It's a long way to the top, if you wanna rock ’n’ roll (or do journalism).
The theme for this issue of The Newsletter is incremental progress, told in two stories below.
The first is a blog post about new features we’ve recently rolled out on California Local—small improvements we hope enhance your experience.
The second is a Q&A with the co-founder of a “tiny newsroom” (and member of the California Local Media Alliance) who is using new tools to do old-fashioned accountability journalism.
Santa Cruz Local (no relation) started in 2019, and co-founder Kara Meyberg Guzman describes here the experience of starting a newsroom, surviving the pandemic, and now expanding.
California Local New Features
Our motto is Discover > Connect > Act, but with thousands of articles and government and community group directory listings in our database, and more being added every day, discovery of information and resources can be difficult, and connection less than convenient.
The good news is, we’ve been working on that.
Q&A With a Local Tiny Newsroom Founder
We’re privileged to work with a lot of local newsrooms, and going forward, we’re going to be spotlighting some of our fellow local journalists and the amazing work they do in communities across the state.
I recently interviewed Kara Meyberg Guzman, co-founder of a tiny newsroom named Santa Cruz Local in my home town on the Central California Coast. I’ve gushed about them before, and the Q&A below illuminates the effort and commitment to public service required to, in their words, “hold public officials to account.”
Get to Know a Group
Big Brother Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported mentorship. The chapter serves Sacramento and Yolo counties, as well as southern Placer County.
→ Learn more
• Superintendent Denounces Bomb Threats
Davis Joint Unified School District Superintendent Matt Best sent a letter to families, staff and students on Monday following yet another bomb threat laced with anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric.
(09/25/2023) → Davis Vanguard
• Davis Council Wants to Evaluate Denser Option for Village
Councilmember Bapu Vaitla pulled the consent item on the EIR contract for Village Farms to discuss additional evaluations of a more dense alternative. Councilmember Vaitla noted that there are seven alternative project alternative scenarios that are considered eventually in the scope of services.
(09/19/2023) → Davis Vanguard
• Rancho Cordova Council Picks Map for District Elections
The council unanimously voted for the map creating five districts and is scheduled to officially adopt its new election system on Oct. 2. Three councilmembers will live in the same district; if they all decide to run in District 4 next fall, only one can win.
(09/19/2023) → CapPublicRadio
• Want a Piece of the Warriors? 10 Percent Ownership Stake Reportedly Up for Sale
The $700 million price tag sets a $7 billion mark that would make the Warriors one of the world’s most valuable sports teams.
(09/22/2023) → Daily Democrat
• Construction Around California Capitol Can Finally Start
Work on a new annex, visitors center and underground parking garage can legally begin after the state issued a final, court-ordered review of the project. Plans have been on hold since early 2021.
(09/21/2023) → CapPublicRadio
• Mayo Clinic Expert Answers Questions on COVID Tests, New Variants
Companies set the original test dates arbitrarily due to these diagnostic at-home tests being developed rapidly. So, check your boxes before you toss them.
(09/21/2023) → Daily Democrat
• Why California Rivers Saw Fewer Harmful Algal Blooms This Year
Outbreaks have wreaked havoc on the state’s river ecosystems for years. But this year was different. Faster, colder river waters led to fewer outbreaks of the harmful algae.
(09/20/2023) → CapPublicRadio
• California Tops FEMA’s New List of Areas Vulnerable to Weather Disasters
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified nearly 500 “zones” that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards. California topped all states with 51 total zones, followed by 35 in Texas and 32 in Florida.
(09/19/2023) → Read the full The Mercury News report
It's a long way to the top, if you wanna rock ’n’ roll (or do journalism).
