KPIX 5 Weathercast Strikes Chord With Vallejo Residents
VALLEJO (KPIX 5) -- Residents in Vallejo are buzzing after KPIX 5 meteorologist referred to the beauty of the Solano County community in a recent weathercast.
Sometimes big things can come from the smallest gesture.
On Saturday's newscast, KPIX 5 meteorologist Brian Hackney said, "and in beautiful downtown Vallejo, 75."
His remark inflamed the passions of an entire community. Brian was flooded with emails from people not used to hearing anything good about their city.
"I said send him a thank you, and I guess a lot of people did," said Anzell Loufas of Vallejo.
Loufas put the request on social media. She lives in a magnificent Victorian home in an area called the Heritage District. It's not the kind of thing the public ever sees when the media show up for the latest crime story.
"They believe the town does get a poor reputation within the media, but they're very proud of the accomplishments the city has made," said Vallejo City Councilman Robert McConnell.
"When you mention you live in Vallejo you get, oh, what about the crime? What about, there's no policemen there?" said JoAnn Wray of Vallejo.
Vallejo has had persistent problems with crime and budget cuts, but they are making real progress. A downtown decimated by the recession is showing signs of life. A renovated theatre offers live music and storefronts are being revived by artists fleeing the high rents of other Bay Area cities.
"We're doing what we do no matter what anybody says. But when you get a pat on the back or a little bit of recognition, like anybody else, you say, wow that was really nice," said Erin Bakki, a downtown art activist.
And while it's important to feel good about yourself, it's nice to hear it from someone else as well.
