Village people

Re: “A vision for the Village” [Volume 6, Issue 7 or bit.ly/2af0Llq]

Thoroughly enjoyed your piece on the future of the Village.

—Jay Anderson, La Mesa

We were saddened to read in last month’s issue that some business owners feel that a real estate office should be on a back street or upstairs and not on the boulevard. It’s always been our belief that Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty is an attractive and integral part of the heart of the village. All of our staff and salespeople shop and eat in the Village. Some even promote local businesses on their marketing materials as well as serve on local committees and charities.

We attract a myriad of customers from around the world as well as the local community. As a result of their visit, they shop and eat on the boulevard. Many actually discover the charm of the Village because of a visit to our office. We consider ourselves an important part of the energy and culture of the Village; any time day or evening, visitors and locals alike enjoy watching the luxurious homes and castles on our flat screen window displays while dreaming which one they will choose when they win the Lottery. Yes, we do deserve to be on the boulevard. We ardently believe that folks should have as much right to shop for a home in the Village as they do for a cup of coffee!

—Joyce Hill, Branch Manager, Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty

Local politics

Re: “Foothills Dems examine gun violence at next meeting” [Volume 6, Issue 7, bit.ly/2bfXZLB]

“Parent touched on the clear divisions in his race against two incumbents, one of which denies that climate change is real, and the other an ardent Trump supporter.”

Really? Councilmember Alessio is neither.

Parent should be told that lying about his opponents will only come back to bite him.

 —Craig Maxwell, via Facebook

Elevating La Mesa pride

On Saturday, Aug. 20, the self-titled Blackton Crew of Vista La Mesa performed a three-hour renovation of some very neglected street corner planting areas along Massachusetts Avenue, south of University. These corners are what are considered grey areas of ownership, caught somewhere between the city’s responsibility and the responsibility of the adjacent homeowner. So rather than debate the issue, we took action removing weeds, dead shrubs and debris to replace it with drought tolerant succulents and landscape mulch.

The reason for initiating the project was mainly because, after living in La Mesa for 14 years, I have become attached to the spirit of the city and wanted to become a part of the upswing that is taking place along its public streets and downtown areas. It’s also fairly evident of the potential of La Mesa and it becoming, as my neighbor likes to put it, “the North Park of the East County.” It felt as though the last part of La Mesa not getting the attention it deserves is Massachusetts and some adjacent streets in the southwest corner of the city. Surprisingly too, because it’s a major through way for residents and tourist alike. And since it is either a first impression or a daily view, we wanted to help make it a good one.

We have a tight group of neighbors on Blackton Drive that are always up for helping each other out and doing what it takes to upgrade the neighborhood, so when it came time to make a change, it wasn’t hard to get the gang together. We even had a generous resident from another part of La Mesa, Karen Gibson, come and help out after seeing the notice put out on the Nextdoor website — a website that has become a great way to get connected with other residents and keep our neighborhood safe. One resident, Joe Hunnefeld, has even been able to set up a new and improved neighborhood watch through the help of Nextdoor. So completing this phase of the Massachusetts cleanup not only elevates the pride of the city, but unites the residents to make it a safer community. We hope that by spreading the word about our group and the good deeds done that others will be motivated to do the same.

Thanks to Sharon Flack and her crew at La Mesa Public Works Department for all the mulch and safety equipment, C & D Auto for providing refreshments and the Blackton Crew and company for all their efforts.

—Jack Sellinger, Blackton Drive, La Mesa