♪♪ Editorial pages are not known for fresh ideas and younger voices.

However, The Sacramento Bee has recruited a new team that is younger and definitely has a point of view, and readers are noticing.

The members of that team, along with the Sacramento Bee's California opinion editor, Marcos Bretón, join us to talk about the issues facing our community and our nation.

One note- I serve on a volunteer basis as a member of the Sacramento Bee's editorial advisory board.

Yousef, what is the relevancy of a traditional newspaper editorial page, when so many people are consuming their news from Twitter, YouTube, or personality-driven vehicles, like Substack?

Well, Scott, I think editorial boards traditionally have been, uh, kind of the voice for a community, for a city, uh, and for the public.

And, uh, they often weigh in and take positions on issues that, uh, the news side does not.

The news side typically states the facts, talks to both sides of an issue.

Um, and editorial boards do as well, but they then lend their judgment to a subject and, uh, try and inform, uh, the community about which way to lean on certain issues that the news side might just lay the facts out on.

Hmm.

Robin, I...

I...

I want to ask you, why is it that so many people these days, in general, don't pay any attention to the editorial pages of most of our major newspapers?

What... what's going on there?

Um, I think if anybody knew the real answer to that, newspapers would be doing a lot better, financially, than they have been.

Um, but I think the real answer, um, for me, at least, is that newer generations are going to find, um, different ways to consume the news than their predecessors did, and that doesn't mean that the old ways are obsolete or... or not worth something still.

We just have to be more creative in gaining those audiences and, um- Our opinions, our thoughts, our worth is always going to be there.

It's just a matter of, um, bringing it to people's attention.

Hmm.

Hannah, when you are around people that are your contemporaries and they find out what you do, what's... what's generally the reaction?

Well, uh, most of my peers are in the tech world, and I think when I tell them that I get paid to write, um, it's a career that doesn't even cross their minds, uh, that... that I could, um, have graduated with an English major and now, actually be making a living wage.

Um, so, I...

I think that, one, there is this level of shock and surprise, but I've also found that there's a level of, um, deep admiration and appreciation and... and real curiosity.

There have been a number of times where, um, you know, so many questions arise out of my, uh, my job description.

People really want to hear more.

Hmm.

Marcos, when you and your colleagues at The Bee were assembling this team, and the folks who aren't with us today that make up the entire editorial board team, what was your inspiration for, uh, going, some would say, outside the box, in who you wanted to bring, uh, into that room?

Well, for me, um, it started with- uh, by accident, that my predecessor left.

Uh, I was asked by the company to step in.

I had been asked for a decade to consider being, uh, the editorial page editor at The Bee, and my answer wasn't just "No," it was "Hell no!"

Uh, and in this case, uh, what was ultimately one of the factors that ultimately led me to take this job was that we had two members of the board, uh, Yousef and Hannah, who were, uh, younger and, uh, whose work, particularly in the area of climate change, had really opened my eyes.

Someone of my generation, I really felt- I felt my generation had really overlooked that issue and how present it is in our lives.

And then, in short order, I had the opportunity to hire people, and the first job offer I made was to Robin Epley.

Uh, and so, all of a sudden, we had... we had three members of our editorial board who were, uh, either in their early thirties or early twenties.

And that's very rare in newspapers, and, uh, and I really, as the editor, have tried to encourage all three of them, uh, to write from that perspective, uh, to write about climate change, to write about, um, affording to live in Sacramento, um, and to bring that perspective, uh, to our pages.

And... and I think it's been successful.

Hmm.

Robin, I...

I want to ask you, in... in following up on what Marcos just said, when you look at the work that you and your colleagues are doing, what conversations are you personally most proud of, that The Bee is starting to lead on, that, historically, maybe older folks, like Marcos and I, might have missed, or might not have given as much relevance to?

So, first of all, I am so proud to be a member of this team.

Um, I'm...

I'm so honored every day to... to work with these people and... and to bring a... a younger voice to the board, along with Yousef and Hannah, that, um, you don't usually see on editorial boards.

And I think, as Marcos already mentioned, our number one issue really is... is climate change.

And our generation- Excuse me, our generations- Uh, Hannah... Hannah is Gen Z and Yousef and I are both millennials.

Um, we see the... the imminent problems and the change that's occurring.

And for us, it's not a question of whether or not climate change is real.

It's a question of it's... it's coming, how soon is it coming?

What can we do to reverse this?

Um, and we take our positions very, very seriously, in trying to spread that message and holding, uh, our leaders accountable to the kind of changes that only they can make.

And so, I think, um, first and foremost, uh, that's not something that you often see on editorial boards, even, you know, in the year of our Lord 2022.

It's, um, it's... it's a really, really great time to be a young person in this position.

And I think all three of us, uh, hold it very high.

If I could add to that, too.

[Scott] Sure.

I think, you know, we have naturally coalesced around a set of values, as an editorial board, and I don't think that it's... it's based, necessarily, on ideology or any sort of preconceived notion about how things- we- how we would like them to go.

I think, uh, you know, one of the things that you often see with editorial boards, opinion pages, and in newspapers at large, is readers now cast them as "liberal" because of how rhetoric and discourse around media has changed over the last, you know, five to ten years.

And I think, for us, we are more issue-oriented.

And... and on those issues, we're solution-oriented.

And so, I think it's... it's, often, we've... we've found ourselves going to places because we... we discuss the issues, we don't always necessarily agree, we lean on expert experience and we look at studies, research to back up the positions we take, um, and we... we report it out like, you know, just like news journalists do.

We're making calls every day, we're working sources, we're establishing connections around the city, around California, to make sure that when we say something publicly, we are as informed as possible.

It's not just something we pulled out of our head or it's not just something we picked up on Twitter.

It's based on interviews, it's based on research, and it's based on ideals.

And, um, you know, whether it's climate change, or homelessness, or housing, or any of the most pressing issues facing us, the preservation of democracy, um, we don't view them as liberal.

We view them as... as solution-based, and that's the way we try to go.

And just to jump into it really quickly with an example- Uh, really early on- I've been here not quite a year yet- but I remember, uh, Yousef was writing an editorial about, uh, forest clearing.

I had just come, uh, from my previous job on the coast where there's, uh, the largest, uh, state forest out there, um, and in that job, I had worked with a lot of environmentalists who were trying to, uh, fight back against some of the forest clearing.

And Yousef and I had a great conversation about- And we disagreed on... on what- some of the things we should make, as a point in that editorial, and, um, you know, the editorial was much stronger for having those opposing viewpoints.

And we're not a monolith.

[Scott] Well, actually, you know, I...

I want to key in on that for a second, because one of the things that surprised me, as a... as a reader- and I know surprised a... a number of other people- is the process and transparency you all went through, along with, even, your final decisions on candidate selection on who The Bee was going to endorse in the primaries.

And I w...

I was very surprised because you all openly acknowledged that you argued and you struggled, uh, in that process.

Hannah, take us inside that room and tell us about some of those discussions.

Uh, I think, uh, we were grateful whenever there was an obvious candidate in a race, because we really did, uh, struggle with a lot of those races.

Um, district attorney, for example, uh, was a big one for us, where, um, you know, we just inherently had different ideas and beliefs on, uh, who the type of person was, that could fulfill that role.

And, um, it led to a lot of, you know, heated, but respectful, um, discussions.

And I think, whenever we got to the point where we were tempted to just sort of throw in the towel or say, you know, "Maybe we don't endorse," or "Maybe we write two different endorsements for two different candidates," um, we always came to a consensus with one candidate, but with the solution of trying to be very transparent in the fact that we did struggle, and convey that to readers, to say that the answer wasn't clear to us, either.

Hmm.

Marcos, one of the things that also was surprising, by that process, was you all backed some nontraditional, non-establishment candidates.

I can't think of anything that many of us consider more establishment in this region than The Sacramento Bee.

Um, stepping out like that, what does that say for the moment that The Bee is in, in terms of its own journey?

Well, I hope it says that we're, um, uh, embracing, uh, the moment that we're in now.

My reluctance to get involved with the editorial bo... board, in years past, was I...

I felt that it could be like an ivory tower, where we were just sort of opining on high, uh, and really felt like, uh, if we're going to do this, that we have to... we have to be in the community, we have to be talking to people, uh, and that our... our... our opinion journalism has to be rooted in the hard work of reporting.

Uh, and so, my hope is that... that people notice that, and that, uh, uh, people see that, um, uh, that we've got a... a... a... a robust board, the biggest one in 20 years, uh, and that we're... we're taking on the critical issues of the day, uh, in a thoughtful way, hopefully, and that... and that the words are relevant to people and... and... and... and I think...

I think, uh, that's the goal every day.

Hmm.

Yousef, I...

I...

I want to know what are the big issues, right now, that you're paying the most attention to, and that you wish your readers would, as well?

Well, I- [chuckles] The issue, I think, we're all paying attention to right now is homelessness, obviously, and, uh, I...

I don't know if it's... if it's one that people aren't paying attention to because of how much attention it just, naturally, is getting.

It's, um, it's affecting everyone in their daily lives, in... in some fashion.

Um, but, in... in terms of, I think, what I...

I wish folks would consider, I think, uh, you know, I...

I've noticed a lot of the discussion around criminal justice issues and criminal justice reform have moved away from, sort of, a... a logical, rational-based sort of conversation, more to an emotional place, where we're not really looking for solutions based on things that might change an outcome, but we're looking for solutions that will change how we feel, uh, on a day-to-day basis.

[Scott] Give us an example of that.

Well, I...

I think homelessness is a good crossover of that.

Right?

And I think, if we are- If we're seeing horrific murders- like in Rancho Cordova on the American River Parkway, or in Land Park with Kate Tibbitts- and they're tied to the Sacramento jail, I think, initially, we really want to see some justice.

We want to see something come out of that moment.

But what gets lost in those debates, uh, in the aftermath, is that, uh, basing our solutions off an anecdote, or a one-off, or maybe something that doesn't represent the whole, can often skew the discussion and skew the debate.

And so, uh, we see that right now in the race for attorney general, statewide.

I think, right now, you're... you're seeing some, uh, some Democrats shifting to Republican, uh, candidates because they want to see more, uh, hard and fast, law and order candidates, whereas, uh, those policies and practices, in decades past, haven't led to safer communities and haven't led, necessarily, to things that we believe could change outcomes and make communities safer.

Well, while that- uh, uh, I hear what you're saying, but, you know- Robin, Hannah, I'd love to hear your feedback on this- There is a... a growing notion, in this emotional swing that Yousef just spoke to, that people are also emotionally exhausted and that they feel like- that they took a chance on doing something that was a bit more expansive, a bit more enlightened, and it hasn't worked.

And some, in more conservative parts of the country, say, "California's got a unified, uh, Democratic government.

It's got more money than any other state in the country, with huge surpluses, yet, homelessness, housing, climate change, uh, fires, they can't seem- Uh, California can't seem to walk across the street without bumping into a light pole."

If people... if people are that exhausted right now, what's the alternative, then, for people to go backwards?

[Robin] I think that California is a huge state- much, much larger than people not living here realize.

And within that state, there are just an incredible number of viewpoints and living situations and styles.

And I don't think it's so much that we're failing, even though we have all of these resources, I think it's that the problems that we're facing are huge, and some of them are situational.

Right?

So, if... if Nebraska was on the West Coast, it would also be dealing with wildfires.

It's just where California is, and it's part of the infrastructure that we have set up in the past hundred years, or so, with PG&E.

Um, I think that the homelessness issue is a nationwide problem.

We're not the only one struggling with that.

Um, and so, all of this to say that even though we have all of these problems, there is no state I would rather live in.

There is no state I would rather be a journalist in, holding our leaders to account.

We're going to get it wrong.

They're going to get it wrong.

We're going to, you know, tell them when they do that.

I hope that we also tell them when they're getting it right, and we encourage them and we try to move this state more towards the best place that we know it can be.

But, in the meantime, these are not small problems with quick fixes.

It's going to take decades, and it's... it's taken us decades to get to this point.

So, if we're exhausted, it's because these things are starting to pile up and there's not an easy fix.

There's not- Nothing's going to be solved in the next couple of days, regardless of how much money we have in the budget.

Um, but I have faith in us to do it, and I still- I'd still much rather live here.

Hannah, what are the problems that, as you go out and talk to people that are your friends, your neighbors, the people who are within your generation- what are the big issues that they're looking for California to solve for them, so that they can have the lives they aspire to?

Well, Scott, I think one of the first things that comes to mind, um, is this growing frustration and disillusionment with the Democratic Party, um, specifically among my peers and I, where, uh, we were in- you know, we were told so many times that all we had to do was vote.

Right?

Like, voting was the solution and that if we just got the Democrats back in power, that our rights would be preserved, that all of these progressive changes would occur.

And lo and behold, we got the Democrats back in power and our reproductive rights have been stripped away from us.

And who knows how many other rights are now on the chopping block?

So, I think one of the main things that concerns my generation is, um, you know, we can ally with the Republican Party, of course, um, and we don't see our values represented in that party, but on the flip side of that, we don't see Democratic lawmakers standing up for... for our, even, extremely basic rights.

You know, we were told this message of, uh, you know, a Democratic majority would... would speak on our behalf, and we are left worse-off than, uh, than when Biden came to power.

So, I think that's... that's really, um, top of mind for my peers and I, and, um, I don't know what the answer is there.

[Scott] Yousef, uh, what... what encapsulates, from my perspective, exactly what Hannah was talking about was your point, a little bit earlier, about homelessness.

You've got a... a city of Sacramento, who spends, some would say, way too much time discussing homelessness.

You have a county, uh, of Sacramento, which, some would say, has not been held to account in the way that it should be.

But you've got people who, normally, should all be on the same side of the issues- They... they certainly stand together at press conferences and... and picture-taking for the opening of, like, new facilities and things like that.

That disappointment that Hannah is talking about is... is real.

How is The Bee going to help elevate that discussion, and shine the bright light in the corners where it is that action should be happening and it's not?

Well, I think one of the things that, you know, kind of gets at this idea of us expecting politicians to do what we would hope of them is the reality of... of how, uh, politicians can come into power.

And we think it's with voting, but as Sacramento, and as I've learned since I've been in Sacramento, uh, it's often special interests.

It's... it's different, uh, groups that have an agenda and have money to spend, who are influencing and tarnishing a lot of debates and policy discussions by pushing for things that they feel like are, uh, what they would like to see, and maybe not in the best interest of the public.

And I think the homelessness issue is a perfect example of that.

This year, we have a ballot measure going forward, uh, in the city, uh, that came forward because business leaders were so frustrated with the way this issue was being handled, uh, particularly in the downtown core, that they were able to force the city to the table, uh, and negotiate a measure that, uh, this week, uh, the city amended to include the county, uh, because the county failed to step in and do something on their own.

And so, I think, uh, when you have a... a system in a place like Sacramento, where special interests in dollars can influence debate, you're not going to see the results that you'd like to see from politicians, uh, because they're not really being held to the promises they're making on the campaign trail.

They're being held to the ones they're making behind closed doors.

Ah, OK.

Uh, Marcos, I want to ask you, with the expansion of your editorial board and the work that, uh, everyone here, and your colleagues that are not with us today, are out doing... has The Bee finally made it to a point where, from a diversity, equity and inclusion standpoint, your editorial staff is reflective of the community that you serve?

Uh, not yet.

Uh, we still have more work to do, uh, on that.

I mean, our... our board has grown.

Uh, uh, we have Josh Gohlke, who's our deputy opinion editor, who, in my mind, is the best commentator on Gavin Newsom in California.

We have Melinda Henneberger, who's a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist.

We have Jack Ohman, who's a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist.

And we have Colleen Nelson, our executive editor, who also is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

So, uh, it's a... it's a fantastic board of people, but, uh, I...

I would like to see the board grow, uh, and... and, uh, be more reflective of the diversity of Sacramento.

And... and that's going to be my goal, to make that happen.

OK. Hannah, I want to ask you, uh, when you- in talking about your friends and the people that you hang out with, um, if you had one big idea on how to get them to start reading not only your work, but everybody's work here, and The Bee, in general, and actually maybe subscribe, what... what would be your big idea?

I'm just curious.

Um, I don't think I have one big idea or solution, but I will say that, um, I...

I almost exclusively cover Placer County, where I was born and raised, and I cannot tell you the amount of times I've received a text message from somebody I went to high school with who said, "My entire family, you know, reads every single column you come up with."

Um, and I think it's because, um, you know, as Robin was saying, California is not the liberal monolith that other states see us as.

There are still parts that are deeply red, including Placer County, um, and I think growing up in that county was difficult because we saw this conservative, um, you know, sort of archaic status quo, um, that didn't- you know, that... that was so different than what... whatever was happening in Sacramento, just 30 minutes away.

And so, I think starting to challenge that status quo has really resonated with a lot of people my age, and I think that can be extrapolated out to the... to the whole state, is just starting to think in new ways.

Um, I know one legislator that I'm really following is Scott Wiener.

I think he's somebody who's started to think in new ways, and introduced some, um, legislation that... that acts in... in new ways.

Um, I think those are the types of ideas and solutions that need to be brought to the table.

[Marcos] And Scott, can I just add that Hannah's reporting has shaken people up in Placer County, to the point where you have legislators, like Kevin Kiley, who is scared of her, scared to talk to her, too scared to meet with us, uh, and... and that, to me, is a statement, uh, uh, to the... to the power of... of opinion journalism, when it's done well.

All right.

And we're going to have to leave it there.

Folks, look out for, uh, the... the championship bout, Holzer versus Kiley, coming to a Bee editorial page near you soon.

Thank you all for your time.

Please keep writing and we'll keep reading.

[Robin] Thank you, Scott.

[Yousef] Thanks, Scott.

And that's our show.

Thanks to our guests and thanks to you for watching Studio Sacramento.

I'm Scott Syphax.

See you next time right here on KVIE.

♪♪ All episodes of Studio Sacramento, along with other KVIE programs, are available to watch online at kvie.org/video.