Archive By Section - Columnists
Kevin Bayona: End of the Chavez era
With all the trouble and intrigue brewing in Europe and Asia, little attention is being paid to the looming crisis unfolding in Latin America. Venezuela's fiery leader, Hugo Chavez, is reportedly on the brink of death after recovering from surgery related to an undisclosed form of pelvic cancer.Chavez has been fighting a severe lung infection in a hospital in Cuba, while the future of Venezuela hangs in the balance.
A bad day for good taste in Santa Clarita
Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012 is a date that shall go down in Santa Clarita epicurean infamy. That day, after a glorious gourmet run spanning over a decade, Chef Jason Park and Maru Sushi served their last meals to an appreciative and saddened Santa Clarita clientele. Jason's Maru Sushi story isn't just about food. More, it's a story of perseverance, commitment to principle, and the personal pursuit of perfection. Unfortunately, this story also exposes the sadder ...
Washington is a reflection of the national soul
Washington, D.C. - There was a young man - 23 at most - quietly saying his morning prayers on Capitol Hill on the third day of 2013, and it seemed for a moment like a warm ray of light in the midst of a blistering cold spell.
In the new year Congress should ring out the old
n early December, a CBS News poll found the 112th Congress' approval rating was 9 percent. That's the lowest rating since CBS began measuring Congress' approval in 1977. That 9 percent is so close to the margin of error that it might not be possible to sink lower without a shovel. On New Year's Day, Congress jumped over the fiscal cliff, trying to pull the nation with it. Like ...
Tom Purcell: Real issues lie ahead of U.S. in 2013
Washington's self-created "fiscal cliff" crisis has been somewhat resolved, which means we can continue ignoring the real fiscal crises that are dead ahead.
Protect and serve
ar is hell. But when it's justified, I suppose it must occur. Our country, however, has been in perpetual war since World War II; perhaps out of some silly notion that constant war keeps us away from economic depression. It certainly does keep some military industrialists very rich. Have you heard? We're renewing our troop efforts in Africa in 2013. Is every other nation out there "evil" in some way? Are we just "fixing" everyone ...
Steve Lunetta: Letters ask the questions of the year
Here at the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, we get numerous letters that scream to be published. Some are profane, some are funny and some are thoughtful. However, they never fail to entertain.
Tom Campbell: Castaic Lake Water Agency looks back at 2012
Well, you could say we saved the biggest news for last, and in any case 2012 will go down as a landmark year in the history of the Castaic Lake Water Agency, with the purchase of the Valencia Water Co. - a move that consolidates 84 percent of the Santa Clarita Valley's retail water connections under the agency's umbrella.
David Hegg: Essential values to live an ethical life today
Someone has said "if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything." In the wake of a long list of human-initiated tragedies in the past year, it is time for us all to think about what we believe in and are willing to stand for. That evil exists in this world is a given. The idea that evil can be prevented underlies every code by which societies have attempted to order themselves. We have ...
Tim Myers: Resolve to swear off false equivalence
"False equivalence is a logical fallacy which describes a situation where there is a logical and apparent equivalence, but when in fact there is none." - Wikipedia
Frank Ferry: Canyon Country community center to open
The city of Santa Clarita works hard to increase and improve the quality and quantity of recreation, community services and sports programs for residents. This effort has taken many forms, including building new parks, trails and facilities, creating partnerships among public and private entities, offering high quality, accessible programming, classes, events and sports teams for youth, special needs, and adults.
Scott Wilk: Don’t be fooled, California is still broke
On Jan. 10, Gov, Jerry Brown will release his 2013-14 budget proposal. Brown has made pronouncements that he will be pursuing a "robust" agenda that reflects his interest in creating a legacy for his administration on issues such as high-speed rail and addressing the state's capacity to store and deliver water. While advocating for about $100 billion in new spending for these stated projects, Gov. Brown has called for fiscal restraint from his own party ...
Ed and Joan Dunn: Water plan is repeating bad precedent
Regarding "Valencia Water Co. buy approved" (Dec. 13), $73.8 million paid to Newhall Land Development/Lennar in a special meeting with only 24-hour notice just before the holidays! What ever happened to transparent and honest government?
Salvage the future with ‘we’ not ‘me’
One of the happier perks of my community columnist gig is reviewing comments posted by readers on the Signal website. One reader recently lamented that since congressmen are spineless economic illiterates, it falls on American media and even such humble people as Signal columnists to sort out our problems and identify needed solutions.
Charlie Vignola: New year, new start for the GOP?
Well, it's New Year's Day - and if I were still a member of the Republican party, as I was back in the '80s, it couldn't come fast enough, as I'd be hoping that 2013 would be better for my party than 2012.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Timothy Myers: Manufactured and actual milestones
One thinks about milestones in life, but few can actually point to a day when their life really changed, for good or ill.
Betty Arenson: Where is the outrage?
Perhaps there is hope that change will come sooner rather than later with regard to Americans at last expressing due and civil outrage. "Where is the outrage" is a question that has never been more appropriate than under the administration of President Barack Obama.
Doug Patton: The danger in D.C. is bipartisanship
The growing scandals enveloping the Obama administration are becoming a series of shiny baubles being dangled before the right and the left alike.
Terri Crain: Don’t misuse environmental protection law
In 2008, Santa Clarita was named the most business- friendly city in Los Angeles County by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.
Joe Gandelman: Watch the credibility games
Forget the political "blame game." The biggest game in town now is the credibility game - a high-stakes exercise that will end with America's political middle deciding who is trustworthy and who isn't. Some key players:
The scandal of scandal in Washington, D.C.
If you listen loud enough you can almost hear the siren song of the Republican Party spread its dulcet tones across Washington. It's scandal season boys and girls, and for the GOP it's Mardi Gras, Christmas and The Spanish Inquisition all in one!
Steve and Cokie Roberts: Astonishing attack on our core values
Finally, an issue Republicans and Democrats can agree on:
The Village Idiot: Please, invade my privacy
A world-famous entertainer announced that she and her boyfriend were splitting up in one of the saddest tweets I've ever read: "We have decided to go our separate ways. Please respect our privacy."
Charlie Vignola: A scandal is only a scandal when it happens to Democrats
Imagine for a moment a President of the United States who ignored warnings about an imminent terrorist threat that resulted in an attack that killed American citizens, then argued that we didn't need an investigation to figure out what went wrong.
Tom Purcell: Advice from the master
ill Clinton, wearing a white toga and a crown of gold, sat in a garden while attractive women fed him grapes. President Obama, having just suffered the most devastating week of his presidency, sat nearby, seeking advice in the art of telling whoppers. Using the Socratic method of teaching, Clinton began to tutor his new student.
Frank Ferry: Live from City Hall
May is Building Safety Month and the ideal time to tackle all of those home-improvement projects on your "to do" list before summer is in full swing.
David Hegg: Of progress and purpose
There is no debate that time marches on. The sun rises, shines, and sets, and then does it all over again, day after day. And each day we encounter the unknown components of a whole new 24-hour set of life experience.
Tim Myers: Where respect for private property ends
As a Midwesterner and a Lutheran, I must admit to a great love of irony, and there is nothing more entertaining and ironic than the practical behavior of an elected official, particularly a locally elected official, when their ideology runs straight into the practicalities of the moment.
Phil Kerpen: Government can't be trusted with our health
"We have a large government," political consultant David Axelrod offered as a plea of ignorance to all of the scandals swirling around his boss. "Part of being president is there's so much beneath you that you can't know because the government is so vast."
