Disappointment is the word, after browsing through the first edition of Valley Beat, at least for those of us who were hoping for a weekly that would actually focus on the Valley. So far, I've seen a column about a writer who has just moved back to Van Nuys, some brief notes involving the city of Burbank, the recent letter from local Representative Henry Waxman to the President concerning the use of forged documents to support the war case, and an article about a sexual harrassment case involving the Glendale Police Department (and since when is Glendale considered to be part of the Valley, anyway?) The cover story is actually a good piece, on toxic waste problems at the Rocketdyne facility in Simi Valley, which is in the next county.

The rest of the 63-page weekly consists of stories that were no doubt also published in the sister paper, L.A. City Beat. The club and theatre references are pretty much what you would get in the LA Weekly, which doesn't pretend to care about the world north of Mulholland. The restaurant reviews are of a coffee shop in Hollywood and a couple of Westside pizzerias, and only three establishments listed on the page devoted to recommended eateries are in the 8-1-8. Until they review the Roscoes-of-the-Valley, Casa Vega, I will continue to question its street cred.