Archive By Section - Columnists
Michael Picarella: Confessions of a jazz lover
I must confess - I love jazz music. Oh, and I almost killed my wife. Yes, I'm an avid jazz listener - not smooth jazz but classic jazz, and especially bebop jazz. I love the music of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and so many others. But you probably want to know how I almost killed my wife. One day not too long ago, my wife ...
Measure SA is a $5 myth
Think about it. If Measure V required $30 per $100,000 of assessed home value to raise $158 million, how, then, is it possible to raise $300 million on $5, as proponents of Measure SA claim?
Dedicated to propositions, part 2
Presidential election years are the World Cup for politics junkies, and this year has been one of the best ever. However, besides tracking all the important partisan races in the national and local spotlights, Californians are once again being asked to do their Legislature's job and vote on 12 ballot propositions.
Help Measure SA pass
Our efforts on the ground these last few months have been successful in getting the word out about Measure SA and what it will do for the William S. Hart Union High School District and our students.
Frank Ferry: Introducing our city youth to Mayor Dude
Municipal leaders regularly make decisions, shape policies and take action on issues that directly affect youth.
John Boston: Have we already botched New Year’s?
"I'd love to change the world. But I don't know what to do. So I leave it up to you."
Bob Dickson: Jesus Christ and Karl Marx ... who knew
I promised myself when I signed on to contribute to this space that I wouldn't mix politics and religion because they don't belong together. I don't want to hear my pastor going on about which candidate or policy I should support, and I don't need my elected officials meddling in how I choose to worship.
Economic recovery plan
Two days ago the Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate to one percent in an effort to stimulate the economy. The economy is on the mind of virtually every tax-paying worker, parent, and retiree. It is also the No. 1 issue for voters heading to the polls Nov. 4. And while cutting interest rates historically shores up investor enthusiasm, our country's economic health is sitting in an unusual position. What the country truly needs ...
Family newsletter for Oct. 31
Wife hates zombie mask At 1:42 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the local Halloween super store, I strapped on a zombie mask and scared my wife into stack of plastic black caldrons. "It's just a mask," I said as I helped her off the floor. According to my wife, she's been deathly afraid of zombies ever since seeing some zombie movie back in the 1980s. "The fact that my husband of eight years doesn't know ...
Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel: Thankful for the good things
Being stuck in a snowstorm - actually, buried in snow inside a car for nearly 30 hours without food or drink - gives one plenty of time to think about life and death.
On Tuesday, vote ‘yes’ for Measure SA
On Nov. 4, the citizens of the Santa Clarita Valley will be asked to vote to support Measure SA, a school facilities bond sponsored by the William S. Hart Union High School District.
Why I’m voting for Lutness
I like Cameron Smyth. He is personable and easy to talk to. But when it comes to the environment, he just plain votes the wrong way.
Run, don’t walk, to the Santa Clarita Marathon
For some, running is a way of life, a hobby that brings peace of mind and a sense of accomplishment, not to mention great-looking legs.
Cam Noltemeyer: Making diamonds from coal
The Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment just celebrated its 21st year of involvement in issues in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Michelle Lovato: Resolution: Can We Get Along?
The best home video I ever saw came from my daughter Melissa five years ago - shortly after she turned 16.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Tina Dupuy: The Theory of Relative Laziness
My working theory - you could call it a philosophy, or a freestanding reason of how the world works - is what I call the Theory of Relative Laziness.
Charlie Vignola: America worried about the wrong things
America has always had a propensity to whip itself into a frenzy about the wrong things, but seldom has it been so clear as it has been the last few weeks, particularly in the wake of the Boston Marathon Bombings.
Danny Tyree: R.I.P. George Jones
Editor's note: The following column ran in 2006 marking the 75th birthday of George Jones. The longtime country singer died Friday at age 81 and will be remembered at a public memorial Thursday at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
David Hegg: The need for adversity
We're all familiar with the old saying "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." It is often used to remind us that most really important things in life come with adversity built in.
Donna Brazile: Accountability needed
In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, lawmakers are demanding answers from the FBI. They want answers not only about the Tsarnaev brothers - Did they act alone? Why did the do it? - but also about our security and intelligence operations.
Timothy Myers: Gearing up for a chloride war
One of my favorite tales of Santa Clarita political lore involves former Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, and I happen to know that it actually occurred.
Bob Kellar: Live from City Hall
With more than 1,100 businesses small and large, the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce represents tens of thousands of local jobs and employees and is Santa Clarita's premier business membership organization.
Phil Kerpen: Obama’s FAA harm offensive
If sequestration happens and nobody feels it, does it have a political impact?
Kathryn Lopez: Real questions in evil's wake
Martin Richard's life ended as he waited at the Boston Marathon finish line on a local holiday. He was there to celebrate his dad's victory with his family.
Tom Purcell: Fighting for the America we want it to be
I listened to a Frank Sinatra tune this week - "The House I Live In" - and enjoyed a renewed desire to fight on.
Joe Gandelman: Was Twitter for the birds?
When James French became the last person to be executed in 1966 under Oklahoma's death penalty law, he uttered these famous last words (no joke) that quickly belong to the ages: "Hey fellas," he shouted to reporters there to witness his electrocution. "How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? 'French Fries!'"
Dick Polman: Bombing is lame excuse to halt immigration reform
Conservatives have been desperately trying to halt the bipartisan momentum for path-to-citizenship immigration reform, and, thanks to the Boston bombing, they think they've finally found the perfect (phony) argument: Fear of foreign terrorism.
Gary Horton: Lobbyists are at the root of our violent culture
After the Brothers Tsarnaev blew their lids and went on their Boston pressure-cooker bombing spree, it wasn't surprising that sooner or later unregistered, illegally obtained guns and rifles would show up in the bloody mix.
The Village Idiot: Plan the marriage first, then the wedding
"I got an email today," Mel told me. "Chardonnay and Jackson are splitting up. They only got married four months ago. It's so sad. I played guitar at their wedding."
SCV Voices: Special interests only ones to benefit from toll roads
I was reading the article last week about making the HOV lanes on the I-5 through Santa Clarita toll lanes ("Metro committee approves I-5 toll lanes in SCV," April 17).
