From the Publisher 101

As we close out what undoubtedly has been a very difficult year, I hear the words of my longtime friend and founder of Country Roads Antiques, Sue Jackson, who often said, “Because Nice Matters.” Without Sue’s encouragement and support, I don’t believe the Plaza Review would exist today. Sue passed away recently (pg. 22), but her legacy lives on.

As we have all struggled to find balance between safety and survival this past year, we’ve often found that nice truly does matter. Just ask the recipients of help and hope from one of Orange’s longest standing charitable organizations, Assistance League of Orange, celebrating 80 years in 2021.

In this edition, you’ll also find stories about risk-takers and responsible parties doing their best to bring peace and happiness to themselves and our community. Whether it be opening a new business offering tasty, fresh foods (pgs. 11-13), safely guiding the City of Orange (pgs. 15-17) or searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s and dementia (pgs. 24-25), we find that our neighbors are driven towards solutions. And solutions are something we can all certainly use more of at this time.

Here at the Plaza Review, we’re thankful to highlight many passionate individuals, who encourage positive outlooks. As Sue’s daughter Brande Jackson writes on page 29, a sign of hope can be as simple as planting a garden or reading a thought-provoking book. Because nice truly does matter, I believe we’ll successfully forge on through these challenging times to emerge a much stronger community.

My hope for the coming year is that we continue to be good neighbors to one another. Enjoy this edition of the Plaza Review, and please support the many featured advertisers, who make this publication possible.

Sincerely,

Mike Escobedo