Author Archives: admin

We Will Try Again Next Sunday

Posted on by

Last week, Toby won a radio contest by
being the tenth caller and knowing the name of the band that Natalie Merchant fronted
in the 1990’s. She won a pair of tickets to Six
Flags’ Hurricane Harbor. Since this is a water park, we need to use the tickets
before the summer ends.

Toby, being as organized as she is, determined that with an expected high of 81 degrees
(F), Saturday, 10 Sept would be a great day to go. She quickly coordinated some grandparent
babysitting with an assist from my sister, Jan, for Weezy, so that Max and Toby and
I could go to the park. We left Carpinteria immediately after Max’s AYSO team, the
Red Flies (0-1-1), lost to the Blue Sharks 12 to 4. It was typically cloudy and cool
in Carp, but we were confident it would be nice and warm in Valencia. When we got
to Jan’s house, it was very cloudy and breezy.

What?? Cold and cloudy in Santa Clarita in September? What can you do?

Jan and Jeff were very gracious on short notice, and grilled up some very tasty burgers
for lunch. We decided that it was too cold to go to the water park. We had some really
good ‘alone’ time with the Bernards, something we had not had in a while. It was great
to laugh with them.

We will try Hurricane Harbor again next Sunday, 18 Sept. As of today, the
forecast is for 85 degrees. We will see.

Planning Commission Denial (Not A Bad Thing)

Posted on by

Tonight, despite a well reasoned, strongly articulated presentation by our architect,
Bill Araluce, and a recommendation for approval from the City staff, our request for
a revision of our project to increase the overall height of the building from 27.5
feet to 28.5 feet was rejected by a 3-1 majority of the Planning Commission.

This denial of revision allows our project to move forward at the already approved
27.5 feet height. We have finished with commissions and review boards and the like.
Now we just have to go through plan check and corrections, and we should have our
permits. I will be visiting the plan check front desk to give some face time in the
near future so that my permits won’t be shuffled to the bottom of the pile (hopefully).

Prior to tonight’s meeting, I was preparing to appeal a denial verdict and had spoken
to the family lawyer about appealing the Planning Commission decision to the City
Council. As I wrote about in an
earlier post, the municipal code states that 30 feet is the max height for buildings
in my zone. If that is the law, then it seems to me that the Planning Commission has
the burden of proving that there are compelling reasons for not allowing up to the
maximum height. However, at our meeting, we were required to prove our need for the
increased height. The commissioners made comments like ‘I feel the project is already
too big’, or ‘I don’t think they need the extra foot’. It shouldn’t be up to them
to decide what I need or don’t need. The law is in place to avoid these arbitrary
decisions.

<sigh!>

Anyway, after talking to my dad, we decided that it is more important to move the
project along than to have the extra foot on the second floor. So, no appeals, and
we continue down the road….

UPDATE: Our local paper, the Coastal
View News, had a reporter at the Planning Commission meeting who filed this
report. We are at the end.

Unfiltered Iraqi Progress Reports

Posted on by

If you are not reading Michael
Yon’s Online Magazine Blog, you need to be. Michael Yon is a free-lance writer embedded with an Army unit in Iraq. He is completely self financed (with the help of donations) and so is not beholden to deadlines or editorial oversight.

What is included in his reports is strictly a grounds eye view of a combat unit in Iraq. The material is thrilling and confusing. Why aren’t we hearing similar reports from the MSM?

I have included his blog link in my blogroll to the right.

Max is 5! (aka Batman)

Posted on by

Holy
cow, my baby is growing up (sniff). We are all returning from Planet Birthday, after
3 consecutive days of parties and celebrations. Friday we played at the park with
some good friends (who brought cupcakes and a present) and that night we had a great
dinner with Auntie Kelly and Uncle Ray (of course, more treats – s’mores – and presents).
Saturday was the ‘all boys’ Batman party, which including swimming, lots and lots
of running, a pinata, cupcakes, presents and fun party toys. Sunday lunch was with
our family at Andria’s restaurant in Ventura, and after some good food, some ‘stomp
rocket-ing’, more cupcakes and s’mores – there were more presents! Whew! We are so
blessed by family and friends; thank you God.