Perhaps Vallejo was doomed from the start. Way back in the day when General Vallejo was trying to put this city on the map, he had grand plans to build a real city complete with a penitentiary and insane asylum. When it was time for legislators to convene for a meeting, their building wasn’t even complete and they moved the meeting to Sacramento. One missed opportunity after another kept Vallejo out of the major decisions for Nothern California and Benicia became the state capitol, when that designation was once that of Vallejo’s. It seems grand plans paired with inaction had spelled disaster for this city.

The city’s decision makers hands are cuffed together, much like that of a chain gang. The question is, who has the key, or who has the guts to break free, grab a saw and make a run for it?

I truly admire the spirit of those residents devoted to making a life in this city. My neighbors hadn’t been in Vallejo for a month before their car was stolen, and more recently they were hit again for goods located inside their home. I see business owners come and go on Georgia street, but there are a dedicated few who are not only determined to stay, but keep finding innovative ways to make downtown a better place.

One of the greatest assets Vallejo does have is the farmer’s market that takes place every Saturday morning and lasts through early afternoon. We may not have an organic market located in a storefront, but one stroll down Georgia street during the farmers market will make you forget that we actually need one. Fresh vegetables, fruit, seafood, flowers, plants are abundant. Sometimes you can find beautiful jewelry, clothing, purses, blankets, and rugs at a great price. The market it situated between Sonoma Boulevard and Contra Costa Street. Many stores are open for business, and when the economy was stronger, this was a great place to spend some time shopping the antique stores and boutiques. I still don’t quite understand why a greater effort hasn’t been made to extend the market down to the ferry building. Just about any traveler would be happy to be able to pick up a few fresh fruits and vegetables before returning home. And why just Saturday? If the city wanted to really wake people up, this farmer’s market should last the entire weekend. I just don’t understand. To take it even a step further, I think it would even be worthwhile to place a greater emphasis on arts and crafts for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. I’m well aware of the difficulty in creating awareness of events located downtown, but that’s all the more reason to get started now so that when we come into greater economic times, we will already have the momentum in place to carry the presence forward. A low fee, say $5 - $10 could be charged to participate with strict participation guidelines. Once the event is marketed and well attended, the fees could gradually increase.

General Vallejo would roll over in his grave.

I imagine if General Vallejo could look into the future he would imagine a great namesake city. After all, he had initially planned to invest $370,000 into building up this city, one that would be known for innovation and beauty. I too, had imagined a city with so much to offer on its way up shortly after I moved in. I had completely bought into the notion of Vallejo’s downtown turning into a hotspot, so I invested and waited for the city to deliver on all of its promises for a better tomorrow.

I started to realize that something was wrong after I started promoting my first book during the city’s annual Wednesday night celebration. The first year went by without incident and even managed to turn a nice profit. The following year, however, brought an interesting element -- the newcomers versus the teenagers who lived downtown. Many of the newcomers were affluent (at least many thought they were) people from neighboring counties, looking to turn Vallejo into the next Sausalito. The only problem was, well magnificently large and looming apartment building nearby that housed many of our city’s lower income residents. The teenagers that lived there wanted to join in on the festivities alongside the newcomers in true teenage fashion, and the newcomers decided that they were having none of it. The end result was a disaster. The police chased rowdy teenagers up and down the street, and a chain link fence was erected to keep the undesirables at bay. No one was happy or getting what they wanted and that summer changed the otherwise very enjoyable Wednesday night celebration forever.

The first impulse might be to blame the teenagers, but what kind of city allows itself to be run over by the group of citizens who can neither vote nor purchase liquor? No, I think Vallejo suffers from low self-esteem. Can a city have low self-esteem? Yes, and that city is located in California, and goes by the name Vallejo.