Placerita Canyon, back
when it was dirt and next to the creek. Her
car flipped. They found her days later, dead.
The side door was scratched and her fingernails
filled with black paint. Though not seriously
injured from the accident, she had
drowned as the creek slowly rose and swallowed
her. She was six months pregnant.
With World War II brand new, it seemed as
if the entire planet was angry. By some accounts,
we broke 50 inches for the season
and it rained in July, the first time since 1884.
In 1943, it rained 14.34 inches.
In 36 hours.
and that’s not even a record.
That storm crippled the SCV. eVeRY bridge
and road was either knocked out or under
water. Livestock by the hundreds drowned.
See Epic Rains, page 18
C r i m e B l ot t e r
C a n yo n C o u n t r y
an aggravated assault occurred near the
26300 block of Rainbow Glen Drive. One
suspect was arrested after she pointed a
hand gun at her neighbors during a verbal
dispute.
a grand theft occurred near the 20800
block of Santa Clara Street. Person(s) unknown
cut the chain link fence to the location
and stole an unknown amount of
recyclable items from within.
a shoplifting occurred near the 26400
block of Carl Boyer Drive. One suspect was
arrested for taking store items and making
no attempt to pay for the items.
a burglary occurred near the 27300
block Manzanita Lane. Person(s) unknown
attempted to enter the locked front door to
her residence. The suspect tried to force
open the door.
a burglary occurred near the intersection
of Sand Canyon Road and Lost Canyon
Road. The location is a construction site.
The suspect(s) entered the site by cutting a
hole in the perimeter chain link fence. Once
on the property, the suspect(s) entered a
storage container and stole a generator and
saw. R

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 16
16 • THE Reader
Captain Roosevelt Johnson:
Community policing is key
by Jim Walker
Staff Writer
as a 25-year veteran of the Los angeles
County Sheriff’s department and a 25-
year resident of the Santa Clarita Valley,
when Roosevelt Johnson was promoted
to captain and assigned to the Santa Clarita
Valley Station last year, it seemed a logical fit.
Our “Captain of the SCV” holds a masters degree
in criminal justice and brings a philosophy
of community policing to a community
that wholeheartedly embraces it. Recently,
Captain Johnson sat down with the Reader
and offered his take on crime and its prevention
in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Reader: What is your personal philosophy
of community involvement and crime prevention?
Johnson: Obviously, community policing is
very important to everything we do in law enforcement.
It helps with the whole community
engagement effort — making sure that
we are visible, that we are out there as a law
enforcement agency. We’re not just out there
reacting to crime. We are actually out there
talking to the community, trying to engage
them, and, hopefully, prevent crime from occurring.
My overall vision, obviously, is to keep this
community safe. I know that I am responsible
for policing the Santa Clarita Valley, which
has over 280,000 residents and close to 660
square miles’ worth of jurisdiction. It’s a significant
undertaking, but one that is definitely
worthy, and we’re doing a fantastic job, trying
to keep this community safe.
everything comes back to partnerships,
though, and collaboration, working with others.
We can’t do all this on our own. What
you’ll see from me is a lot of collaboration
with all the partners that are here, in the
community, in the valley, as well as other law
enforcement agencies, including the federal
law enforcement agencies and other cities as
well.
Reader: Compared to your other postings,
how do you see the Santa Clarita Valley?
Johnson: I’ve had the opportunity to
work five patrol stations . . . this is the fifth
patrol station, and each one of them is
unique and different. But the one thing I say
everywhere in this county, though, is people
want to live in a safe community. Some communities
are a lot tougher to manage than
others. We are fortunate here in the Santa
Clarita Valley that we’ve enjoyed a pretty
low crime rate, and I feel a lot of that is due
to the resources that are made available to
us — both in the city and the unincorporated
area— as well as all the partnerships
that we have, with the local CHP, the great
working relationship that we have with the
fire department...and all the non-profit organizations
here in the valley.
Reader: Lawstreetmedia.com rated the city
of Santa Clarita as the 2015 number four
safest city in US with over 200,000 population.
How do you feel things are going in SCV?
Johnson: Obviously, that designation is
good and it’s been pretty consistent as far as
this being a safe community — the entire
Santa Clarita Valley, you’re looking at for
safety. However, the one thing I do want to
bring to mind is Proposition 47, that was
passed by the voters in November, basically
reduced a lot of the felonies, such as the drug
crimes, that we were using to direct people
to the resources for help — it reduced a lot of
those crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.
and what we are seeing is property crimes
increase significantly here in the valley. and
that’s a direct correlation to the Prop 47
thing. We know that, a lot of times, drug users
will go out and steal things to get money for
their habit, and the way things go right now
. . . if someone gets arrested for possession
of cocaine, as an example, or methamphetamine,
that person will actually be brought
into the jail and, more than likely, they’ll be
given a citation before the deputy has an opportunity
to write the report. . . . They are released
out the front door before the report
gets written. So we are seeing an increase in
the property crimes because of that.
You’ve seen some of the publicity that
we’ve had, earlier in the year, with some of
the homicides we’ve had. That, in my mind,
is an anomaly. It’s highly rare. The entire
Santa Clarita Valley averages about three
murders a year. This year we had a total of
nine. But what I did notice is a significant
number of those homicides were actually
family and domestic violence-related. and I
have a working group that I’ve put together
with the Child & Family Center and the domestic
Violence Center. We are looking at
that. We are meeting monthly, talking about
putting together a package to roll out to the
community on what we are doing. and I think
the community will be pretty impressed on
what we have come up with.
as far as the crime in the unincorporated
area . . . total year to date from 2014 to 2015,
it’s up 7.9 percent, as a whole. The homicide
rate is unchanged. We had two last year and
two this year. We’ve had a slight increase in
the number of rapes, but I’ll basically qualify
that (and he explained that the legal definitions
of rape have changed). Robberies are
down 30 percent. Burglaries are actually
down 13 percent. and arsons are down 70
percent. Total year-to-date Part I crimes in
January 2016
Capt. roosevelt Johnson — our “Captain of the SCV” — brings a philosophy of community policing to a community
that wholeheartedly embraces it. Photo by JiM WaLker
the unincorporated area are 775 this year,
718 last year, for a 7.9 percent increase.
But overall, I’m pretty pleased with where
we are, as far as the crime is concerned, valley-wide
and in the unincorporated area. and
we are working feverishly to make sure that
we maintain and keep the community safe, by
putting out educational bulletins to the community,
going to neighborhood watch and basically
any association meetings that we go to,
and utilizing that time to talk to the community
about tips for safety.
Reader: What exactly are the policing zones
in the SCV?
Johnson: The Santa Clarita Valley is
unique over some other communities in that
it is split up into eight different zones, where
there is a zone leader deputy assigned to
each of those zones. and that deputy is responsible
for monitoring the crime activity
in that zone on a daily basis and communicating
directly with the community leaders
in that zone. So they put out Nixles (online
updates) and weekly crime reports, like a
crime blotter, telling the community what is
going on. They also communicate directly to
the patrol deputies, telling them what they
are seeing in terms of trends, and also direct
them to do patrol checks in specific areas.
But that is unique to the Santa Clarita Valley.
That’s another community engagement
piece as well, because it allows the community
to have a direct line to the deputy that is
responsible for their area. They normally
have their phone number and their email. If
they have a concern, they email directly to
that deputy. and that deputy is often the one
who attends the neighborhood association
meetings in that community. The deputies
are very, very good at what they do.
Reader: Specifically on the Westside, what
crimes might be increasing or of concern?
Johnson: Burglaries are actually down. But
larcenies are up significantly. You have folks
going into stores and stealing things. You have
a significant number of businesses over on
the Westside. To combat that, I have started a
business alliance, where the big box sores . . .
representatives from those stores meet with
a station detective and myself quarterly, and
we talk about crime trends. It’s all designed
to make sure that they are communicating
See Capt. Johnson, page 20

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 17
January 2016
Reader Education
THE Reader • 17
City’s resident artist program brings
sculptures to Newhall Elementary
by Patti rasmussen
Staff Writer
Newhall elementary School is the home
to three new sculptures, thanks to artisan
welder dianne Foderaro, who
was tapped to create the pieces for the city of
Santa Clarita artist-in-Residence program.
It was a total school effort as Foderaro met
with each grade level to brainstorm ideas for
the sculptures that represent painting, music
and dance. The sculptures, comprised of iron,
foil, and clay, will be on display in the lobby
of the school as it prepares to embrace an integrated
arts curriculum.
donna avila, arts and events coordinator
for the city, said its artist residency program
has been an ideal addition to local schools.
during the week-long residency, the artist
draws inspiration from the students, who are
able to watch the creation of the art piece.
The artist is open for questions from all students.
Because Foderaro’s sculptures involved
welding, her pieces were completed in
her studio instead of the school.
at the conclusion of the residency, the
artist presents the finished artwork to all students
and discusses the process of its creation,
avila said.
On dec. 2, Foderaro returned to the school,
again meeting with each class to show how
the sculptures were designed. “each step of
this work represents our own bodies,” she
said. “The iron is our bones, the foil our muscles
and the clay our skin.”
Students in Connie Russo’s transitional
kindergarten class were excited to see the finished
work. “It’s so good to expose the students
to art as young as they are,” Russo said.
“They were captivated by the pieces and had
See Artist, page 20
Hart, Valencia win band state championships
Two Hart School district marching
bands won state titles this past weekend
at the Southern California School
Band and Orchestra association (SCSBOa)
Championship held at Warren High School in
downey.
Hart High School's band & colorguard
team, the Hart Regiment (pictured above),
won the gold medal in division 4a with their
field show entitled, “L.O.V.e.” It is the 12th
state title for Hart.
West Ranch took silver in the 4a division,
with a score of 90.2, and also won the percussion
caption award with their field show
“Rain.”
Valencia High School earned gold in division
3a with a score of 88.10. They also
earned the percussion caption award with
their field show “electronica.” It is the third
year in a row Valencia has medaled (two
golds and one bronze).
Other Santa Clarita schools that qualified
and competed at championships were
Golden Valley, which placed fourth with a
score of 83.5, Canyon and Saugus.
The Hart Regiment has been invited to perform
at the Pixar Parade on dec. 9 at disney’s
California adventure.
all competition scores from the SCSBOa
Championship can be viewed at scsboa.org.

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 18
18 • THE Reader
in the 1969 floods, this 10-foot-long alligator (dead) was washed 50 miles from africa USa almost to the Pacific
at the olivas adobe in Ventura. Photo CoUrteSy oF VentUra CoUnty Fire DePt.
Epic Rains
continued from page 15
Near present-day Home depot on Soledad, a
train just flew into oblivion — there weren’t
any tracks. Volunteer posses delivered medicine,
food and supplies via horseback.
The year 1955 brought a scene straight out
of an alfred Hitchcock film. a huge flock of
migrating swallows were caught in a hail and
freezing rainstorm in upper Soledad Canyon.
Snow fell in Newhall — in May. Thousands of
swallows were literally knocked from the
skies by the relentless pelting. The Soledad
was littered with little bird corpses.
Two local Sheriff’s deputies faired better
in the floods of 1960. Sitting on a dirt bank in
their prowl car, they were having lunch by
peaceful Placerita Creek. a flash flood materialized,
devoured the bank and swept the car
with the two lawmen still in it three miles
downstream. Finally, the car surfed to a rest
on a sandbar. The two officers climbed out of
their brand new vehicle and were treated for
scrapes, cuts and mud stuck where it shouldn’t
be.
We have no definitive Rain Bible for the
SCV. Many “official” weather stations are terribly
inaccurate and become recorded for
decades into centuries. Worse, with the Internet,
these inaccurate readings get copied
from one source to another. aNd, one canyon
can catch a foot of rain and the sun can be
shining a few miles away — as witnessed in
the recent flooding up Green Valley in October
2015.
The top five local SCV rainy seasons, best
as I’ve come up with so far — were: 1968-
’69 (51 inches); 1977-’78 (49.38 inches);
1884-’85(46.8 inches) 1940-’41(44.65
inches); and 1982-’83 (38.77 inches).
ah, 1968-69. It still holds the wettest single
month total (30 inches in February!) and a
frightening one-day total of 16 inches (Jan.
26th).
That day, a scene from some SciFi movie
unfolded at africa USa, the wild animal compound
up Soledad Canyon. dozens of exotic
animals drowned when the floods hit.
dozens more were euthanized by injection
when the park staff couldn’t safely free them
before they drowned. Volunteers rushed to
herd elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, tigers,
bears and zebras to safety in a bizarre parade
along the train tracks.
In those 1969 storms, 120 homes were severely
damaged or destroyed.
Ironically, it was a decade later in 1978
when the africa USa scenario repeated. This
time, a one-day, eight-inch storm destroyed
the Shambala animal compound in upper
Soledad. Three full-grown african lions were
shot by sheriff’s deputies as they ran amuck
in a neighboring trailer park. One 600-pound
male was shot — in midair attack — when he
a human skull, from an old indian burial ground,
was unearthed in the 1998 el niño. another treasure
most don’t know about? Gold. big rains often rinse
gold down from the hills into the SCV. Photo CoUrteSy oF
Gary thornhiLL
charged a deputy.
The scariest thing I’ve heard about rain? It
came from a distant great-grandaunt. She
was born on the original Olivas Ventura land
grant last century. Several years ago, at a family
reunion, our conversation drifted toward
the weather. at 96 she smiled at me and said:
“You’re spoiled. You have no idea of how hard
it can rain in California!” R
John Boston is a local author, historian, and,
with more than 10,000 columns, one of America’s
most prolific columnists and bloggers.
Look for his thejohnbostonchronicles.com website
launching Christmas Day.
Artist
continued from page 17
favorites.”
Marcos Cisneros, 5, said he liked the
painter because he was colorful and wearing
bright clothes, something Marcos was also
sporting that day. The girls in his class enjoyed
the ballerina, with several saying they
would love to learn to dance.
With more than 660 students, Newhall elementary
is the oldest school in the Newhall
School district. Several changes have taken
place at the campus in the past year, including
a new two-story classroom facility and the
renovation of the 1930s-era auditorium. Construction
of that building will begin in the
spring of 2016.
Principal Tammi Rainville is excited about
the changes taking place at the school and
looks forward to the integrated art curriculum
and letting her students, for the first time
since the 1980s, use the auditorium for performances
and graduations.
“The artist-in-Residence program was a
great way to kick off this new beginning for
Newhall,” Rainville said. R
Lawsuits
continued from page 12
Thirty-four-year Saugus resident Jim Soliz,
a plaintiff in the valley lawsuits, said that, in
the City of Santa Clarita, Latinos were underrepresented
on the City Council, and on
council-appointed boards and commissions.
He also said the city’s leadership did not
address issues important to the Latino community.
He said he looked into minority voting
rights in valley school districts, and saw
problems there as well.
Soliz said it was Santa Clarita’s failure to
comply with the voting rights law that eventually
cost it $600,000 in the lawsuit settlement.
“The issue is, either they are complying
with the law or they aren’t,” Soliz said.
“They’ve had 13 years to comply.”
January 2016
From the defense
Santa Clarita City Council members have
vigorously defended the city’s voting system.
“It’s unfortunate that we were subjected to
this [the lawsuit],” Councilman Bob Kellar
said. “It’s unfortunate especially for the taxpayers.”
“I don’t believe there is an issue in Santa
Clarita with the California Voting Rights act,”
said Councilman TimBen Boydston.
The City Council’s lone Latino, dante
acosta, passed along word that he would not
comment for this story, because of potential
future legal action in the city’s case.
New college districts
The Santa Clarita Community College district,
which operates College of the Canyons,
agreed in its lawsuit settlement to adopt district-by-district
voting, consolidate its elections
with statewide balloting on
even-numbered years, and pay $850,000 in
legal fees.
The district’s board believed it would have
prevailed if it fought the lawsuit, but agreed
to the settlement to cut its financial losses,
said Board President Michele Jenkins.
The voting districts created in response to
the lawsuit ranged from 17 percent Latino to
32 percent Latino, among citizens of voting
age.
Jenkins was among those who cited the
Hart district as an indicator of the effects of
the lawsuits.
“It didn’t help. The only Latina woman was
defeated. It worked the way you wouldn’t
want it to,” Jenkins said.
Proving ‘a negative’
Kerry Clegg, president of the Sulphur
Springs Union School district board, said districts
face the unlikely task of proving themselves
innocent of unfair elections.
“What happens is that you rack up attorneys’
fees, while you’re trying to prove a negative,”
he said.
The district’s student population is 51 percent
Latino. In Clegg’s 26 years on the school
board, he has not seen the election of a Latino
board member.
about four elections ago a Latino ran for
one of the seats on the board, but did not
campaign heavily, Clegg said.
The fight in Palmdale
The City of Palmdale fought its lawsuit all
the way to an appeals court before settling,
at a price tag of $4.5 million.
Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford emphasized
that the lawsuit is past, and the city is moving
forward.
He also defended Palmdale voting practices,
and said carving the electorate into districts
might not have the desired effect. He
said the two resulting Latino-majority districts
are 51 percent and 52 percent Latino.
“I’m not sure it actually helps minorities
more,” he said.
Shenkman said in the past 50 years, only
one member of a racial minority, Richard Loa,
a Latino, has been elected to the Palmdale
City Council.
Fred Thompson, an african-american, was
elected by Palmdale voters as well, but the
voting rights lawsuit prevented that election
from being certified. Thompson was later appointed
to fill a vacancy.
Shenkman said the effects of the lawsuit
can be seen in the appointments of Thompson,
and of Roxanna Martinez, a Latina, to fill
council vacancies.
“I think the lawsuit had an effect on the appointments,
even if it’s just so they can have
a good story to tell the press,” Shenkman said.
Mayor Ledford said the California Voting
rights act serves primarily to allow lawyers
to “extort” local governments up and down
the state.
Ledford laid the ultimate blame at the feet
of the state Legislature that passed the California
Voting Rights act. If the Legislature
wanted local governments to switch to district-by-district
voting, it should have simply
made that the law, he said.
“The Legislature cost everyone $14 million,”
he said. R
COC Board Names
Officers for 2016
The Santa Clarita Community College district
Board of Trustees, which oversees College
of the Canyons, named Bruce Fortine as
board president, filled its other board officer
positions, and set its 2016 meeting schedule
during its annual organizational meeting held
Wednesday night.
Fortine is a founding board member, having
been elected to the college district board
when it was founded in 1967. He stepped off
the board in 1973 when he accepted a staff
position at the college. When his career carried
him away from Santa Clarita, and then
back again, Fortine was re-elected to the
board in 1991, and has served continuously
since then. altogether, he has 35 years of
service to the district.
“It’s an honor to be chosen unanimously by
my fellow board members to serve as board
president for 2016, and I am proud to be part
of this college’s incredible development for
much of my career,” Fortine said. “driven by
innovation, and defined by excellence, College
of the Canyons has grown to become one of
the most highly regarded community colleges
anywhere.”
“I appreciate Bruce’s leadership, and the
consistent, dedicated service he provides as
a member of the board of trustees,” COC
Chancellor dr. dianne Van Hook said. “He is a
tireless supporter of the college who is always
looking to expand our partnerships and possibilities
in the community.”
The board members also filled their other
officer positions Wednesday. They voted
unanimously to select Steve Zimmer as vice
president, and Michael Berger as clerk, for the
coming year.
The board meets at the Valencia Campus in
Hasley Hall, Room 137, unless otherwise
noted. Open session meetings typically begin
at 5 p.m. agendas are available online at
http://www.boarddocs.com/ca/coc/Board.n
sf

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 19
Must call before January 31st!
s

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 20
20 • THE Reader
a Day i n t h e l i f e
spreading the Cheer
During the Christmas
season
by U.S. rep. Steve knight
Contributing Writer
Christmas is a wonderful time of year.
From the lights and the songs, to
spending time with family and friends,
it puts a smile on my face every december.
Unfortunately the end of the year is always
busy in Congress, and a large portion of my
month will be spent in Washington, d.C. But
when I’m in California, I go to as many holiday
events around the community as I can.
This year Lily and I particularly enjoyed
the Christmas tree lighting in downtown
Newhall and the Festival of Trees, which benefits
the Boys & Girls Club of the Santa Clarita
Valley. It is great to see so many members of
the community come together to celebrate
the season.
To me, a big part of Christmas is being with
family. That means my holiday will really get
started when my son, Christopher, returns
home from college a few days before. Lily and
I look forward to spending time with him and
our other son, Michael. as a NICU nurse, Lily
will unfortunately have to work on Christmas
eve and Christmas day itself, so we will be
sure to make merry when we can.
On Christmas eve, the boys and I will go to
midnight mass at our church down the street.
I am a lifelong Catholic, and I believe Christmas
is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus
Christ, so the Christmas eve service is a favorite
of mine for the entire year.
Christmas day will be a little different than
it was when the boys were younger. They are
not as excited to wake up early and do not get
as many presents as they once did. In fact,
our family decided that this year instead of
spending money on gifts for each other, we
will instead give more to local charities that
we support. after all, this is the time of year
for giving to others and looking out for our
neighbors.
That does not mean we will not celebrate.
though. We will still spend the day hanging
out at the house, watching movies, drinking
eggnog, and listening to Christmas music. In
the afternoon, we will drive to Lily’s parents’
house in Llano for more festivities. Lily usually
gets off work in the evening, and will
meet us out there for a nice family dinner.
The day after Christmas, we will celebrate
a much more traditional Christmas as a family.
Presents will be opened and we will enjoy
a delicious meal together.
everyone’s traditions are a little different,
ours included. What is important to me is
getting to be with family and glorifying
Christ’s birth by helping those in need. That
is what Christmas is all about, and I am very
glad that it is here once again. 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.
Help us Build a Great Community News Magazine
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& Sales Account Executives
Email Richard@WestsideReader.com
Capt. Johnson
continued from page 16
with each other as well. We’ve starting solving
a significant number of the crimes because
of this business alliance. We are
training them...working hand in hand with
them.
We have partnered with the economic development
Corporation to do a six-part series
on crime trends. To educate business
owners about what we are seeing in terms
of trends . . . on the Westside and throughout
the Santa Clarita Valley. We are talking
about everything from cargo theft to high
tech crimes . . . just to give them an education
on what we are seeing both locally and
department-wide.
Mr. antonovich (Supervisor) provided additional
staffing in the unincorporated area,
which has significantly cut back on some of
the crimes that we are seeing as well. These
positions are actually being staffed by
deputies, which are helping with the response
times on calls.
Reader: What are the MET Teams?
Johnson: The other thing that was added
to the Santa Clarita Valley was the Mental
evaluation Teams. a department of Mental
Health clinician is partnered with a deputy
Sheriff. They respond to calls for anything related
to mental illness or suicides. That’s important
because we have a significant
number of those calls here in the Santa Clarita
Valley. There were three additional MeT
teams provided for the Santa Clarita Valley
and the antelope Valley. We have staffing
Monday through Friday on day shift and on
evening shift seven day a week staffing. That
has helped the patrol deputies. The patrol
deputies can call them (the MeT team) out.
They’ll come out to the scene and they will
take over, take the person in and get them
committed, while the patrol deputy can go
back out and start handling calls. It started
July 15. The patrol deputies love it.
Reader: What might be future trends in
crime?
Johnson: The proliferation of cyber crimes
is a national trend that we are seeing, including
credit card fraud, mail fraud. . . all of those
things are really trending upward. The department
is training a lot of the investigators
and detectives, as well as the patrol personnel,
to recognize these types of crimes, and
we work with our local state and federal partners
to solve the crimes.
January 2016
Capt. roosevelt Johnson is 25-year veteran of the Los
angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a 25-year
resident of the Santa Clarita Valley. CoUrteSy Photo
Reader: What is Coffee with the Captains?
Johnson: My goal is to go out at least twice
a year. It’s the captain, me and the zone leader
deputy for that particular zone. We set up the
meeting at one of the local coffee establishments
in that zone and invite the community
members to come out. It’s an opportunity for
me to find out what the community members’
concerns are and make sure we are addressing
their specific concerns. That’s gone
over extremely well with the community. It’s
all part of community engagement and being
transparent and opening those lines of communication
between the department and the
community.
Reader: What is the Community Academy?
Johnson: Twice a year we invite community
members from all over the valley to put
in an application and get accepted and be
part of a community academy, which is basically
a seven-week program. They meet one
night a week for two hours to learn more
about the history of the Sheriff’s department,
what the local Sheriff’s department does.
They participate in a ride-along and take a
tour of one of the large jails up here in Castaic.
I also added a shooting simulator experience
for them, where they go through the
shoot/don’t shoot scenario. The feedback
from that has been incredible. They have a
better appreciation for what a deputy Sheriff
on patrol has to deal with and how those decisions
are made in split seconds and critiqued
incessantly after that split-second
decision. Those are run twice a year.
Reader: Will body cameras be coming?
Johnson: We did a pilot project on the
body cameras. We are still evaluating which
company is the best company, but I can tell
you that we are moving forward on that project
and they should be out some time next
year. The goal is to get it right the first time, as
you can imagine. We have close to 5,000 personnel
that are in the field. . . it’s going to be
pretty costly for the department. It’s definitely
coming. It’s a really good thing. There
are a lot of policies that have to be put in
place, though, including when do you release
the video and things like that. Those things
have to be worked out. I anticipate next year.
Reader: Any last thoughts?
Johnson: I’m extremely pleased with the
reception that I’ve had here. Of course, I’ve
lived here for 25 years. The community, as a
whole, is very supportive of law enforcement
and what we do, and that really makes a big
difference. R

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 21
January 2016
Reader Sports
THE Reader • 21
sCV s P o r t s
CoC Volleyball makes
unprecedented run at
state title
by Steve Pratt
Sports editor
The College of the Canyons women’s volleyball
team made a strong case for itself
as a state powerhouse in the
California Community College athletic association
(CCCaa) State Championship.
The Cougars qualified for the State Final
Four event, which was hosted by College of
Canyons, by upsetting No. 1 Santa Barbara
City College, 3-1, in the third round of the
SoCal Regional Playoffs. It was just the second
time in school history that the Cougars had
advanced that far.
In the first game of the double elimination
state tournament, the upset artists were at it
again as freshman middle hitter alexa Hesseldenz
and freshman outside hitter emily
Bible led the team to a shocking five-set win
over Cabrillo College. Hardly rested, the
Cougars came out flat against an inspired L.a.
Pierce team, dropping a three-set match, and
then fell to eventual state champion Cabrillo
to finish third in the state.
Regardless, it was an electric and dramatic
weekend and one coach Lisa Hooper and her
team can be proud of. The Cougars end the
season with a 26-4 record while the West
Ranch product Hesseldenz and former Valencia
star Bible were named to the all-tournament
team.
The powerhouse that is the Saugus High
cross country girls’ team recently won its
ninth CIF state title in the past 10 years. Head
coach Rene Paragas, who teaches 10th grade
modern civilizations and aP human geography
at the school, is in his 12th year of coaching
the Centurions, which he has built into a
dynasty program.
Paragas said he relied on his “fearsome
foursome” all year, including his top finisher
at the state championships, junior transfer
Kaylee Thompson, who paced the Saugus
runners with a seventh-place overall finish,
turning in a time of 17 minutes, 52.3 seconds.
“Our success is built on hard work and
mental toughness. No secrets,” said Paragas,
who also led the boys’ squad to a state title
back in 2013, giving him a total of 10. “Just
more commitment and determination than
most of our opponents.”
“each of our four top girls (Thompson,
ashley Heys, Mariah Castillo and Sydney
Suarez) took turns as our No. 1 runner this
season,” Paragas said. “Kaylee ended up the
best by the end of the season, ending up with
all-state and all-CIF honors.”
On the boys’ side, Paragas noted seniors
Ryan Tate (fourth place) and Jacob Crosson
(18th). Tate was the Foothill League champion
and also all-CIF, as well as being named
all-state.
The West Ranch boys’ team finished in seventh
place in the division 2 final.
One team kept the Santa Clarita Christian
girls’ volleyball team from reaching post-sea-
son championship status as the Cardinals fell
in both the CIF Section final and the State Regional
final to Upland Christian academy.
Longtime coach darcy Brown said her
squad was hit with illness and an ankle injury
to one of team’s top players before the big rematch
just one game short of the state final,
and in the end was beaten by the better team.
“We just didn’t play as well as I know we
could have,” said Brown, in her 22nd year as
coach. “We were excited with the opportunity
to play them again. It’s a bummer we didn’t
get to play them with a full squad.”
Last year, Santa Clarita Christian captured
its first CIF section title, having made it to the
section final once before in 2002.
Brown said her little school doesn’t always
get as much attention as the other larger
schools in the area, and said it’s an exciting
time for volleyball in this community. “With
the success of Valencia High and COC playing
into december, it’s been great to see the success
become more and more prevalent within
our community,” Brown said. “It’s an exciting
thing for girls’ volleyball.”
The popular Paseo Club tennis teaching
husband and wife tandem of desi and dina
McBride recently teamed up to win runnerup
USTa National Silver balls. Competing in
the USTa National 40 Hard Court Mixed doubles
Championships at the La Jolla Beach and
Tennis Club, the top-seeded McBrides of
Stevenson Ranch fell to No. 3 seeds Tracie
Currie and William Quest of Ventura in the
final, 6-3, 7-5.
In the women’s singles final, dina was also
a finalist, falling to former WTa touring professional
amy Frazier of Rochester, Mich., 6-1,
6-3. The defending champion McBride also
won the event in 2012. The top-seeded Frazier,
who won eight career WTa singles titles
and four doubles championships, was playing
in her first USTa National Senior tournament
since she retired from the women’s professional
tennis tour in 2006. dina McBride is
the girls’ varsity tennis coach at West Ranch
High School.
Saugus quarterback Louis eusebi was recently
named Foothill League Player of the
Year for his exploits during the 2015 season
in a vote by the league’s coaches. eusebi led
the Centurions to a second-place season behind
league champion Valencia.
Vikings senior quarterback Cole Parkinson
won the offensive player of the year honors
and senior defensive end Jermaine Brown
was named lineman of the year. Saugus senior
defensive lineman Michael Stanford was
named league defensive player of the year. R
Steve Pratt reports news and notes and from
in and around Santa Clarita Valley press boxes,
locker rooms and coach’s offices.
the CoC women’s volleyball team upset no. 1 Santa barbara City College, 3-1, in the third round of the SoCal
regional Playoffs. it was just the second time in school history that the Cougars had advanced that far.
sPorts teChnology
Playing ‘Smart’ at The Paseo Club
New tennis analytics
system keeps you
on your game
by Jim Walker
Staff Writer
The Paseo Club in Valencia recently unveiled
a new tennis analytics system
that should help players of all levels
improve their game — and maybe even their
integrity. The PlaySight Smart Court system
incorporates video cameras and computer
analyses to offer real-time and after-action
review of your matches or training sessions,
with complete debriefing solutions, automatically-generated
stats, bio-mechanical
analysis and 3-d tactical game management.
Oh, and it can also prove whether that serve
was really “in” or “out.”
Kim Perino, managing partner at The
Paseo Club, said the system has been in place
at his facility for about three months. This
makes the club one of the early adapters of
the PlaySight technology, and one of the few
facilities in Southern California to offer it.
“We try to be progressive, and thought it
would be a differentiator for us,” he said.
The Smart Court installation is permanent,
and includes five cameras and a courtside interactive
kiosk. The system utilizes advanced
image processing and analytical algorithms
to track the players and the ball, and record
video of the action. all this is done automatically
and the collected video and activity are
then processed, uploaded to the cloud, and
can be reviewed at the kiosk — or anywhere
else, via the company website. and the video
and data are the property of the user who
logs in. Only the user can access them unless
he or she decides to share them with coaches,
family or friends, directly or via social media.
Stephen devereux, a spokesman for
PlaySight, said the system can also edit for
you. “It’s a system that produces an amazing
amount of data. It promotes the opportunity
to record everything you do —but then get
just the highlights to social media.” He also
noted that this offers an excellent way to get
the attention of college recruiters. “It’s one of
the benefits of playing at THIS club,” he
added.
and when it comes to training or practice,
the PlaySight analytics can help you improve
your skills in a directed, yet fun manner. “It
offers a lot of ways to ‘gameify’ what was formerly
work,” devereux said.
Perino said the PlaySight Smart Court installation
was roughly a $10,000 investment
for the cameras and setup, and that PlaySight
charges a monthly licensing fee. Hence the
club charges a $14 per hour fee for the video
taping. “It’s been great for our members to
see themselves play for the first time,” he said.
and he added that it’s also great for parents
to see their kids play remotely. R

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 22
22 • THE Reader
Reader Opinion
o u r V i e W
Antonovich said what we
were all thinking, then
got hammered for it
Just hours after the mass shooting
in San Bernardino claimed the
lives of 14 innocent victims, Los
angeles County Supervisor Michael
antonovich honored his previously
scheduled appointment to appear at
a meeting of the West Ranch Town
Council.
The news of the shooting was still
fluid. It was a news story still in the
process of breaking, and antonovich,
perhaps letting his guard down in a
fairly intimate setting at the end of a
crisis-stricken day, said what most of
us were probably already thinking:
“The first thing I asked about this
incident, was the guy named
Muhammad?”
as it happened, there was just one
news reporter in the room. Our reporter.
This seasoned news veteran
found the supervisor’s comment interesting
enough to issue a tweet
about it on his personal Twitter account,
and he included it in his news
story on the meeting, which appears
in this issue of the Reader.
Social media being what it is —
and political correctness being what
it is — that tweet blew up in Mr.
antonovich's face. Unfairly so.
The Los angeles Times, in its
never-ending quest to make sure no
one anywhere is offended, ever, ran
to the leaders of local Islamic organizations
and… invited them to be offended
by it. The Times ran a news
story that seemed intended to manufacture
controversy, with a lead that
said antonovich's comment “elicited
ire from Muslim community leaders.”
did the comment “elicit ire” or did
the Times “solicit ire”?
What ensued was a series of unfair
accusations about antonovich and
his character, with one Islamic leader
even labeling antonovich as “immoral.”
apparently, it's not acceptable in
today's society to jump to the conclusion
that the latest mass shooting
might have been perpetrated by radicalized
Muslims (which, by the way,
it was), but it IS acceptable to brand
someone as an immoral bigot for
jumping to that conclusion.
anyone who knows Mike
antonovich knows he is anything but
immoral, and anything but a bigot.
Further, anyone who knows
antonovich knows the last thing he
would do is harbor hatred toward
peace-loving people of the Islamic
faith, or any other faith for that matter.
Bigotry is just not in the man’s
dNa. He fully recognizes the difference
between terrorists and peaceful
people of any faith, and he’d be
the first to tell you that peace-loving
Muslims should not be persecuted
for their religious beliefs.
But, like all of us, especially on the
heels of the Paris shootings, he’s
seen and heard enough recent news
about terrorism perpetrated by radicalized
Muslims to lead him directly
to that question: When a mass shooting
occurs, what are the chances it’s
been committed by radicalized Islamic
terrorists?
Unfortunately, those odds are
pretty strong.
and, as it has happened throughout
history, certain names have become
associated with evil deeds. Just
as “adolf” became a much less common
baby name after World War II,
the names “Muhammed” and
“Muhammad” have become associated
with terrorism over the past 20
years.
after all, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
was a chief architect of the
9/11 attacks on the United States,
and out of the 22 people identified
on the FBI’s most wanted list of terrorists
in the wake of the 9/11 attacks,
eight of them went by names
including a variation of Muhammed
or Muhammad.
antonovich’s reaction was the
same natural reaction many of us
might have had. Wondering if a mass
shooter is named Muhammad is not
a blanket condemnation of people of
the Muslim faith, no more than wondering
if an anti-Semite is named
Hitler would be a condemnation of
all Germans.
DaV e B o s s e r t
shop local Businesses and
spend more time with
loved ones
by Dave bossert
Contributing Writer
Many of the stores started putting up
their holiday displays and laying out
holiday gift merchandise in late October
and early November. But that just doesn’t
mean much to me anymore until I actually
see the lights up on the community holiday
tree in Stevenson Ranch.
On Saturday, december 5th, the Stevenson
Ranch Community association hosted the annual
holiday tree lighting event. It was complete
with snow, Santa, and of course the
festive lighting of the tree. Once that happened,
it seemed like many residents started
putting up lights and decorations on their
homes. We even put a lighted wreath on our
front door, which is more than most years.
It is seeing the lights strung on homes that
gives me the holiday spirit. Just to clarify, that
would be lights and decorations on other
people’s homes. I’m not one to lavishly decorate
the outside of my home, other than the
wreath of course. But I do enjoy the spirit of
the holiday season.
as for the stores, I avoid the malls, especially
this time of year. In fact, I honestly cannot
remember the last time I was in one. It
has been that long. Primarily because I tend
to go to local small businesses more and I do
most of my shopping online. It is just a much
more pleasant experience going into local
shops and knowing the owners. The online
shopping is gratifying because you can usually
find items in stock and with little hassle.
Online shopping is the trend as the mall
parking lots are not nearly as crammed as
they had been in years past; but still busy. do
you really want to go to a mall and circle the
parking lot looking for a space or once you do,
spend time rifling through merchandise only
to find that they don’t have your size? That is
what the typical mall experience has been for
Could antonovich have chosen his
words more carefully? Sure. But
shouldn’t we want our leaders to be
human, and to speak honestly and
openly about what’s on their minds?
Media attacks like those waged by
the Times are exactly why we see
fewer and fewer leaders who speak
freely without excessively checking
themselves. It’s exactly why we get
carefully orchestrated talking points
instead of honest and frank discourse.
Further, it’s ironic that a news outlet,
whose business model is based
on the exercise of our First amendment
rights, has become the self-appointed
speech police.
To his credit, antonovich stood his
ground. Unlike the way many politicians
would have responded, he didn’t
walk back on the comment, and
January 2016
me in past years.
as I said, shopping online and visiting the
local small businesses is a better experience.
It is much more convenient and less stressful.
I can shop anytime I want and the goods are
delivered right to my door. Why would anyone
want to do anything else?
The news reported that online sales have
continued to increase incrementally again
this year and the so-called blackFriday for
brick and mortar stores was not the frenzy it
used to be. People appear to be smarter about
how and when they shop.
This year do yourself and your community
a favor, visit the local small businesses and
stay away from the malls. The local mom and
pop shops are really the lifeblood of any community
and they are the ones that impact the
local economy. The malls on the other hand
are filled with national and regional chains
that are just pulling money out of the community.
The shopping experience at the malls
is just not that pleasant anymore.
Besides, don’t you have enough stuff already?
I had this conversation with my family
and we have all agreed to a minimal number
of gifts this year and are going to opt for
spending much more time together. That is
really what the holidays are all about; spending
time with loved ones. 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
didn’t claim it was taken out of context.
Rather, his response to the
Times correctly noted that “radical
Islamists have declared war on the
United States,” and listed several
high-profile terrorist attacks, here
and abroad, that illustrated his point.
It’s a troubling time in the world,
and those troubles, many of them
perpetrated or inspired by radicalized
Muslims, have reached U.S. soil
more than once. Let’s all take a deep
breath, and recognize that when
someone wonders if a mass shooter
might be a radicalized Muslim
named Muhammad, it’s only a natural
reaction and doesn’t impugn the
many peace-loving Muslims who live
in our communities.
We applaud Mike antonovich for
standing by his comment.
It’s not bigotry. It’s candor. R

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 23
January 2016 THE Reader • 23
C a m e r o n s m y t h
Bidding a fond farewell to
‘the harte of santa Clarita’
s C ot t W i l k
sacramento should take a
page from California’s
hard-working families
by Cameron Smyth
Contributing Writer
by assmemblyman Scott Wilk
Contributing Writer
In a fitting tribute complete with Harley
davidsons and military flyovers, the Santa
Clarita Valley said goodbye dec. 5 to
duane Harte, the man many have referred to
as the heart of Santa Clarita. Looking at the
sheer breadth of attendees at his services, it
truly crystalizes the number of organizations
impacted by duane and the number of people
it will take to fill the void he left. What I
admired and will remember most is that
duane threw himself into this community for
no other reason than his love for the valley,
its history and its people. Godspeed duane!
When I first started writing for the Reader,
I talked about the Republican presidential
race and the odds for each candidate… Well,
I never expected that, 45 days ahead of the
Iowa Caucus, donald Trump would remain
well ahead of the field in national polls and
that Jeb Bush would be on the verge of not
surviving past New Hampshire. But that’s exactly
where we stand: RealClearPolitics
(RCP) national poll average has Trump leading
(29. 3 percent) followed by Ted Cruz
(15.5 percent), Marco Rubio (14.8 percent)
and Ben Carson (13.8 percent). Jeb Bush has
a pulse (3.8 percent) but he’s fading fast and
while Trump has held pretty steady through
the fall, Cruz and Rubio have made up ground
and Carson is in a freefall. events outside his
control, particularly issues of foreign policy
(Syria, european refugee crisis) and national
security (Paris, San Bernardino attacks), have
made his outsider status and reserved demeanor
actually a liability.
But national polls only tell part of the story.
as we know, candidates must compete on a
state-by-state basis starting in February and
that’s when we will see the true depth of his
support. So let’s take a look at the first three
states: Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina,
all of which are up in February.
Iowa
RCP Average: Trump (25.7%), Cruz (22.3%),
Carson (15.7%), Rubio (13.7%)
Here is where Trump’s weaknesses may be
exposed. Cruz is closing fast and has already
taken the lead in a most recent poll and
Trump’s overreliance on independent voters
who choose to caucus with Republicans
could very well not materialize. I believe Cruz
pulls ahead and wins Iowa. But the real “winner”
could be Marco Rubio if he finishes second.
anything short of a top two finish for
Carson in Iowa spells real trouble.
New Hampshire
RCP Average: Trump (28%), Rubio (12%),
Cruz (9%), Carson (8.5%), Kasich (8%)
Not surprising that Trump still dominates
New Hampshire at this point, but a poor
showing in Iowa could spell disaster here as
well. again, like other most recent polls, Carson
continues to fade with Rubio, John Kasich
and Chris Christie seeming to be the beneficiaries.
a top three for either of them could
provide some momentum (and money), both
desperately need to stay in the race.
South Carolina
Trump still dominates in South Carolina —
a Fox News poll conducted dec 5-8 gives him
a 20-point lead over Carson, Rubio and Cruz.
The one caveat is this poll was conducted
prior to Trump calling for a “total ban” on
Muslims entering the U.S. Both conservative
candidates (Cruz, Carson) and southern candidates
(Bush, Rubio) need and feel they can
perform well enough here to carry them into
the next round of primaries. Much like his
brother, this is where the Bush campaign’s
fate is determined. If there is a third consecutive
poor showing, what few loyal staff and
donors he has left will abandon the race and
call it a day. If Carson’s tailspin continues, he
too will call it quits after South Carolina and
we will be down to three candidates very
quickly.
I want to take the last few lines to thank
the SCV Reader team for offering me a column
earlier this year. It’s been a great experience
and I have no doubt 2016 will offer
plenty of topics not only nationally, but also
right here in the Santa Clarita Valley!
Happy holidays everyone… See you next
year!
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.
When my wife, Vanessa, and I do the
family budget we take into account
monthly expenses, savings for retirement
and socking away funds in case of
some unexpected life event.
We expect our policymakers in Sacramento
to make the same wise decisions with our
hard-earned tax dollars as we do at home.
Being good stewards of tax revenue should be
the first priority of Sacramento.
despite passing a record-setting $115 billion
general fund budget in June, there were
various legislative proposals that amounted
to $30 billion in new taxes. Fortunately, none
of those proposals passed this year.
Recently, the Legislative analyst’s Office
(LaO), the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal
and policy advisor, released projections for
the 2016-17 budget showing that California
is expected to see a revenue increase of $3.6
billion, giving the state a projected $11.5 billion
in state reserves.
Our current increased revenue is thanks in
large part to the stellar performance of the
stock market. In California capital gains are
taxed as income. However, with the boomand-bust
cycles of the stock market, it is important
that Sacramento curb its reliance on
revenue generated from a single source.
during last year’s budget discussions, my
colleagues in the majority party fought to use
our $4 billion budget surplus to create new
programs that would ultimately leave California
taxpayers on the hook for ongoing
funding commitments that we may or may
not be able to afford down the road. This style
of spending erodes the budget surplus, depletes
funding for core government programs
when the next downturn occurs and misses
an opportunity to add to our rainy day reserve
fund.
Luckily, in an uncommon alliance between
legislative Republicans and Gov. Jerry Brown,
the Legislature passed a budget that showed
modest fiscal restraint and allocated additional
funds to our savings account. Given
that our state is expecting ample revenue in
next year’s budget, this is the time to step
back and assess how we spend our money.
The budget fight in the capitol will soon
pick up when Gov. Brown unveils his 2016-17
budget in mid-January. There will be a
lengthy debate next year about what to do
with the unexpected revenue. I anticipate
many members pushing to spend the money
on new government programs that will commit
the state to ongoing funding obligations.
I will be advocating for fiscal restraint so we
can begin to provide some stability to our
schools, cities and other entities that Sacramento
funds.
Just as a budget surplus is not an excuse
for irresponsible spending, it’s also not an excuse
for unaccountable spending. We should
be investigating every department’s spending
on an ongoing basis. Zero Based Budgeting
principles — where departments have to
justify their budgets from the bottom up,
rather than just adding a cost-of-living increase
from last year’s budget — should be
used to hold government accountable. Putting
a stop to auto-pilot budgeting will ensure
that state resources are being spent
responsibly.
While Zero Based Budgeting is responsible,
it is also expensive because of how much
time is invested into the process. a more efficient
method would require the Legislature
to evaluate eight of the 40 largest department
budgets on a rotating basis. This will
allow each budget to be thoroughly reviewed
by the Legislature once every five years. Not
only will this help us find more savings in our
state budget, it will also prevent future
painful cuts and pressure for higher taxes in
harder economic times. We need to be smart
about planning for our future, especially
when it comes to budgeting and maintaining
our strong rainy day fund.
Our families make financial decisions daily
on whether to spend or save. Now it’s the
Legislature’s turn. The budget decisions
made in Sacramento this year will set the
stage as to whether our state continues to operate
in the black or has to, once again, make
painful cuts in red years. I believe it’s time for
the state to show the same budgetary discipline
and restraint shown by Santa Clarita
families. 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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WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 24
24 • THE Reader
W h at a Pa i r!
hard Cider gains
in Popularity
r ay t h e r e a lto r®
January 2016
get ready to Buy a home!
by beth P. heiserman
Contributing Writer
by ray the realtor® kutylo
Contributing Writer
For many years apple juice was considered
apple cider, which is an unfiltered
and unsweetened non- alcoholic beverage.
There was no difference in the name;
some states call it cider to differentiate from
processed apple juice and cider. Some people
call it soft or sweet cider. Then we have hard
cider, which is fermented and a different beverage
entirely. Cider will begin to become
somewhat carbonated shortly after pressing
and eventually become hard cider as it continues
to ferment.
Fresh cider is not filtered. Juice is filtered
and pasteurized.
Cider apples are used and considered to
be the best option for hard cider; however,
producers began to experiment with other
varietals. Today many different kinds of apples
are commonly used. I have seen
brands that use single varietals such as
Northern Spy, Cameo, Granny Smith and
many others.
Just like grape wine hard cider can have
single varietals and blends. Hard cider is
considered by the TTB (alcohol and Tobacco
Tax and Trade Bureau), to be a fruit wine.
Producers must have a winery license. depending
upon the amount of CO2 added it
can be considered sparkling wine. Most of
the ciders I have tried, the alcohol level has
been under 8 percent.
Most commercially manufactured cider is
pasteurized which removes any contamination
from unwanted bacteria and extends
shelf life. The addition of sugar, juice concentrate
or extra fruit juice before the second
fermentation increases the percentage
of alcoholic.
In the United Kingdom, cider must contain
at least 35 percent apple juice and
France requires 100 percent.
In america, the requirement is that cider
must contain at least 50 percent apple juice.
Many producers add hops and other fruits
to the process for a different taste.
I do enjoy the addition of hops; it makes a
complex, yet delicious, beverage. Most countries
produce hard cider.
apple cider has been around at least
1,000 years or more. In america, we started
to make it in the early 1600’s in Jamestown,
Virginia. The Mayflower brought over items
to fabricate hard cider. In 2010, New Hampshire
named apple cider to be the official
state “beverage.”
In Santa Clarita, Brown Partington of
Brown Knows Cider, and a member of the
Sierra Pelona Vintners association, has been
making cider for about three years.
He is aiming for the spring of 2016 to have
his first commercial batch for the consumer
market. He has three varieties he is starting
with, a traditional “Playin’ Jane” (which has
amazing aromas), a blend with hops called
“Hop on this Honey” and another blend
called “Love Potion” made with assorted
berries. He started making cider with the intention
to have a product that is “natural”
without adding a lot of preservatives. Visit
www.brownknowscider.com for more information.
I have also seen many other flavors of
“cider” such as coffee, jalapeno, ginger, cinnamon
and many more. also a few cider
makers age the cider in wine barrels for a
different taste.
“Cider doughnuts” customarily used the
yeast, or the CO2 in cider, as a leavening
agent. Here is a recipe I made for Hanukah
this year.
Brown Knows Cider Apple
Donut Holes
by beth P. heiserman
every year for Hanukkah I make sufganiot
which are traditional fried jelly donuts.
The oil used to fry the donuts is reminiscent
of the oil miraculously burned in the ancient
temple in Jerusalem, on which the
Hanukkah, Festival of Lights, holiday is
based. I prefer baking instead of frying, so
this is a baked low fat alternative.
Generally, I make regular jelly donuts, but
this year I made donut holes and served
them with a raspberry sauce. I served these
at a Hanukkah party and one of the ladies
literally licked her plate.
Ingredients
1 cup Brown Knows Cider that has been
reduced (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 egg or 2 egg whites
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, light
1/2 cup sugar (I used organic non
bleached)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt, kosher
2 tsp. cardamom
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
Ingredients for cinnamon sugar mix
2 tsp cardamom
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
Directions
In medium sauce pan, over
medium heat, reduce Brown
Knows Cider for about 15 minutes.
You will need 1/2 cup for
recipe. Chill before using.
In mixing bowl, combine buttermilk,
Brown Knows Cider that
has been reduced and chilled, egg,
melted butter, vanilla bean paste,
brown sugar and sugar. When
combined, add remaining dry ingredients.
In preheated 350 degree oven,
spoon batter into greased mini
muffin pans or donut hole pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes then dip
into cinnamon sugar mix.
Traditionally, home prices tend to rise
along with the temperatures, so take
heart that although there may be comparatively
few listings on the market right
now, some of the best deals on the best
homes are selling this time of year before the
spring and summer selling season! Go get
one!
So what is the best way to get started on
your home-buying adventure?
The first thing the smart home buyer will
do is determine the maximum price he or she
can realistically do on the purchase. Most
home buyers will not pay “all cash” and will
need a home purchase loan, so talking with a
reputable lender will be the first step. Your
Realtor® can help you find a good lender
who is knowledgeable, experienced, honest,
and will work hard to get you the best rate
and terms. at this point most buyers think
loan “pre-qualification” and “pre-approval” to
be the same thing. They are not. Knowing the
difference before you start shopping for a
home (and a home loan) can determine
whether you actually close escrow on your
prospective home purchase.
Pre-qualification for a home loan uses your
stated income and debt, possibly with a
pulled credit report, which along with your
cash on hand for a deposit amount and closing
costs, gives you a generalized idea of your
price range. It is informal, unverified and undocumented,
and frankly, if a buyer submitted
a purchase offer on this basis would not
be taken very seriously by home sellers or
their agents in our market area.
Pre-approval for a home loan involves a detailed
overview of your purchasing power,
using verified and documented financial information
on your income and debt obligations,
as well as your credit background. It is
taken much more seriously by home sellers
Ingredients
1 cup raspberries (2 containers)
1/2 cup sugar
brown knows Cider apple Donut holes garnished with 2013
Quinn’s Zin raspberry Sauce and chocolate sauce.
2013 Quinn’s Zin Raspberry Sauce
and their agents, and a pre-approval letter by
a reputable lender shows the lender’s willingness
to complete the purchase by providing
a loan. Pre-approval takes longer to
obtain, but it gives the home buyer true negotiation
power in making a purchase offer.
In addition, professional Realtors® in our
area absolutely require it before they will
show you more than a home or two.
Now that you know what your loan-ability
is plus your down payment, as well as your
closing costs, you need to evaluate how a
mortgage and home ownership fits into your
budget. as a homeowner you will be responsible
for property taxes (plus possibly Mello-
Roos assessments), insurance, HOa dues and
fees, maintenance, trash, utilities, and don’t
forget the costs incurred in moving.
Get ready to get serious about home buying!
Knowing where you are financially will
get you to where you want to go. For each and
every one of you who will be buying a home
this year, I hope that you find the next home
of your dreams, a team of real estate professionals
working in your best interests, and a
smooth escrow! and best wishes for many
happy days in your new home! 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.
My team and I are ready to provide you
with the best in professional representation
from start to finish. My ‘go-to’ lender of choice
is Brian Woolley at Prospect Mortgage, a loan
broker and direct lender. He can be reached at
661-645-3499. Tell him I sent you!
Ray the Realtor® and the SCV Home Team.
Call or text us at 661-312-9461 or email at
Ray@SCVhometeam.com. Our Mobile App is at
www.mobile.SCVhometeam.com CalBRE license
number 00918855
1 tsp cardamom
Zest of 1 lemon and juice
1/4 cup of 2013 Quinn’s Zinfandel
Directions
In medium sauce pan, over medium heat,
combine raspberries, sugar, cardamom, and
lemon juice.
Cook until bubbly after 10-15 minutes.
Turn off heat and add 2013 Quinn’s Zinfandel.
Press through colander, or sieve, to remove
the seeds.
add lemon zest.
Chill and serve with donut holes. 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.”

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 25
See Resolutions, page 28

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 26
See Last-Minute Gifts, page 32

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 27

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:45 PM Page 28
28 • THE Reader
January 2016
Resolutions continued from page 25
Win $100 Cash
identify the artwork below from one of the
advertisements in this publication
and be entered into a drawing to win $100
Cash. email the name of the advertiser and
the page number the ad is on to:
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WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:46 PM Page 29
January 2016 THE Reader • 29
o u t & a B o u t i n t h e sCV
Celebrating the holidays
in the sCV
by Michele e. buttelman
Features & entertainment editor
It’s the holiday season and the last few
weeks in the Santa Clarita Valley have
been jam-packed with holiday celebrations
and seasonal fun. I hope everyone had
a memorable Hanukah and will have a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Festival of Trees
Festival of Trees to benefit the Boys & Girls
Club of Santa Clarita Valley is always a wonderful
way to kick off the holiday season in
the SCV. This year’s Festival of Trees was
chaired by Gary and Myrna Condie, the
couple who brought the Festival, which is a
popular fundraiser in other parts of the
country, to the SCV in 2003. The event, which
featured beautifully decorated trees, tabletop
trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses, as
well as a holiday boutique, raised more than
$100,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of SCV.
The annual Magic of the Lights Gala, held on
Nov. 21, hosted more than 200 guests. It was
fun to watch Mark Drilling, of Stokes auction
Group, in action, as he worked the crowd
to get maximum dollar value for each live
auction item. Kudos to Suzanne Benty for
“stepping up,” you are a rock star! To support
the Boys & Girls Club of SCV visit
www.scvbgc.org.
Holiday Home Tour
Kudos to the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital
Foundation Holiday Home Tour League
for a beautiful 35th annual Holiday Home
Tour; President Tami Reyna, Vice President
Lee Osterloh, Treasurer Dee Dee Luffman,
Recording Secretary Judy Peterson and Corresponding
Secretary Barbara Sanguinetti.
The Preview Gala was lovely. Home Tour
Chair Barbara Sanguinetti; Home Coordinators
Becki Basham, Ada Blumstein, Debbie
Burkhart, Sue Smyth, Katie Varner,
Lynn Yale; Boutique Committee Debra
Weyand, Mary McCormick; Gala Chair June
Poulin; Gala Centerpieces Eva Murray. a big
shout out to the homeowners who opened
up their homes to the public to benefit
Women’s Services at HMNH: Laura and Rob
Hall, Michael and Susan Marin and Norma
and Elio Gomez. The designers (Lisa Duncan,
Laura Hall and Rebecca Johnston) did
Mark Drilling, of Stokes auction Group and Jim Ventress,
retired Chief Professional officer of the boys &
Girls Club of SCV at Festival of trees.
Greg and Chell amsler took in the Preview Gala of
the henry Mayo newhall hospital holiday home
tour.
a spectacular job with the theme: The Magic
of the Season.
Breakfast with Santa
Salt Creek Grille hosted the Fifth annual
Combat Radio Breakfast with Santa Charity
event on dec. 5. Salt Creek Grille’s Greg Amsler
said supplier donated the food and the
Salt Creek Grille staff
donated their time to
make the holidays a
festive occasion for
disadvantaged children.
Santa arrived by
fire truck to hold
court in his sleigh and
distribute gifts to children
who also enjoyed
meeting a bevy
Chris blazey, Pam ingram,
Sue tweddel and Cheri
Fleming visit the home of
Laura and rob hall on the
henry Mayo newhall hospital
holiday home tour.
Myrna and Gary Condie brought Festival of trees
to the Santa Clarita Valley in 2003.
Connie russo, harold and
Jacquie Peterson and Joe
russo celebrate Festival of
trees to benefit the boys &
Girls Club of SCV.
ronda Chobanian and Gloria Mercado-Fortine
enjoy a laugh at Festival of trees.
the volunteer crew at Salt Creek Grille serves up
breakfast with Santa.
“Star Wars” characters make new friends at the
Combat radio “breakfast with Santa” charity event
held on Dec. 5 at Salt Creek Grille.
U.S representative Steve knight and wife Lilly at Festival
of trees.
of fantasy characters including: Captain
america, Thor, aladdin and Jasmine, ariel,
Mickey, Minnie and Pluto, Green arrow, Spiderman,
Belle and 3-CPO, R2-d2 and a host of
Storm Troopers. darth Vader and his minions
briefly took over the microphones of Combat
Radio, as well. Grand Marshall of the Combat
Radio Christmas event was disney Imagineer
Bob Gurr (a mechanical/industrical engineer
who designed more than 50 percent of disneyland
rides, including elements of the
Monorail, autopia, Matterhorn and the
Haunted Mansion, as well as the antique
autos and double-decker buses that travel
disneyland’s Main Street USa).
Cowboys and Carols
The William S. Hart Mansion and Museum
has never looked more beautiful, warm and
charming then it did on dec. 5 for the annual
“Cowboys and Carols” event hosted by the
Friends of Hart Park to celebrate the 151st
birthday of Bill Hart. The mansion was decorated
for the holidays and lit by soft candle
glow. Guests were treated to refreshments as
well as carols sung by members the Valencia
High School choir and the virtuoso violin
sounds of Jesse Brazil (check out Jesse Brazil
Violin on Facebook). It was an exceptional
evening! I rather think Bill Hart would have
enjoyed this evening of music and companionship.
Remembering Duane Harte
I can’t write about life in the SCV without
mentioning the legacy of Duane Harte.
duane was truly one of the SCV’s brightest
lights. He was the volunteer’s volunteer.
duane died suddenly Nov. 23 of a heart attack.
The hole in our hearts is huge and his loss to
the SCV community will be sorely felt. R
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.

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:46 PM Page 30
30 • THE Reader
Reader People
January 2016
Profile: the hallaCk family
The Spirit of Christmas Lives in Stevenson Ranch
The Hallak Family shares their love of the holidays with an ‘extreme’
light show and charming seasonal display.
by Michele e. buttelman
Features and entertainment editor
eli Hallak knows the exact moment
when he fell in love with Christmas.
Christmas Tree Lane, in Fresno, is a
100-year-old tradition. When he was “3- or
4-years-old” Hallak’s parents took him to
visit his mother’s side of the family in the
area and they made a visit to Christmas Tree
Lane.
“I remember thinking that it was amazing,”
he said.
His love of holiday spectacle was reinforced
when he was 16 and drove by a house
in Northridge decorated for the holidays with
a 16-ft. tall Ferris wheel.
“It was so neat and brought so many people
together I thought it was cool,” said Hallak.
“The gentleman who built the Ferris
wheel also collected Toys for Tots and I
thought that was awesome. It always stuck in
my mind.”
The Hallak Family
Hallak was born and raised in Sylmar and
graduated from Humboldt State University.
He is a sports medicine specialist, athletic
trainer and teacher at St. Francis High School
in La Canada.
Patrice Hallak was born and raised in Burbank
and graduated from California State
University, Northridge.
She is the Regional director Neurosciences
and Orthopedics Providence Health & Services.
Hallak met his future wife, Patrice, at Providence
Holy Cross Hospital in Granada Hills
where they both worked.
“I am a physical therapist by background
and he is in sports medicine,” Patrice Hallak
eli and Patrice hallak with daughters, Madeline, 14 and elizabeth, 11. Madeline holds her dog, Daisy and elizabeth
holds her dog, Snowball.
eli hallak adjusts the snowman in the front yard of his Stevenson ranch home. Foam “snow” shoots out from
the snowman’s carrot nose and floats to the ground.
said.
The couple has two daughters, Madeline, a
freshman at West Ranch High School and
elizabeth, a sixth-grader at Pico Canyon elementary
School.
Both girls have been dancing since age 3,
and participating in competitive dance competitions
for five years. They study a variety
of dance genres at Shooting Stars dance Studio.
In February 2003, when Madeline was 1-
year-old the couple moved to Stevenson
Ranch.
“We were living in Granada Hills and we
decided to move to a safe community with
good schools,” said Patrice Hallak. “We
wanted our kids to be able to go outside and
play.”
eli Hallak said the family was looking for a
community that was “more family-oriented.
“We wanted suburbia,” he said.
Holiday Decorating
“We started out small in our first house,
just a couple strands of lights, little things in
the window, but when we moved out here
and I looked at the house. I thought, ‘Man, I
could really do a lot,’” said eli Hallak.
The Stevenson Ranch house’s first yard
decoration was just one lighted deer.
“Madeline loved that deer, she would go up
and hug the deer,” said Patrice Hallak.
The deer soon became a family of reindeer.
“every year we kept adding things,” said
Patrice Hallak.
Things changed about seven years ago,
said eli Hallak.
“Patrice looked at me and just said… ‘go
ahead… go for it…’ It just started to snowball
more and more,” he said.
eli Hallak’s starts decorating in October because
of the nature of his job.
“I never know what my schedule is going
to be towards the end of the football season,
how much work I will have with the school’s
teams going to the playoffs,” he said. “I never
know how much time I will have to set up.”
The decorating schedule usually starts
with the roof and then works down to the
bushes and the trees. The week before
Thanksgiving efforts move to the ground.
“We don’t want it to look too Christmas-ey
before it is supposed to look Christmas-ey,”
said eli Hallak. “I keep true to the holidays.”
Friends pitch in to help.
“a couple of my football players have
driven out to help over the last two years,”
said eli Hallak. “The boys have been a great
help, it has been fantastic.”
What To See
Currently the home boasts just around
55,000 lights eli Hallak estimates.
The front yard décor includes a train on a
12x10-foot elevated track that circles a tree, a
7-ft tall Ferris wheel and an animated mailbox
where children mail letters to Santa.
“In addition, there is a little polar bear who
is sitting and thinking about his Christmas
presents and he spins around, a gingerbread
family, Frosty the Snowman, lots of ‘snow’
and tons of lights under the snow,” eli Hallak
said.
Other items to look for include:
— 107.7 FM radio station to listen to the
music that makes the lights dance.
— Two 6-ft. tall nutcrackers by the front
door.
— Lighted candy canes along the walkway
to the front door and up into the tree.
— 6-ft long Santa’s sleigh with Rudolph in
front pulling the sleigh and presents all
around.
— a crane hoisting presents onto the train.
— a snowman that blows “snow” about 20
ft. into the air.
— 16 ft inflatable toy soldier affixed to a
nearby pole.
— Christmas countdown clock.
— Cutout of Rudolph and Clarice.
— 9-ft. tall inflatable teddy bear surrounded
by large handmade spools of thread.
(eli Hallak made the spools last year which
are designed to make it look like he has been
fixed by Santa and ready to go).
— On the roof is an inflatable Santa with a
reindeer pulling Santa out of the chimney.
New this year is a dancing ballerina, doing
an arabesque and spinning atop a present.
The piece was handcrafted by eli Hallak at the
request of his daughters.
See Hallack, page 34

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:46 PM Page 31
January 2016 THE Reader • 31
restaurant reVieW
Pizza del Sardo
Authentic Italian Food
With an Emphasis
on Quality
by Michele e. buttelman
Features and entertainment editor
It’s always exciting to find a little “gem” of
a restaurant hiding in the large restaurant
landscape of the Santa Clarita Valley. Pizza
del Sardo is one of those restaurants. The
restaurant, located off Cinema drive in Valencia
is a cozy space with excellent food. If
you don’t believe me, check out Yelp.
Currently decorated for the holidays, Pizza del Sardo
will be making changes in January when the restaurant
will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a
week, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Pizza toscana, $14.45, tomato sauce, mozzarella and
Parmigiano cheese, arugula, Prosciutto crudo and
drizzled with olive oil.
Clockwise from upper left, Gnocchi al Gorgonzola, $13.95, the Pizza del Sardo fresh-made bread basket with
house-made hot red pepper infused olive oil and the Caprese Salad, $8.95.
Moses Vahan, owner of Pizza del Sardo,
said he plans to make some big changes to
the restaurant in January, without sacrificing
quality.
“We are going to be open seven days, 11
a.m. to 9 p.m. and we will have several different
menus,” he said.
Plans are to expand the bar and have a
“Happy Hour Menu” Monday through Thursday,
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in addition to the lunch
menu focusing on paninis, salads and calzones.
The restaurant will offer an all day pizza
menu and the dinner menu will include an
expanded list of pastas and favorites from La
Toscana Italian Trattoria Grill on Tournament
Road in Valencia.
“We are going to have a special in January
of pizza and a pitcher of beer for around $25,”
he said.
Vahan started his career on the consulting
side of the restaurant business. However,
when an opportunity presented itself for him
to relocate to the United States from Beirut,
Lebanon, Vahan soon found himself running
La Toscana.
He said he didn’t pick the restaurant, the
restaurant chose him.
“Before this I put in a soul food restaurant
in downtown Los angeles,” he said.
Soon, other restaurants in the Santa Clarita
Valley followed, including athena’s in Canyon
Country and Pizza del Sardo on Cinema drive
in Valencia. It’s a “family restaurant affair” for
Moses, his wife Karin and son Hyak. They also
own part of Mama Mia Pizza in Stevenson
Ranch.
Vahan said he has been running Pizza del
Sardo since May and is impressed with the
restaurant’s food and emphasis on quality.
See Pizza del Sardo, page 35

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32 • THE Reader
January 2016
Last-Minute Gifts continued from page 26
Two locations: 26882 The Old Road, Valencia (661) 222-9102 (open until 5 p.m. on Christmas
Eve) and the Westfield Town Center. For more information, visit
www.ladydiscookies.com.
The Tea Garden Café
Breakfast is a twist on the hostess gift that’s sure to leave an impression, especially
when you present a dozen large, heart-shaped scones complete with all the accoutrements
from The Tea Gardens Café.
After a big celebration, your hostess will love waking up to the Tea Gardens’ moist, flaky
scones perfected with a dollop of clotted cream and jam. There are a half dozen varieties
to choose from every day, including plain, butterscotch, chocolate chip, white chocolate,
cranberry and pumpkin ($2.39 each). Gluten free ($2.59) and vegan ($2.79) scones are
also available.
The Tea Gardens also excels in dainty desserts, from pastel petit fours, delicate lavender
madeleines, and brightly colored macaroons to mini-cheesecakes in flavors like chocolate
and lemon raspberry ($1.59 to $2.99). For the holidays, a special mini gingerbread bundt
cake will also be available at $1.99 each.
To make sure you get the best selection of scones and pastries, it is suggested to preorder
a few days in advance.
Oh, and don’t forget the tea! There are more than 70 varieties to choose from here, starting
with the type (green, honeybush, oolong, rooibos, white, black and matcha) and a
long list of flavors from traditional (Irish Breakfast, Fruity Berry) to seasonal favorites
(Autumn Orange, Cranberry, and Chocolate Cake). Teas begin at $3 per oz. and many
come pre-packaged in 2 oz. bags that make great gifts and stocking stuffers in their own
right.
261111 Bouquet Canyon Road, Suites A6 & A7, Saugus. For more information, visit
www.theteagardens.com or call (661) 255-9832. Open until 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Finding the right home for you and your pet can be accomplished with a little research and effort.
Finding Pet-Friendly Housing
Pet-friendly housing
is available in Los
Angeles County
by Sherry Woodard
best Friends animal Society
aanyone who rents knows how difficult
it can be to find a decent place to live.
Looking for just the right rental, in the
right location, at the right price is hard. and
what if you need to find pet-friendly rentals?
Pet-friendly rentals
Those of us who have pets and need to find
a place to rent face a special challenge. If you
know you’re going to be looking for a new
home for you and your pets, allow plenty of
time for your search.
What can I do to be more
effective in my search?
You can start by gathering proof that you
are a responsible person. a letter of recommendation
from any or all of the following
people can help a lot: your current landlord,
your veterinarian, your trainer, your groomer,
a neighbor or two, a pet sitter or dog walker.
all of these people can contribute to the
image of your dog or cat as a valued, well-behaved
family member.
Next, ask local realtors about pet-friendly
housing. do a search on the Internet for “pet
friendly rentals.” Here are several websites
that might be helpful:
www.peoplewithpets.com
www.petrealtynetwork.com
www.apartmentlist.com
If someone has a no-pets policy, don’t try
to sneak in your pets, hoping that your
landlord won’t notice or your pet will
charm the landlord into changing his policy.
Instead, bring your references and offer to
pay an extra security deposit. Some landlords
are impressed by this level of planning
and commitment. You can also offer to
bring your pet to meet the landlord. To
show how well you take care of your pet,
bring his or her medical record and, if you
have a dog, his license.
What do I do after I’ve found a
place?
Once you have secured a place, make sure
that you have written permission to have a
pet. a verbal agreement between you and the
landlord is not enough. Some security deposits
are non-refundable, so you should discuss
deposits or any other pet fees in
advance. again, get all the details in writing.
ask the landlord if he or she has written
house rules for pets. If so, make sure the rules
are realistic for you and your pets. ask for a
copy of the rules.
Are there any other resources
that might be helpful?
“Best Friends for Life: Humane Housing for
animals and People” is a booklet that covers
the following:
How disabled individuals may be eligible
to keep pets even in “no-pets” housing
a new federal law that allows pets in federally
assisted housing
arguments that may allow animals in “no
pet” privately owned housing
Responsible pet guardianship
How to convince your landlord to adopt a
“pets welcome” policy
Model rental guidelines that protect the
rights of renters and animals
The booklet is available through doris day
animal League by visiting www.ddal.org
(click on News and Publications).
For additional tips, especially for people
with pit-bull-terrier-type dogs, go to MyPit-
BullisFamily.com and click on Housing & Insurance.
The Humane Society of the United States
has resources for both tenants and landlords.
Go to www.hsus.org and search for “pet
friendly rentals.”
The aSPCa has some additional resources
at www.aspca.org (search for “pet friendly
housing”).
Our pets depend on us to find a place
where we can live comfortably and happily
together. With an investment of some time
and effort, you will find a great pet-friendly
home.

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34 • THE Reader
Patrice and eli hallak moved to the Santa Clarita
Valley in 2003 to raise their family in a “safe area
with good schools.” they stand between two 6-ft. tall
toy soldiers that guard their front door.
Hallack
continued from page 30
“For years they’ve asked me to put a dancing
ballerina in the yard,” he said. “and this
year I figured out how to do it.”
Interior Décor
as elaborately decorated as the outside of
the home is, the inside of the Hallak house
also is awash in Christmas spirit.
“There are a lot of traditions inside the
house,” said Patrice Hallak. “We have eli’s father’s
handmade nativity scene up in our
bedroom, and in the dining room we have my
mom’s small tree with all of her ornaments.
Up in the bedroom we have my grandmother’s
ornaments. We have a lot of things
displayed inside that are tradition.”
The home is decorated “by area” said
Patrice Hallak.
“We have a lot of things we have purchased
at Festival of Trees, that area over there by the
fireplace is my Santa area, in the loft we have
our disney area, we also have a nutcracker
area,” she said.
In the great room is the family tree which
includes many of the ornaments purchased
for Madeline and elizabeth by their grandmothers
and ornaments purchased by the
Hallaks on family trips.
The home boasts a total of seven decorated
trees with three trees 7-ft tall or larger and a
4-ft tall tree in the loft and two “smaller” trees
in the girl’s bedrooms.
The Living room tree is “Mommy’s Fancy
Tree” said eli Hallak. We don’t touch that.”
The couple started their collection of Snow
Village by dept. 56 pieces before they were
married.
“Our Snow Village started when we were
dating,” said Patrice Hallak. “We went down
to San diego and in Seaport Village they have
Christmas store. We saw they had a little Starbucks
cart, so that was our first piece and
then every year we’d get more and more and
so it just grew.”
“Santa” or eli Hallak gifts Patrice Hallak
with a new piece each year for Christmas.
“each of the pieces has a meaning,” said eli
Hallak.
While dad puts up the home’s exterior display
the girls are in charge of installing the
Snow Village and decorate the upstairs
Christmas trees.
“We all have our jobs,” said Patrice Hallak.
See Hallack, page 36
although the
quick and easy
solution to transforming
your yard into a
water-wise garden
might convince you that
you must have an
empty-looking gravel
garden with little color
— it simply isn’t true.
Not only is there a
wealth of decorative
non-living material you
can use to augment texture
and color, but you
can grow your own food
and herbs, your favorite
flowers for cutting and
still have a wide choice
of showy flowers and brilliant leaf hues on
plants that come in all sizes, shapes and
habits of growth. The trick is in which plants
you choose for where.
Once you have your general design figured
out you can create all kinds of subdivisions.
Some areas will do well to have non-living
materials that will require no irrigation. Such
spaces can be decorative, utilitarian or both.
Other areas can be created to be filled with
growing material. Planters can be wide expanses
of water-wise growth, strips or
planters of greenery to complement unplanted
spaces. Plants can spill down walls,
clamber up trellises, fill raised gardens or
decorate pockets.
By sectioning your garden into decorative
and productive areas you can even grow
thirsty plants in an eco-friendly manner. By
grouping the higher water use plants in the
same contained planter areas, irrigation can
be focused where needed and used without
waste. This way you can have your favorite
flowers — maybe in decorative pots placed
where they become a focal point at the entry
of your home or in a conspicuous part of the
garden — and water them with a drip line.
edibles are big drinkers, but they earn their
water by producing fruit and vegetables.
Group them in the same planting space
where they can be given rich compost-laden
soil and the irrigation they need. With the rest
of the landscape designed for efficiency, you
can afford to have your special gardens. even
a small lawn area that has a purpose —picnicking,
child play, pets, sports, croquet or another
use — can be justifiably maintained in
the water-wise landscape.
Open-soil areas are best filled with
drought-tolerant plants. Think about color,
height, form and texture. Plant choices have
come a long way in the past decade since the
lack of rainfall has focused garden centers on
more sustainable choices. due to the growing
demand, breeders have created many ‘nativars’
(cultivars of native plants bred for
showier bloom and better garden manners),
and plants from other chaparral-like parts of
the world have become more readily available.
g a r D e n g at e s
Plants and Planting for
the new year’s ‘new
Climate’
by Jane Gates
Staff Writer
January 2016
the showy flowers of the Desert bird of Paradise
(Caesalpinia gillesii)
Your largest plants will be trees and woody
shrubs. Make your choices according to the
mature size to make sure they will have the
space they’ll need to grow. They may look
small at first but you can temporarily fill in
open areas with short-lived plantings. There
are some wonderful water-wise trees like
Mesquites, desert Willows and Palo Verdes
that grow well in our area and offer heat and
drought resistance as well as decorative and
shade possibilities for the new or renewed
landscape.
Look for ornamental grasses that can offer
colorful tufts, swaying kinetic art in our
winds, or large vertical cylindrical background
effects. Then check out the surprisingly
wide range of shrubs and flowers that
offer colorful flowers, foliage, bark and interesting
growth habits. Just a handful of colorful
suggestions would be the Caesalpinia
gilliesii or C. pulcherrima, Lobelia laxifolia,
Tecoma, Cassia/acacia, Grevillea, Nepeta,
manySalvias, Teucreum, Bulbinella/Bulbine,
Cistus, a wide range of succulents and plenty
more.
designing your landscape and filling in the
spaces with the right materials — living and
non-living — can create a gorgeous painting
you can live in and maintain despite the
weather changes. Start 2016 off right with a
‘new climate’ garden. You’ll keep down the
dust on windy days, lower your water demands,
save money and expand your enjoyable
living space. Happy New Year! 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 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.

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January 2016 THE Reader • 35
Pizza del Sardo
continued from page 31
“It is authentic Italian food with unique
pizza. It is Sardinia style,” Vahan said. “They
use top quality flour and are the only place I
know of that uses buffalo cheese, it is made
from milk.”
Buffalo mozzarella, in Italian it’s “la mozzarella
di bufala,” is a mozzarella made from
the milk of the domestic Italian water buffalo.
“They also have a lot of great pasta dishes,”
he said.
Vahan said part of the changes he will implement
at Pizza del Sardo includes moving
some of the popular menu items from La
Toscana to Pizza del Sardo.
In keeping with the “quality” theme the
bread and pizza crusts at Pizza del Sardo are
all house-made.
“We use double oat premium flour. The
quality is very important,” Vahan said. “The
Caprese Salad, $8.95.
menu was developed by a chef from Italy and
we’ve kept these authentic Italian recipes.”
Only fresh local produce, imported Italian
ingredients and traditional Italian cooking
methods are used, said Vahan.
Items on the menu include Gnocchi al Gorgonzola,
$13.95, soft, pillows of gnocchi in a
gorgonzola cream sauce and Gnocchi al Pomodoro,
$11.95, gnocchi with fresh tomato
sauce, basil, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
Other pasta dishes include:
Penne con Salsiccia, $13.95, fresh tomato
sauce, sausage, olives, hot peppers, basil,
olive oil and Parmesan cheese; Ravioli al Gorgonzola,
$13.95, meat ravioli made with a
Gorgonzola cheese sauce; Ravioli al Ragu,
$12.95, cheese ravioli made with fresh
tomato sauce, ground meat and Parmesan
cheese; Spaghetti alla Carbonara, $13.95,
with smoked bacon, ricotta, egg yolk and
Parmesan cheese and Spaghetti al Pesto,
$11.95, Spaghetti al Pomodoro, $11.95,
Spaghetti al Ragu, $12.95.
Vahan said the restaurant also offers a
“huge” calzone. Priced at $12.95 the calzone
is made with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Prosciutto
and your choice of fillings.
Panini Italian sandwiches can be made
with Ciabatta bread or Focaccia flatbread.
among the choices: abruzzo, $10.95, Hot
Coppa, Genoa salami, Mortadella, Provolone,
roasted red peppers, oil, vinegar, salt and
pepper; alpino, $9.95, Bresaola, Taleggio
cheese, asiago, goat cheese and pesto sauce;
americano, $8.95, grilled chicken, fresh Mozzarella,
roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar
dressing and olive oil; Capri, $8.95,
fresh Mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil,
salt and pepper; Italiano, $10.95, Mortadella,
Provolone cheese, salami, Coppa sausage,
tomato, oil and vinegar; Milano, $8.95, fresh
Mozzarella, tomato and black olive Pesto;
Parma, $9.95, Prosciutto, Parmesan, tomatoes,
arugula, balsamic vinegar dressing and
olive oil; Roma, $9.95, fresh Mozzarella, Prosciutto,
tomato, basil and olive oil; Torino,
Pizza del Sardo serves authentic italian cuisine in Valencia, including pasta and salads.
$9.95, asiago, Parmesa and Taleggio cheeses,
roasted eggplant with mixed greens, oil and
vinegar and alla Salsiccia, $9.95, Italian
sausage, fresh Mozzarella, tomato, oil and
vinegar.
Pizza del Sardo offers a trio of “starters”
that include: affettato Italiano, $10.95, with
Prosciutto crudo (dry-cured ham), Prosciutto
Cotto (cooked ham), salami, Taleggio cheese,
roasted red peppers, eggplant and olives;
Caprese, $8.95,
with fresh tomato,
fresh mozzarella,
oregano, basil and
olive oil and Verdura
alla Griglia, $8.95,
with roasted red peppers,
roasted eggplant
and roasted
zucchini.
a variety of dinner
salads are on the
menu priced from
$10.95 to $11.95, as
well as a side salad,
$5.95, with Romaine
lettuce, tomato with oil and vinegar.
The pizza menu is extensive with everything
from Pizza Toscana, $14.45, tomato
sauce, mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese,
arugula, Prosciutto crudo and drizzled with
olive oil to Pizza con Tuorlo d’Uovo, $16.95,
tomato sauce, mozzarella and gorgonzola
cheeses, anchovies, capers, egg yolk, fresh
garlic, Prosciutto, mushrooms and black
olives.
There are at least two different
vegetarian pizzas on the menu,
$13.95, and pizzas featuring tuna,
$12.95, bratwurst, $12.95, Italian
sausage, $13.95, and numerous
combinations of sauce, cheese,
meat, basil and more on a crispy
house-made thin crust.
There is nothing like pizza
cooked on a wood-fired oven, nothing.
I am a huge fan of thin crust pizza
and Pizza del Sardo probably has
the best thin crust pizza in the Santa
Clarita Valley. The crust actually has
flavor and is crispy and chewy.
I tried the Pizza Toscana and enjoyed
the play of the arugula and
the Prosciutto crudo. It is a tasty
pizza that I would recommend.
The Caprese starter was fresh and the
Gnocchi al Gorgonzola was among the best
gnocchi I’ve had in the Santa Clarita Valley.
This is a family-friendly restaurant with excellent
service and generous portions.
don’t forget dessert. The selection of
desserts varies from day to day, so not all
items below may be in stock when you order.
don’t get your heart set on any one item,
some of the selections you may be offered can
include: Cannoli, $6, cheesecake, $4.50,
gelato, $4, mascarpone, $8.50, tiramisu,
$6.50, triple chocolate cake, $6 or various imported
Italian desserts and pastries, $4 to
$8.50. R
Pizza del Sardo, 23460 Cinema Drive, Suite
A, Valencia, CA 91355, 661- 259-9090. Hours:
Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday,
11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. To see the
menu visit www.pizzadelsardo.com.
Scenes of italy decorate the walls at Pizza del Sardo. each table
comes with a basket featuring olive oil and balsamic vinegar for
dipping your fresh-made bread.

WR January 15_Layout 1 12/18/15 6:46 PM Page 36
36 • THE Reader
January 2016
elizabeth, with Snowball and Madeline, with Daisy, sit on the step between a row of lighted candy canes in the family’s front
yard.
Hallack
continued from page 34
Holiday Light Contest Awards
The Hallaks are proud to have won the top
awards from several local holiday light contests including
the top award, World Champion of Lights
from The Signal newspaper the past three years in
a row.
“We’re the first family to have won three straight
years,” said eli Hallak.
Last year the Hallaks won the top KHTS-aM 1220
Holiday Light Tour award and in 2013 won the
KHTS award for Best Use of Theme.
“Prior to that we had been named Best House on
Small Street, by The Signal, and the year before that
we won Best House in Stevenson Ranch by The Signal,”
said eli Hallak. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Christmas Spirit
The couple’s two daughters, Madeline, 14, and
elizabeth, 11, join in the family holiday celebration
by standing outside and greeting visitors with
candy canes and selling hot chocolate to benefit
charity. The girls use any opportunity they can to
raise money when they are not attending dance
classes or rehearsals.
The first year the proceeds were donated to the
Children’s Hunger Fund and in the past few years
the funds have been donated to the Shooting Stars
dance Studio Booster Club.
This year money raised by the girls’ hot chocolate
sales will be donated to help with medical costs
being incurred by their 9-year-old cousin who is
battling lymphoma.
“It is important to give back to the community for
a good cause,” said Madeline.
“That’s important,” said elizabeth.
Patrice Hallak said the neighborhood has started
to glow brighter each year as more and more homes
decorate for the holidays.
“all of the neighbors help each other, and when
we start to string the lights across the street it really
brings the neighborhood together,” he said.
The Future
eli Hallak said 80 to 85 percent of the home’s current
lights are Led.
“every year we change out a few more, they are
better, safer, not has hot and they save energy so I
can put up more lights,” he said.
His plans for the future are expressed in the
simple phrase; “more lights.” Hallak has installed a
special 90 aMP electrical panel designated just for
Christmas lights.
“It’s a disease,” he said. “But it is a fun disease”
In addition to “more lights” Hallak has a plan to
build a new Ferris wheel for the front yard.
“I have a design in mind and I hope to make it
over the summer, hand make it, paint it, customize
it,” he said.
Sharing the Joy
“We love Christmas, we come from big families
and we love hosting a lot of events,” Patrice Hallak
said.
The Hallaks said people return year-after-year
to view their display.
“I remember this gentleman who brought his
daughter last year, I remember him because he has
a heavy english accent,” said eli Hallak. “He came
again last Sunday and told me, “Your house is better
than ever.’ It is so nice hear because we do this
to bring joy to others.”
Patrice Hallak said she reconnected with a high
school friend who happened to visit the Hallak
house.
“We have people who stop us and tell us, we
come here every year, thank you, thank you,” she
said.
eli Hallak said he enjoys the reactions from the
children.
“Last year we were sitting down to dinner and
we heard what we thought was a scream, so we
went running outside and it was a 2- to 3-year-old
little boy who was screaming because it was snowing,”
he said. “It was snowing and it was landing on
him and he was so excited. Kids sit there and are
just amazed by the train and the snowman… its
fun, it’s what is it all about.”
One year a car came by and gave the Hallak family
real snow that they had collected in Frazier
Park and drove back to the Santa Clarita Valley.
“We put it around the tree,” said eli Hallak. R
You can view the holiday light and music show at
the Hallak home, 25086 Cotton Blossom Lane,
Stevenson Ranch every day 4:30-11 p.m. Tune your
radio to FM 107.7 to hear the music while the lights
dance. Walk up to the front yard to see the “snow”
and get a closer look at the decorations. Don’t forget
to bring a contribution for the Hallak’s efforts to aid
the family of their nephew who is fighting lymphoma.

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