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News Articles
Sun Valley Push Is a Start for Neglected Area
By Business Journal Editor, Jason Schnaff
Nearly two years ago, the Business Journal published a story outlining plans by Sun Valley businesses to improve their image and put greater focus on improving life in what is largely an industrial community. It was a PR campaign of sorts that they began. But it seems that it grew into more than that.
A group called Sun Valley Beautiful was formed, an offshoot of the local chamber of commerce. Its mission has been to focus attention on the environment and quality of life of residents there in light of the fact that Sun Valley isn't known as one of the more pretty parts of the Valley with all its heavy industrial, recycling and landfill sites.
Many of these sites have been there for years. But so-called "environmental justice" is a catch-phrase that has become very important these days and businesses must spend some time and money paying attention to it.
Waste Management has led the way in the business sector with the all-important financing that is necessary to pull off this campaign. It has given two dozen neighborhood beautification grants of $1,000 each for local clean-up projects. There's a project to install a welcome sign to Sun Valley and to improve medians. It took just two weeks to raise $10,000 for that. Waste Management, Vulcan Materials, Sun Valley Paper Stock, Industrial Metal Supply as well as the Rotary Club of Sun Valley each committed $1,000 and local business owner Arthur Sweet came through with a matching grant of $5,000.
There have been expos and forums focusing on the environment as well. Councilman Tony Cardenas has been active in getting the area designated as an Environmental Justice Improvement Area.
Residents of Sun Valley have been ignored for too long as their community has been used as a virtual dumping ground by business. Needless to say, still half the community is still cynical about the companies' recent efforts for cleanup. Will it last and is it enough?
Those are great questions.
As one of the leaders in the cleanup effort put it:
"Sun Valley has not been treated the way it should," said Doug Corcoran of Waste Management.
Business Journal Editor Jason Schaff can be reached at (818) 316-3125 or at jschaff@sfvbj.com
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