Local Government Reporter Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

You will join the Santa Barbara News-Press as a dedicated business reporter, covering the companies, organizations, industries, workers, entrepreneurs, real estate trends, and economic forces shaping Santa Barbara County, with a primary focus on the South Coast communities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria.

Your reporting will center on timely, useful and original local business journalism: weekly business briefs, profiles, accountability stories, explanatory reporting and longer-form enterprise work that helps readers understand what is changing in the local economy - and why it matters.

At the Santa Barbara News-Press, you'll be part of a growing start-up newsroom rebuilding local journalism with urgency, credibility and relevance. You'll cover a wide range of stories across Santa Barbara County contributing original reporting that is engaging, accessible and rooted in the people, place and institutions that drive our regional economy.

This is a role for a journalist who can move quickly on business news while developing deeper sources and enterprise stories. You should be comfortable covering small and large businesses, commercial real estate, tourism and hospitality, restaurants and retail, technology and startups, agriculture and wine, labor and workforce issues, economic development, housing and development, public-private partnerships, local government decisions affecting business, and the broader cost pressures facing employers, workers and consumers.

You'll pursue breaking news, daily and weekly beat stories, enterprise reporting, narrative features, data journalism, investigations and shoot short-form vertical video for social-first stories. You'll spend a significant portion of your time out in the community, on the street and in the field, talking to people.

The pay scale for this position ranges from $28.00 - $34.00/hour.

You will anchor a dedicated Business reporting beat for the News-Press, contributing strong original reporting across media formats, including:

• Daily and weekly beat stories and regular news digests

• Features, breaking news and developing stories

• Data journalism, explanatory pieces and investigations

Report and write

• Develop and report original stories through on-the-ground reporting

• Write clear, accurate, well-structured stories on deadline

• File breaking news quickly while maintaining accuracy and fairness

• Follow stories beyond the news cycle for in-depth "day two" coverage

• Develop long-form, investigative and explanatory features

Work across formats

• Contribute through written text and photos

• Shoot short-form video for publishing across multiple platforms

• Work with editors and colleagues to adapt reporting for different platforms

• Present at periodic in-person News-Press events focusing on business topics

Collaborate in a modern newsroom

• Work closely with editors, fellow reporters and visual journalists

• Participate in story meetings and contribute ideas

• Be open to feedback and committed to continuous improvement

• Occasionally cover general assignment stories or breaking news as needed

• A minimum of three years of professional reporting experience in Business topics.

• Excellent reporting and writing skills

• Proficiency in understanding, analyzing, and presenting data in an understandable way.

• Experience and comfort publishing stories in short-form vertical video format

• A degree in journalism or college-level journalism coursework

• A minimum of five years professional reporting experience and/or academic background in Business-related disciplines.

• Familiarity with digital publishing workflows

• Spanish language speaking and writing skills

• Preference for someone living in the Santa Barbara area

You will be a core member of a growing team working to transform the 158-year-old Santa Barbara News-Press into an innovative digital-first local news outlet. This role exists to provide strong foundational reporting on the most important news of Santa Barbara County and the Central Coast via timely, fact-based storytelling that resonates with our local community. You are here to build the news and information infrastructure for a people and a place.

• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) plan with matching employer contribution

• 22 days of vacation time

• 11 holidays, including your birthday

• Parental leave

• Significant tuition reductions

• Professional development is highly valued at ASU Enterprise Partners, where employees are encouraged to look across the organization and nurture new areas of interest

• $30 bi-weekly cell phone reimbursement

Please include:

• A written resume

• Clips or links to recent written reporting (ideally five to eight pieces that together showcase your editorial range across different types of articles, ex. daily news, longform, profile, analysis, etc.

• Clips or links to any video or audio news stories you have produced or been a part of producing

• A note on your journalistic background, professional aspirations in this role, interest in covering the greater Santa Barbara community and why the News-Press would be a good fit (max. 1 written page)

Please assemble these materials into a single document and upload them in PDF format.

This position is fully in-person, excepting that your reporting responsibilities will require you to travel throughout the county and may mean you are not in the office every day. Reporters must have a valid driver's license and access to a vehicle in good working condition, with suitable auto insurance coverage. Occasional night and weekend work is required.

NEWSWELL is an Equal Opportunity Employer