Melissa Phy, Patch Staff

Email: melissa.phy@patch.com

Phone: N/A

Hometowns: I was born in Upland, CA and taken home to neighboring city Ontario. When little brother came along, the family moved to Fontana, which is mostly known for tract housing and the home of the California Speedway. San Diego has had my heart since I moved here in 2005 for college.

Birthday: Feb. 14 (yes, yes, I know. How sweet!)

Melissa Phy was born and raised a Southern California girl. She moved to San Diego in 2005 to attend San Diego State University, where she received her bachelor's degree in Journalism in 2009. She minored in English due to her love of the written word and focused on fiction. After graduating, Melissa searched high and low for a journalism job. One year later, Coronado Patch contacted her and offered her a freelance gig.

One year after that, Melissa took over as the regional calendar editor for San Diego Patches, writing about local fundraisers, art galleries, restaurants and the like. She was the girl to go to if you needed to know what was happening in San Diego. In 2012,

Melissa took over Ramona Patch after former editor Julie Pendray moved to Sonoma Patch.

A self-proclaimed foodie, Melissa enjoys eating out, farmers markets, lots of cooking, and, of course, writing about it weekly on her online food blog. She can be found in the kitchen most nights with her favorite music on and a pot of something that smells like heaven. Melissa also really loves to play the guitar and if she could fit a piano in her tiny apartment, she'd love playing that, too.

Beliefs: At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible and human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal certain key beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for our editors to inject these beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will force us to be ever mindful to write, report, and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you, the user, ever think you see evidence that we failed in this mission, we wholeheartedly invite you to let us know.

RELIGION

How religious would you consider yourself? (Ie, casual, observant, devout, non-religious). I was raised as a Lutheran and went to Christian school from Pre-school to 12th grade. I feel lucky to have grown up in such a loving environment, but even more lucky to have been able to branch out and see what else is out in the world. I don't go to church every Sunday, but definitely feel blessed in life. I believe in acceptance and love.

Do you identify with a certain religion? If so, which one? I call myself a Lutheran because I was raised as such and know the most about it. Religion of all kinds is a favorite topic of mine.

LOCAL HOT-BUTTON ISSUES

What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?

In my short time here in Ramona, I've learned that planning and water are the hot-button issues of the town. Rural character is important to the residents and new housing developments are, for the most part, frowned upon. But there are plenty of people that want more development and recognition for Ramona. As far as water goes, it is, in some ways, connected to planning. The more development, the more water needed, which could raise rates.

It's also important to figure out how to get water efficiently to Ramona, since it must be pumped up from Poway. The new plan for utilizing natural gas to fuel the pump station is an interesting one, since it will allow for water pumping even during a blackout.