Hello California! An Open Letter from the New Streetsblog CAL Editor to Our Readers

Friends,

You have doubtless heard by now that Melanie Curry has retired as the editor of Streetsblog California. She has been the only editor that the site has ever had in its 10+ years of existence. While I am excited at the opportunity to take on this monumental challenge, I know that many of you have grown to rely on Melanie’s analysis and the painstaking research she put into every story.

For those of you that don’t know me, or may recognize my by-line but haven’t read enough of my work to form an opinion of me, Hello! I’m Damien, the first editor of Streetsblog Los Angeles and the head of the non-profit that publishes Streetsblog in California and the local sites Santa Monica Next and Longbeachize. While I’m not Melanie, I’m a pretty good journalist and I hope that if you have any thoughts/tips/complaints you’ll feel comfortable dropping me an email at damien@streetsblog.org.

One of the differences that you’ll notice at Streetsblog California in the coming weeks and months is that, for lack of a better word, I’m more “bloggy” than Melanie. That’s not to say I’m not professional, but I want to embrace the online medium more and take advantage of the various communications tools that are offered online. Here’s some of the changes you’ll notice that I hope you’ll enjoy:

We’ll be launching a podcast next week called StreetSmart: Streetsblog 101. The concept is pretty simple…there’s a lot of complicated issues that we cover in Streetsblog and I’ll rely on experts, advocates, and members of the Streetsblog team to help navigate these issues. With Streetsblog 101, we’re going to take some of those conversations and turn them into a podcast so everyone can have a chance to learn from some of the amazing people I’ll get to talk to.

Another thing you’ll notice is a change in our social media strategy for the website. Streetsblogs San Francisco and Chicago have both left Twitter/X in the past year. While we’re not promising to drop our Twitter account, we know there is a need to reach more people on different channels and have seen decreasing engagement on Twitter over the past couple of years. In the coming days, we’ll be launching an Instagram and over time look to increase our presence on other social media outlets. If you have any suggestions, again feel free to email damien@streetsblog.org.

Years ago, Streetsblog USA (so long ago it was called DC Streetsblog) managed something called the “Streetsblog Network” where websites, independent reporters, and others who covered the same issues as Streetsblog would share tips, advice and even syndicate each other’s stories to broaden the reach of individual websites. Streetsblog California has similar handshake deals with a handful of websites including Fresnoland, Green Caltrain and others, but we’re planning on launching our own “Streetsblog Network” in the coming months.

As we’ve said many times in the past week, both publicly and privately, Melanie Curry is not the type of talent that is easily replaced. But the work of Streetsblog continues and I hope you’ll join me for what’s next.

All the Best,

Damien