This is a two-year program of the California Local News Fellowship starting in September 2026. This program is meant for early-career reporters who are committed to a career in journalism. You’ll work full time in Santa Cruz Local’s newsroom and receive training.
*If you’re worried you might not qualify for this position but it’s something you’re interested in, please apply!
How to apply:
Step 1: Submit aninterest form.
Step 2: Submit anapplication on UC Berkeley’s website.
The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. March 5.
Classification, Pay and Benefits: $60,000 to $65,000 annually plus University of California benefits. Employee of UC Berkeley, terms set through the California Local News Fellowship
Reports to: Santa Cruz Local’s Managing Editor
Schedule: 40 hours/week, full time hybrid position. Reporting assignments are in person. Staff meetings can be in person or remote. The weekly schedule is fairly flexible, but is generally 9 a.m. to 5:30/6 p.m.
A bit about us: Santa Cruz Local is a nonprofit local news organization that serves residents of Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley. Local journalists founded Santa Cruz Local in 2019 to give residents an unbiased, fair and accurate source of local news and information. In 2023, we launched Noticias Watsonville, Spanish-language audio news on WhatsApp. In 2025, we launched News for Students on Instagram and through civic events at Cabrillo College. Read our strategic plan.
We strive to grow civic engagement through deep, fair and accurate reporting about local government, housing, health, transportation, the environment and other big issues in Santa Cruz County. We lift up voices not normally heard by local government or local media.
We want to:
Inform residents with responsive, useful civic news.
Connect residents with basic needs through our relevant, timely and accurate information guides.
Show residents how to participate in local government and that they can impact decisions.
Push leaders on residents’ priorities and hold them accountable.
Inspire residents to join community groups and volunteer.
The challenge: Produce fair and accurate local journalism that increases civic engagement, holds leaders accountable and responds to residents’ needs.
The job opportunity: You would produce news and information guides for our English-language website and newsletter.
This may involve:
Short recaps and previews of local government meetings.
Deeper stories on housing, homelessness, health, the environment, transportation.
Reporting for our local election guides.
Work on ourICE activity trackerthrough Public Records Act requests.
Building guides on how to access health care, food, affordable housing, rent help and other basic needs.
Collaborating with the newsroom’s reporters and editors on enterprise projects.
Essential functions:
Generate story ideas on a regular basis for English-language audiences from community engagement, original reporting and team collaboration.
Conduct interviews, seek public records, attend meetings and pursue other forms of reporting and investigation.
Tell stories on multiple platforms, primarily written stories for our website and newsletter, but also occasionally Instagram and WhatsApp.
Collaborate with our Managing Editor and other team members to explore new storytelling formats and methods of delivery and develop story ideas from community engagement.
Pitch and participate in experiments to grow our audiences.
Editing, reporting and writing skills.
Learning mindset.
Teamwork and communication skills.
Reporting experience on a daily deadline.
Able to listen and communicate with people of different cultural backgrounds.
Relationship-building skills. Interpersonal effectiveness.
Building a source list that includes people and leaders from diverse backgrounds.
Initiative.
Conversational fluency in Spanish is a plus, though not required.
Timeline
March 5: Deadline to apply.
April: Interviews.
May/June: Hiring decisions announced.
September: Position begins.
Questions? Attend a California Local News Fellowship informational session:
12 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 11.Register on Zoom.
3 p.m. Friday Feb. 20.Register on Zoom.
More information about the fellowship is onUC Berkeley’s website.
How to apply:
Step 1: Submit aninterest form.
Step 2: Submit anapplication on UC Berkeley’s website.
The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. March 5.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
*If you’re worried you might not qualify for this position but it’s something you’re interested in, please apply!
How to apply:
Step 1: Submit aninterest form.
Step 2: Submit anapplication on UC Berkeley’s website.
The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. March 5.
Classification, Pay and Benefits: $60,000 to $65,000 annually plus University of California benefits. Employee of UC Berkeley, terms set through the California Local News Fellowship
Reports to: Santa Cruz Local’s Managing Editor
Schedule: 40 hours/week, full time hybrid position. Reporting assignments are in person. Staff meetings can be in person or remote. The weekly schedule is fairly flexible, but is generally 9 a.m. to 5:30/6 p.m.
A bit about us: Santa Cruz Local is a nonprofit local news organization that serves residents of Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley. Local journalists founded Santa Cruz Local in 2019 to give residents an unbiased, fair and accurate source of local news and information. In 2023, we launched Noticias Watsonville, Spanish-language audio news on WhatsApp. In 2025, we launched News for Students on Instagram and through civic events at Cabrillo College. Read our strategic plan.
We strive to grow civic engagement through deep, fair and accurate reporting about local government, housing, health, transportation, the environment and other big issues in Santa Cruz County. We lift up voices not normally heard by local government or local media.
We want to:
Inform residents with responsive, useful civic news.
Connect residents with basic needs through our relevant, timely and accurate information guides.
Show residents how to participate in local government and that they can impact decisions.
Push leaders on residents’ priorities and hold them accountable.
Inspire residents to join community groups and volunteer.
The challenge: Produce fair and accurate local journalism that increases civic engagement, holds leaders accountable and responds to residents’ needs.
The job opportunity: You would produce news and information guides for our English-language website and newsletter.
This may involve:
Short recaps and previews of local government meetings.
Deeper stories on housing, homelessness, health, the environment, transportation.
Reporting for our local election guides.
Work on ourICE activity trackerthrough Public Records Act requests.
Building guides on how to access health care, food, affordable housing, rent help and other basic needs.
Collaborating with the newsroom’s reporters and editors on enterprise projects.
Essential functions:
Generate story ideas on a regular basis for English-language audiences from community engagement, original reporting and team collaboration.
Conduct interviews, seek public records, attend meetings and pursue other forms of reporting and investigation.
Tell stories on multiple platforms, primarily written stories for our website and newsletter, but also occasionally Instagram and WhatsApp.
Collaborate with our Managing Editor and other team members to explore new storytelling formats and methods of delivery and develop story ideas from community engagement.
Pitch and participate in experiments to grow our audiences.
Editing, reporting and writing skills.
Learning mindset.
Teamwork and communication skills.
Reporting experience on a daily deadline.
Able to listen and communicate with people of different cultural backgrounds.
Relationship-building skills. Interpersonal effectiveness.
Building a source list that includes people and leaders from diverse backgrounds.
Initiative.
Conversational fluency in Spanish is a plus, though not required.
Timeline
March 5: Deadline to apply.
April: Interviews.
May/June: Hiring decisions announced.
September: Position begins.
Questions? Attend a California Local News Fellowship informational session:
12 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 11.Register on Zoom.
3 p.m. Friday Feb. 20.Register on Zoom.
More information about the fellowship is onUC Berkeley’s website.
How to apply:
Step 1: Submit aninterest form.
Step 2: Submit anapplication on UC Berkeley’s website.
The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. March 5.
#J-18808-Ljbffr