Michael and Karen Villalpando, publishers

In 1946, a group of local residents of the newly built Park Labrea complex decided that they needed a local newsletter for the community … And just like that, the Park Labrea News was born.

It started out as a four-page, typewritten newsletter that was run off on a mimeograph machine and distributed monthly to residents and local merchants. In the 1950s and ’60s, the Park Labrea News converted to a bimonthly and expanded circulation to about 1,500. The paper was delivered to residents in Park Labrea and the 90036 zip code, including the Beverly-Fairfax area anchored by the Original Farmers Market. The 1970s and ’80s saw further development in the Beverly-Wilshire, Fairfax and Miracle Mile communities, including the expansion of LACMA, the opening of the Craft and Folk Art Museum and the debut of the Beverly Center shopping mall, to name a few.

In 1990, as a young and newly married couple, we took a huge risk and a leap of faith and mortgaged our house to buy this newspaper. We worked long hours – sometimes overnight – to get out a 16-page newspaper, twice a month. Thankfully, we navigated our way to become good at it. Within 6 months, we converted the paper to a weekly, and 6 months after that we dramatically expanded circulation into West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, and Hancock Park with the launch of the Beverly Press. We redoubled our journalistic efforts over the next few years and added new columnists and features and expanded our coverage area. In 2016, we stretched our news legs once again and added Beverly Hills and Bel-Air to our circulation area. Today, we deliver late-breaking news through our state-of-the-art website in addition to our weekly home delivered paper with our media partners, the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper has marched on through prosperous and lean times, through joyful celebrations and a global pandemic. One thing that has remained is your unwavering support. The Beverly Press and Park Labrea News have continued to succeed because of YOU, our readers, who have supported this local newspaper since 1946. Its legacy lives on because you see the value in having a local voice.

And to our staff, all top professionals, we are grateful for your dedication and your determination to gather the news and ensure its accuracy. Thank you.

Being only the third publishers of this 75- year-old community beacon, it is the honor of our life to be the caretakers of this public trust. Besides our children, now adults, running this newspaper has been our proudest achievement. We hope you enjoy the 75th anniversary edition, “Our People Our Places.” We look forward to continuing the legacy of your local newspaper for the next 75 years.