Archive By Section - Columnists
SCV Sheriff's Station grows to fit time's needs
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station opened its doors on May 8, 1972, with Sheriff Coffeen officiating at the ceremony. Explorer Scouts conducted tours of the station and included demonstrations of computerized and expanded traffic record systems. Copies of historic dockets and cases dating back to the early 1900s were on display. Now here we are in 2008, still in the same building. Though the laws and method of operations have changed to fit our ...
Choose Prop. 99 over Prop 98
There are two propositions on your June ballot that you will probably need some background on in order to cast an informed vote. These are Propositions 98 and 99. Proposition 98 is the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act, and Proposition 99 is the Homeowners Protection Act. The purpose of both ballot measures is to amend current eminent domain laws to restrict government's use of eminent domain authority.
Supreme Court saves the day
What a great country this is! Just when it appears that the politically correct leftists are about to exchange our hard-fought American democracy for Third World socialism, the U.S. Supreme Court steps up to save the day.
Don’t suspend federal gas tax
With the recent surge in gas prices, talk of suspending the federal gas tax is again making the rounds.
What is it to be a man?
'You'll be sorry," was the accurate prediction sounding off from the guys sitting on the barracks' steps as our ragged lot passed by. We were brand new recruits at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Station in Manhattan Beach, in Brooklyn, N.Y. It was early June 1945.
Pros and cons of June propositions
There are two ballot propositions in the upcoming June 3 election that involve state constitutional amendments:
What I learned during the city council campaign
Being Mayor Bob Kellar's campaign consultant, I enjoyed an inside view of the longest council campaign (15 months) in Santa Clarita's history.
Let's help keep our city clean
Taking pride in the place where you live stems from each individual's sense of personal responsibility and desire for constant improvement.
Welcome to SCV May: Yuccas are in bloom!
My favorite time of the year is when the yuccas are in bloom - and blooming they are, right now. Those big, fluffy white flowers look like popcorn on a stick. I find them beautiful and fascinating. McWilliams image seminar
Who ought to be '08 candidates for veep?
The vice presidency "isn't worth a bucket of warm p---." So said "Cactus Jack," aka John Nance Garner, our 32nd vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt (from 1933-1941). Almost 70 years later, more than two dozen people - all reputable, big-named politicians - are potentially in the running for the No. 2 slot in the nation. With the presidential conventions only a few months away, many of these names have been tossed around by pundits. ...
Take time to read beyond books' covers
Never judge a book by its cover. You've certainly heard that statement countless times. Years ago, I met Mustafa Bell, Mike Baham and James Johnson at my work site, Kenyon J. Scudder Juvenile Probation Camp School in Bouquet Canyon. To be straight up honest with you, I really had my doubts about these fellows. Mustafa, James and Mike certainly appeared different. Nonetheless, their reputations as health educators preceded them; they came highly recommended from the ...
Gardener? For what?
Last summer, my wife asked if I thought we needed a gardener to maintain our front and back yards. My answer was a big "No."
It doesn’t get any better than this
The year was 1988 and the Los Angeles Dodgers were playing the mighty Oakland A's in the World Series.
Will CalPers manage Newhall Ranch?
Early in 2007, the California Public Employees Retirement fund invested some $1 billion in the proposed 21,000-unit Newhall Ranch project. The real estate market was beginning to unravel and this project would require massive infusions of cash to cover its many infrastructure needs.
'I hate you, Hillary Clinton'
There's a new pop movie playing over at the Town Center called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Basically, it's about a nice guy who's been dumped by his hot TV star girlfriend for a flashy boy toy. While it looks nominally entertaining, what's most compelling isn't the movie itself, but rather its grassroots, "viral"
Articles by Section - Columnists
Gary Horton: Life can be a sound track by the B-52’s
It's sometime in the late 1980s and our family and friends are piled inside our Ford cruiser van heading off to a family ski trip to Lake Tahoe - or to a Boy Scout boating trip at Lake Mead - or some other fun teen-friendly vacation destination.
Kevin Buck: Straw men live in glass houses
Webster's dictionary has several different definitions for the word socialism. The one conservative fear and loathe the most is:
Tom Purcell: A nail in the coffin of Americans' rights
oy, do I feel sorry for smokers these days.
David Hegg: Ethically Speaking
Sometimes it turns out that famous clichés are just plain wrong, or at least wrong in enough important situations to make them suspect. One with which I particularly disagree is "Familiarity breeds contempt." I know what it is supposed to identify, and I flatly disagree. Familiarity, with the right people, in the right way, and for the right reasons, actually breeds contentment.
Steve and Cokie Roberts: Fixing Fox and the GOP
Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News Channel, is a very smart man. And he knows how to count, a skill that has apparently eluded many of his fellow conservatives.
Edward Headington: In honor of Presidents' Day 2013
Presidents' Day is a time set aside to celebrate the legacies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and also remember all of the Presidents of the United States (POTUS) that have made our nation great.
Steve Lunetta: The case against Democrats
A friend of mine recently sent me one of those political emails that screams for fact-checking. You know the ones I mean - "Obama is really a space alien and we have proof!" or "Hilary Clinton Smokes Pot with Harry Reid."
Michael Reagan: Making Sense
Our failure in chief gave us his annual blurred vision of America again Tuesday night.
Diana West: Why aren't feathers flying over Brennan nomination?
We all know what happens when the fox guards the chicken coop - or do we?
