RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA : A Community Turns the Page

Like the community it serves, the El Campanero newsletter has grown dramatically in recent years.

In 1988, it started as a six-page publication sent to 3,000 homes. Its most recent edition weighed in at 20 pages that will be read by 9,000 households.

But the surest sign that the newsletter has come of age: An El Campanero salad now graces the menu of Hautte Caffe, a popular Rancho Santa Margarita coffeehouse.

“Just like this community has gradually grown bigger, so has the El Campanero,” said Jack Wynns, the newsletter editor who oversees a staff of 20 volunteers. “Everyone I talk to sees us as a reflection of the community.”

As the developers of the planned community envisioned, the people who live in Rancho Santa Margarita are trying to mold themselves into a village of neighborhoods where everyone knows each other.

Stories in the El Campanero try to express that sense of community.

In the most recent edition, one unsigned article told the first-person story of a mother with non-Hodgkins lymphoma whose neighbors stepped up to provide meals, new clothing and constant attention for the troubled family.

The newsletter urges citizen participation and thoughtfully reflects on the personality of Rancho Santa Margarita through stories on “What the Library Means to the Community” and the “Urban Village.”

“What we’re really doing is developing a real close-knit community where people know and help each other,” Wynns said.

“People feel a sense of belong to this community that is a little bit unusual. . . . What the El Campanero is trying to do is demonstrate that spirit of community.”