Kevin Herrera named new editor in chief of publication
DOWNTOWN The end of one era signals the beginning of another.
So begins Kevin Herrera’s tenure as the new editor of the Santa Monica Daily Press, the long-time reporter taking over as head of the city’s only daily newspaper on Jan. 1 and replacing former editor, Michael Tittinger. Herrera joined the Santa Monica Daily Press in January 2006, hired by former editor Carolyn Sackariason as a staff writer, covering virtually every inch of the city until October of that year when he was promoted to the position of senior staff writer, focusing his reporting on City Hall and police.
Ross Furukawa, the publisher for the Daily Press, said Herrera brings a traditional and hard news background to the paper with a good understanding of the fundamentals of city coverage.
“Kevin lives in the city, has his feet on the ground and isn’t scared to tackle tough issues,” Furukawa said. “It’s something that Santa Monica continues to need to further our process of citizenry, government and business.”
At 27, Herrera, who lives in Santa Monica and was raised on the Westside, is the youngest editor in the newspaper’s nearly seven-year history.
“I really enjoy working in Santa Monica and with my colleagues at the Daily Press,” Herrera said. “I couldn’t imagine a greater opportunity than being able to guide my city’s daily newspaper.
“It’s truly a blessing and I look forward to all the challenges that lie ahead,” he added.
After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in print journalism and English in 2002, Herrera started his professional career as a news reporter at the Los Angeles Sentinel, the largest black-owned newspaper west of the Mississippi.
A year later, the young reporter moved on to Equal Access Media where he spent two years as a general assignment reporter and occasional entertainment writer.
Herrera plans to use his background in entertainment reporting to build on the Daily Press’ growing weekly entertainment section, Current, hoping to one day rival the likes of the L.A. Weekly and City Beat. His vision for Current includes more coverage of established artists with a stronger emphasis on local events and stars.
“We will not forget that we are based in Santa Monica, therefore we will continue to cover local events because we know that Santa Monicans appreciate the arts and we want to provide them with the best resource for finding the event that they enjoy,” Herrera said.
It’s among the changes that could be in store for the future of the Daily Press, a newspaper that could one day include an established local sports section and an expanded editorial and opinion/commentaries page.
“The goal is to make it a venue for our readers to express their views and respond to stories written in the paper,” Herrera said about the opinions pages.
The new editor plans to build on sports coverage by establishing stronger relationships with the local sports team, coaches and the schools’ athletic directors.
These changes are all part of a larger goal to make the Santa Monica Daily Press the best news source on the Westside, expanding coverage to Venice, Westwood, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista and Malibu.
“Instead of being the Santa Monica Daily Press, I would like us to one day be the Daily Press,” he said.
Herrera has long ties to the community, dating back to birth. He was born at St. John’s Health Center where his mother worked for more than 20 years.
“I used to spend many afternoons at Douglas Park... I used to go to Rip City all the time,” Herrera said.
It was in high school where Herrera discovered his love for journalism, working for the Culver City High School student newspaper.
One of the first stories the aspiring journalist wrote was about tattoos and as he went around and interviewed fellow students with tattoos, Herrera said he realized that with journalism, he could flex his creative muscle.
But it was in college that he realized the impact that his stories had on the community.
“It made me realize what I was doing was important and necessary,” Herrera said. “I enjoyed writing and thought it would be a good outlet.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 3, 2008. Read the original PDF.