For most of my career, local journalism depended on competition. Success required a unique audience and unique content. Solving Sacramento introduced a different model—one based on collaboration.

Supported by foundations, civic organizations, and community partners, the collaborative allowed multiple news organizations to work together on issues affecting our region.

We discovered that collaboration often produced stronger journalism. Stories reached more people. Different perspectives strengthened the reporting. The whole became greater than the sum of its parts.

Today, the three remaining founders face another reality. We are now in our seventies. If the mission of the Sacramento News & Review is going to continue beyond us, we need a succession plan that protects the journalism and positions it for the future.

That led us to a new partnership with Larry Lee and The Observer.

One reason we feel confident about this transition is the organization we are partnering with. For more than 60 years, The Observer has served the region with a commitment to community journalism, civic engagement, and public service. Under the leadership of Larry Lee and the Lee family, The Observer has built one of California’s most respected community news organizations while remaining committed to public service and civic engagement.

Like the Sacramento News & Review, The Observer understands that local journalism is more than a business. It is a public trust. By sharing administrative and business functions, we can devote more resources to journalism and storytelling.

Readers will also notice a redesigned website launching with this transition. The new site is designed to better support our journalism, improve the reader experience, and create a stronger foundation for the collaborative reporting projects we hope to pursue in the years ahead.

Most importantly, the mission remains unchanged.

The Sacramento News & Review will continue to produce independent journalism, tell stories that matter, and help our region better understand itself.

This transition is the next chapter in a mission that began in Sacramento in 1989 and one that we believe will continue long after its founders step aside.

Thank you for reading, supporting, challenging, and believing in the Sacramento News & Review.

— Jeff vonKaenel with Deborah Redmond and Tina Flynn