They were compelled to move to Southern California. In considering communities to put down roots, they looked at air quality maps and found that the Santa Clarita Valley stood out for having cleaner air than many other parts of the region.
Nayelli Gonzalez, 44, and her husband, Peter O’Brien, 46, were also drawn to Valencia by FivePoint because it aligned with their values of environmental consciousness and sustainability.
“It’s something that we’re not only passionate about, but we really feel is part of our purpose,” Gonzalez said during a recent telephone interview. “This community just called to us.”
Gonzalez was born in Los Angeles and spent her childhood moving to different places throughout Southern California.
After high school, she attended Boston University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and history. She later pursued graduate studies in the Bay Area, ultimately earning her master’s of business administration from Presidio Graduate School.
Gonzalez’s parents came to America in search of a better life, a life they worked hard to achieve. Grateful for those opportunities, they taught their daughter from a young age the importance of giving back and serving the community.
“I’ve always gravitated toward career paths that are about helping other people and just being of service,” Gonzalez said. “I eventually decided to get an MBA focused on sustainability and sustainable management, and since then, I’ve been working in the sustainability and social impact sectors, which are really focused on how we can … bring resources together as communities to enrich people and the planet.”
O’Brien was born and raised in Davis, California. As a kid, he rode his bike everywhere. That bike, he said, wasn’t just the customary kid’s way of getting around. It also served as a clean, low-impact and sustainable mode of transportation. He was aware of that even in the early years.
After high school, O’Brien went to Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, and received a degree in philosophy and world perspectives. He then served in the Peace Corps and went on to work for a nonprofit.
“I wanted to find how I could make my contribution and make the world a better place,” he said during a separate telephone interview.
Inspired by the founder of the nonprofit who became a mentor, O’Brien went on to get his MBA at Cornell University, which included a focus on Sustainable Global Enterprise.
He’d then go on to work in the “clean tech” world — solar energy and eventually the battery storage business. He said he feels batteries are the enablers of cleaner energy.
Gonzalez and O’Brien met, naturally enough, at a renewable energy networking event in San Francisco. They got married, and in 2018 they had a daughter, carving out a life in the Bay Area.
In 2021, the family was hit with some scary news.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Gonzalez said. “We decided to move down to Southern California during that time to be around my family, who offered support while I underwent that treatment.”
That support included childcare for their young daughter.
Moving to Southern California was initially a temporary move while Gonzalez received treatment, which she underwent for about a year and a half. They lived in Diamond Bar at the time.
According to her husband, it was then that Gonzalez really became more conscientious about a clean environment and other aspects of health and awareness.
“She was already pretty attuned to healthy eating and other things like that, but this just made her hyper aware. Ever since, we’ve been super diligent about every aspect of our life … (W)e were at level nine before, and this took us to level 11 like in ‘This Is Spinal Tap,’” he said, referencing a famous scene in the 1984 film in which a guitar amplifier goes past 10 to 11 to symbolize going all out.
To them, part of going all out meant going all in on a very specific place to live. After her bout with cancer, Gonzalez and O’Brien decided they wanted to stay in Southern California, but they wanted a community that was health-conscientious and environmentally friendly.
Gonzalez discovered Valencia by FivePoint. She loved the community’s focus on achieving net zero emissions of greenhouse gases and living sustainably, something she really hadn’t seen in other communities.
Valencia by FivePoint representatives have shared their sustainability goals with the community in the past. One particularly impactful measure from a conservation standpoint includes designating approximately 10,000 acres of land — equivalent to more than twice the size of Griffith Park — as permanently protected open space.
Homes are built with energy-efficient materials and appliances, solar power and Level 2 electric vehicle chargers in every garage.
There’s also a growing trail network for golf cart-like neighborhood electric vehicles and e-bikes that members of the community can use on those trails — and a growing number of electric-vehicle charging stations within public and commercial areas in the community.
Through a transportation program called ValenciaGO, homeowners are also eligible to apply to receive subsidy reimbursements to put toward the purchase of an eco-friendly mode of transportation.
Gonzalez shared all of these features with her husband. That prompted them to visit, tour homes and speak with a few people about the area. It was just what they were looking for. Even better, they said they could afford it.
In the summer of 2022, they bought a home there. A few of the key factors that appealed to their needs included the community garden, solar living and the way the developers designed the community around the native landscaping.
Additionally, the couple was attracted to what they called the “really great schools” in the area.
“We have a young daughter, and the community here is very family oriented,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve spent a lot of time living in big cities — and I love cities — but I feel like where I am in my life right now, it’s really nice to be somewhere where it’s a little bit more family focused.”
O’Brien said he appreciates that the area feels safe enough for their daughter to play freely outside. He also values the strong sense of community and the cleanliness of the neighborhood, adding that the family even has a backyard garden, which he’s particularly proud of.
O’Brien also loves that the area offers alternate modes of transportation and ways to get around.
“I appreciate the bus line and trying to boost ridership to get people out of their cars,” he said. “The paseos and the two Metrolink stations also made me feel an instant appreciation for the thoughtful development of the area. I enjoy riding the train and try to take Metrolink instead of driving whenever I can.”
Another thing Gonzalez and O’Brien appreciate about the Valencia by FivePoint community is the way residents have come together to form clubs and social groups.
In fact, it inspired them to start a group of their own.
“There’s a garden club that we’re part of, and there’s a hiking club,” Gonzalez said. “And so, we decided, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to start a club that focuses on the sustainability aspects of our community, but also helps advance some of those sustainability initiatives?’”
Thus, the Sustainability Club was born. According to the couple, it’s still fairly new, but it’s open to like-minded people in the community who value environmental stewardship and conscious living.
“We welcome everyone,” Gonzalez said. “Our main goal is to build community and learn together, take meaningful action, and make sustainability feel approachable and empowering for all.”
Four years ago, Gonzalez’s health crisis brought her and her family to Southern California and ultimately to Valencia by FivePoint. That coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Gonzalez drew meaning from that.
Her personal life was turning upside down at the same time the world felt like it was falling apart.
“Since we’ve been in Southern California, it’s been a time of rebuilding and restoration,” she said. “I feel like that’s where we are in the world. Everyone — not just me — is just trying to make sense of things going on, but also … feeling a sense of empowerment that we, as individuals, can take part and help to rebuild in a way that’s in the spirit of kindness and compassion, to build a place like in this community where people can really live happily and thrive.”
Community Inspired is an advertorial series focusing on people who are strengthening our community and essential to the future of the Santa Clarita Valley. The monthly series — and accompanying podcast — is presented by Valencia by FivePoint.
