Archive for the ‘Santa Clarita Notes’ Category

Playing with Fire

Monday, June 15th, 2009

[The following entry was originally posted on in November 2007.]

Posted on 11/01/2007   The Signal.com/forum

38,000 acres.  21 homes destroyed.  15 homes damaged.  45 other structures destroyed or damaged.  1 ten year old boy.

The heated debate has already begun on what form of punishment, if any, is appropriate for the young Agua Dulce boy who accidentally started the raging “Buckwheat Fire” on October 21 while playing with matches on the property 30 feet behind the trailer where he lived with his parents.    By all accounts, he is not a problem child, and did nothing that many young boys don’t do at some time or another – experiment with fire.  His intent was not to set a huge blaze, and he admitted his wrongdoing to firefighters the next day, showing great remorse.   So we are not talking about a bad seed here.  But we are talking about a situation that imperiled the lives of tens of thousands of people, and destroyed many homes.  And thus the debate. 

Innocent, curious behavior, rimmed with some level of carelessness sparked a major disaster and devastated the lives of many families.  It will take some time for the impacted families to rebuild to get somewhat back to where they were before.  But they will never get all of the way back.  Fires that gut homes cause irreparable damage, both emotionally and through the special heirlooms and documents lost that can never be replaced.  How do you set the punishment for that?  Do you look more at the apparent accidental nature of the blaze, or at the repercussions of the reckless act?

Insurance companies and families impacted by the fires will likely sue.  But the family at the middle of the proverbial firestorm does not seem to have much in the way of assets.  They lived in a trailer on the backside of the Carousel Ranch property where the father worked as a caretaker.   Until now, theirs was a simple life.  And while they will likely remain simple in what they have, their daily routines and what they worry about will be weighed more heavily than most of us can imagine.  The financial attacks, complications and pressures they must now endure will live with them forever.  To what degree is it right to squeeze those who already have little as an act of punishment? 

Carousel Ranch is a non-profit organization that has established itself over the last 10 years by providing custom tailored, developmental therapeutic and recreational equestrian programs for disabled and disadvantaged kids.    The father of the young boy has been described as a “good guy” and the people as a “quiet family”.    Living on the ranch, everyday, the family witnesses first-hand the emotional struggles faced by families with various life-long afflictions.   And now, in a flash, a life-long burden has been thrust onto their shoulders.  The question is how heavy that burden should be.

Many argue that both the boy and his parents need to be punished to set an example, and the fact it was an accident and the fact that the family has limited financial resources should not get in the way of that.  They will argue that the boy also needs to be severely punished and imprisoned so he will not forget what he did, and so that others will think twice before they engage in activities in the future that might have similar consequences.  As for the accidental nature of the fire, they say that every situation will have its own share of extenuating circumstances, and continuously looking away and failing to establish some level of accountability will only breed more recklessness in society.   One report on the news stated that more than 50% of California fires are set by adolescents.  That is a huge number, and suggests that strong action is needed. 

But what strong action is right?   I think there are three facets of accountability to be addressed.  First is  for the boy who set the fire.  Should he be sent to a juvenile detention center, or be made a ward of the court and sent to a foster home?   Well, if the early indications of his character are true, both of these options would be counter-productive.  What you never want to do is to take a good kid and put him in a situation to “rehabilitate” him and turn him in to a bad kid.   You really need to take a close look at intent in this situation;  if there was no intent to cause harm, there is nothing to rehabilitate.   But that does not mean that the boy should not endure some level of punishment and be put in a situation to learn a lesson.

Perhaps, eight years of community service (until he turns 18), in an escalating number of hours per month each year, would serve notice on him and others.   Then, when he turns 18, make him speak at one school per month for another 10 years about fire safety and dangers, and apply some form of attachment to his wages for 10 years, with moneys going to a fire victims fund.   Of course, no amount of money you would collect from him would come close to the financial losses incurred by the fire, but it would make him make him think about what he did.  And it will put him in the right mindset to convince other young kids of the inherit dangers and consequences of playing with matches.

The parents also need to sustain some form of punishment, in part as a message to other parents.  But we should not try to bankrupt them.   Maybe, they should also be required to speak at schools, perhaps at PTA meetings, for several years about fire dangers.  And attach 10% of their wages for 8 years for the fire victims fund.       

Lastly, accountability goes to the education system.  Sending a message, in essence, is educating someone about the consequences of actions.   That message should be sent on a regular basis by every school system in the state of California.  Every year, October should be anointed Fire Safety Month.  And every school should be required to have a program to convey to all students the dangers of fire, as well as emergency procedures to be implemented in their homes, etc.  If we engrain in our children, on an ongoing basis, that playing with fire is literally playing with fire, the numbers of fires started by kids is bound to drop.  The truth is that even bad kids are not all bad, and rare is the time that the youthful “arsonist” intends a fire to explode in uncontrollable fury.  The more we can get all kids to realize this possibility, the more likely they are to think twice about playing with matches.   And at the end of the day, that is a result we should satisfy all of us.

Mike Lee   www.BeedoSafety.com

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Cherry Picking

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

For the last several years, on one Saturday in June, it’s been a ritual for my wife and I to take the drive up to Leona Valley in southern California to pick cherries.  Because of the dry winter, the picking season started a bit later this year.  But the pickin’s were still pretty good.

Although several new cherry tree farms have popped up in the Leona Valley since we first started our annual excursion, we’ve stayed with the place where we picked our first several buckets: Northside Cherries.   Maybe, the other places are cheaper.  Maybe, their cherries are larger or tastier.  For sure, a few of them our slightly closer to home.   But who cares?  We’re satisified enough with Northside Cherries so there is no reason to shop around.  

Northside has a large grove of different types of trees on a hillside.  They’ve got bings, tartarians and rainiers.     The people that run the place are friendly and helpful, and love to see their customers come back year after year.  They give you little buckets and send you on your way to pick as many as you want for $3/ pound.   Delicious cherries and very fair prices, especially if you enjoy rainiers.  Of course, every cherry tree is not the same, and part of the fun is conducting ongoing taste tests as you lock into the trees with the plumpest and sweetest cherries. 

I think the first time we went, my wife put almost as many cherries in her tummy as she put in the picking buckets.  Yesterday, she said she thought she gained about 3 pounds while grazing on the hillside.    It’s a  good thing they don’t weigh you going in and out! 

She told me to go for the rainiers, which I did.  But I prefer bings so I picked a half bucket of the sweet reds to go with a bucket and a half of rainiers.  My wife and my son each picked about a third to a half of a bucket of rainiers.  Although I was admonmished later that I should have focused on quality rather than quantity, I did not see her discarding too many of the cherries that I picked.

In total, we picked about 14 pounds of cherries yesterday.  My son took a pound to give to his girlfriend.   My wife will eat most of the rest.   Me?  I usually only eat cherries while I am picking them.  That’s when they taste the absolute best.

Mike Lee   www.BeedoSafety.com

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The Saugus Swap Meet

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

[This entry was originally posted on the valleynews.com blog in August 2006.]

Contributed by: Mike Lee   on 8/27/2006
Since August 2001, we’ve rented a space on Sundays at the Saugus Swap Meet (AKA Santa Clarita Open Air Market). Contrary to what some people think, swap meets don’t just sell “junk” or used items; you can always find an eclectic blend of merchandise for all tastes. From antiques, collectibles and “garage sale” fodder, to close-out merchandise, custom services, new products and even brand name items, you’ll find both variety and value. Some of the vendors are people trying to clean out their attics, closets and garages or sell extra stuff from time to time, some do it on weekends to supplement their income, some vendors sell at different swap meets every day of the week, and some vendors (like us) offer it as an additional sales conduit to a full business. At the Saugus swap meet, starting in September, they’ll also have an independent appraiser on hand on the first of every month to value your antiques.
I have to admit that I am not a morning person, so awakening before dawn for the weekly swap meet does make me grouchy. And it’s now been five years that we’ve been doing the Saugus Swap Meet. So there’s been a lot of grouchiness. Other vendors frequently comment to us on the amount of effort that goes into setting up our space every week, and wonder why we go through all of that trouble. Truth is, it’s probably even more strenuous than they imagine. But as tiring as it is to drag myself out of bed every Sunday morning (even before the newspaper is delivered), I’ve come to realize how important an activity it is for my partner / fiance. And it goes well beyond the pocket change we make there.

That first Sunday several years ago was a very hot day, and a lot of hard work went into preparing the work gloves and other items we took to sell. We’d already been selling on a wholesale basis to distributors for about a year before that, but this was our first exposure to “retail”. Unfortunately, our grand expectations slowly began to dissipate through the long day, with every drop of perspiration that dripped from my forehead. To our disappointment, it was a relatively slow day for sales. Although the final tally was helped out by a late sale just before we’d finished packing up my SUV, it wasn’t enough to entice me to ever want to return. But my partner was not so quick to give up on it. And what I initially figured would probably be a one-time activity has grown into a much bigger production.

We’ve now got two spaces in a prime location on the main aisle near the food court and the live band. And every Sunday morning, we empty out a 22 foot box truck and build a little store with a wide selection of items which we sell at extremely competitive prices. We have many repeat, regular customers, and that helps us “survive” there even when overall business is down for most vendors. Of course, our primary business is still on a wholesale basis to distributors out of state, but the swap meet has given us excellent contacts that have helped us acquire new local business, too. But it’s the pure people relationships, I think, that mean more.

For the last couple of years, my partner’s sister has been around to help on Sundays, and that’s made it easier on me. I have generally gone to the swap meet in the morning to help set-up and then departed to the office or back home to do some work for awhile, before returning at the end of the day to help pack up. Sometimes, however, I stay for the whole day, like I did today. And it’s on days like today that I can truly see what my partner Jesse (also known as “the glove lady”) gets out of it.

We have dozens and dozens of regular customers that we know by name, as well as what they buy. My partner Jesse greets everyone with a friendly wave, smile, hello and a hug, and sometimes even a kiss on the cheek. We talk about their families, their work, local restaurants and what not. We exchange emails with them. We give them cards on Father’s Day and Christmas. We give them special discounts or bonus items, sometimes little gifts to pass onto their loved ones,.and gift bags of cookies that Jesse has baked. I know many of these customers, but the number that I know is far dwarfed by the number of friendships Jesse has built over the years.

All throughout the day today, every few minutes or so, a different customer or one of the security staff stopped in to say hello. Some I knew (like Bill, Jeannette, Dennis and Earl), but most were new faces to me. But Jesse knew them all, asking about their kids in college or high school, their new car, their househunting, their new girlfriend, their grandchild, their wife’s illness, etc. And it made me truly understand that it’s not just a swap meet; it’s a place where friends meet.

I suspect that when you go into a big box store to buy gloves and eyewear and other items, you’re not greeted at the door by a friendly face who gives you her full attention and knowledgeable advice about a $3 purchase… or maybe just chats with you for a few minutes to catch up on things. How many chain stores can you count where you know the names of the sales people, and they know your name? That’s a special thing, a magical sort of thing, and something I never would have expected from a swap meet space.

Don’t misunderstand; I have nothing against big box stores, and I shop at them regularly myself, but it’s generally a more sterile experience. And that’s ok, though it doesn’t build much in the way of loyalty. On the other hand, some of our regular customers work at the big box hardware stores, but find our product selection and prices even better than they can get from their employers. And maybe their store’s top manager doesn’t know their name, but we do.

We’re not a coffee shop on the corner, but in some ways, that’s how we’ve approached things at the swap meet. And maybe that’s why we’ve been successful there. If you need something that is not on the “menu”, we’ll see if we can get it for you. And to the regulars…”the usual?”, we’ll ask. And that makes our customers feel special because we care enough to know them and remember what they need. And it makes me feel special, too, to have a partner as great as I have.

Some things have changed over the years at the Saugus Swap Meet, as would be typical anywhere.The restrooms were totally replaced earlier this year, and there’ve been some nice renovations to other parts of the facility, too. Space rental fees have increased, while overall attendance has declined a bit. The owners continue to explore different angles to create a richer atmosphere and shopping experience for families, and reward monthly vendors in different ways. And we’ve seen vendors with whom we built friendships move away or move on.

Last week, there was an article in the local press about what the future holds for the swap meet. Will the owners sell the precious 35 acres of land to a real estate developer or continue to make improvements to the facility and increase advertising to grab back some lost marketshare? I don’t know what will happen. But I do know that it will take an important part of Jesse’s life away if it were to close. We can survive without the business, but it will be sad to lose sight of so many friends.

 

Mike Lee   www.BeedoSafety.com

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Submitted By: Terri Burbank   posted on 8/28/2006 @ 3:50:11 PM

Dear Mike Everything in your description of the Saugus SwapMeet is true! Our Vendors are some of the most hardworking and dedicated entrepreneurs going today! The part about SwapMeets that most people don’t understand is that there are, on average, between 400 and 500 Mom & Pop stores on site, each giving that “personal touch” to the thousands of shoppers who enter our gates each and every Sunday (or Tuesday). The Saugus SwapMeet is a family of sellers and shoppers, a haven for treasure hunting, and a day of entertainment and commerce for all who enter the gates! A tried and true family shopping tradition for more than 40 years in this valley, rest assured that the Saugus SwapMeet will be around for a long while to come! Thank you for your continued business over the years!

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