Editor:

The holiday season is upon us and I would like to reflect on the year past. The war with Iraq continues and I wish to thank the service people who have served and currently are serving our country so that we remain free.

We lost one of our own this year and it broke our hearts. We had another tragedy - we lost one of our own firefighters - again it broke our hearts. To our police, fire and safety personnel, I wish to thank them for their services.

Brentwood is still a diamond in East County. We continue to grow but at a slower pace than previous years. We have our issues as other cities but attitude and confidence remain strong. Financially as a city we are strong, although we must remain vigilant and watch our economic situation, which I assure you, your City Council is keeping a watchful eye, on a month-to-month basis.

The Highway 4 Bypass is moving along quite rapidly, The Streets of Brentwood are doing likewise. We still must address Highway 4, Vasco Road, American Avenue, all of which affect our everyday life and cannot be ignored. The mayor and council are acutely aware of these major concerns with our citizens.

Brentwood received a national award from Washington, D.C., stating we are in the top 100 cities in the United States of America in which to raise a family.

On a personal note, Pam and I are grandparents of five this year, ages 3 and under. We do have a vested interest in this community and express pride that we can say we live in Brentwood, California.

The mayor and family wish to express our sincere and best wishes for a true and wonderful holiday season. May you be blessed with good health and prosperity for the coming year of 2008. I look forward to serving you and your families. Bless all of you.

Robert (Bob) Taylor

Mayor of Brentwood