Local Cafes done wrong...

In my time in Santa Clarita, I have seen two independent coffee houses open and then close within a year. The first, was a Kona Coffee place with amazing products but an horrid location, Think shifty almost back alley location. The second was the town grind, a small coffee house that was owned by a lovely couple, but never marketed, and had little to offer over it's competition, AKA, the Starbucks up the street.

Now it seems, a new cafe has moved into the same location as the town grind call itself, (insert name here). This place is pretty much, doomed. I might be wrong, but i don't think i am. two major reasons, there prices are exorbitant, double it's competition for no extra quality. I paid 3 dollars for a cup of bloody tea. TEA!
Second it's hours are non existent.

The town grind, at least was open until 7, this new place, open til 3 on the weekdays and 2, you got that right 2 on weekends. What are these people thinking!! moreover there not open sunday, these people have no ideas how to run a coffee shop. The only people who have survived has been the rail road cafe, they atleast have a location that almost dictates there business!
god people.
-max

SCV sold our libraries to private industry

Let me start off by saying that I am a frequent library patron. Libraries have saved me more money, and educated me better than most of my primary school teachers. The Santa Clarita Libraries were one of the last non corporate, and by that standard relatively unbiased things in Santa Clarita, true gems. But it seems the aging libraries did not measure up to the standards of our "fair" city, and as such they have been outsourced.

Don't believe me?
New York times Article about it here

Now, some of my readers might argue, so what? A private business can do it better, faster  and cheaper than a state run facility. True, but here are a few unforeseen consequences.

1. The library could loose it's ability to be objective. Government facilities at least to try to be objective, private industry doesn't have to and because of this it carries with it the slant of it's board of directors. All the new company, has to do is not stock the shelves with anything that their board of directors finds objectionable.if for some reason the board finds, let's say, farhenhight 451 too offensive they can just not have it.

I mean look what happened to the news when the FCC repealed the rules about ratings and the news became slaves to the advertisement industry like all other TV. TV news is now officially worthless dribble, the same thing can happen to our libraries.

2.  This isn't about the libraries, it is about cutting unionized jobs. The company taking over is almost sure to do this and this is  something the primarily conservative town of SCV, and the allegedly Mormon owned new-hall land and farm would love to see happen.  The thing is people don't become librarians for the sick money, and cool cars, they do it because they love books and they love helping people learn. A bunch of part time college students working for minimum wage cant replace passion, and as such the quality of the library will fail.

3. The libraries loose collections. Just today I walked into the Valencia branch of the Libraries, guess what? their entire non-English section is gone. Repossessed by the county for fear of it being broken up by the private firm.  As I walked around, shelves sat empty, taken back by the county for fear of being mishandled.

4. The library no longer has a reason to serve it's patrons, only it's bottom line. How can a company make profit off of a library? that is easy, charging exorbitant late fee's, by charging for  the internet, and by giving sub-par customer service by a 8.00 an hour minimum wage COC student etc. 


The most upsetting thing is how secret this all is. I read in somewhere that the city council voted 4-1 for this... I want to shake that one man or woman's hand and I want to get the rest impeached.

Cathy's Deli

I live in a town of corporate chain stores, heck I have worked for a few, and to there defense most are relatively harmless. However, My father is a small business owner, he has been for 25 years or so, as such I love to support local businesses.

This was not my first time to Cathy's Deli, A small Jewish diner in Newhall just off Lyons avenue. I'd been there before, but it was this time that it really stood out.

The deli looks small from the outside but the dining area is surprisingly spacious. The atmosphere is classic American diner.

It is the food however that represents a larger demographic than the decor. On the same menu, you will find chorizo, American fare and a sprinkling of Jewish cultural cuisine like lox, black and white cookies, and other such delights.

The service is terrific, and the people generally seem to like their guests, going out of there way to accommodate me. That is is no small task, as I am allergic to wheat, dairy, and soy and rather sensitive to several other foods. none the less, Cathy's rose to the challenge and served me with style!

I'd reccomend the deli to anyone who is looking for good quality diner food and doesnt want to give up and go to Denny's for the hundreth time.

Not that there is anything wrong with Denny's....