{"id":118233,"date":"2026-01-03T03:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T03:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/118233\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T03:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T03:10:19","slug":"letter-from-the-editor-a-vision-for-the-future-with-some-urgency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/118233\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter from the Editor: A vision for the future, with some urgency"},"content":{"rendered":"

The start of a new year is a special time for me; a time for renewal and reflection that I tend to take very seriously. Professionally, this was a big year for me and for the Tribune as a whole, a year that\u2019s left me re-energized and hopeful for the future. Which is why I wanted to address you, our lovely readers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This was the year we brought in some extremely talented, driven and passionate interns, which was a big change for us. I was nervous to lead a new group of people, and to more than double our staff. Honestly, I\u2019d gotten used to having such a small team (longtime readers will note our staff box on page three was shrinking by the week), but it wasn\u2019t sustainable. The three of us on the editorial staff were killing ourselves each week to get the paper out, and were left too exhausted to imagine doing more each week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I was very hesitant about hiring interns in the past, not because they weren\u2019t deserving, and we clearly had the need, but I knew we didn\u2019t have the budget for it and I loathe asking people to work for free. When we received an influx of people interested in interning with our paper, I made it clear we had nothing monetary to offer them, and they all insisted for their own reasons that they wanted to be a part of the team anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So I guess this year my goal and vision for the Tribune is clear: I\u2019d love to start paying these hard-working and very deserving people I\u2019ve been working alongside these past few months. Since they joined up, I have seen these journalists do amazing things, and I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve noticed as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Angela Osorio, along with speaking to a family who was facing imminent deportation<\/a> and Long Beach teachers fighting against layoffs<\/a>, has spent the last few months interviewing grassroots environmental organizations. Because of her hard work, we\u2019ve been able to launch our first-ever (in my time, at least) news series \u201cBroken Promises<\/a>,\u201d documenting West Long Beach\u2019s fight to preserve its natural habitats Pacific Place and Los Cerritos Wetlands. <\/p>\n

Jorge Hernandez has been there for some of those interviews, documenting the state of these habitats so people can see the reality and the need for investment. He\u2019s also covered a few beloved Christmas traditions<\/a> and has been writing up stories on LA28 activity<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Music performers from The Salvation Army play Christmas songs while riding in a vintage holiday-themed truck during the annual Belmont Shore Christmas Parade on Dec. 6, 2025. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Rain continues to pour as families and attendees explore the light displays at Signal Hill Park on Nov. 20, 2025. The annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony continues to bring the holiday spirit in spite of the rainy weather. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

Justin Enriquez has been consistent in his efforts to get information from the City of Long Beach for a story he\u2019s been chasing for months. The story isn\u2019t out yet, but when it comes out it will be the result of dozens of phone calls and emails \u2014 and it will be worth it to get this information out to you. Samuel Chacko has worked on community stories like Long Beach teen Alessandro Apuzzo <\/a>walking out of Miller\u2019s Hospital following months of rehab, the journey of Long Beach Rescue Mission\u2019s CEO<\/a>, and first-time parents who welcomed their baby to the world just days before Christmas<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All this to say, our paper has had new life breathed into it. In the months before our interns joined, I was personally feeling absolutely burnt out, after three years at the Tribune and working on its smallest staff ever. These last few months have reminded me why I love this job, how lucky we are to be doing what we love, and what a privilege it is for people to entrust us with their stories. I\u2019m not a particularly sentimental person, though I do get sentimental about the work we do, so I will speak to you frankly as I would want to be spoken to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"After the newborns were delivered in Christmas stockings, they were returned back into the parent\u2019s room. Fernando Hernandez, the father of two-day-old Fernanda, held his baby as she slept quietly on Dec. 23, 2025. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Community members of all ages dance with one another on stage as various Latin genres of music play at the third annual Heritage Hispanic Celebration at Chavez Park on Oct. 11, 2025. (Justin Enriquez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

Our paper is struggling. It is over 100 years old, one of the last remaining physical newspapers in the city (Signal Hill\u2019s only newspaper), and even though we work extremely hard, deeply consider what kind of stories to spend time telling, make sure we give a voice to communities not often featured in other community newspapers, do not and never have had a paywall on our site, and have the cheapest subscription in town, we often find that people simply don\u2019t know about us. We hear it all the time, and it doesn\u2019t really bother me, but if I\u2019m being honest, I think we do an invaluable job for many people who may think no one is providing news for them, on their level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our new staff members have helped us so much over the past few months, helped us look to the future and think bigger, consider more series and ways to reach the community. But what would help us most to grow is you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Demonstrators outside the Long Beach Unified School District headquarters speak out against the proposed layoffs during a rally on Dec. 10, 2025. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t usually write things like this, waxing poetic about the work we do in order to ask for money. In fact, I haven\u2019t written anything like this the entire time I\u2019ve been managing editor. Maybe that\u2019s a mistake, maybe people would help more if they knew we needed it. That\u2019s what I\u2019m telling myself at least. We could really use your help in order to keep the people on board who have been working extremely hard and extremely for free and maybe one day we\u2019ll have a larger permanent staff again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So if you have a few dollars to spare, and you\u2019ve ever been helped by one of our resource guides or learned about a group doing something really cool through our features, please consider donating. If you really love our paper, a $70 subscription goes a long way and puts a well-thought out and beautifully designed paper on your doorstep every Friday morning. If you can\u2019t donate, which is understandable given the state of the world right now, please give us a shoutout on your socials and tell your friends, family and coworkers about us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you happen to run a business or organization and are reading this, our advertisement options are affordable for online, social media and print, and they are our main source of income at the moment. If you have any suggestions on how we can better serve your community, no matter how small, please let us know and we\u2019ll do our best to make it happen. We exist to help you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still reading, thank you for indulging me, and I hope our paths cross and I get to learn your story some day, and thank you for supporting the Tribune in any way. Here\u2019s to another year!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\nHelp us continue our coverage, donate or subscribe\n<\/p>\n

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