ABOUT US

8 April 2006

Table of Contents.

Introduction

     The SCA View-Journal was inaugurated as a e-Journal in November 2003 by Ron Johnson. Originally incarnated as The Sun City Anthem View, we adopted the present name in September 2004. In December 2005, we incorporated as The SCA View-Journal, Inc., a non-profit operating corporation.

     The SCA View-Journal is a community supported effort designed to promote written expression, commentary and the arts by and for the residents of Sun City and Solera, two Del Webb age-qualified communities located in Anthem, City of Henderson, NV. We are chartered by the State if Nevada as a nonprofit corporation under the name, The SCA View-Journal, Inc. Resident content is solicited and welcomed. You may visit our "Invitation to contribute content" page by clicking on this Link: Invitation).

Regarding Site Content. For a quick guide to our site, visit The SCA View Information Sheet. Our content is clearly eclectic, reflecting the interests of the residents and the publisher/editor. In the case of republished articles and book reviews, and for practical reasons, we have decided to acquire only information that is both readily available and at no cost to us. 

     We have been extremely fortunate in the past to have obtained the consent or permission necessary to republish at no cost selected articles from two major national publications, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Daedalus), and from Commentary magazine, a premier journal of conservative opinion. Efforts to obtain similar permission from a non-conservative magazine of opinion have not been as successful. Similar efforts from other periodical publishers have been equally unsuccessful, but we continue to make those efforts.

Editorials and Commentary Articles. Editorials and Commentary articles are typically generated in response to a topic of potential community interest. In presenting such articles, it always has been our primary objective to inform, and in doing so to strive to be as accurate as possible; to highlight important community issues; and, where appropriate or deemed feasible, to attempt to bring about some modicum of change. Past editorials & commentary articles are indexed on their respective menu pages: Editorial Menu   Commentary Menu

     While not adverse to drawing attention to certain sensitive or emotionally charged issues, we also recognize that our aim is not always perfect, and that in the absence of more complete information, we may have misjudged. We believe those occasions are very rare.

     Our view is that the community is not ill but better server by having available diverse opinion on matters affecting the community and, or the Developer. Such dialogue is intended to contribute towards the betterment of our community. It's only when there is a lack of critical discourse that we should be wary and concerned about the state and health of our community.

Why Solera? The primary focus of this site is to foster written expression, commentary and the arts for Sun City's active adult lifestyle. Since the Solera community represents that same lifestyle as Sun City, shares with Sun City the same Developer, and has common concerns and interests, the inclusion of Solera in our target community seemed timely and appropriate.

Community Issues. We have not shied away from expressing our opinion concerning pressing issues, promoting causes, challenging certain actions or inactions, and on occasion providing informative reports. Some of these essays and articles have included the following topics: 

• Actively & financially supported efforts to mitigate helicopter noise up until those efforts had the appearance of promoting the political agenda not of SHOUT but of individuals and protested the failure of SHOUT to accurately communicate with the community.

• Actively supported proposed modifications to the CC&Rs.

• While financially supporting the mission of the Minuteman Foundation, promoted (unsuccessfully) the adoption of preferred or best charitable design practices in the case of the Minuteman Foundation.

• Challenged (unsuccessfully) certain balloting practices as being contrary to existing statutory requirements.

• Promoted continued age-qualified housing by challenging Pulte and the resident leadership Core Group on Anthem Highlands in various venues.

• Communicated with City officials in an effort to help mitigate traffic concerns stemming from Anthem Highlands & Provence.

• Promoted (unsuccessfully) expansion of woefully inadequate library services to attain levels that are commensurate with other Del Webb communities.

• Promoted availability of more budget information, as well as a more open budget process allowing the transmittal of proposed or recommended budgets to the residents.

• Promoted efforts to broaden access to our community-owned Trumpets restaurant, currently unavailable to more than 90% of our residents because of their pricing policies. A "fine" dining experience does not have to mean a very costly or prohibitive dining experience.

• Special reports on Pulte's Hearing before the Planning Commission on Provence; on the use of plastic plumbing pipe in Sun City; on Pulte's Annexation Agreement; and Focus Property Group's development plans.  

Site Problems. If you have a problem on our site or in using our "Sign Up" or "Contact Us" form, please let us know by sending us an e-mail using our auto e-mail Link instead, SEND AN E-MAIL.

Cost of Publication. Aside from the consumption of time, there are some real costs to publishing an e-journal. Fortunately, website costs are understood, acceptable and relatively nominal.

     Interestingly, the nature of non-website costs are not that much different than traditional hard cover magazines--if one is planning to engaged in some type of advertising effort in order to generate additional subscribers. As we have learned, the cost of duplicating advertising flyers, their distribution, and the cost of taking out newspaper ads in locally distributed newspapers are quite costly and expenditures can mount up quickly. As a result, making such efforts on a more than an infrequent basis is difficult to undertake or justify. See Advertising below.  

Special Thanks. We are especially grateful to and want to express our deeply felt thanks to those residents who have and continue to support our efforts in some manner, by providing valued content and, or suggestions, including valued criticisms; by completing our "Sign-Up" form; by telling others about our publication; and by those who have expressed their appreciation for our efforts, even in those instances where we have disagreed.

Donations. In the summer of 2005, we decided to accept donations and sell advertising space to help defray the cost of print media advertising, needed to expand our services to the community. See Donations.   

Advertising. Up until the summer of 2005, we had forgone the opportunity to sell advertising space. However, in order to expand our readership, the sale of advertising space is a necessity to help defray the cost of securing print and related advertising, the cost of which has become a burden we can no longer afford on our own.

Site Statistics. Circulation figures are not too meaningful when it comes to visitors accessing a website. As a result, we do attempt to provide visitor information by posting selected website statistics, which are available here: Statistics

Mentor. I am indebted and very grateful for the opportunity to having worked closely with a certain Sun City resident who by his own demonstrated good works here had given me the inspiration to contribute to our community in this rather unique matter. To my dismay, perhaps to a fault, I am frequently reminded by this person that I should be doing more, thinking to myself that he must consider me to be a very poor student of his and not deserving of his continued attention.

Biography.  Ron & Olga retired and moved here from southern CA in 2001. Ron, a former investigator for the Federal Government, retired with nothing more than the thought of achieving a little peace and tranquility, along with a long life that we all aspire to, health permitting, of course. After all, he thought, his dad and grandfather lived well into their 90s, giving him a fair shot at 25 or more years of restful seclusion nestled in the heart of Sun City.

     But after only a few months here, Ron learned that following his prostatectomy he had an advanced stage of prostate cancer, with a less than desirable outcome. This event accounts for the appearance of that out of place page on our website dealing with the subject of prostate cancer (see Prostate Cancer). While most persons with prostate cancer will actually die from some other natural occurring disease, far too many people are dying because of prostate cancer, for which there is no known cure. For now, though, Ron has no health complaints or problems and is feeling very good. Anyone having a question concerning his experience with prostate cancer is welcome to contact Ron at any time at 617-8172.

     In connection with Pulte's master plan changes for Sun City, Ron became involved in the Facilities Cost Task Force, which helped to define the range of community desired amenities and recommended space allocations in advance of the efforts of the RAC (Recreational Amenities Community). Ron was also active in providing certain support efforts for use by Favil West and the Core Group in that group's negotiations with Del Webb that ultimately led to their memorandum of understanding, i.e., the Agreement.

     In the spring of 2003, Ron was instrumental in the formation of the Anthem Highlands Committee, a group of residents who were highly concerned about the 2002 decision that reduced the size of Sun City from 10,000 homes to bring us Solera and the younger family housing development of Anthem Highlands. Regardless of the reasons we had been given for accepting Pulte's changes to our master plan, that decision was overwhelming viewed by residents surveyed as simply wrong for Sun City. Regrettably, that effort was not destined to succeed.

Permissions and License. Resident contributions and copyrighted materials (articles and images) may not be copied, reproduced, or republished in any manner without the written consent of the author, creator, and/or the publisher. In the case of Editorials, Commentaries and other work on this site, such work is covered by and licensed under a Creative Commons License.   

Contact Us. To contact us about anything, including problems encountered while visiting our site, such as inoperative Links, etc., please visit our Contact Information page: Contact Information Page

Name and Address.

Ron Johnson, Publisher

The SCA View-Journal

2040 Rose Cottage Way

Henderson, NV 89052

Tel: 702-617-8172

E-mail:  Editor  or scaview@cox.net