SUN VALLEY : Residents Group Will Be Resurrected

The last time the Sun Valley Residents Assn. met in July, only two people showed up, a disappointing turnout that the group’s president, Jan Liptak, said was an example of the fractured nature of the community.

“After that, I said I was not willing to put that much effort into it,” said Liptak, who complained then that Sun Valley, where she has lived for 17 years, lacked cohesion.

But in the last six months, there have been a few changes, said Liptak, who has since begun working for the United Way in Sun Valley.

“I have a real sense that there’s a core group of leadership beginning to form,” said Liptak, who has decided to resurrect the residents’ association. The first meeting will be March 7 at Sun Valley Park. “I feel there’s a lot of things happening in the community, and the only way to have a voice is to be organized.”

One thing that helped the community was the election of new 7th District City Councilman Richard Alarcon, a native of Sun Valley, Liptak said. “He has put a spotlight on Sun Valley,” she said. But she added that community consciousness also has grown.

“Sun Valley has been discovered,” Liptak said. She pointed to the application for a federal neighborhood initiative program that could mean $16 million to renovate the community, as well as a planned mural project for San Fernando Road to be painted by local children with an artist hired by the community venture council.