As we say goodbye to 2010, there is much to reflect on: healthcare reform, the recession, the BP disaster, Wikileaks, the iPad and, closer to home, Uptown’s traffic and mobility issues, LGBT equality, the under-grounding of utility lines, housing the homeless and finding ways to preserve Uptown’s historic character while envisioning future community plans for Hillcrest, North Park and Golden Hill. Here in Uptown we are fortunate to have some of the most engaged and community-minded residents in the country. Though we may not always agree on solutions, this repeatedly demonstrated concern for our neighborhoods will help us tackle these issues and more, assuring Uptown remains one of the most vigorous and desirable zip codes in the nation.

As a publisher, I couldn’t think of a better area in which to produce a community newspaper. Looking around at all Uptown has to offer, from Old Town and Mission Hills to Kensington and Talmadge, it’s easy to see why people are so passionate about their communities. This passion is apparent in each of you, our readers, and reflected in the pages of San Diego Uptown News. Though the economy has taken its toll on us all, I encourage everyone to think locally and patronize our local businesses and services, before looking outside our area. My staff and I want to thank our readers, and especially our advertisers, without whom this newspaper would not exist. It is our advertisers’ commitment
to our community, as well as their faith in our paper as an effective communication tool, that allows us to bring you award-winning news about our community. With your support, Uptown News took top honors, First Place for General Excellence, at the Free Papers of America national conference in Nashville this year.

We hope you have enjoyed reading Uptown News and learning about the issues we face, local businesses and the people who make our community what it is. We encourage your letters to the editor; our opinion page is your platform in which to stimulate a dialogue about our community, and to offer ideas about how we can improve our neighborhoods. May all of you have the happiest of holidays and a prosperous New Year.

—David Mannis