Image not recovered5thAnniversary-150x150.jpg
It was 5 years ago this November that we started the West Ranch Beacon site. It wasn’t hard to do and I immediately put up several pieces that I had written for the local paper including the one that they won’t print. That, of course, was the very reason that the site started!

 “Oh, the joy you have caused in five years;” my wife said.

Yep, there have been some hair raising, fact filled, blunt commentaries and stories published right here on a weekly basis. We have broken stories right here which other media outlets have had to play catch up on. You can count on The Beacon for having the real facts unlike other SCV media outlets which regularly publish misinformed and misquoted articles often times lacking in accurate facts. 

To the contrary, this site has become a place where you’ll find stories and topics discussed regularly that you won’t find anywhere else. It is information that some folks don’t want you to know and insights that have downright pissed off a few in the local politico. Certainly the threats I’ve received can attest to that!!!

Several years ago when we upgraded The Beacon from a simple blog to an interactive news and commentary website I wrote; “One thing for sure, we will keep posting reliable information and commentary on this site. Simply put, there is a need and we care about our community. The West Ranch Beacon is beholden to no one; we only want to see our community as a whole be informed and determine its own destination. The truth is that that scares the heck out of an awful lot of people in the Santa Clarita Valley!”

Well that statement still holds true; it’s our guiding principle, we are still beholden to no one. Our commentaries and opinions are not dictated by advertisers like you’ll find elsewhere in the Santa Clarita Valley. Some advertisers have expressed concerns about a commentary or story but we have remained vigilant in our stance to expose the truth and write about relevant issues regardless of how some may think or who gets upset.

But the site is not a one-man-operation, it is a group effort! We could not be publishing daily without a dedicated group of talented associates writing, posting and handling the technical aspects of this site. And after 5 years we have a quite a group supporting this operation including our talented writing staff of Chris Sharp doing his weekly A Sharp View column; Eve Bushman and her Eve’s Wine 101; Scott Wilk and his daily political roundup column and John Boston who does his Boston Report and the Time Ranger columns. I also want to thank County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich for his quarterly updates on the Santa Clarita Valley exclusively for The Beacon.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and thank the many guest commentators and contributors including; Simon Weston, Patti Rasmussen, David Gauny, Roger Gitlin, Ron Mechsner, and Nota FerryFan. All of whom have brought unique perspectives to this publication over the last several years.

Handling logistics is Nick Sommers our technical guru who is responsible for keeping our site looking so sharp and making necessary changes promptly. Nancy, my wife, handles much of the publishing duties especially when I am traveling. Who do you think gets those “Post Cards” up so quickly or the breaking news stories! It is truly a group effort!

The site continues to grow and evolve which has made it a lot of fun; we’re not standing still. We just roll with it as the site has taken on a life of its own. There is even some Royalty being added to the site this week with the addition of Count Sauguslavsky, the well respected local columnist who is coming out of retirement to write for The Beacon.

And there is much more to come in the months ahead! We will endeavor to expand the West Ranch Beacon in an organic way by listening to our readers and by continuing to follow our moral compass. It is through presenting thorough, factual information that wrongs will be righted or least it will be exposed to the light of truth.  

Finally, none of this could have or would have happened without you, our readers, supporters and informants, who have responded overwhelmingly with comments and emails on a daily basis. You have made The Beacon one of the most read and talked about sites here in the Santa Clarita Valley. For that we thank you and hope that you will continue to enjoy, engage, inform and be informed by our site.

Here is to the next five years!!!

Dave Bossert- Commentary

Dave Bossert is a community volunteer who serves on a number of boards and councils. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.