Archive By Section - Columnists
Peter Funt: Washington's latest kerfuffle
Washington's latest kerfuffle, at a time when political kerfuffling is epidemic, concerns the number of women in President Obama's inner circle. Some say there are too few.
Joe Gandelman: Swartz is Internet's collateral damage
FONTANA, Calif. - It was April 9, 2005 when I met the young person who impressed me so much I'd talk about him for 7 years. I was moderating a panel discussion of bloggers at Stanford University on "eDemocracy: The Role of blogs and Online Activists in 2004" The young person: 19-year-old Aaron Swartz.
Village Idiot: Gender gap at the movies
Sue is dying to see "Les Miserables"; I can't wait to see "Django Unchained." She wants to see "Django" as much as she wants to eat giant sea slugs, and I want to sit through the three hours of "Les Mis" as much as I want to help her shop for purses.
Gary Horton: Let's not spend it just because it's lying around
My landscape company specializes in the housing industry - and let me tell you it's been one hard, long housing recession.
Tom Purcell: Lessons from the 1940 census
My great-grandmother Jane Purcell had a wonderfully full life. Part of her story is revealed in the 1940 U.S. Census, which the National Archives and Records Administration made available online to the public in 2012 at 1940census.archives.gov .
Kevin Buck: The American people embrace checks and balances
Republicans from all across the party's entire political spectrum, Goldwater conservative to really, really tea party conservatives, must still be wondering what the heck happened last November.
Danny Tyree: Is now the time to repeal presidential term limits?
The experts are giving it little chance of passage, but H.J. Resolution 15 is stirring a lot of talk.
Tom Campbell: CLWA looks ahead
As much as 2012 was a landmark year for Castaic Lake Water Agency, this year promises still more significant progress as we plan for the future, manage our valuable resources, and participate in a solution to the statewide water supply dilemma.
Steve Lunetta: Why is compromise so difficult?
Why is it that we human beings can be so stubborn? I find it remarkable that some folks, when faced with a significant problem, cannot come up with anything better than "no".
David Hegg: The value of self-control, not self-expression
Perhaps the first philosopher to assert self-control as a virtue in any meaningful way was Aristotle. He put it this way: I count him braver who conquers his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.
Maria Gutzeit: Problems with water deal
There are three big problems with Castaic Lake Water Agency's (CLWA) power grab of Valencia Water. It's not legal. It's going to cost us big time. And it's the picture of bad government.
Tim Myers: Top 10 stories for this year
In my humble opinion no exercise promotes general boredom and yawning more than the annual top 10 lists. At the end of the year the media punishes ordinary souls with mind numbing listings of the top 10 films, songs, news events, what have you for the year just ended, nearly always biasing their choices to the safe and still memorable events of the last half and in some cases even the last quarter of the year.
Bob Kellar: Live from City Hall
Earlier this month, the United States Congress restored a commuter tax benefit that will help millions of public transportation users save money.
Right Here, Right Now: We already have gun control
Vice President Joe Biden said, "I guarantee you, we'll get [gun control] done by the end of January."
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.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Jonathan Kraut: Domestic violence advocates needed
My firm was contacted last year to support a domestic case involving a young woman and her year-old baby. She needed help keeping legal custody of her child. The baby's father, a volunteer counselor with a drug rehab program, had claimed the mother of his child was unfit and a drug user.
Tom Purcell: Speech to the best graduating class ever
Students, faculty, family members and friends, it is my great honor to deliver your commencement speech today.
Jason Stanford: What Rick Perry can learn from California
The faux pas bordered on sedition. The Texas Association of Dairymen sent blocks of mild cheddar to state senate offices "in appreciation for your hard work this legislative session on behalf of the people of Texas." Legislative offices often get free-and perfectly legal-swag from special interests. The problem arose when someone read the label. The company that made the cheese was based in California.
Cliff Schecter: The United States really needs to grow up already
This country needs an enema. I paraphrase, of course, from Jack Nicholson's take on Gotham City in his turn at The Joker.
Maria Gutzeit: Cycling is not all about Lance
Recently, people asked me with sincerity in their eyes if I am reconsidering my involvement in cycling because of the Lance Armstrong scandal. My response: Pftttt.
Byron York: Winning Hispanic vote not enough for GOP
After six months of mulling over November's election results, many Republicans remain convinced that the party's only path to future victory is to improve the GOP's appeal to Hispanic voters.
Michael Berger: Bill helps colleges meet student needs
Higher education is undergoing significant changes such as we've never seen before. And while we're charging forward to integrate technology in the classroom, offer online learning, and enhance the academic support available to students outside of the classroom, we find ourselves being held back by a relic of the past.
David Hegg: We need a society of heroes
The past months have been a constant barrage of stories about tragedy. Horror in Newtown, bombs in Boston, flooding in the Midwest, fires in SoCal … all bringing loss of life, loss of property, and loss of our sense of wellbeing. But in every case there were also stories of exceptional devotion to duty, to courage, and to an essential ingredient in healthy society: sacrificial service.
Tim Myers: A battle in a war already lost
On May 2, 2013, I took the day off from work to watch the Foothill League tennis tournament. (Results of this tournament posted elsewhere in the pages of this newspaper. Just sayin'!)
Peter Funt: The wider our options the more narrow our interests
I've never heard a hotel guest argue that he should pay less if he declines to swim in the pool. And I've yet to encounter a coffee drinker who believes a latte would be cheaper if shops quit providing wi-fi to customers who don't use it.
Marsha McLean: Live from City Hall
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Santa Clarita will be on center stage with an international audience. We are thrilled to have been selected as a host city for the 2013 Amgen Tour of California with both a Start and Finish stage.
Rick Jensen: Do we still need Dept. of Education?
When executives of corporations are caught aiding and abetting criminal behavior of their employees, the executives are prosecuted and the businesses are destroyed.
Tammy Messina: Intolerance fuels hate and bigotry
Hate. It's a strong word. It's a strong emotion. And it's often used to describe Republicans.
Jason Stanford: Will Obama beat the 6-year itch?
If the 2010 elections weren't bad enough for Democrats, here comes the "six-year itch."
Tom Purcell: No-fault Internet addiction
nline chat host: Good morning, cyber pals. As you know, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the psychiatric "bible," is to be released this month.
