The craft beer brewing industry has grown enormously in recent years. Not long ago the San Francisco Chronicle published an interactive guide to breweries all over Northern California — more than 250 of them. There are breweries in big cities, little towns, suburbs and other nooks and crannies everywhere. Except here, of course. No, you won’t find a craft brewery anywhere in Arden Arcade. It’s not like we don’t have the population; we are the state’s second largest Census Designated Place (that’s what the US Census calls an unincorporated urbanized area). And it’s not like we don’t have the demographics. Beer is a working man’s libation and for the most part we are a working-class community. Besides, our area has a TON of vacant space in strip malls that could easily be adapted for breweries and brew pubs. So why don’t we have any of these growing, thriving businesses? Could it be that the people we pay at the County to look after our local economy aren’t interested in recruiting small businesses like this? If so, that’s a problem because small businesses are the backbone of a community’s economy. Or are they not having success getting these kinds of businesses to come here because of our community’s, you know, image as a not-cool place? Gee, where did that image come from…excessive low-end land uses like usury loan businesses and discount stores and lack of community identity, maybe? Or perhaps neglected properties like Mike’s Market or the eyesore at El Camino and Kent? How did those problems happen? Why do they continue? The elves here at our little blog think the answer is pretty clear, but they have strict instructions to try to resist saying unkind things about our dear municipal leaders in County Hall. So, instead, they offer this wish for the new year: “In addition to everyone enjoying peace, good health and prosperity in 2019, would someone please ask the brewing industry to locate one of their businesses in Arden Arcade?”