In the winter of 1968, Venetians began reading the Beachhead, and they haven’t stopped since. The first issue contained articles by Jane Gordon, John Haag, Phil Chamberlin, Carol Fondiller and Rick Davidson. All of them were to play a crucial role in shaping the Venice we know and love.

An editorial on the front page proudly proclaimed “This paper is a poem.” (see below). And so it is. The paper has also been a guardian of the community, sounding an alarm against overdevelopment, Threats to our free spirited life styles, unfair treatment of the poor and minority groups, and destruction of our homes and buildings.

This month we sound the alarm about more cell towers in the heart of Venice, the Melroseization of Abbot Kinney Blvd., mobile homes being torn away from their owners, and more.

At the same time we celebrate Venice’s progressive spirit as revealed in November’s election outcome, the creative spirit of our poetry, paintings and photography, and our support for a monument in Venice to the suffering of Japanese-Americans who were put in camps in World War II.

We, the current collective of the Beachhead, thank you for your steadfast support over the years. We look forward to many more years of being an essential part of our wonderful community.