Columnists

By David Hegg Recently, I finished a great book recounting the exploits of Dog Company, the Army Rangers who led the assault up the cliffs on D-Day, and accomplished the

Since Elon Musk took the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency under Donald Trump’s second administration two months ago, protests against him have spiked — some escalating into violent

Funny how much I’ve been thinking about my dad lately. I used to keep my trophies at his acreage and, one day, we had a minor earthquake. Boxes fell off

Over the past few years, all homeowners, but especially those in the Santa Clarita Valley, have seen the cost of homeowners insurance rise to levels that are unaffordable for many.

In this month’s column, I want to discuss one of the bedrocks of our nation: Social Security.  Social Security is a promise to the American people, that if you put

By David Hegg In the past 20 years, I have led nine trips to Israel, the land of the Bible. And, with Israel prevalent in the news today and with

Step 1: Remove consequences! Why make them work for their loot when they can simply waltz into a store, fill up a cart, and strut out like they just won

I’d attach a kind estimate that 99% of the dear citizens of Santa Clarita know not a thing about that old, beige building on the northwest corner of Market Street

The Department of Government Efficiency has ordered the IRS to share what the Tax Law Center at NYU describes as an “unprecedented disclosure of confidential tax information.”  DOGE apparently says

“Hope is not a strategy.”  For nearly three years, L.A. County officials have clung to “hope” as a solution for residents near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. The trouble began when

To convert a democratic republic, like our own, into an authoritarian model of rule, what actions would a movement need to take to replace the rule of law with personal

By David Hegg I wrote a column on the peril of forced unanimity a few weeks ago. The gist was that social pressure configured to ensure everyone subscribes to “groupthink”

So, which kid is yours?  My wife walks our dog in our neighborhood. And, like many other Santa Claritans, she has noticed lately that there is a preponderance of kids

As I write this article, Vladimir Putin, the dictator of Russia, is dragging his feet and throwing multiple spanners in the works since Ukraine bravely accepted President Donald Trump’s proposal

My dad, dear, lovable angel of a person, Walt Cieplik, died crazy. There was a never a kinder man. The twin devils of Alzheimer’s and dementia took him over. He

“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”  — Attributed

Last week, my father died as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. My dad would often tell us stories of his military service at

By David Hegg Why are we more prone to act poorly if we think we’re anonymous? Occasionally, we hear news reports of hurtful things speakers have said, thinking their mics

In recent years, our nation and the Santa Clarita Valley have become increasingly divided.  Political disagreements have escalated into personal attacks, social media has amplified hostility, and community discussions within

For too long, the soft-on-crime policies pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democratic majority have emboldened criminals, leading to a steady rise in crime throughout California.  But the voters