Results tagged “santaclarita”

Earlier today, we told you about the Gibbon Research Center up in Santa Clarita (they're having a vegan breakfast fundraiser on Sunday morning) where every morning, they sing--it's a territorial thing. On a recent visit to the center, we were very lucky to hear them for about 20 minutes and got a little of it on video.

After Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed 100 percent of funding for domestic violence programs in California, shelters began making plans to cut services or worse, shut doors. In Santa Clairta, the local shelter laid off some employees and moved offices to save on rent.

In Los Angeles, new taxes, assessments and fee increases tend to fund a basic municipal services, such as growing a police force or renewing an aging power infrastructure. In smaller and younger cities, however, voters sometimes allow such monies to be directed elsewhere.

State Parks are not closing after all, but at least six domestic violence shelters around the state have closed due to a small, but devastating budget cut by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger over the summer. That's according to the Domestic Violence Center of the Santa Clarita Valley, which came close to being the seventh such closure.

But don't get too excited, the money from the feds going to the transit line is not for extending it northbound towards Burbank airport or anything close to that. Today's announcement from is about reducing energy consumption. The White Explains in a press release:

Speaking a press conference at 5 p.m. tonight, officials described the Station Fire as "erratic." "This is a very angry fire that we're fighting right now," a spokesman said. "Until we get a change in weather conditions, I'm not overly optimistic, yet at the same time, our firefighters will be taking every action they can in order to keep this fire from burning more structures... I wish I could be more optimistic."

As the the Station Fire grows, the latest official tally boosts acres burned to over 100,000 with 5 percent containment, according to KNX1070, which also reports that three people who ignored evacuations orders are trapped near Gold Creek.

Evacuation centers have been opened in two more schools to shelter residents who are being asked to leave their homes in the Antelope Valley due to the Station Fire. In addition to the first evacuation center opened in the region at Highland High School in Palmdale, shelters are now accepting evacuees at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita and Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga. The Glendale Unified School District announced early this morning they were canceling all classes on what would have been the first day of the school year; the GUSD is housing one evacuation center at Crescenta Valley High in La Crescenta. The La Cañada Unified School District, which is housing an evacuation center at La Cañada High, is expected to announce later today if they, too, will close tomorrow and postpone their first day of school.

For years, the city of Santa Clarita (my former employer) has made great strides in furthering non-motorized transit throughout the suburban valley chock full of six-lane roads with 45 or sometimes higher speed limits. The high speed limits combined with hills plus soccer moms or pedal-to-the-medal teens are not exactly attractive for street biking without some kind of safety net. A lot of the city is connected by 60-plus miles of off street trails, paseos (well-maintained HOA paths open to the public) and street bike lanes with more to come, pending funding.

Last month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated full funding--a mere $16.3 million--for domestic violence programs in the state. Highlighting the need for such a program, an 18-year-old girl was killed in her bed in the Santa Clarita Valley last Sunday. Her boyfriend allegedly committed the murder inside the family trailer in the Canyon Country neighborhood. That was the third domestic violence death for the valley in a year's time.

Life is really, really boring in the bubble that is the Santa Clarita Valley. Thankfully, running amock can fill the lack of things-to-do void. A large group of zombies attacked Valencia neighborhood businesses last night prompting an LAist reader who was shopping at Target to ask us what the heck was going on. "I did not appreciate looking at iPod headphones when some child running down the isle screamed 'THE ZOMBIES ARE HERE RUNN FOR YOUR LIFEEEEE.' Then there were forty 15-year-olds running at me," she wrote, explaining that the iPod gift card rack was knocked over and that apparently one zombie was hit by the car in the parking lot of Whole Foods (nutty video here of hundreds attacking Target and this one, too). Over 500 people confirmed attending Zombie Invasion SCV on Facebook and the valley's local radio station reported "several hundred" zombies seen around town.

State parks may be threatened, but worse is the total elimination of domestic violence funding in the 2009/10 budget signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. It was a surprise to many when he added nearly a half billion in extra cuts including more to parks and to various health programs on Tuesday. The Domestic Violence Center in the Santa Clarita Valley is the only agency that provides domestic violence services in the 200-square mile valley. As a result of Schwarzenegger's cut, which is immediate, they've lost 45%, or $207,222.00, of their annual funding

Yesterday was a big day for Los Angeles transportation. Metro, the county's behemoth transit agency, officially announced their partnership with Google. But the county is large and there are various partner agencies throughout. Here's a sampling, with more to come in later days, of where other city transit systems stand with Google Transit:

As an 8-acre fire burns near the Getty Center, a commercial fire has prompted the full closure of Sierra Highway near the Canyon Country campus of College of the Canyons, reports a city of Santa Clarita's emergency text alert. The fire began shortly before 1 p.m. in a strip mall at 17223 Sierra Highway, a knockdown was called at 1:48 p.m., but fire truck equipment blocked access to the street.

Last night at around 9 p.m., LAPD Detective Susan Clemmer, 41, waked into the Santa Clarita sheriff's station at 23740 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia, "placed a box of personal items on the counter," then ended her life with a single gunshot, according to the LA Weekly.

After lending aid to a man who claimed to have just been attacked by gang members, she was sexually assaulted and carjacked by the man she was helping. It began Sunday night in Burbank when an 18-year-old woman was approached by the suspect who said he needed to get out of the area after just being "jumped" by four gangmembers.

Legendary adult film star Marilyn Chambers was found dead inside her Santa Clarita home yesterday, according to an AVN business report. Chambers, just days shy of her 57th birthday, was found by her teenage daughter, McKenna; the cause of death remains unknown and an autopsy is due to be performed, although early rumors speculate it was an overdose of pills and alcohol. Chambers made a name for herself in the 1970s and 80s, most notably in the "Private Fantasies" series of adult films, but was also known as having once been the model on the Ivory Soap box, which was referenced in many of her movies. In recent years, Chambers tried to run for public office as either a write-in alternate or on the Personal Choice Party ticket. She had been living in the mobile home in Santa Clarita where she was found yesterday for the past several months.

A very large skate park is opening this afternoon up in Santa Clarita with professional skaters like Christian Hosoi and Chris Gentry taking some of the first grinds. The park features a capsule riding surface, 10 and 11-foot bowls, grind ledges, a half-pipe, snake run, stairs, skate-able planters, rails and more.

Even two Wal-Mart Supercenters can't save a city's budget.

       

Noon tomorrow is the beginning of the Tour of California's penultimate stage, which is the only portion of the race that goes through the Los Angeles region. And with Lance Armstrong making a comeback, expect large crowds.

A U-Haul stolen from Palmdale is currently involved in a chase with California Highway Patrol officers. It made its way through Santa Clarita and headed south to Downtown streets and then westbound on the 10 Freeway to Santa Monica. As of 4:!7 p.m., the chase moved onto the Pacific Coast Highway and into Malibu, as seen live on KCAL9-TV.

Yesterday, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station deputies arrested a 15-year-old for allegedly boarding an Antelope Valley line Metrolink train with an automatic assault weapon.

Santa Clarita, the city off the 5 freeway that claims home to Magic Mountain, is a family-oriented community with a mile-wide red streak in a decidedly blue state. And there’s definitely another divide between race and class in the area -- and it turns unseemly every once in awhile. Here’s one of those occasions.

Snow in Santa Clarita? As the snow level dips to 2,000 ft., Caltrans has closed the 14 Freeway for 26 miles between Soledad Canyon in Santa Clarita to Palmdale Blvd in Palmdale for an unknown duration as they clear snow. This arctic storm has brought a good amount of snow across the region: 7 inches have fallen at Mount Wilson, 6 inches in Frazier Park, up to 8 inches in Wrightwood with an estimated 12 inches expected in some areas as the day continues, according to the National Weather Service. UPDATE, 2:50 P.M.: 14 remains closed, 5 and 138 also closed.

As fires continue to burn, offshore and onshore winds are expected to push smoke throughout the region. The South Coast Air Quality Management District says you should exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in areas directly impacted by smoke. What that means is if you can see it or smell it, then take the warning seriously.

The Red Flag was called off last night as "fire perfect" weather began to lessen, making it harder for blazes to spread with ease. The conflagrations still burn, however, daily life in the region is getting back to normal this morning. TV News is no longer wall-to-wall breaking news, Metrolink trains are back in operation and freeway closures are few and far between.

Sunday afternoon saw the Sayre Fire reach 35% containment and no further buildings lost, however the blaze did continue to push north through the brush in Santa Clarita. According to local newsradio KHTS's website, "the fire made a run down the hill just after 3:15 p.m., although LA County fire crews say that it did not reach any of the containment lines and it has not prompted additional concerns for them."

As the Sayre Fire moves northward further into the Santa Clarita Valley and in Placerita Canyon, there is some good news for residents of the San Fernando Valley affected by the blaze.

Tom Hanks told his team in A League of Their Own that there's no crying in baseball, but what about in skateboarding?

That is, if you take public transit between Santa Clarita and Los Angeles on Santa Clarita Transit's commuter express routes. Officials in Santa Clarita acted fast to solve a problem they could forsee happening again. A protest a couple months ago in Westwood caused major traffic delays and bus stop changes. With little communication to riders except for e-mail (because not everyone has a Blackberry they check obsessively), that afternoon became a bit hectic for commuters who didn't know what to do.