A Community to be Envied

I’ve often shared with you these past six-plus years how fortunate I feel to live in the Crescenta Valley. If you remember, I didn’t live here growing up. I lived just over La Tuna Canyon in Sun Valley. While I have wonderful memories of growing up with my mom, dad and sister, when I drove through my old neighborhood a year or two ago, I didn’t even recognize the house I lived in for 17 years. So much had changed in the neighborhood that I had to look at the curb numbers to find my house. The whole vibe of the neighborhood was different, too, and not in a good way.

I haven’t driven there again. It just hurt my heart.

In contrast, the house my husband Steve grew up in on Henrietta is pretty much the same; the only notable difference is the paint color. And whereas I wouldn’t walk the streets of my old neighborhood after dark, I often have walked the streets that surround Steve’s childhood home.

Keeping this in mind, it wasn’t surprising on Tuesday when the neighbors near a Burrtec truck that lost its load of garbage on Rosemont Avenue gathered their brooms and rakes to help clean up the mess. It’s what we do. (Those who receive e-blasts from CV Weekly saw pictures and got the story soon after it happened. To receive our e-blasts, send an email to me at robin@cvweekly.com and write “Add me to the blast zone.”)

Another thought I’ve shared over the years is the gratitude I have because of the confidence (and trust) given to me by our community when I launched the CV Weekly in 2009. As you know, the CV Weekly was started after the CV Sun was closed (and I was laid off) not long after the Los Angeles Times and its parent company the Tribune Company bought the local paper. I thought that wasn’t right. Steve and I talked long and hard about it and decided to start the CV Weekly.

Had I known that we were entering the Great Recession, maybe I would have thought differently about the wisdom of starting a newspaper. But one thing I was absolutely positive about: the community wanted its own paper. Over the years, the relationship between our subscribers and me has been a blessed one. When the going got tough, our subscribers would come through either by writing a note to send along with their check or jotting off a quick email about a story we wrote. I’ve often wondered how I could take this relationship to a higher level. And I think I may have come up with something.

In next week’s CV Weekly, we’re going to roll out a plan that gives our subscribers the chance to be more involved with their favorite newspaper. It’ll be bold – and exciting – and will help ensure our growth and expansion while giving our subscribers a voice in this process.

Until next week…

  robin goldsworthy