Mission

We produce fair and accurate local journalism that holds power to account.

Vision

When we are all watching and engaged in our local government, our needs are addressed, democracy works better and our community is stronger.

Values

We value integrity, transparency, public trust, and quality over quantity. We aim for truth, depth, context and analysis rather than virality, online engagement and speed.

Our principles

1. Journalism comes before profit. We believe journalism is a public good. Our mission of creating fair and accurate local journalism that holds power to account drives all business decisions. Our company exists to benefit the public, not to maximize profit.
2. We seek the truth without fear or favor. Our newsroom is independent. No donor, grantor, sponsor or advertiser of Santa Cruz Local has weighted influence on or early access to any journalism we produce.
3. We value our employees and respect their time. We want our employees to feel like they belong at Santa Cruz Local. We pay a fair and competitive salary. We love our work, but balance comes first. Our team’s processes and policies prioritize work/life balance and staff mental health.
4. We will be transparent. Our readers should be able to easily learn about our values, our editorial and ethical policies, and our major financial supporters. We will make public all organizations and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. See these donors. Read our editorial independence policy.
5. Accuracy, rigor and fairness come before speed and style. Our stories give context and explanations. We want to foster informed, healthy discourse. We’re not after your clicks. We’ve designed our company so that the community, not website traffic, drives revenue. The top sources of our revenue are members, donors and grants.
6. Locals come first. We want to support locals, since locals support us. We will work with Santa Cruz County vendors as much as possible.