Honoring a remarkable man and leader

Earlier this summer, Poway lost one of its founding fathers and prominent 11-year president of GVCA, Bruce Tarzy, M. D.

Bruce was a tireless leader as one of the creators of Poway’s city charter and became one of the rst elected members of the rst City Council in 1980 where he served two terms with great distinction, including two years as Poway Mayor. Bruce’s nearly 40 years of civic leadership at enumerable city council meetings and committees dedicated to making and keeping Poway our beautiful city can only be appreciated by living here. Bruce was an ardent promoter of parks, roads, and community facilities while always seeking to enhance and preserve the quality of life we all share. He worked to

develop the Poway Performing Arts Center; Hilleary, Valle Verde, and Old Poway Parks; the Poway Community Pool; the Scripps Poway Parkway and Business Park; and access to the city via Twin Peaks Road and Ted Williams Parkway, to name only a few accomplishments. His watchful eye and guiding hand is visible on so many of the projects associated with our city. Bruce is survived by his loving wife Beth and son Ryan.

Thank you, Bruce. We all miss you – your smile, your leadership and your friendship. And for any Poway resident that did not know Bruce, you are living Bruce’s legacy. 

GVCA takes an active role in Poway Chamber of Commerce

We are pleased to announce that the GVCA has joined the Poway Chamber
of Commerce. GVCA board member Anita Edmondson is currently serving as an ex of cio member of the organization’s board of directors representing our association.

Over the last several years, the GVCA has partnered with the Poway Chamber to host candidates forums and we look forward to expanding our relationship with the organi- zation and serving as a voice in the business community.

The mission of the Poway Chamber of Commerce is “to strengthen prosperity for members and the business community by providing leadership, education and advocacy.” GVCA will take an active role in helping the chamber, its board of direc- tors, and members ful ll that mission.

Upcoming chamber activities include “Business Expo 2015” on October 29th and a golf outing in the spring of 2016.

For more information on the chamber, visit www.poway.com. 

President's Message - Winter 2015

“GVCA | Green Valley Civic Association” - What’s in a Name?

When you break it down word for word, “Green Valley Civic Association” holds a lot of meaning – and purpose – for North Poway residents like you:

GREEN VALLEY refers to the northern area of the City of Poway. This name dates back to the 1800s when the area was actively farmed with avocado and citrus orchards and nicknamed “Green Valley” by local ranchers. The area now encompasses over 3,000 homes in the north corner of Poway.

CIVIC engagement or participation “is the encouragement of the general public to become involved
in the political process and the issues that affect them. It is the community coming together to be a collective source of change, political and non-political. Civic engagement is about the right of the people to define the public good, determine the policies by which they will seek the good, and reform or replace institutions that do not serve that good. Civic engagement can also be summarized as a means of working together to make a difference in the civil life of our communities. It means promoting a quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” (Wikipedia.com)

ASSOCIATION is an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure. (Dictionary.com)

Put together, these words truly define the Green Valley Civic Association (GVCA) – a north Poway association of citizens, people like our members, who come together to make a difference in the quality of life in our community. We do not represent a single entity, a specific neighborhood, or one issue, but rather the interests of the whole north Poway community and our members.

To that end, we need YOUR voice, YOUR support, and YOUR civic action to be fully effective. 

GVCA thanks Don Higginson for 28 years of service as Mayor and Councilman

Don Higginson was elected to the Poway City Council in 1986 at a time when our City was still establishing its identity. Clearly the citizens of Poway wanted to retain the rural flavor of the Community, but they also needed leadership to develop priorities for Poway’s future and to use the power of the recently approved Redevelopment Agency and Poway Business Park to help build a strong financial base. They also required leadership that would ensure wise use of Poway’s funds to develop the infrastructure that would make our City more livable. 28 years later, as both Mayor and Councilmember, Don Higginson met those leadership challenges.

Affable and congenial but not flashy or contentious, Don worked hard, often behind the scenes, to help Poway grow while protecting our core values. He was not afraid to take on battles, but preferred diplomacy to confrontation. His votes reflected his view of what he thought was right for the citizens of Poway, and not necessarily because they might make him more popular. Don successfully balanced his Council time with the demands of a being a husband and father and the demands of a busy career.

Don leaves Poway government with a City that is the pride of San Diego County. The GVCA wishes to thank him for his service and hopes that he will continue to find ways to use his talents for the betterment of our Community. 

President's Message - Winter 2014

Does the GVCA make a difference...to you? ...to the community?

I asked myself that as I sat down to write this letter to you. After attending countless city council meetings, community meetings, consultant meetings, reading staff reports to council and consultant reports, and writing letter after letter, I certainly hope we make a difference; after all, that’s our mission. Let’s look back over the years and see...

(For those of you who are not familiar with the GVCA or Green Valley Civic Association, we are a volunteer- based community organization formed in 1960 dedicated to improving the quality of life in north Poway.)

What would Poway look like without the GVCA? We would likely have sprawling high density housing, gas stations and 24-hour convenience stores in our rural neighborhood, military air flight paths overhead, a noisy traffic-congested concert amphitheater, water rates that penalized even the thriftiest users on large properties, cell towers on residential homes, Espola Road developed as a highway, and even an asphalt plant. Well, I’m glad those things did not happen. Our efforts on behalf of, and with the support of, Green Valley resident members thwarted these issues that presented a real threat to our quality of life here.

Has the GVCA been a good steward in the community? We make donations to Poway High School crisis counseling programs and “Grad Nite,” support Little League teams, provide college scholarship opportunities, donate to the Poway Parade, and lead trash cleanup projects with Boy Scouts. So I think we have succeeded; and GVCA is making a difference – a positive difference – that improves the quality of life in our community.

With that said, I feel OK with asking you to join the GVCA. 

Farewell to a friend of the City and GVCA

As you may know, Poway City Manager Penny Riley will be retiring effective January 2014. She will be missed. Penny started with the City as an Intern in the 1980s and served many years under Jim Bowersox,

the City’s long-serving first Manager. Penny shared many of Jim’s strengths, including the ability to appreciate the value of differing positions and how to forge consensus and compromise. Her talents have been part of the reason the City has enjoyed renewed prosperity and a period of relative tranquility despite the ever present efforts of the State to poach local government funds. Her efforts, as well as those of Assistant City Manager Tina White, are largely responsible for the success to date of the Revelopment Successor Oversight Board, in stark contrast to that experienced by other jurisdictions. This success will ultimately yield significant financial returns to our Community.

Penny and the GVCA had an excellent relationship, and we thank her for her always pleasant and candid demeanor. She set a high bar for future Poway City Managers with her obvious love for the City and managerial skill set. We wish her all the best for a well-deserved retirement. 

GVCA Donates $1,000 to Poway High Grad Nite

March 7, 2013 – The Green Valley Civic Association (GVCA) has donated $1,000 to Poway High School for this year’s Grad Nite. “As part of our ongoing efforts to support local youth activities, the GVCA is please to have supported Grad Nite for over 20 years,” said Steven Stone, GVCA President.  The event has taken place since 1989 and offers a fun social event for seniors in a safe, alcohol- and drug-free venue.