Local News in Brief : Cities Seek Higher Profile
In an effort to attract more large-scale development, a group of San Gabriel Valley cities is considering a marketing project to develop a distinct image for what one official called the “faceless” area.
“It isn’t that there is a bad image; it is that there is no image. It is faceless. It has no personality,” said Ellen Volmert, assistant to the city manager of Baldwin Park.
City officials believe that a lack of image causes the San Gabriel Valley to lose development projects to more distinct economic areas, such as the nearby Inland Empire, the San Fernando Valley and Orange County.
“The issue is lack of visibility,” said West Covina City Manager Herman R. Fast, who has asked more than a dozen cities to contribute $5,000 each this month to a study that would identify an image and develop a strategy to promote the area.
The two largest cities in the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena and Pomona, have declined to participate. But nine others--West Covina, Monrovia, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Baldwin Park, Duarte, El Monte, Irwindale and Glendora--have responded favorably.
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