Willow Glen Resident
News
Photograph by Vicki Thompson
Joe Guerra, the founder of the Willow Glen Resident, stands in front of the building where the newspaper was first published, which also happens to be the same building the original Willow Glen Resident was published out of in the 1950s.
20 years ago, Guerra founded the Resident
By Emilie Crofton
Twenty years ago Joe Guerra took a chance. A Realtor with no journalism experience, Guerra started the Willow Glen Resident, a small community paper that today has become an essential part of the community.
The Willow Glen native was spurred by others in the community who saw the newspaper as an important way for local businesses and residents to stay connected.
The seeds were planted in the late 1980s when Phil Keller, who co-owns House of Nutrition with his wife Monika, wanted Willow Glen to have a newspaper that addressed local issues and allowed local merchants affordable and effective advertising.
"At the time Willow Glen was dealing with a lot of land-use issues," former Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president Joan Doss says. "The neighborhood needed a paper to be cognizant of this."
As past president of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association and the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, Keller thought Guerra would be the perfect choice.
"Joe was hardworking, dedicated and mature beyond his years," Keller says. "He had such enormous public spirit."
At first Guerra refused. Two Willow Glen papers had started and failed in the 1980s, according to Guerra. The second, The Willow Glen Town Crier, operated for six months in1985 before the publisher disappeared with the funds, leaving some merchants and residents skeptical, he says.
But Guerra finally agreed. He knew everyone and was already attending community meetings and events. He figured it wouldn't be too difficult to type up his notes.
"I passed the major requirement," Guerra says. "They knew I wasn't going to take off with their money."
Guerra says he found an issue of an old paper, the Willow Glen Resident, which dated back to 1954. The paper's address was the same as his office at the time. He thought it was too much of a coincidence and named the new paper after it.
He hired Copy Ink, a now-defunct printing and copying business, and the paper began as a monthly, with the first issue published on Oct. 28, 1987.
Although he still ran his real estate business, Guerra immersed himself in the paper.
"He worked harder for Willow Glen and San Jose, for free, than he did on his own business," Keller says.
Guerra says he couldn't have done it without Terri Oropeza, who showed him how to handle the layouts. After a year, Guerra was able to control all aspects of the paper.
"I saw the paper as a community asset and not necessarily a financial venture," says Guerra, who now lives in the Rose Garden.
Although Guerra was technically the only full-time employee, He stresses that the paper's success was "community driven."
Neighborhood association members would let Guerra know about what was happening in the community, and a number of residents, including high school students, wrote articles for free.
Keller and Guerra say in the beginning the paper was a real gamble. No one knew whether it would succeed. Today it has become a viable source of information on local issues in the Willow Glen community.
"When Joe first started, the paper was an adventure every time it went to press," Keller says. "Today it has become an institution."
In 1992, Guerra sold the 5-year-old newspaper to Dan Pulcrano and David Cohen, and it was turned into a weekly.
"Before, neighbors were always wondering, 'Is the paper going to come this month?' " Guerra says. "Today there is never any doubt about the Resident being in your driveway. David has done an exceptional job of growing the business so that it's very stable."
After the sale
Guerra stayed with the Willow Glen Resident part time for a year as the newspaper transitioned through the change of ownership. Guerra is pleased with the paper's continued success, and he says publishing a newspaper served as a valuable experience when he entered political life.
"I had to provide balanced coverage and was forced to look at both sides of controversial issues," Guerra says. "This helped me tremendously when I was working for the city."
He served as chief of staff for San Jose City Councilman Frank Fiscalini. When Fiscalini retired Guerra moved into the role of top budget aide for former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales. He served in this capacity for eight years.
He became embroiled in controversy in 2005.
Gonzales, along with Guerra and the garbage hauling company NorCal Waste Systems, were indicted by the Santa Clara County grand jury for alleged backroom negotiations for a city garbage contract. The seven-count indictment was thrown out by a Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge in June.
"It's a very significant relief," Guerra says.
Those who know Guerra say it is disappointing that Guerra's great contributions to the city have been overlooked.
"It's a shame; all the good Joe has done seems to have been forgotten," Keller says.
Today Guerra does land acquisitions and real estate development activities for SunCal Companies. He continues to be an active and supportive member of the community. During his free time, he can be found on the courts at Archbishop Mitty High School, where for the past six years he has been the assistant varsity coach for the women's basketball team. (The author of this article played on Mitty's basketball team under Guerra's coaching.)
Guerra is happy to be out of the public's eye.
"I'm loving not being in under the microscope and not having to talk to reporters on a regular basis," Guerra says. "It's great not being in the public sector."
As for the newspaper business, Guerra says that even with all the troubles facing the industry, community papers like the Resident should survive.
"You can't find that kind of information on the Internet," he says. "It's got to be the central most important institution in Willow Glen. If you took it away there'd be a huge hole right now."
