One Year Later
A new name, an anniversary, and a special invitation.
Greetings readers!
First, the obvious. I’ve changed the name of this publication. What was once This Little Valley is now Local Hero.
Readers who enjoyed the nineties in Ojai will recognize the name as that of a bookstore formerly located in the downtown arcade. It was the location from which I purchased multiple new editions in the Harry Potter series. (What a time.)
There’s another reason the name Local Hero appeals to me. When I began reporting for the Ojai Valley News in 2016, I quickly realized that my job involved telling the stories of quiet, local heroes. People like the dedicated volunteers who sustain countless community events. The retiree who pledges to do City Hall oversight until he is dead. The Ojai woman who pulled herself out of addiction and homelessness and dedicated her life to helping others do the same.
If you watch the work of community in action — I mean, really watch — there’s a tremendous human drama on display, one that is endlessly interesting to document.
That brings me to my next bit of news: it’s my one-year anniversary! I launched this publication on Sept. 14th, 2023 with a story that focused on the homeless population at City Hall (and a vote to ensure the right to bodily liberty for City of Ojai elephants — seriously).
It’s an interesting story to revisit now that the City provides supportive services (and soon, permanent supportive housing) to campers. One year ago, the camp was populated by 16-25 people (that was according to HELP of Ojai staff). As of August 31, 2024, Ojai Tent Town has 36 residents1 in addition to one dedicated staff member and private security services. The woman I interviewed in that 2023 story no longer lives at City Hall — a lot has changed, indeed.
In addition to covering homelessness over the past year, I’ve profiled the members of the Ojai City Council and candidates for office, tracked local housing developments, investigated the future of Ojai agriculture, and took a few trips into Ojai’s past. I even published a cake recipe. (Take a look at the archives if you have not!)
All of this work was sustained by subscribers, donors, and enthusiastic readers. Thank you for your support. And if you’re not yet a paid subscriber, I invite you to consider it today!
There’s one more thing I want to share — it’s a bit more personal. One of my long-held aspirations is to write a book. It’s a task that my logical brain accepts as doable, but my emotional brain believes to be insurmountable. Author J.R. Moehringer wrote:
“Every book is a miracle,' Bill said. 'Every book represents a moment when someone sat quietly - and that quiet is part of the miracle, make no mistake - and tried to tell the rest of us a story.”
That’s what I see on the shelves of any bookstore.
Anyways — I decided to try and quantify my work over the past year, which includes research, interviews, reporting, writing, then re-writing until acceptable. According to my calculator, all that work amounts to nearly 80,000 published words 😳. Which — according to Google — is the length of a book. That goal now feels a bit more possible.
So, in celebration of the first year of this publication and the beginning of the second, I’d like to invite you to a special happy hour.
Please join me on Monday, September 30th at 6 p.m. at one of my favorite local businesses: the Ojai Valley Brewery!
And finally, one bookkeeping note. If you purchased an annual subscription to this publication, you will receive an email seven days before your subscription auto-renews. To manage your subscription, log in to Substack, go to “Settings,” and then select “Local Hero.”
As always, thank you for being here.
The camp is now closed to new residents, according to City staff and Secural Security.