Let's Get This Party Started!

Susan Heavilin
Oct 13
5 min read

Have you ever wondered where you could go to read about Bonita-Sunnyside news? Where you could read what's happening in surrounding communities, both cities and unincorporated areas?

Sunnyside Common Sense holds the answer to both of those questions. This online "newspaper" may be found on your computer, tablet, cell phone, FaceBook and soon Instagram!

What's the first part of the Sunnyside Common Sense mission?

"The first part of our mission is to inform Sunnyside residents – and surrounding neighbors – of community issues they may not have heard about . . . "

That's on me. This information includes happenings, new places to try, history, people, stories, County info and a range of topics (see the side panel) offered to you Monday through Friday, five days a week.

When did Sunnyside Common Sense first publish?

My first article was written on July 2, 2024 and was titled "Mehl Lawson, Local Celebrity Western Artist."

I've been at it for well over a year. At present count, nearly 800 items have been published in Sunnyside Common Sense. If you're new to the site, there's plenty of information for you to catch up on!

I publish fifteen items a week—three every day, five days a week.

Why was the online newspaper started?

I had received a lot of urging from local residents who knew I had written Coronado Common Sense for five years and wanted me to start a newspaper here in Bonita. I had some great success in Coronado with uniting the community through readership and people joining in community information-sharing. We actually stopped some development projects that didn't benefit the community . . . and we have some of that going on right here, right now, in Bonita.

There was very little news in Bonita. The best one could do would be to hang a banner at Bonita & Otay Lakes Roads or one at Sweetwater & Briarwood Roads to let residents know of upcoming events.

Neighbors are not always alert of issues happening outside their immediate neighborhood or surrounding areas that will affect them. Sunnyside Common Sense is a great way to broaden your awareness.

What's in a name?

Once I decided to start writing again, I chose to stay in the same vein and use Common Sense in the title. I originally was going to write only about Sunnyside news so it was added to the title. But I soon realized that Sunnyside did not stand alone and events in surrounding areas either directly or indirectly had an effect on our community. We may be called Sunnyside Common Sense, but we pay attention to many different communities.

"Up-to-the-minute news for you to use" is self-explanatory.

I wanted the image on the banner to capture the beauty and ruralness of Bonita (Spanish for "pretty" or "beautiful"). What better way to express that then transversing a daisy-covered hillside atop a magnificent steed? This image is courtesy of local realtor Carri Fernandez and her beautiful horse "Diamond".

What are the benefits of an online newspaper?

With the creation of Sunnyside Common Sense, you can read articles five days a week.

There are many ways you can personally use SCS. You can:

Post your club events
Submit articles to share information
Write stories about your favorite interests
Tell us what's going on in your neck of the woods
Send info about an item you know about but would like me to write
Request research be done on a particular issue
Write a "Letter to the Editor" expressing your beliefs on a certain issue
Add comments on items to voice your opinion

Send whatever you wanted published to sunnysidecommonsense@gmail.com. Be sure to write PUBLISH in the subject bar so I know for sure that you want it published. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag before its time! Let me know if you want your name on the item or prefer to go anonymous.

How do I find Sunnyside Common Sense to read it?

Go to our website.

You can receive Sunnyside Common Sense through email if you subscribe. The subscription option is offered at the very bottom of each article page.

The newspaper utilizes a platform called "Wix" so any Wix notifications need to be allowed by the reader in order to receive the subscribed emails. Having problems? Be sure to read "Not Seeing Our Emails?? (How to Fix It)"

Another method is to "bookmark" Sunnyside Common Sense by opening the paper and clicking on [BOOKMARKS] at the top and then [BOOKMARK THIS TAB] and once bookmarked, place it in the [BOOKMARK BAR]. That will place the paper at the top of your screen and you can click on it to go directly to the newspaper to read.

Or you can type sunnysidecommonsense in your browser and find it that way. It usually locates it before I can finish typing "sunny".

What's the second part of the mission?

"The second part of our mission is to stimulate conversation and to allow all a 'voice' to speak with through a community “hands-on” newspaper."

Thats on YOU.

Many residents have already submitted their club events for posting.

Several submitted articles to share information. You can write them yourself or if you're not comfortable as a writer, you may submit topics you'd like looked into or offer up an outline for writing about. I'll take it from there.

How can I join the discussions?

Once you have read an item, you can scroll to the bottom of the article to [WRITE A COMMENT}. Your comment may be an opinion or it might become the beginning of a discussion on the topic with others.

You can use your given name or a "pen name" in the [Username] box of the comment. Next, type in your email (it will not be shown). Then write your comment and tap [Publish].

Please write your comments with respect, as you would talk in your grandmother's home. This is not a place for name calling, abusive words or inappropriate language.

With that said, comments can become the conversation between locals and locals. They can become a bridge with surrounding communities on topics we'd like to share. We have much in common and the [COMMENT] feature allows for the exchange of those ideas.

Planned expansion of Sunnyside Common Sense

After I see the community getting more and more involved by submitting items and writing comments, I plan to move on to the NEXT level.

On that level, I can create short 1-5 question polls. That information will be for all to see and find out what the atmosphere is surrounding different topics.

I will also create a separate page for advertising down the road. No, you will not be subject to pop-up ads. The paper will stay the same.

But you will be able to click on another page that lists all kinds of vendors such as home repair, car detailing, restaurants, housekeeping, bee removers, window installers, car mechanics, home solar installers, pet grooming, web designers, bookkeeping services...you get the idea...the sky's the limit!

You may advertise your own business to our Sunnyside Common Sense readers.

This will happen when I reach a predetermined reader mark and we are approaching that number fast!