People keep asking me why I returned to San Quentin News. As the newspaper approaches the 17-year-mark since its reappearance in 2008, preparations are underway to scale up and standardize the operation. Moving forward, what will that look like?
As I write, hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to construct a state-of-the-art building at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, which will include a brand new media center. It, and my loyalty to “the company,” San Quentin News, is the reason I have returned to the newspaper—and to take care of unfinished business.
Nearly three years ago, I left the newspaper to join The Last Mile’s first cohort of audio engineering students. I completed the coursework, graduated, and later used my time to do freelance reporting for other publications. I also maintained my commitment to San Quentin News and became one of its contributing writers.
For more than 10 years I served the paper in many capacities—seen and unseen. I began writing through its Journalism Guild, with no intention of becoming a staff member. An unforeseen 3 a.m. job assignment washing dirty food trays in San Quentin’s kitchen changed my mind. One of my editor-in-chief predecessors, the late Arnulfo Garcia, brought me on as a staff writer. For that I am grateful. I moved quickly to become Journalism Guild Chairman and Associate Editor.
Jesse Vasquez, executive director of Pollen Initiative (the nonprofit that sponsors San Quentin News) asked me to take the position of editor-in-chief before he paroled from the position. I declined. It was my second rejection of the job. Richard “Bonaru” Richardson had also asked me to accept the position before he paroled as EIC.
“If you don’t take the job then you don’t have the right to complain about what happens at the newspaper,” Vasquez said to me.
“I know,” I said. “I won’t complain, but I can always quit.” In my absence, San Quentin News’ standing as an inmate-run publication, in my opinion, had been compromised. The COVID-19 pandemic besieged the newspaper and caused it to lose ground, and in a short time many of the senior staff paroled and some of our advisers from outside retired.
Despite what outsiders read, San Quentin News has struggled, and more than a few alumni, readers, and journalists on the outside urged me to take the helm, perhaps because I was the only person left at the prison who understood its storied past, structure, operational procedures, business department, volunteers, and mission.
San Quentin News was revived in 2008 as a four-page publication, produced in the vocational print shop, located in now-demolished Building 38. Ironically, it’s the location of the new rehabilitation complex—the same place the newspaper experienced its rebirth, and will return.
Before the podcasts Ear Hustle, UnCuffed, or video productions of Forward This (previously First Watch), there was only San Quentin News and San Quentin Television (SQTV). More often than not, the latter two entities operated independently. If not for the success of San Quentin News there probably would be no media center.
From the beginning, with the help of countless volunteers and the support of the administration—San Quentin and the CDCR’s Office of Public Employee Communications—we were making history. I arrived at the prison three years after the newspaper’s 2008 comeback. The staff produced news in a desert where the incarcerated population was bereft of information about the prison system. Along the way, Arnulfo Garcia made certain we endorsed rehabilitation.
As time vanished, and people paroled, it became easy for me to forget history. I’d forgotten about the hundreds of weekly staff meetings, deadlines, writing, editing, healthy debates, layout meetings, tours from outside, and the hustle and bustle of the newsroom.
Those who worked with me used to hear me say, “San Quentin News is not a self-help group. It’s business, and I’m a company man.” It’s a non-profit newsroom, thanks to our generous donors and grant funders. We, and everyone who has ever read an issue of the newspaper, are deeply indebted to our supporters.
Moving forward, San Quentin News will continue to fulfill its mission “reporting on rehabilitative efforts to increase public safety and achieve social justice.” With that comes maintaining its 0% recidivism rate for those who have paroled from the newspaper.
I had to ask myself why I left the newspaper before I agreed to return. The first answer was easy. I conveniently and selfishly turned my back on my brothers, past and present. Realizing that, I know now that I have to complete what we started. Now I have an opportunity to work with the stakeholders who will propel San Quentin News into a 21st-century media center.
More importantly, I have a responsibility to lay a sustainable foundation for future journalists who will follow in my footsteps. I have the opportunity to continue shaping a legacy in the Golden State. And I am mindful of the 76 staff members who have worked for “the company.” I have known or worked with all but nine of them.
They are listed below:
Kenneth R. Brydon—June 2008
Michael Harris—June 2008
Aly Tambora—June 2008
David Marsh—June 2008
Darrell C. Hartley—April 2009
Arnulfo Garcia—Jan./Feb. 2010
Fernando Lemus—Jan./Feb. 2010
Kevin O’Donnell—May 2010
Richard Richardson— May 2010
JulianGlenn Padgett—June/July 2010
Drew Piazza—Sept./Oct. 2010
Cole Bienek—Jan./Feb. 2011
Stephen Yair Liebb— September 2011
Juan Haines—September 2011
Gary Scott—October 2011
Michael Cooke—November 2011
Richard Lindsey— April 2012
Boston Woodard—December 2012
Ron Koehler—December 2012
Kris Himmelberger—December 2012
Phoeun You—February 2013
Charles D. Henry—February 2013
Kevin D. Sawyer—August 2013
Watani Stiner— September 2013
Malik Harris— October 2013
Rahsaan Thomas— October 2013
Ted Swain— October 2013
Mike Endres—February/March 2014
Sam Hearnes—May 2014
Emile DeWeaver—August 2014
Miguel Quezada—February 2015
Chung Kao—March 2015
Wesley Eisiminger—March 2015
Keung Vanh—September 2015
Eddie Herena—December 2015
Wayne Boatwright—November 2016
Jesse Vasquez—July 2017
Curtis Roberts—March 2018
De’jon Joy—May 2018
Juan Espinosa—July 2018
Timothy Hicks—October 2018
David Ditto—October 2018
Joe Garcia—November 2018
Javier Jimenez—December 2018
Aron Roy—January 2019
Jesse Blue—February 2019
Michael Johnson—March 2019
Vincent Turner—March 2019
Anthony Faulk—April 2019
Aaron Taylor—May 2019
Charles Crowe—August 2019
Anthony Caravalho—August 2019
Heriberto Arredondo—December 2019
Kerry Rudd—February 2020
Vincent O’Bannon—December 2020
Edwin E. Chavez—March 2021
Nathan McKinney—March 2021
Andrew J. Hardy—June 2021
Steve Brooks—August 2021
Carlos Drouaillet—October 2021
Richard Fernandez—October 2021
Joshua Strange—January 2022
Dao Ong—February/March 2022
Jerry Gearin—February/March 2022
Pheng Ly—April 2022
Bostyon Johnson—September 2022
Dante D. Jones—October 2022
Cainen Chambers—December 2022
Michael Callahan—May 2023
Randy C. Thompson—August 2023
C. K. Gerhartsreiter—October 2023
Aristeo Sampablo—December 2023
Arsenio P. Leyva—May 2024
Willy Alarcon-May 2024
Eric Allen—December 2024
César Martínez—December 2024
