{"id":240118,"date":"2026-03-28T01:10:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T01:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/240118\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T01:10:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T01:10:22","slug":"san-pedro-chamber-honors-daily-breeze-reporter-with-legacy-journalism-award-daily-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/240118\/","title":{"rendered":"San Pedro Chamber honors Daily Breeze reporter with Legacy Journalism award \u2013 Daily News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leaders from across San Pedro descended on the Dalmatian American Club on Thursday, March 26 to pay tribute to five women as part the Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration \u2014 including the Daily Breeze\u2019s own Donna Littlejohn.<\/p>\n

Littlejohn, who been writing for the Daily Breeze since 1998, was honored with the Chamber\u2019s Legacy Journalism award for her decades of service to the community. She began her career as a reporter for a string of weekly publications in Culver City and was hired at the San Pedro News-Pilot in 1981 before joining the Daily Breeze.<\/p>\n

Four other women were also given honors during the ceremony on Thursday evening. Each honoree was introduced by a member of the community and through a video message explaining their work and impact on San Pedro.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Daily Breeze\u2019s own Donna Littlejohn receives the Legacy Journalism Award as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Daily Breeze\u2019s own Donna Littlejohn receives the Legacy Journalism Award as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Daily Breeze\u2019s own Donna Littlejohn receives the Legacy Journalism Award as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Lindsay Sochar during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Lucrecia Jacobson (and her family) during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Lucrecia Jacobson during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Olga Chavez during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Daily Breeze\u2019s own Donna Littlejohn receives the Legacy Journalism Award as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Lucrecia Jacobson, left, Donna Littlejohn, Diana Nave, Olga Chavez and Lindsay Sochar, right, during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honorees, Donna Littlejohn, left, Diana Nave, Lucrecia Jacobson, Olga Chavez and Lindsay Sochar, raise their glasses during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Olga Chavez during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Lucrecia Jacobson, left, Donna Littlejohn, Diana Nave, Olga Chavez and Lindsay Sochar, right, during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Lucrecia Jacobson, left, Donna Littlejohn, Diana Nave, Olga Chavez and Lindsay Sochar, right, during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Lindsay Sochar during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Diana Nave during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors Diana Nave during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

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The Daily Breeze\u2019s own Donna Littlejohn receives the Legacy Journalism Award as the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce honors community members during the organization\u2019s Women\u2019s History Month celebration at the Dalmatian Hall on Thursday March 26, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Caroline Brady, the executive director of Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, described Littlejohn\u2019s impact to the crowd on Thursday. The two first met when they both worked together at the San Pedro News-Pilot for ten years.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal newspaper reporters are different \u2014 they are part of the fabric of our lives. These are the people who write about the birth of our children and the deaths of our parents; they cover our everyday triumphs \u2026 and they cover our tragedies, too,\u201d Brady said. \u201cTonight, we honor Donna for her decades of service to our community, and for telling stories that have defined San Pedro\u2019s past, are defining it right now, and well into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Littlejohn, in the video played for the crowd, said that she\u2019s more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it \u2014 and is more comfortable sitting conspicuously in the back of a room at the many community events, business openings, Harbor Commission meetings, and more, that she reports on every day \u2014 but was grateful for the honor nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just been a great ride,\u201d Littlejohn said to the audience upon accepting her award. \u201cI live here now, it\u2019s my hometown. Thank you all for being supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n

The evening\u2019s other honors included Olga Chavez,\u00a0the corporate social responsibility and public relations lead for Marathon Petroleum Corp, who delivers resources to nonprofits by day, and has also helped build local community from the ground up by personally volunteering, organizing and serving organizations like the Battleship USS Iowa Museum, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the Friends of the Rotary Club of Wilmington and the Long Beach Library.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlga gives her heart to everything that she touches because she truly believes that our communities deserve nothing less,\u201d said Diana Medel, executive director of the Wilmington YMCA. \u201cTonight, we honor a true force of nature. We love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diana Nave, a community leader, environmentalist, and past president of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, where she worked to beautify Peck Park Canyon through native plant preservation and hosting free monthly nature walks, was also honored on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiana has lived, worked and contributed to San Pedro for many years. She\u2019s clearly one of the people who helped make San Pedro the deeply caring community it is today,\u201d said Liz Schindler Johnson, executive director of the Grand Vision Foundation. \u201cI hope we can take inspiration from her as we go forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chamber also paid tribute to Lucrecia Jacobson, a longtime volunteer with the arts nonprofit Grand Vision Foundation and retired substitute teacher. Jacobson volunteers at performances, mentors students and hosts fundraisers for Warner Grand Theatre, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the L.A. Harbor, the San Pedro City Ballet and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucrecia is the connective tissue of San Pedro. San Pedro the quiet force behind so many moments of joy, growth and possibility in this great community,\u201d said Gabriela Medina, the event\u2019s MC. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t just believe in this community. She invests in it with her time, her home, her heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay Sochar, an entrepreneur advocate and community leader, was given the chamber\u2019s Rising Star ward.<\/p>\n

Sochar, who is also an artist and manager of the Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles artisan market, connects local businesses with resources and opportunities, and organizes creative-driven charitable events and disaster relief efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe doesn\u2019t just make art. She elevates spaces, uplifts most businesses and brings identity and culture into our community,\u201d said Brenda Apolinar, founder of Salsas Chingona. \u201cShe is the kind of person who doesn\u2019t just focus on her own business. She is always looking out for others, supporting fellow entrepreneurs like myself, and advocating to our community as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Women History Month celebration, visit sanpedrochamber.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leaders from across San Pedro descended on the Dalmatian American Club on Thursday, March 26 to pay tribute…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240011,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[3415,7,23,131,133,132,47,137,100,1439],"class_list":["post-240118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-awards","tag-california","tag-local-news","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-news","tag-san-pedro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}