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Month in Review – Snapshots from last month’s most significant news and developments – July 2017

by | Jun 27, 2017 | Community

SCV Sheriff Are Keeping Our Streets Safe at Night
Our local Sheriff’s Department went on a nighttime crime sweep resulting in 12 arrest. One woman and 11 men, all adults, were apprehended in parts of Newhall, Canyon Country and Saugus. The charges ranged from drug possession and sales to weapons charges. This operation was created to combat certain areas with specific crime issues. Santa Clarita Valley Sheriffs reached out to the community for their concerns about their neighborhoods. The deputies and sergeants did not just stop with the residential areas, several business owners and shops were contacted as well. The Sheriff’s Station assured members in the community that they will continue with a proactive approach to combating crime in the Santa Clarita Valley. Sergeant Jeffrey Martin stated “The citizens were appreciative of the station’s response, and encouraged by the high visibility the team brought to the operation.”

SCV Wins Finance Award

The Santa Clarita Valley has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 28th year in a row. The City was awarded from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for Fiscal Year 2015-16. Todd Buikema, Acting Director, Technical Services Center from the Government Finance Officers Association wrote, “The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents significant accomplishment by a government and its management.” The CAFR was judged by impartial individuals who judge on the ability to communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

McBean Parkway’s Pedestrian bridge is being Replaced

The pedestrian bridge that crosses McBean Parkway between Gamble House Court and Arroyo Park Drive began getting replaced with a pre-fabricated steel truss bridge. The project plays a part in the City’s plan to sustain public infrastructures by replacing the old, decayed wood bridge. The projected time for completion is 12 weeks and most of the construction will be during working hours 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday. With this construction there are planned road closures and pedestrians were asked to find alternate routes. The kickoff of this project will result in a complete road closure to remove the existing bridge and during the installation of the new bridge at the start of August.

Newhall Ranch Road Widening Bridge Project Begins!

Construction on the widening of the Newhall Ranch Road Bridge began this June and is projected to be completed October 2018. The $16 million project will improve traffic flow by increasing the number of lanes to four. It will also add a raised median, new pedestrian walkway, bike path and trail connections at the Newhall Ranch Road Bridge located over San Francisquito Creek. Construction on the traffic signal and bridge will take place during weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at this time the road will remain open to traffic. This project is another part of the Building & Creating Community theme in the Santa Clarita 2020 plan.

Neonates and Family
Reunited with Henry Mayo Staff

Staff from the Kim and Steven Ullman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital were reunited with over 500 past patients and families. Since it first opened in June 202 the NICU has served several families in their most challenging times. The dedicated staff of doctors and nurses got a chance to see how past patients have grown over the past years. The Medical director of the NICU, Dr. Sreepathi reported “When you look at (the babies) in the NICU, they seem very small and fragile, but they’re very strong and they turn out to be what you cannot imagine at times.” on June 10th the event was held at Richard Rioux Park in Stevenson Ranch. Over 500 people were expected to attend making this the largest yet. A group photo was taken to remember the lifesaving work done over the past five years. Dr. Sreepathi finished with “We are truly proud of what we do.”

Sexual Assaults Are Under
Investigation in the SCV

A pair of unrelated sexual assaults are under investigation by a Special Victims Unit. One of the assaults was reported to have occurred during mid-day at Golden Valley High School. The female student stated she was assaulted by the baseball field between 12:15-12:30. Both the victim and the suspect are juveniles who go to the school reported Sgt. Brian Hudson of the Santa Clarita Valley Special Victims Bureau. The second incident was at a Saugus house party on the 28300 block of Mist Court. The assault took place between midnight and 1 a.m. and neither the victim nor suspect resided in the home. The report stated that alcohol might be involved. With these incidents the Santa Clarita Valley is up to 16 sexual assaults, so far, this year.
The SCV Sheriffs Are
Carrying More than
Side Arms!
This month the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station were trained and are now equipped with Naloxone, a drug to reverse an opioid overdose. This life-saving medicine does not call for a prescription and has aided many first responders. Commander Judy Gerhardt stated, “We are amidst an epidemic of opiate overdose, this new program could potentially save lives.” A grant was awarded from the Los Angeles County Public Health Office to purchase nearly 5,000 units of Naloxone. The L.A. County Sherriff Department is partnering with drug treatment centers and local governments to find better ways to combat this epidemic. The Department feels it is not suitable to just arrest and detain. The interview ended with “Partnerships are essential when combating overdoses, it takes a community to heal itself.”

The Santa Clarita Valley
Has Pride.

The Santa Clarita Chapter of PFLAG celebrated pride month with a showing of the 1994 short film TREVOR. This short film told the story of a young gay male, in 1981, who was rejected and ostracized by his community because of his sexual orientation. His story highlighted on the lack of resources for others like him. PFLAG, an LGBTQ advocacy group hosted a panel where members shared their stories and battles they faced when coming out and there-after. Many community leaders attended this event and spoke on their views of how the Santa Clarita Valley is advocating for the LGBTQ community and how things have changed over the past years. The event concluded with information on resources for those who are finding themselves. Andrew Taban, an avid community activist stated, “Times have changed, people have changed and this is part of what we are.”
SCV Transit Kicks
Off Summer with
a Beach Bus
Throughout summer the Santa Clarita Transit offers rides to Santa Monica on their weekend Summer Beach Bus. The Summer Beach Bus is a popular service that gives residents the opportunity to enjoy the beach without the hassle of parking and loading up the car. Every Saturday and Sunday until September 3rd residents can ride in an air conditioned commuter express bus for $3 each way for children and adults and $1.50 each way senior citizens and disabled patrons. Riders will be able to use TAP card or exact cash; monthly passes are prohibited. The city will offer two bus routes departing approximately at 8:40 a.m. and return at 4:30 p.m.
For more information on Summer Beach Bus routes and times, visit SantaClaritaTransit.com.

 

SCV Business’ Get Schooled on Anti-Theft Measures

Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Department gave an update on anti-theft prevention to local business owners. With these tools local business can help prevent crime. The sheriffs along with loss prevention officers met in effort to aid in the detainment of shoplifters and recovery of merchandise. SCV Sheriff officials along-side loss prevention officers created the Santa Clarita Business Alliance. The concept of “predictive policing” was stressed to business owners. This concept states that with public information on crime data businesses should adjust their policies and resources based off the analysis of this data. The meeting covered many topics to include: “current crime trends, the importance of social media, crime prevention tips, identity theft education, credit card fraud and identifying counterfeit currency.”
First Round of Funds are allocated for Measure H

Measure H is projected to raise $266 million for support services for the homeless population. In march of this year government officials raised the sales tax a quarter-percent to generate the necessary funds. These funds are set to help with services that are desperately needed, services for mental health, substance abuse treatment, health care, education, job training, and case management. With the help of community partners, county officials reported that the first year of funding recommendations includes about $106 million to create a county-wide coordinated system, $81 million for housing subsidies and $25 million for case management and other services. Even at a local level Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth created the first Ad-Hoc committee. This committee is set to find a tailored solution that caters to the specific issues faced in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Castaic Approved for a
Skate Park
The Board of Supervisors voted to begin construction on a skate park in the Castaic Sports Complex. The over $2 million contract was awarded to Spohn Ranch, Inc. to build a 9,000-square-foot skate park. This was done in an effort to provide safe recreational opportunities for Santa Clarita youth. The in-ground concrete parks will have sports lighting, covered seating, bike racks and several walkways. The project is estimated to cost over $800,000 and is set to begin construction January 2018 and estimated to be open to the public January 2019. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is managing construction of this project.

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