Cruising around the Internet one night I came across some old time pictures of my hometown Chicago, Illinois. My mom and dad, sister Annette and I ,as one and a half year old, move here in late 61’ into to live with my grand parents in Burbank Annette and J. Glenn Orr, went on to buy the family home in Sun Valley in 62’. Years later I became a Real Estate and Loan Broker in the area, which has lasted 34 years and have so many fond memories like all of us.

Wow! Sun Valley, what a place to grow up! Swimming in the clear clean waters of Hansen Dam, riding horses and dirt bikes, playing on the streets with no traffic, unsightly structures, or vicious dogs, and we had endless front yards with no fences that seemed to stretch out like a giant golf course of green grass that I swore reached the horizon.

As I looked at the pictures of my family in Chicago, I moved on to some old photos of the 5th largest city in America called Motor City Detroit, Michigan. These pictures, however, have a past and present photo which is side by side for comparison. What happened? Today Detroit looks like Tokyo after the aerial firebombing campaigns of WWII. In my opinion, corrupt politicians, unions, and corporations broke the back of Americas greatest manufacturing city. It is ironic that since 61′ every elected politician in Detroit has been a Democrat with a progressive and liberal agenda of socializing and creating thousands of handout programs that people have taken totally advantage of.

These decisions have lead to a generational stagnation of education, health care, manufacturing, and social behaviors. Detroit should just be mowed down, and started all over, but that will never happen.

So, you say ‘Jesse’ what does this have to do with Sun Valley, and Los Angeles?

Simple, “I say have you really taken the time to look at Sun Valley, and Los Angeles closely?” The fond memories I have of Sun Valley are all gone. The memories today’s kids will have of Sun Valley are gangs, crime, graffiti, pimps, prostitution, adult and juvenile human sex trafficking, schools that look like prisons, destroyed streets, trash everywhere, homeless infested parks, human defecation in the alleys, marijuana stores, vacant houses filled full of low life transients, and have you been to Hansen Dam lately? It is ironic that Sun Valley, and Los Angeles, like California is 90% run by Democrats, unions, and giant corporations. Does this not remind you of what happened to Detroit? (Google Detroit Pictures Past and Present)

We now have new politicians all over the scene, so, lets see if it is business as usually. I can only hope and pray that Detroit is not our future. I think I better hope and pray a lot more than I have, for that not to happen here.

Editor’s Note: Mr. Torrero is a long time community activist and member of Foothill CPAB who is instrumental in cleaning up problemantic San Fernando Road Corridor. Visit” www.jessetorrero.net, facebook.com/JesseTorreroBroker, winwinwininc@yahoo.com