Our mission

Southern California's local newspapers are essential. We document communities large and small, bringing the news to millions of readers. In some of those places, we are the only ones left ensuring someone keeps an eye on the institutions and trends that affect people's daily lives.

As the workers of the Southern California News Group, we represent journalists spread across four counties, covering the news under one unified banner. We love what we do, and we are organizing to ensure that we can continue doing it.

Readers need the services we provide more than ever. Our online traffic is surging, and our digital subscriptions are up. The public is clamoring for information that can help them and their families stay healthy and safe.

Through the work we've done in our communities, we believe we have earned a seat at the table. Our owners have repeatedly demonstrated they don’t think our voices matter.

Media News Group and Alden Global Capital have cut our newsrooms to the bone. Layoffs and turnover have devastated our workforce. We face historic staffing shortages, and the exodus of journalists with decades of experience has hollowed out our newspapers. These cuts leave us less able to provide the quality product we owe our readers.

Our goal, on the other hand, is to continue serving our communities. We want to stave off further losses while providing a framework for allowing our newspapers to thrive. And we want to build newsrooms with diverse voices reflecting the communities we cover.

Some of our newspapers have been around more than a century, and we want to continue that legacy. Our owners, however, only seem to plan for their next fiscal quarter. They are not investing in our newsrooms.

Our journalists have labored for years under increasingly difficult conditions. We intend to reverse that trend. We believe that only a union — formed with the Media Guild of the West, a local of The NewsGuild-CWA — can ensure we get the fair pay and benefits we deserve.

Many of our fellow journalists working in MNG newsrooms across the country have already organized in this way. We at SCNG want to be recognized along with them. We are asking MNG and Alden to recognize our union and to work with us to protect local journalism.

Jonah Valdez

Elizabeth Chou

Darius Johari

Josh Cain

David Allen

Olga Grigoryants

Bradley Bermont

Pierce Singgih

Hayley Munguia

Emily Rasmussen

Ian Wheeler

Jerry Berrios

Sarah Reingewirtz

Alvan Ung

Lindsey Maeda

Brian Rokos

Brooke Staggs

Dan Albano

Ryan Hagen

Steve Ramirez

Mindy Schauer

Deepa Bharath

Steven Rosenberg

Holly Andres

Eric Licas

Jody Collins

Kristine Malicse

Beau Yarbrough

Watchara Phomicinda

Gilbert Manzano

Terry Pierson

Michael Zavala

Alma Fausto

Nathaniel Percy

Will Lester

Roxana Kopetman

Sandra Barrera

Alicia Robinson

Elliott Teaford

Adam Grosbard

Jeff Fletcher

Mark Whicker